The Target The building which is now known as the A-bomb Dome was built in 1915 as the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall. Later the name was changed to the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall and finally to the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. It was designed by Jan Letzel, a Czech architect, and, as the city's most elegant and artistic building, was a source of pride for Hiroshima citizens. To the west of the building was a unique T-shaped bridge, the Aioi Bridge, which served an important role of joining east and west sections of the city with the Nakajima and Yoshijima districts to the south. The Aioi Bridge is said to have been the target when the A-bomb was dropped. Research to date has indicated that the actual point where the A-bomb exploded was approximately 300 meters southeast of Aioi Bridge, approximately 580 meters above the Shima Hospital in the district that was previously called Saiku-machi. (The ground directly below the point where the bomb exploded is referred to as the hypocenter.)
The Fireball at the Instant of Explosion The temperature of the air at the point of explosion reached several million degrees Celsius (the maximum temperature of conventional bombs is approximately 5,000 degrees. Several millionths of a second after the explosion a fireball appeared, radiating white heat. After 1/10,000 of a second. the fireball reached a diameter of approximately 28 meters with a temperature of close to 300,000 degrees. At the instant of explosion, intense heat rays and radiation were released in all directions, and a blast erupted with incredible pressure on the surrounding air. Of the energy released, approximately 35 percent was in the form of heat rays, 50 percent as blast wind, and 15 percent as radiation (5 percent as initial radiation and 10 percent as residual radiation).
The Mushroom Cloud The cloud generated by the disturbed air resulting from the explosion was lifted upward by strong currents. As the pillar of radiation-laden smoke reached the bottom of the stratosphere, it spread out horizontally to a diameter of several kilometers, forming the shape of a mushroom cap. After developing into this final stage, the mushroom cloud was dispersed by the wind and dissipated into the surrounding air.
An Eyewitness Account by a Middle School Student The following is from an eyewitness account by a middle school student who was in a classroom during the bombing. The student managed to escaped the collapsed school building but suffered injuries. "I'll never forget that day. After we finished our morning greetings in the schoolyard, we were waiting in the classroom for our building demolition work to begin. Suddenly a friend by the window shouted 'B- 29!' At the same instant, a flash pierced my eyes. The entire building collapsed at once and we were trapped underneath. I don't know how long I remained unconscious. When I came to, I couldn't move my body. Cuts on my face and hands throbbed with pain. My front teeth were broken and my shirt soaked in blood. As I crawled along, encouraging myself, I somehow managed to poke my head out of the wreckage. The school that should have appeared before my eyes was nowhere to be seen. It had vanished and only smoldering ruins remained. Beyond the school toward the center of town, all I could see was a sea of flames. I was so terrified I couldn't stop shaking. Moving my body a little at a time, I was finally able to work free of the collapsed structure. Making sure to head upwind to escape the fires, I made my way staggering haphazardly through the rubble of the city and escaped."
Shigeru was a first-year student at the Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Middle School #2 and was mobilized everyday with his classmates to work on clearing demolished buildings. He was exposed to the A-bombing on August 6 in Nakajima Shinmachi (currently Peace Memorial Park), approximately 500 meters from the hypocenter. His mother walked around the A-bombed city looking for her son, eventually finding him with a lunch box strapped around his stomach. The body was unidentifiable, and the lunch box, with its contents that he never ate, was burned black. (Approximately 500 meters from hypocenter. Courtesy of Shigeko Oremen) City of Hiroshima
Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/ and website www.allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on Conscious talk radio www.conscioustalk.net
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