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NARRATOR:
In the history of modern warfare,

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one day stands out above all others,

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the dropping of the atomic bomb
on Hiroshima,

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the mission which annihilated a city

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and heralded the end
of the Second World War.

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This is a dramatisation of events
as they unfolded

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on a day that shook the world.

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(CLOCK TICKING)

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Tinian Island, Southwest Pacific,

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strategic centre of America's air war
against the Japanese empire.

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In exactly 24 hours,

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a B-29 Superfortress,
the world's largest bomber,

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will take off from this island

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and fly 1,700 miles north,
up the Pacific Ocean

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to the city of Hiroshima, in japan.

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Its mission, to drop a bomb unlike
any other used in this, or any war.

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A bomb
which will change the world forever.

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NEWSCASTER: Three different cameras
recorded, from six miles away,

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these views of the most concentrated
release of explosive energy

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in the history of mankind.

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NARRATOR: July 16th, 1945, 5:29 a.m.

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The night sky of New Mexico
was ripped open

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by a new and terrifying phenomenon.
The atom bomb.

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Code-named Trinity,
the test is so successful

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its creators fear
it may crack the earth's crust

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Just four hours later, an American
destroyer will leave San Francisco

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to sail halfway round the world
to Tinian Island.

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On board is another atom bomb.

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Its final destination,

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a city whose name will forever be
an emblem of the forces unleashed

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by this new and terrible power.

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Hiroshima.

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In a remote corner of Tinian airbase,
one B-29 crew starts the day

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like any other of the
several hundred crews on this island.

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But these men are different

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Keep practising with that glove,
you might actually catch the ball

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Over the past year, they've been
training for a mission so secret,

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only one of them knows what it is:

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their leader, Colonel Paul Tibbets.

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You're gonna have to
give him some money.

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For three months, he was checked out
by FBI agents before being selected

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by the head of the air force
to lead this mission.

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TIBBETS: At the age of 29,

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I had been entrusted
with the successful delivery

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of the most frightening weapon
ever devised.

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One that had been developed
at a cost of $2 billion

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in a programme that involved
the nation's best scientific brains

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and the secret mobilisation
of its industrial capacity.

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Even as all this began to sink in,

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it never occurred to me
that I might not succeed.

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If this bomb could be carried
in an aeroplane, I could do the job.

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NARRATOR:
An innocuous weather report from Guam,

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150 miles to the south.

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Prediction,
that the weather over southern Japan

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is expected to improve
in the next 24 hours.

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The signal is handed
to General Thomas Farrell,

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Deputy Head of the Manhattan Project,

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America's top-secret programme
to develop and build the atomic bomb.

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Seven days ago, Farrell received
the authorisation to drop the bomb

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in the week after August 3rd.

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The order came direct
from President Truman.

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The final date
is left to Farrell's discretion.

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All that matters is the right
weather conditions

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and today, they look perfect

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MAN: We're all right, we're all right,
Hank covers that, you got your coffee...

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TIBBETS: The word came through
Sunday morning, August 5th.

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After three days of uncertainty,

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the clouds that had hung over
the Japanese islands for the past week

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were beginning to break up.

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Conditions were go,
and today was the day.

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NARRATOR: Tibbets doesn't break the news
to his crew yet,

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but after six months of training,
all of them are ready.

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His co-pilot, Bob Lewis,
a tough 26-year-old New Yorker

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and one of the most experienced
B-29 pilots in the air force.

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Come on over here, Sarge,
light this baby!

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NARRATOR: His tall gunner,
21-year-old Sergeant Bob Caron,

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who flew 24 missions
with Tibbets over Europe.

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He's also a keen amateur photographer.

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The key to success of any bombing
mission is the man who drops the bomb

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and Captain Tom Ferebee,
according to Tibbets,

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is the best damn bombardier
in the air force.

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Although he does not know it yet,
in exactly 17 hours,

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this 26-year-old farmer's son
from North Carolina,

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whose greatest ambition is to play
baseball for the Boston Red Sox,

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will press a button on his panel
and release a bomb

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which will kill over 100,000 people
and destroy an entire city.

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Hiroshima's fate is sealed
by a committee set up by the President

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Just three months ago.

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General Farrell chaired the meeting.

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FARRELL: Hiroshima.

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This is an important army depot
and port of embarkation

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in the middle
of an urban industrial area.

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It is a good radar target..

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NARRATOR: Untouched by American bombs,
the Committee decides

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Hiroshima provides a perfect opportunity
to assess the full impact

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of an atomic explosion.

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FARRELL: It is such a size

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that a large part of the city
could be extensively damaged.

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There are adjacent hills which are
likely to produce a focusing effect

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which would considerably increase
the blast damage.

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NARRATOR: A decision is made to send
single, high-flying B-29s over the city

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so that the inhabitants would become
used to the sight of them

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and regard them as harmless.

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Dimples' estimated take-off time is
245 hours. Repeat...

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NARRATOR:
With its unlikely code name, Dimples,

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the mission is given a take-off time.

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Farrell sends the message
halfway round the world

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to the man in charge of the Manhattan
Project, General Leslie Groves.

