ALL SCI-FI

[Brent Gair]

Many years ago, I developed a fascination with the story of the making and deployment of the atomic bombs used against Japan In WWII.

I devoured multiple, thick, books on the subject. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of fascinating small stories and facts about the bombing.

With the anniversary of the bombing almost here, I thought I'd list a few small facts that you might not know. We've all seen the movies and TV series...most of which are surprisingly good and accurate. But I decided to list some backstory trivia that doesn't get much mention. These are things that might be new to you:


Some scientists suggested equipping the bomb with an extremely loud siren that would attract attention and cause people to look up. Looking at the bomb would blind people within a radius of several miles.

THE GREAT ARTISTE was the only plane to fly both A-bomb missions. It was equipped with test equipment. It was scrapped in Canada in 1949 after being heavily damaged in a landing accident at Goose Bay in 1948.

A B-29 called ???TOP SECRET??? was pre-positioned on a guarded apron near a specially constructed bomb-loading pit on Iwo Jima. If the ENOLA GAY encountered any technical troubles following it???s departure from Tinian, it was to divert to Iwo Jima and transfer the bomb to TOP SECRET so that the mission could continue.

The bombs (minus the nuclear cores) were called ???H.E. units??? (short for High Explosive units). B-29s arrived on Tinian with three FAT MAN model 1561 H.E. units (LITTLE BOY arrived separately). Only cores were needed to make the FAT MAN bombs live.

General Groves reported that another FAT MAN core would be ready for transport from New Mexico to Tinian on August 12 or 15 and the third ???bomb should be ready for delivery on the first suitable weather after 17 or 18 August???.

On August 10, Strategic Air Forces Commander Carl Spaatz sent a cable requesting ??????placing the third atomic bomb on Tokyo??????

Groves liaison officer L.E. Seeman projected, ???Six plutonium bombs are expected to be ready by October with possibly a seventh in November, making one bomb available every 10 days from September???.

[Bud Brewster]

This is fascinating info, Brent! Please feel free to add as much of it to this thread as you have the time and inclination to so.

That item about the siren on the bombs is really gruesome!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

[Brent Gair]

[Bud Brewster]

"Please, sir. I want more."
---- Oliver Twist
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Brent Gair]

The second A-bomb mission is the more interesting because it was a near comedy of errors that almost resulted in a court-martial for the mission commander.

THE GREAT ARTISTE was originally tapped to drop the bomb but it was decided that, since it already had test equipment installed from the Hiroshima mission, it would be easier if a different plane would carry the the bomb. The bomb would be delivered by "BOCK'S CAR" named for it's regular pilot captain Frederick Bock. Oddly, Fred Bock would fly THE GREAT ARTISTE that day and BOCK'S CAR would be flown by Chuck Sweeney. A third B-29, BIG STINK, would carry photographic equipment.

A weather plane was dispatched earlier and reported that weather over the primary target of Kokura would be satisfactory.

BIG STINK rolled to the end of the runway for take-off. At this point equipment operator Dr. Robert Serber was told to leave the aircraft because he had forgotten his parachute. Since Serber was the only man who knew how to operate the high speed camera, another crew member of BIG STINK had to receive camera instructions by radio once the plane was in the air.

Chuck Sweeney in BOCK'S CAR discovered a fuel pump problem in the plane before takeoff which made it impossible to access 600 gallons of gas but he calculated he still had enough fuel for the mission. However, dealing with the issue and doing fuel calculations made his takeoff a half hour late.

Sweeney flew to the rendevous point (Yokohama) where the three planes were to fly on to the target. But he could only find THE GREAT ARTISTE. After 40 minutes of orbiting, trying unsuccesfully to find BIG STINK*, the two planes flew on to Kokura. By the time they reached Kokura, it was obscured by clouds. BOCK'S CAR made three bomb runs over Kokura but the bombardier was unable to find any aiming point so they went to the secondary target: Nagasaki.

Getting to Nagasaki, they discovered the weather wasn't much better. The first two runs on Nagasaki also produced no usefull aiming point. By the time BOCK'S CAR made the third attempt, it was critcally short of fuel and Sweeney decided, "The bomb had to go down on Nagasaki or it was going nowhere". The bomb was half a mile wide of the intended target. In the one bit of luck that saved Sweeney's career, the bomb just happened to explode over a good military target; taking out the Mitsubishi torpedo factory and the nearby Mitsubishi Steel and Armaments works.

BOCK'S CAR didn't have enough fuel left to reach Tinian or the designated alterate field at Iwo Jima. Instead, it landed on fumes at Okinawa.

Colonel Tibbets decided if there was to be a third bomb dropped, he would fly the mission himself. BOCK'S CAR pilot Chuck Sweeney was called on the carpet before General Curtis LeMay who is reported by multiple sources to have said, "You really f#*cked that one up, didn't you Chuck?"

*BIG STINK did eventually arrive at Nagasaki...after the bomb was dropped

[Bud Brewster]

If you're hopin' I'll say, "That's great, Brent! Thanks!" -- you're out of luck.

The actual messages reads as follows: "Keep 'um comin', Major Gair! This is gettin' good!"
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)