Hiroshima
The FCC’s RID and Japan’s Surrender
By Susan L. BrinsonGeorge Sterling received a teletype message from the War Department just after 5:15 am on August 15, 1945. Read more
Hiroshima
B-29 Superfortress: The Plane That Bombed Japan Into Submission
By Sam McGowanAs the Japanese delegation stood on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945, preparing to sign the documents that ended World War II, a large formation of Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers swooped low over Tokyo Bay as a reminder of the terrible destruction that had befallen their nation and turned Japan’s cities into ruins. Read more
Hiroshima
Was It Right to Drop the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima & Nagasaki?
By Sam McGowanThe most controversial decision of the 20th century—probably in all of history—was the one reportedly made by President Harry S. Read more
Hiroshima
The OSS’ Operation Cardinal: Locating General Jonathan Wainwright
By John ManciniOn May 6, 1942, in the Malinta Tunnel, Corregidor Island, General Jonathan Wainwright waited for the Japanese to respond to his surrender offer with a cease-fire. Read more
Hiroshima
Commemorating the End of the World’s Worst War
By Flint WhitlockIt is an intriguing truism of history that those who start wars inevitably end up losing them. A few examples spring to mind: Napoleon vs. Read more
Hiroshima
Why the U.S. Dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan in WWII
By Robert A. RosenthalHow did we get to dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima? Who was responsible? Where and when did it begin? Read more
Hiroshima
New Mexico: Atomic Spy Capital
By Richard HigginsNew Mexico and its capital of Santa Fe bring to mind some beautiful images. Stunning sunsets, unlimited vistas, a plethora of art galleries, the spectacular food enlivened with the local green chile, an ancient Native American culture that still thrives, and a Spanish heritage tradition going back to within 50 years of Columbus’s arrival all make for a unique cultural and physical environment. Read more
Hiroshima
“I Survived the USS Franklin Inferno”
By George F. Black, as told to Howard DunbarOn March 19, 1945, the Essex-class carrier USS Franklin (CV-13), dubbed “Big Ben,” lay 50 miles off Honshu, one of Japan’s Home Islands. Read more
Hiroshima
Women of the Air Force
By Amy Goodpaster StrebeIn 1941 two events took place on opposite sides of the world that forever impacted the history of women in aviation. Read more
Hiroshima
The Imperial War Museum
By Roy StevensonAlthough Britain has a number of war museums, the Imperial War Museum (IWM) is acknowledged as the Holy Grail of them all—the one you must visit when in London. Read more
Hiroshima
USS Indianapolis: Gallant Ship, Tragic End
By Michale D. HullThere was tight security and feverish activity on the dock at the Hunters Point Navy Shipyard in San Francisco Bay around 3 am on Monday, July 16, 1945. Read more
Hiroshima
The Last Fighter Pilot: An Account of the Final Combat Mission of World War Two
Guest Post By History on the NetThe following is an account of Captain Jerry Yellin, who flew the last combat mission of WWII on the morning of August 15, 1945, out of Iwo Jima. Read more
Hiroshima
The Men Against the Bomb
By Andrew J. RotterThe men and women who imagined and then built the atomic bomb thought they were doing something different from what makers of “conventional” weapons did. Read more
Hiroshima
Hiroshima’s Ground Zero Museum
By Flint WhitlockAlthough located 420 miles west of Tokyo, the city of Hiroshima is today a tourist mecca, drawing tens of thousands of visitors from around the world for one single reason: to stand at the epicenter of history’s first nuclear explosion used against an enemy population. Read more
Hiroshima
The Children of WWII: Remembering the Conflict That Stole Their Childhoods
By Susan ZimmermanWorld War II affected nearly every area of the world. It was the deadliest conflict in all of human history. Read more
Hiroshima
The Port Chicago Disaster
By Mason B. WebbIn the summer of 1944, with American forces battling their way ever closer to the Japanese home islands, the need for ammunition in the Pacific was hitting its peak. Read more
Hiroshima
Pathfinder Fire Storm: the B-29s Over Tokyo That Helped End the War
By Robert F. DorrMajor Sam P. Bakshas woke up that morning with the secrets in his head. He was one of the men flying B-29 Superfortress bombers from three Pacific islands—Guam, Saipan, and Tinian. Read more
Hiroshima
‘Mother of All Bombs’ (MOAB) Blast Radius vs. the Largest Bombs of WWII
It’s called the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, nicknamed the Mother of All Bombs, and it is the largest non-nuclear bomb currently in the U.S. Read more
Hiroshima
Last of the Gilbert Islands Coastwatchers
By Bruce M. Petty & Peter McQuarrieThe coastwatching system that operated throughout the South Pacific islands during World War II was introduced to gather and report early information about the movement of enemy ships and aircraft. Read more
Hiroshima
Leslie ‘Dick’ Groves: The Manhattan Project General
By George Davenport Jr.By the spring of 1945, the outcome of World War II was not in serious doubt. What was in serious doubt was the number of casualties that would eventually be required to bring the war to a successful conclusion. Read more