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7,000 miles away, Groves
passes the take-off time

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to a ship in the middle of the Atlantic,

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to President Truman
of the United States.

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The decision has been taken,

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the power of the atom is about to be
unleashed on an unsuspecting enemy.

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What happens in the next few hours
will determine the fate of the world.

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An awesome responsibility rests
on the President.

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In his diary, Truman writes...

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TRUMAN: "The weapon
is finally to be used against Japan."

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"It seems to be the most terrible thing
ever discovered."

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NARRATOR: Over the past year,
US troops have fought ferocious battles,

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island by island towards Japan.

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(MACHINE GUNS FIRING)

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Tens of thousands of Americans have died
fighting in these islands.

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But the biggest challenge
still lies ahead,

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the invasion of Japan itself;

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expected to cost
a million American lives.

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General Marshall,
the US Army Chief of Staff, says...

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GENERAL MARSHALL: The Japanese had
demonstrated they would not surrender

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and they would fight to the death.

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It was expected that resistance
in Japan, with their home ties,

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would be even more severe so it seemed
quite necessary, if we could,

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to shock them into action.

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We had to end the war.
We had to save American lives.

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NARRATOR: With the time for
the mission fixed, things moved quickly.

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Tibbets consults the expert opinion
of his bombardier, Ferebee.

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The purpose, to decide where exactly
on the primary target to drop the bomb.

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- We'll be coming in from the east...
- It's a clear day.

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TIBBETS: Tom and I studied
a huge air photo of Hiroshima.

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From this, he chose
a geographical feature east of the city

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as the initial point from which
we would start our bomb run.

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MAN: You get the bird here,
this is your aim, right here.

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TIBBETS: As the aiming point

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he put his finger on a T-shaped bridge
near the heart of the city.

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There were many bridges which divided
the city, but this one stood out

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because of a ramp in the centre.

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It gave it the shape of the letter "T".

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To Hiroshimans,
it was known as the Aioi Bridge.

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We can do a southeast turn...

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NARRATOR: But even now, Ferebee has
no idea what kind of bomb he is to drop.

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eighty knots,
that should give us plenty of time.

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NARRATOR: In a heavily guarded
restricted zone on the airfield,

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the bomb is wheeled out of its hangar.

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Named Little Boy, one observer calls
it an elongated trash can with fins.

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Unlike any other trash can,
this one cost $2 billion.

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The 9,700-pound bomb is so heavy,

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special pits have had to be dug
into the ground to winch it

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into the bomb bay of the B-25.

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TIBBETS: With its coat of dull gunmetal
paint, it was an ugly monster.

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It seemed incredible that a single bomb

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should have the explosive force
of 20,000 tons of TNT.

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40 million pounds.
Surely the scientists were exaggerating.

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This would equal 200,000
of the 200 bombs I carried

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over Europe and North Africa.

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NARRATOR: Watching the proceedings
are General Farrell

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and the man who will take charge
of the bomb all the way to the target,

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William "Deak" Parsons.

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A tough, brilliant naval Captain,

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he's the world's greatest expert
in the theory of atomic bomb ballistics.

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In just a few hours,
he will put that theory to the test.

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But right now, Parsons has
a more immediate concern.

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In the past 24 hours,

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four heavily-loaded B-29s
have crashed on take-off.

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(SIRENS WAILING)

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Parson's greatest nightmare

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is the catastrophic consequences
of a similar crash,

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this time with a fully-armed
atomic bomb on board.

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Disregarding months of planning,
he makes a last-minute decision

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to attempt the arming of the bomb
in the air and not on the ground,

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something which has never been tried
outside the controlled,

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sterile environment of the laboratory.

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Armed with just & screwdriver
and a spanner,

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he spends hour after hour
practising the techniques

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required to arm the bomb in-flight.

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The temperature inside the bomb bay
soars to over 40 degrees,

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but he continues,
even as his hands start to bleed.

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There is no room for error. The next
time he does this will be for real,

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31,000 feet up in the sky,
exactly two hours away from the target.

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(CLOCK TICKING)

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1,700 miles to the north of Tinian
lies the city of Hiroshima.

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Despite four years of war,
it remains a city at peace.

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Occasionally, in the past few weeks,

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a single, high-flying B-29 has
overflown the city to the north.

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But Mister B, as the Japanese call
the B-29, has not visited today,

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and even when he does,
he never drops any bombs.

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(TICKING)

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TIBBETS: My thoughts turned
at this moment

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to my courageous red-haired mother,

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whose quiet confidence had been a source
of strength to me since boyhood.

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Her name, Enola Gay,
was pleasing to the ear.

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It was also unique.

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It would be a fine name for my plane,
Enola Gay.

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NARRATOR:
In the last moments of daylight,

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Tibbets is handed a special package.

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So secret is this mission,
that if the Enola Gay ls shot down,

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every crewmen faces
the risk of interrogation,

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torture and possible execution.

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TIBBETS: He came to me and said,

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I hope it's something
that never comes up,

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“but just in case,
it would be easier to swallow a pill

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"than to blow your brains out
with a pistol shot."

