Hiroshima Bombing

On the 5th of August, 1945, "Unit L-11" (also known as "Little Boy") was resting on a trailer cradle, in a pit, waiting to be loaded into Enola Gay's bomb bay.

The B-29's tail was edged over the pit, as the plane was in-position to receive the nuclear bomb. After the device was loaded, the crew left Tinian Island for their top-secret mission. They were flying to a city on the Japanese home island of Honshu.

It was hot and sunny on August 6, 1945. An air raid siren sounded at 7:09 a.m. as Enola Gay’s scout plane checked the weather over Hiroshima.

One hour later, Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. and his crew released "Little Boy" at precisely 8:15:17 a.m. No one - including the crew - was prepared for what they saw and for what the people of Hiroshima experienced.

"Little Boy" detonated 1,870 feet above ground 43 seconds after it was released from the Enola Gay. The explosion equaled about 13,000-15,000 tons of TNT. The distinctive T-shaped Aioi Bridge was ground zero. Never in the history of warfare had any weapon caused such massive destruction.
 
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