How many Americans died in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

History 18/01/20 How many Americans died in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

“I have never seen a message about a white soldier, a pow, whom we identified as white. His charred body was found among the debris on the street just 300 feet from the epicenter. It was the only person who died from the atomic bomb his country.”

So wrote about the consequences of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima General Masatake Okumiya, who was then serving as the headquarters of the air defense of Japan and visited the site of the tragedy on 7 August 1945, that is, the day after the explosion.

one That he wrote – only he was American, died as a result of the nuclear bomb? And American do? In Japanese captivity, it was also a lot of British, Australians, Dutch… However, the latter doesn’t matter. It is clear that it was someone from the enemies of Japan. So he died from “his” or “friendly” of the atomic bombing.

a pow Camp close to Hiroshima

the American General Leslie groves, who oversaw 1942-1945 in the project to create the atomic bomb, recommended for nuclear strikes four targets in Japan. However, he was guided by such criteria: the city had to be large enough in area and slightly damaged by the previous raids. This was considered necessary in order to clearly see the destructive power of new weapons and to establish its exact parameters. Among these cities were Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In the Preface to the Soviet edition of the book of the groves “Now it can be told”, which tells about the creation and use of the first atomic bombs, mentioned this episode: “When the targets were approved, it was found that near them are pow of the Americans and their allies, and then groves did not hesitate to give instructions not to take into account this factor.”

Historians C. V. Karasev and S. I. Kuznetsov from the Irkutsk state technical University.theta in the article about the pow camps in Japan cause such data. In August 1945 on the Japanese Islands prisoners housed in the camp seven zones. One was near Hiroshima. It was at the time held 2960 prisoners of war of different nationalities. According to their ratio in the camps area of Fukuoka city, it can be assumed that the Americans were about a quarter of them prisoners, the other equally important national group was the British, and together with the representatives of the dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) the British were more than a third. Thus, the dead white soldiers, about which he wrote Okumiya, were not necessarily American.

the pow Camp was located not in the city and was not affected by a nuclear strike. However, how many of his prisoners worked at that time in the city on different objects? By the end of the war, in connection with the human losses and the mobilization of the entire male population to the army the Japanese were forced to make greater use of labor of prisoners of war. Referred to the victim could be not only the allies that day 6 August 1945.

the Taboo on the discussion of this topic in the U.S.

Immediately after the Japanese surrender on 3 September 1945, American troops landed at various points. Only Hiroshima was posted by the American contingent of 40 thousand people in Nagasaki – 27 thousand. Still not published materials associated with exposure to radiation contamination of the territory.

In the publications it is possible to meet contradictory opinions. So, Valery Alexeev on the website of the NGO “Russian international Affairs Council” (RIAC) writes: “American troops are not moved every day in protective suits with gas masks: while “radiation sickness” were not yet known. There is no mass mortality of Americans from radiation were recorded. No data about their rapid demise in 10-15 years”. At the same time, the famous historian of the Second world war Yuri Nikiforov in interview to “Komsomolskaya PRAVDE” expressed doubt that they all felt good after some time after landing.

About radiation sickness at that time was known only in theory, but the exact effects of radiation on the human body was the subject of a study. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has become a testing ground for American military doctors, months indifferently fixing the symptoms of the deadly disease from thousands of Japanese stationed in field hospitals. All materials Japanese hospitals on this issue collected in the next few days after the atomic bombing were confiscated and classified by the occupation authorities. In 1946, the us government banned the Japanese to provide medical assistance to victims of radiation sickness, and to recognize its presence. The ban was lifted only in 1954.

At the official level, says the American historian Janet Brodie, the US denied the risk of exposure to radioactive decay products in the place of a nuclear explosion. It took them not only to avert any accusations against the us military, but also to assure your troops disembark in complete safety. The fact that the latter had not received any warnings and didn’t take precautions does not mean anything.

In his article “Radiation secrecy and censorship after Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Brody writes that in 50 years the us military denied the existence of residual radiation, and all information on the matter was highly secret or falsified. “The U.S. government wanted to make sure that soldiers vysazhivaetsya in Japan, do not expose your health to danger, – it is written in an adapted translation of the article on the Ribbon.ru. – Senior military rank was specifically instructed Donald Collins (Donald Collins), engineer “the Manhattan project”, specialist dosimetry: “Your task is to prove that after the bomb there’s no radiation”. And later, despite the fact that the Typhoon never allowed Collins to reach Nagasaki, scientists shockedeniem read ready conclusions of his “research” in Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the Ministry of defense of the United States”.

the Head of the atomic project, General Leslie groves, asked in November 1945, the questions of the congressmen, said that radiation can be a cause of death, but supposedly without unnecessary suffering. “Doctors claim that it is a very pleasant way to die” – without a shadow of embarrassment said brave parliamentarians obviously swallowed his statement without a shadow of a doubt.

one Can only guess how many prisoners of war from the United States and allied countries killed and seriously undermined health as a result of the atomic bombing, and was reflected as a long-term stay in the epicenter of the explosion on the welfare of the soldiers of the American occupation troops in Hiroshima and Nagasaki several years later. Democratic regimes are not worse than the “totalitarian” can keep from the public the secrets of his state policy.

Yaroslav Butakov

Source:
© Russian Seven

see also: editor’s choice, “Russian Seven”thieves in law on the eve of the Olympics-80 struggled with prestupnostiu Rommel: what was the best commander Galeriara Black devil in Khakassia: the most mysterious place in Sibirtrans Saturn in Capricorn: how will it affect RussianAcademy article also Listen to the podcast “the Russian Seven”. Share: Comments Comments on the article “How many Americans died in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki” Please log in to leave a comment! br>
Share on Tumblr