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He assured me that with cyanide,
there would be no pain.

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NARRATOR: The capsules take
less than 10 seconds to kill a man.

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There are 12 of them,
one for each member of the crew.

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Tibbets tells none of them
that he has the pills in his possession.

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(CLOCK TICKING)

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500 metres from the T-shaped bridge

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Tom Ferebee has selected
for his aiming point,

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12-year-old Reiko Watanabe,

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a first-year student at Hiroshima's
Municipal High School, studies at home.

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Like all schoolchildren in the city, she
is conscripted to help the war effort

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The only schoolwork
she is able to do is now, at night

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1,500 metres from the same bridge,

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little Shinichi Tetsutani
opens his birthday present,

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a beautiful new tricycle.
He is four today.

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Tomorrow he will spend the day
with his best friend, Kimiko,

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playing with his new toy.

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00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:11,633
(SPEAKING JAPANESE)

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But now, it's time for bed.

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(SPEAKING JAPANESE)

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2,000 metres from the aiming point,
Yoshito Matsoshige,

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a photographer with the local newspaper,

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00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,713
spends the night developing photos
for tomorrow's edition.

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Most of the paper is devoted
to the expected invasion

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00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,719
of the home islands
by the American enemy.

234
00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:43,676
As for Hiroshima itself, there is,
as always, little news to tell

235
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:52,194
1,600 metres from the aiming point,
on the other side of the city,

236
00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,794
Kengo Nikawa settles down for the night,

237
00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:59,114
his pocket watch with him as always,
a special gift from his son.

238
00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:00,829
(TICKING)

239
00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:09,116
TIBBETS: Gentlemen, tonight is the night
we've been waiting for.

240
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,591
We've been training for months,

241
00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:16,713
and what happens after this
will determine the success or failure

242
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:18,029
of that hard work.

243
00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,236
We're gonna be carrying a weapon
on board our bird

244
00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:27,399
that is unlike anything you or I,
or the world, has ever seen.

245
00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:32,873
Our primary target is Hiroshima.

246
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:35,756
The secondary target, Kokura.

247
00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:38,995
Alternate, Nagasaki.

248
00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,434
NARRATOR:
Distance to target, 1,700 miles.

249
00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:44,989
Flight time, 13 hours there and back.

250
00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,838
Three weather planes will fly
one hour ahead of the strike force

251
00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:51,070
to each of the designated targets.

252
00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:52,594
A directive from the President

253
00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,071
authorises use of the bomb
only when the target is visible.

254
00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,753
Weather chooses the target.

255
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:04,598
An hour later,
our attack approach begins.

256
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:10,396
Three B-29s of the strike force

257
00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,438
will fly exactly one hour
behind the weather planes.

258
00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:16,114
The Great Artiste
to carry scientific instruments,

259
00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:19,113
Necessary Evil
to carry specialist observers,

260
00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:21,714
Enola Gay to carry the bomb.

261
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,037
Sergeant, first slide please.

262
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:33,189
NARRATOR: Now Captain Parsons,
the weapons specialist, takes the floor,

263
00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:36,591
revealing the power of the bomb
the crew will carry tonight

264
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,798
It is the first inkling
in six months of training

265
00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:41,951
of what they are about to drop.

266
00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:47,470
This bomb is the most powerful weapon
ever devised by man.

267
00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:53,194
We believe
that this bomb will destroy everything

268
00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,591
within a three-mile radius
of its target.

269
00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:02,636
It's powerful enough to crack the crust
of the surface of the earth.

270
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:05,955
TIBBETS: The men sat there
in shocked disbelief.

271
00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:10,993
They were unable to imagine a single
bomb with such explosive force.

272
00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:13,233
Frankly, neither could I

273
00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,029
PARSONS: The equivalent of the centre
of this bomb, once it hits,

274
00:22:17,120 --> 00:22:20,476
is 1 million degrees centigrade.

275
00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:24,440
The light that it gives off,
10 times more powerful than the sun.

276
00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:27,157
So you could be blinded.

277
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:30,756
That's why everyone on this mission,
in this crew,

278
00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:35,676
is going to be issued special goggles,
and you will wear them,

279
00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:39,432
so that you can
Look your grandchildren in the eye

280
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,080
and tell them
what happened this evening.

281
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,076
This bomb is gonna save lives.

282
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:50,313
Not only is this bomb gonna save lives
but it's going to end the war.

283
00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,149
(WOMAN SINGING IN JAPANESE)

284
00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:19,596
After this mission,

285
00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:22,991
you're gonna be famous, you're gonna be
more famous than Clark Gable.

286
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,472
And everyone's gonna be reading
about this mission in history books

287
00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,073
for 100 years to come.

288
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:35,750
TIBBETS: There stood the Enola Gay,

289
00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,117
bathed in floodlights
like the star of a Hollywood movie.

290
00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:44,953
I'd known there would be some routine
picture taken before departure

291
00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:46,997
but I was unprepared for this.

292
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,073
For the next 20 minutes

293
00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,551
we were put through a photo routine
to which none of us were accustomed.

