August 6th 1945

“Enola Gay” – 509th Composite Group, Superfortress B-29, pilot Col. Paul W. TIBBETS Jr, dropped the first atomic bomb “Little Boy” over Hiroshima, Japan, on August 06, 1945

“Bockscar” – 509th Composite Group, Superfortress B-29, pilot Maj. Charles W. SWEENEY, dropped the second atomic bomb “Fat Man” over Nagasaki, Japan, on August 09, 1945

HIROSHIMA, JAPAN (6 August 1945)

In order to try and hasten the defeat and capitulation of Japan, a first A-Bomb (named "Little Boy") was dropped on Hiroshima . The Atomic Bomb exploded at 0815 August 6, 1945 after having been released from a B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay" piloted by Lt. Colonel Paul Tibbets . It has been estimated that the extensive destruction and the great fires that raged across the city caused a total of 135,000 casualties .

Just three days after the first A-Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a second A-Bomb (named "Fat Man") was dropped on Nagasaki to urge the Japanese to surrender ! The damage however was not as severe due to the different geographic structure of the city, although total casualties still reached approximately 64,000 !

The A-Bombs alone, did not win the war against Japan, but they most certainly ended it, thereby saving thousands of Allied lives that would have been lost by an Invasion of the Japanese islands …