Did America plan to use the atomic bomb on another Japanese city, if the war hadn't ended when it did?

Welcome to the Forums blazo!

Hey man, no need to post the same topic more than once, it will get read eventually.

Ahh, another Canadian eh? (I had to say the eh!) The founder of this site is a bright Canadian, although, we've managed to lure him to the US for now.

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Phear der PanzerPenguin!
HellFish love teh

Hey Blazo, welcome to the Forums.

I have read a copy of a letter sent by General Thomas T. Handy the Acting Chief of Staff (dated July '45) to General Carl Spaatz, head of the US Army Strategic Air Force, regarding dropping of the bombs on Japan.

In the letter Gen. Handy states that the first bomb will be dropped after the 3rd of August on either Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata or Nagasaki. These being the Primary and Secondary target cities that had been selected.

The letter also states that "additional bombs will be delivered on the above targets as soon as made ready by the project staff." It also states " Further instructions will be issued concerning targets other that those listed above", so presumably the US was prepared to drop a bomb on another Japanese city. They just hadn't decided which one.

I wonder if anyone knows how many bombs were actually delivered to Tinian ? Probably more than we actually know about.

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"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
Dave Barry

I once read that they had a third one in store there as well but I might be wrong.Anyway, this collection of articles gives the idea they could make a third one soon but it was not ready for action on Tinian itself.

"In an August 2002 interview with Studs Terkel published in the British Guardian newspaper, Paul Tibbetts recalled something similar: "Unknown to anybody else--I knew it, but nobody else knew--there was a third one. See, the first bomb went off and they didn't hear anything out of the Japanese for two or three days. The second bomb was dropped and again they were silent for another couple of days. Then I got a phone call from General Curtis LeMay. He said, 'You got another one of those damn things?' I said, 'Yessir.' He said, 'Where is it?' I said, 'Over in Utah.' He said, 'Get it out here. You and your crew are going to fly it.' I said, 'Yessir.' I sent word back and the crew loaded it on an airplane and we headed back to bring it right on out to Tinian and when they got it to California debarkation point, the war was over."

http://www.danford.net/third.htm

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Whoops ! Just posted a reply in the 'WWII' thread...see that for a link to the operational order....

Looking at other links, it looks like only two bombs were available for immediate use with a third being 'several weeks away'.

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Actually we did have a third bomb readily available to strike with, however i believe its designated target was Kobe, but i may be wrong.

CvM

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3 Atomic bombs were exploded during WW2


1

try try again 1 NEW MEXICO 2 HIROHIMA 3 NAGASAKI

There was a third atomic bomb target. The next bomb would be ready by August 21st and the six targets on the list in order of priority were:

1. Sapporo
2. Hakodate
3. Oyabu
4. Yokosuka
5. Osaka
6. Nagoya

Richard Frank "Downfall" p 303

Why Kokura wasn't on the list I don't know considering it was the primary target for the second bomb, Nagasaki was the secondary target.

Greg

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