294
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,437
As the crew posed for the press,

295
00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:01,518
the three weather planes
take off for their destinations,

296
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:05,031
Kokura, Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

297
00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,156
Without their knowing it
the lives of hundreds of thousands

298
00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:14,437
of now-sleeping Japanese men,
women and children

299
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,798
depend on what the weather is like
when they wake up tomorrow morning.

300
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:26,433
(AIRCRAFT HUMMING)

301
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,832
Dimples 8-2, clear to taxi, baker echo.

302
00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,116
MAN ON RADIO: Altimeter two-niner
point niner-three.

303
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:58,319
Clear to taxl, baker echo,
two-niner point niner-three.

304
00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,431
MAN ON RADIO: Dimples 8-2
from North Tinian tower,

305
00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:15,909
clear take-off from point "A" for Abel

306
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,276
wind 160, seven knots.

307
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,717
MAN 2: Dimples 8-2, clear for take-off.

308
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,273
NARRATOR: Tibbets will need every inch
of the runway to take off,

309
00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:31,831
and at the far end is a cliff with
a 600-foot sheer dropped to the sea.

310
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,680
TIBBETS: Now had come
the moment of truth.

311
00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:41,799
More than a mile and a half of runway
stretched before me in the darkness.

312
00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:46,159
The blackened skeletons of four B-29s
that had crashed the night before

313
00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:47,992
had not yet been cleared away.

314
00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:50,119
We were heavily loaded.

315
00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:54,793
7,000 gallons of gas
and the 9,000-pound bomb.

316
00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:59,070
I glanced at my wristwatch.
It was 2.45 a.m.

317
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:02,439
(TICKING)

318
00:26:43,760 --> 00:26:45,319
(CLOCK TICKING)

319
00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:48,789
(BEEPING)

320
00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:50,917
NARRATOR:
In the operations bunker on Tinian,

321
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,913
General Farrell immediately flashes
the take-off time

322
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:58,437
7,000 miles across the world
to General Groves at the Pentagon.

323
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,391
In turn, Groves sends it on

324
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:05,359
a further 2,000 miles
to the U.S.S. Augusta,

325
00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:06,999
sailing in mid-Atlantic.

326
00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:15,480
President Truman is just about
to sit down to dinner

327
00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:17,198
when he receives the signal

328
00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:22,277
One obstacle has already been cleared.

329
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,754
Enola Gay ls safely in the air,
the bomb is on board.

330
00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:31,999
All the President can do now is wait.

331
00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,673
Enola Gay climbs to 4,700 feet

332
00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,912
as the island of Tinian
falls behind in the darkness.

333
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:57,871
Below is nothing but empty ocean
for the next six hours.

334
00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:03,119
MAN 1 ON RADIO: Dimples 8-2,
Tinian tower. Position?

335
00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:05,794
MAN 2 ON RADIO:
158 nautical miles north of Tinian,

336
00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:07,953
heading 338 degrees...

337
00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:10,475
NARRATOR: On board,
the flight settles down to routine.

338
00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:14,394
MAN 2: Indicated airspeed, 213 knots.

339
00:28:14,480 --> 00:28:17,711
Repeat, position, 158...

340
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,919
NARRATOR: Tibbets' co-pilot, Bob Lewis,
begins a log of the flight.

341
00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:25,469
It is written in the form of a letter
to his parents,

342
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,757
halfway round the world
in Richfield, New Jersey.

343
00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:35,389
LEWIS: "Dear Mom and Dad,
at 45 minutes out of our base",

344
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:36,800
"everyone is at work."

345
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,478
"Colonel Tibbets has been
hard at work with the usual tasks"

346
00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:42,756
"that belong to the pilot of a B-29."

347
00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,439
"Dutch Van Kirk, navigator,
and Sergeant Stiborik, radio operator,"

348
00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:50,557
“are in continuous conversation

349
00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:53,280
"as they are shooting bearings
on the Northern Marianas"

350
00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:55,398
"and making radar wind runs."

351
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:23,838
TIBBETS: Having had little sleep
in the past 48 hours,

352
00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:26,639
I was operating on nervous energy alone.

353
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:31,478
A bone weariness told me
I needed to relax, if only briefly,

354
00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:34,792
in order to be reasonably sharp
for the work ahead.

355
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:39,956
NARRATOR: As Enola Gay
continues northwards,

356
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:43,510
Tom Ferebee and Deak Parsons
also snatch some rest

357
00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:46,394
Like their Captain,
their moments are yet to come.

358
00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:55,118
(CLOCK TICKING)

359
00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:59,470
In Washington, General Groves,

360
00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:03,633
the man in charge of the programme which
built the bomb Enola Gay ls carrying,

361
00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:05,359
sits by his telephone.

362
00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,752
GROVES: There was nothing to do
but sit back and wait

363
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:20,514
I told my family I would have to
stay in my office all night

364
00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:26,156
The hours went by more slowly
than I ever imagined hours could go by,

365
00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:28,957
and still there was no news.

