THE “LITTLE BOY” AND THE “FAT MAN”
“Each person
had a name. Each person was loved by someone. Let us ensure that their deaths
were not in vain.” Iconic
words by Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the August 1945 atomic pounding of Hiroshima
during his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in the year 2017.
While the world
slowly emerges from the lethal Novel Corona virus, bracing itself for the
economic fall out of the Russia–Ukraine conflict, we are now facing the specter
of yet another medical scare in the form of monkey pox.
This is indeed the
month to recall the macabre events of the Second World War. The key takeaway is how to mitigate the
agonies inflicted by turmoil and give a chance to the voice of reason and
sanity to prevail. But the rapacious appetite and avarice of mankind is such
that barely does one conflict end and another is at our doorsteps.
In the spring of 1988,
in New Delhi, it was with great trepidation that I stepped into an imposing
edifice on Shah Jahan Road called the Union Public Service Commission. Dreams
of lakhs of aspiring civil servants from across swathes of the land are unlocked
in the chambers of this structure.
Mock drills and
interviews do instill a sense of confidence, but more often than not a
contender is flummoxed, being in awe of the occasion and the array of questions
posed by an estimable interview board.
“Well, Mr.
Valluri, one of the optional papers was history despite studying commerce and
Business Economics. What do you know about the “Little Boy” and the “Fat Man”?”
the head of the interview board with a stentorian voice demanded. For a moment
I was rattled by the pounding and shelling of the query but regained my poise.
The United States of America had
brutally detonated two atomic bombs over the hapless Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in 1945. The events caused widespread destruction, snuffing
out lives of thousands, maiming millions. Their effects resonate and
reverberate till date.
In the lexicon of American warfare
these two were the “Little Boy” and the “Fat Man”.
The uranium bomb which
detonated over Hiroshima on the fateful date had an explosive yield which tantamounted
to 15,000 tonnes of trinitrotoluene (TNT).
It razed and destroyed around 70 per cent of all the structures and resulted
eventually in an estimated 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945.
Unfortunately, those who
survived the holocaust were plagued with
the pestilence of cancer and other chronic ailments. Such was the magnitude of
the lethal strike.
A humungous plutonium bomb
exploded over Nagasaki three days later which flattened 6.7 sq. km. of the city
and killed nearly 74,000 people by the end of 1945. It
was also estimated that the subterranean temperatures rose to 4,000°C and there
was torrential radioactive rain. Such was the cataclysmic impact of the
arsenal.
What
prompted America to launch this offensive strike?
The
relations between the two major Axis and Allied powers, Japan and United States
of America plummeted as the Japanese forces overarched towards Indochina with a
singular mission of running amuck the oil rich areas of the East Indies.
There was
palpable threat to America which soon put an embargo on scrap metal, oil, and
aviation fuel heading towards Japan and froze Japanese assets in the United
States as a retaliatory measure. The hostilities did not cease there as the
United States demanded that the Japanese troops withdraw from all conquered
areas of China and Indochina.
As the
malevolence between the two countries spiralled, Japanese planes stealthily
attacked the American naval bases at Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, which
brought the United States officially into World War II. In a surprise attack,
Japan sunk several frigates, destroyed hundreds of planes and snuffed out
thousands of lives. The Japanese strategy was to cripple the U.S. Pacific
fleet, and they almost succeeded in their mission.
The ensuing
war between the two countries was a costly affair. Years of fighting brought
the US armed forces in close proximity to Japan as they “hopped” from one
island to another. The Japanese were vicious fighters, but every victory has a
serious price to pay. Once President Roosevelt cast his mortal self on April
12, 1945, it became incumbent upon Harry Truman to decisively plan how to
terminate the war. Truman and his advisors were cautious of invading Japan as
Japanese kamikaze pilots could turn planes into guided missiles and throw all
plans off gear.
Upon assuming
the Presidency, Harry Truman stumbled upon the Manhattan Project, a secret
scientific attempt to develop an atomic bomb.
President
Truman had audaciously tested the weapon and issued what is called the Potsdam
Declaration threat demanding the unconditional surrender of the Japanese government
with a stern warning of “prompt and utter destruction.” This is the typical
American awe and shock tactic.
Barely
eleven days later, on August 6, 1945, an American bomber called the Enola Gay left Tinian Island en route to Japan as the latter
refused to capitulate.
In the belly of the bomber was the innocuous
sounding “Little Boy,” essentially an atomic bomb. At 8:15 am Hiroshima
time, “Little Boy” was dropped. The unprecedented havoc caused whetted the American
appetite.
On the
fateful day of August 9, 1945, another bomber traversed towards Nagasaki with the
“Fat Man,” in the under belly.
The moment
fireball “Fat Man,” dropped from the skies 39,000 men, women and children were
killed and 25,000 more were critically wounded.
Hiroshima
and Nagasaki were maimed and the soul of Japan was tamed as the war ended.
It is said that as
Robert Oppenheimer witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July
16, 1945, a piece of Bhagvad Gita ran through his mind, “Now I have become
Death, the destroyer of worlds”.
Today science has made
stupendous strides and there are several “Little Boys” and “Fat Men” in our
arsenal. It is for the policy makers and elected representatives to ensure they
do not cause further havoc to humanity.
I changed my iPod's name to Titanic. It's syncing now. 
u r in) trouble.