Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Abstract

On the Hiroshima Cenotaph are inscribed the words: “Please rest in peace, for the error will not be repeated”. Was the error the atomic bombing or Japanese militarism? On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay, piloted by Col. Paul W. Tibbets, dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and gave the world “a peep into hell”. And on August 9, 1945, the town of Nagasaki was subjected to the same horrible fate. August as a month became synonymous with the Apoclypse of Hiroshima in 1945. Originally intended as a deterrent to the German threat, the atomic bomb became an offensive weapon to be used to coerce Japan to surrender and bring World War II to an end. This article discusses this major shift in policy and recalls the history of one of the most devastating events of our times.