366
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:56,473
TIBBETS: 5:51. The first signs of dawn.
That's a nice sight

367
00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:04,912
I think we will have clear sailing
for a long spell

368
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:24,277
I think everyone will feel relieved

369
00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:27,751
when we have left our bomb
with the Japs and get halfway home.

370
00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,469
Or better still, all the way home.

371
00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:39,796
NARRATOR: With the rising sun,
Enola Gay starts the long climb

372
00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:44,158
to its final operational altitude
of 30,700 fest

373
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,118
A few miles ahead
lies the island of Iwo jima,

374
00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:52,877
a harsh, volcanic rock in the Pacific,
and a halfway point to Japan.

375
00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:02,796
(TELEGRAPH BEEPING)

376
00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:08,397
On Tinian, General Farrell
receives the signal

377
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:10,835
that Enola Gay has reached Iwo Jima.

378
00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,793
Tibbets now links up with The Great
Artiste and the Necessary Evil,

379
00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:25,151
the two other B-29s
that make up the strike force.

380
00:32:25,320 --> 00:32:27,550
Together they set course for Japan.

381
00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:32,430
TIBBETS: As we took leave of Iwo Jima,

382
00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:35,478
we were slightly more than
three hours away from our target.

383
00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,272
Our target?
We weren't sure where we were going

384
00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:42,671
or on what unlucky city
our atomic lightning would strike.

385
00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:48,594
It would be one of the three,
Kokura, Nagasaki or Hiroshima.

386
00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:00,397
(CLOCK TICKING)

387
00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:08,635
NARRATOR: In his stateroom,
President Truman opens a dossier

388
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:10,677
containing a prepared statement
to the world

389
00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:13,036
on the first use of an atomic bomb,

390
00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:16,351
due for release just 16 hours
after the bomb has been dropped.

391
00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:20,474
The name of the city
has been left blank.

392
00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:27,159
In just over an hour,

393
00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,676
the three weather planes will reach
their respective destinations.

394
00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:33,430
Only then will the city have a name.

395
00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:46,036
300 miles to the Japanese coast

396
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,789
and Captain Parsons,
the weapons specialist,

397
00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:50,712
prepares for his toughest moment

398
00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:56,799
in the next few minutes, he will enter
the bomb bay and arm the bomb,

399
00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:00,034
just the way he practised
all yesterday afternoon.

400
00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:14,790
PARSONS: I am now entering the bomb bay.

401
00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:26,238
NARRATOR: 70 access the detonation
system at the rear of the bomb,

402
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:29,790
Parsons must negotiate a catwalk
just one foot wide.

403
00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:36,031
Only the bomb doors separate him
from 30,000 feet of thin air.

404
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:50,911
The temperature inside the bomb bay
is -57 degrees,

405
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,389
colder than the coldest Arctic winter,

406
00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:57,510
as he prepares the intricate business
of arming an atomic bomb.

407
00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:10,154
(CLOCK TICKING)

408
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:15,957
1,400 miles to the south,

409
00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:19,438
General Farrell waits for a signal
from the strike force

410
00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,431
that the bomb is finally armed.

411
00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:25,235
Nobody wants to consider
the implications

412
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,470
if Parsons makes a single mistake.

413
00:35:32,240 --> 00:35:34,390
(HEAVY BREATHING)

414
00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:53,439
The critical stage of the operation
starts here.

415
00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:57,390
Parsons first removes the fuse assembly
from the rear of the bomb.

416
00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:01,758
There is no room for error.

417
00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:15,915
PARSONS: I am now going to insert

418
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,071
the first cordite charge.

419
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:27,155
NARRATOR: One by one,

420
00:36:27,240 --> 00:36:30,835
Parsons must insert four cordite charges
into the fusing system.

421
00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:35,796
Together they will fire a uranium bullet
resulting in an atomic explosion.

422
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:40,834
Parsons is now effectively handling
volatile explosives

423
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,958
in close proximity
to nuclear sub-assemblies.

424
00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:52,997
PARSONS: I am now going to Insert
the first live detonation plug.

425
00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:00,989
(HEAVY BREATHING)

426
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,231
NARRATOR: This is the most dangerous
part of the whole operation.

427
00:37:15,240 --> 00:37:19,552
Each of the three plugs is part of
a chain activating the bomb's circuits.

428
00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:30,876
Despite every precaution,
nobody knows exactly what will happen

429
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:33,918
the moment Parsons
inserts the final plug

430
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:36,753
and the detonation circuits activate.

431
00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:53,112
(TELEGRAPH BEEPING)

432
00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:55,313
From the strike force,

433
00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:58,631
a coded signal is flashed
to General Farrell on Tinian.

434
00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:07,990
Farrell immediately opens the sealed
document which accesses the code.

435
00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:10,876
At this point, nobody knows

436
00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:14,510
whether Parsons' efforts have been
successful or catastrophic.

437
00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:16,313
He checks the code word.

438
00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,030
The bomb is armed and ready.

439
00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:31,359
The coded signal is immediately flashed
to General Groves in the Pentagon.

