11:02:47 AM, August 9th, 1945
Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 2:52 pm
The city of Kokura was actually the primary target for the second atomic bomb on Aug 9th, 1945.
Three aircraft were involved in the raid. B29 Bock'sCar carried 'Fatman' to the target. B29 'The Great Artiste' carried instrumentation to measure the effects of the bomb. B29 'Big Stink' carried photographic equipment to capture images of the blast.
The three aircraft traveled in radio silence and had to communicate via visual means. After passing over Yakushima island they continued towards their primary target. Somehow, 'Big Stink' got separated from the group and the other two planes circled over Kokura waiting for the photo plane to regroup with them. During this time the weather closed in and they lost visual contact with the target. It was decided to continue towards their secondary target, Nagasaki. Just before dropping the bomb, Big Stink arrived in time to photograph the results, although from a higher altitude than planned for.
Had it not been for navigation issues on the part of the photo plane, it would have been the city of Kokura that had been destroyed by Fatman, instead of Nagasaki.
Three aircraft were involved in the raid. B29 Bock'sCar carried 'Fatman' to the target. B29 'The Great Artiste' carried instrumentation to measure the effects of the bomb. B29 'Big Stink' carried photographic equipment to capture images of the blast.
The three aircraft traveled in radio silence and had to communicate via visual means. After passing over Yakushima island they continued towards their primary target. Somehow, 'Big Stink' got separated from the group and the other two planes circled over Kokura waiting for the photo plane to regroup with them. During this time the weather closed in and they lost visual contact with the target. It was decided to continue towards their secondary target, Nagasaki. Just before dropping the bomb, Big Stink arrived in time to photograph the results, although from a higher altitude than planned for.
Had it not been for navigation issues on the part of the photo plane, it would have been the city of Kokura that had been destroyed by Fatman, instead of Nagasaki.