440
00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:37,953
32 minutes from the Japanese coast,
Little Boy ls live

441
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:53,836
TIBBETS: Captaln Parsons has put
the final touches on his assembly job.

442
00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:57,718
We are now loaded. The bomb is now live.

443
00:38:58,720 --> 00:39:01,394
It's a funny feeling
knowing it's right in back of you.

444
00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:03,114
Knock wood.

445
00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:06,275
Outside, it is a very beautiful day.

446
00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:10,556
We are now about two hours
from bombs away.

447
00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:31,110
NARRATOR: But even now, as Enola Gay
approaches the Japanese coast,

448
00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:33,749
no one on board
knows its final destination.

449
00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:54,717
150 miles to the north,
Hiroshima basks in sunshine,

450
00:39:54,800 --> 00:39:57,394
a perfect, cloudless summer's morning.

451
00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:05,436
At exactly 731, Straight Flush,
the B-29 weather plane,

452
00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:07,193
appears overhead the city.

453
00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:09,032
(SIRENS WAILING)

454
00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:17,717
Despite triggering a yellow alert,

455
00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:20,872
very few of the city's inhabitants
bother to look up.

456
00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:24,119
B-29s have been passing this way
for days.

457
00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:25,709
(TICKING)

458
00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:33,071
And who wants to hide in an air-raid
shelter on this perfect summer's day?

459
00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:37,438
(SIRENS WAILING)

460
00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:39,631
This perfect summer's day.

461
00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:44,553
Almost exactly the description
which Straight Flush, 30,000 feet above,

462
00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:48,959
is sending back to the men
in Enola Gay, 45 minutes behind.

463
00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:56,279
(TELEGRAPH BEEPING)

464
00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:05,596
MAN ON RADIO: Two-tenths cloud cover,
lower and middle...

465
00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:09,639
TIBBETS: 7:31. We receive a report
from our radio operator

466
00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:11,836
that our primary is the best target.

467
00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:19,033
We have started our second climb
to our final altitude.

468
00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:25,718
With everything going well so far,
we will make the bomb run on Hiroshima.

469
00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:29,073
We are now only 25 miles
from the Empire.

470
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:32,199
Everyone has a big, hopeful look
on his face.

471
00:41:56,720 --> 00:41:59,599
NARRATOR: Like many schoolchildren
her age in Hiroshima,

472
00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:03,435
Reiko Watanabe prepares
for another day of fire prevention work

473
00:42:03,520 --> 00:42:05,477
under the student mobilisation order.

474
00:42:09,560 --> 00:42:14,236
By this stage of the war, her lunch
of boiled rice and peas is a rare feast

475
00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:15,993
a special treat from her mother.

476
00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:28,431
After a long night in his darkroom,

477
00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:33,117
Yoshito Matsoshige sits in his garden,
enjoying the glorious weather,

478
00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,755
an opportunity to play with his camera
in the perfect light conditions.

479
00:42:54,720 --> 00:42:56,836
MAN ON RADIO: Nav to pilot,

480
00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:02,555
heading 264,
wind 170 degrees, eight knots.

481
00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:06,036
Estimated time to aiming point,
16 minutes,

482
00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:09,112
time check, 0759.

483
00:43:14,520 --> 00:43:16,989
NARRATOR:
Undisturbed by flak or fighters,

484
00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:19,515
Enola Gay reaches the Japanese coast

485
00:43:23,960 --> 00:43:26,156
The crew take up their battle stations.

486
00:43:31,840 --> 00:43:34,753
Taking his camera, tall gunner Bob Caron

487
00:43:34,840 --> 00:43:38,356
moves to his isolated position
in the rear of the plane.

488
00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:44,197
As Enola Gay dives away
from the target after the drop,

489
00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:46,635
he will have a grandstand view
of the blast

490
00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:50,192
His intention is to capture
the moment for posterity.

491
00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:47,670
TIBBETS:
We have now set the automatic pilot

492
00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:49,717
for the last time until bombs away.

493
00:44:50,720 --> 00:44:54,395
I have checked with all concerned,
and all stations report satisfactorily.

494
00:44:56,600 --> 00:44:59,319
Well, folks, it won't be long now.

495
00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:04,912
MAN ON RADIO: Bomber to pilot,
visual with target.

496
00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:09,790
Heading 264, repeat, heading...

497
00:45:09,880 --> 00:45:11,917
TIBBETS: Now it was up to Tom and me.

498
00:45:12,520 --> 00:45:14,830
We were only 90 seconds
from bomb release

499
00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:17,673
when I turned the plane
over to him on autopilot

500
00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:20,954
My eyes were fixed
on the centre of the city

501
00:45:21,240 --> 00:45:23,356
that shimmered
in the early morning sunlight

502
00:45:25,640 --> 00:45:28,758
MAN ON RADIO:
Wind 170 degrees, eight knots.

503
00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:31,434
Two minutes to drop.

504
00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:44,634
NARRATOR: This time there are no sirens.

505
00:46:23,760 --> 00:46:25,512
MAN ON RADIO: Okay, I got the bridge.

506
00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:31,110
NARRATOR: The moment Ferebee
activates a high-pitched warning tone,

507
00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:35,239
the crew know they have one minute
before the bomb is released.

508
00:46:36,680 --> 00:46:40,639
Exactly 42 seconds later,
Little Boy will explode.

509
00:46:42,680 --> 00:46:45,718
LEWIS: 8:15,
there will be a short intermission

510
00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:47,952
while we bomb the target

511
00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:55,157
(LONG HIGH-PITCHED BEEP)

512
00:48:06,760 --> 00:48:08,558
(CLOCK TICKING)

513
00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:26,038
(LOUD EXPLOSION)

514
00:48:33,160 --> 00:48:35,197
TIBBETS: The first shockwave hit us.

515
00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:41,552
The whole aeroplane cracked
and crinkled from the blast

516
00:48:49,120 --> 00:48:52,875
Where before there had been a city
with distinctive houses, buildings

517
00:48:52,960 --> 00:48:55,429
and everything you could see
from our altitude,

518
00:48:55,720 --> 00:48:57,597
now you couldn't see anything

519
00:48:57,680 --> 00:49:00,559
except the black,
boiling debris down below.

520
00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:09,836
No one spoke for a moment,
then everyone was talking.

521
00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:14,757
I remember Lewis pounding my shoulder,
saying, "Look at that, look at that"

522
00:49:15,560 --> 00:49:19,599
He said he could taste atomic fission.
He said it tasted like lead.

523
00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:30,794
NARRATOR: In the tail of Enola Gay,
Bob Caron starts taking photos

524
00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:32,598
of the huge mushroom cloud.

525
00:49:35,080 --> 00:49:37,674
CARON: The column of smoke
is rising fast

526
00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:40,274
It's nearly level with us and climbing.

527
00:49:41,160 --> 00:49:44,835
It has a fiery, red core.
It's all turbulent.

528
00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:47,475
Fires are springing up everywhere,

529
00:49:47,560 --> 00:49:50,439
like flames shooting out
of a huge bed of coals.

530
00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:53,556
The city must be below that.

531
00:50:07,080 --> 00:50:09,037
8:18.

532
00:50:09,480 --> 00:50:11,517
My God, what have we done?

533
00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:14,232
If I live for 100 years,

534
00:50:14,320 --> 00:50:17,153
I'll never get these few minutes
out of my mind.

535
00:50:28,120 --> 00:50:30,953
NARRATOR: One millionth of a second
after detonation,

536
00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:33,111
Hiroshima ceases to exist.

537
00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:49,476
Later tests reveal the full force
of a nuclear shock wave

538
00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:54,396
as it tears through buildings,
cars and flesh at the speed of sound.

539
00:51:00,280 --> 00:51:06,595
Over 100,000 people and 47,000 buildings
are, quite literally, obliterated.

540
00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:20,076
500 metres from the bridge Tom Ferebee
selected as his aiming point,

541
00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:23,471
Reiko Watanabe is instantly
incinerated by the blast

542
00:51:30,560 --> 00:51:32,551
1,500 metres from the bridge,

543
00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:36,315
Shinichi Tetsutani and his best friend
are also killed,

544
00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:40,997
his new tricycle's steel frame twisting
and melting in the million-degree heat

545
00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:48,956
1,600 metres from the epicentre,

546
00:51:49,280 --> 00:51:52,875
Kengo Nikawa is exposed
to the same intense heat

547
00:51:53,720 --> 00:51:55,472
But his watch survives,

548
00:51:55,560 --> 00:51:59,679
its hands forever frozen
at the exact moment Little Boy explodes.

549
00:52:15,280 --> 00:52:17,237
Within minutes of the explosion,

550
00:52:17,320 --> 00:52:20,950
Hiroshima's fate is signalled around
the world to the men who devised it

551
00:52:21,280 --> 00:52:23,078
(TELEGRAPH BEEPING)

552
00:52:23,320 --> 00:52:27,473
The culmination of three years' work
and $2 billion expenditure

553
00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:29,870
is transmitted in one sentence of code.

554
00:52:30,400 --> 00:52:32,311
Clear-cut, successful in all respects.

555
00:52:33,320 --> 00:52:35,516
Visual effects greater
than Trinity test.

556
00:52:36,760 --> 00:52:38,398
Target Hiroshima.

557
00:52:47,440 --> 00:52:49,397
NARRATOR: On board the U.S.S. Augusta,

558
00:52:49,480 --> 00:52:52,074
President Truman
is just about to have lunch

559
00:52:52,160 --> 00:52:53,753
when he receives the message.

560
00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:57,471
He says,
"This is the greatest thing in history."

561
00:53:18,200 --> 00:53:20,430
Miraculously surviving the blast,

562
00:53:20,520 --> 00:53:25,549
Yoshito Matsoshige, the photographer,
moves directly towards the epicentre.

563
00:53:32,320 --> 00:53:34,960
He takes just five photographs,

564
00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:38,920
the only ones ever taken of Hiroshima
on the day the bomb fell

565
00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:46,875
MATSOSHIGE: The scene I saw
through the viewfinder was too cruel

566
00:53:47,600 --> 00:53:49,796
Among the hundreds of injured persons,

567
00:53:49,880 --> 00:53:53,032
you cannot tell the difference
between male and female.

568
00:53:54,680 --> 00:53:57,752
There were children screaming,
"It's hot it's hot."

569
00:53:58,040 --> 00:54:00,873
and infants crying
over the body of their mother,

570
00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:02,917
who appeared to be already dead.

571
00:54:05,880 --> 00:54:09,077
I tried to pull myself together
by telling myself,

572
00:54:09,160 --> 00:54:12,915
"I'm a news cameraman
and it is my duty to take a photograph,"

573
00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:14,559
"even if it's just one."

574
00:54:14,640 --> 00:54:18,554
"Even if people take me as a devil,
or a cold-hearted man."

575
00:54:19,800 --> 00:54:21,677
I finally managed to press the shutter,

576
00:54:21,760 --> 00:54:24,832
but when I looked through the finder
a second time,

577
00:54:24,920 --> 00:54:27,434
the object was blurred with tears.

578
00:54:48,600 --> 00:54:50,830
NARRATOR:
Its mission successfully accomplished,

579
00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:52,797
Enola Gay ref urns home.

580
00:54:55,360 --> 00:54:59,240
TIBBETS: It was 2:58 p.m. when
we touched down on the long runway

581
00:54:59,320 --> 00:55:03,314
from which we had taken off with
such apparent effort 12 hours before.

582
00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:09,836
(PEOPLE CHEERING)

583
00:55:10,760 --> 00:55:13,991
I was unprepared for the welcome
which awaited us when,

584
00:55:14,080 --> 00:55:16,720
after landing,
I taxied to the hard-stand

585
00:55:16,800 --> 00:55:19,394
from which we had departed
in the early morning hours.

586
00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:28,230
One after another shook my hands
or slapped my back,

587
00:55:28,320 --> 00:55:30,834
Jubilant over the success
of our mission,

588
00:55:30,920 --> 00:55:34,709
wanting to hear more about the bomb
and the destruction it had caused.

589
00:55:37,480 --> 00:55:39,949
NARRATOR: The crew barely have time
to step off the plane

590
00:55:40,040 --> 00:55:43,396
before they're all awarded medals
in front of the world's press.

591
00:55:47,320 --> 00:55:50,233
Later that night, tall gunner Bob Caron

592
00:55:50,320 --> 00:55:52,709
writes a letter to his wife
back in New York.

593
00:55:55,520 --> 00:55:58,751
CARON: "Hi, sweetie.
I received this medal today."

594
00:55:59,160 --> 00:56:01,595
I can't tell you just yet why I got it

595
00:56:01,680 --> 00:56:03,637
"In fact, our whole crew got one."

596
00:56:03,720 --> 00:56:06,678
"Seems our crew and airplanes
made history or something."

597
00:56:07,400 --> 00:56:09,198
"Write my mother and tell her to collect"

598
00:56:09,280 --> 00:56:11,590
"all the newspaper stories
on the biggest story."

599
00:56:12,200 --> 00:56:17,274
"P.S. Collect all the stories
of the new bomb for our scrapbook."

600
00:56:24,080 --> 00:56:28,039
NARRATOR: Three days later, a second
atom bomb is dropped on Nagasaki,

601
00:56:28,120 --> 00:56:30,031
killing 86,000 people.

602
00:56:35,760 --> 00:56:37,876
On August the 14th,

603
00:56:37,960 --> 00:56:41,840
exactly eight days after Enola Gay's
mission to Hiroshima,

604
00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:43,911
the Japanese finally surrender.

605
00:56:58,920 --> 00:57:02,515
Shinichi Tetsutani
was buried in the front garden

606
00:57:02,600 --> 00:57:05,638
where he was playing on the day he died.

607
00:57:05,720 --> 00:57:08,678
Because his father felt that laying
a four-year-old in a grave alone

608
00:57:08,760 --> 00:57:12,196
was too pitiful,
he burled his tricycle with his son.

609
00:57:13,080 --> 00:57:14,309
Thirty years later,

610
00:57:14,400 --> 00:57:17,597
Shinichi's bones were dug up
and placed in a formal grave.

611
00:57:30,400 --> 00:57:33,119
Reiko Watanabe's body was never found.

612
00:57:34,120 --> 00:57:38,512
For two days, her father, mother and
sister searched the city ruins in vain.

613
00:57:39,480 --> 00:57:41,869
But all they ever found was
her lunchbox,

614
00:57:41,960 --> 00:57:43,917
buried under a fallen mud wall,

615
00:57:44,000 --> 00:57:47,118
its contents carbonised
by the heat of 10 suns.

616
00:57:54,360 --> 00:57:58,115
Kengo Nikawa died from burns
two weeks after the bomb fell

617
00:57:59,480 --> 00:58:04,270
Many years later, his son donated
the watch to the Hiroshima Peace Museum

618
00:58:04,360 --> 00:58:09,958
where it remains to this day, a symbol
of the moment the world changed forever.