A Third Atom Bomb to Europe ?

Rodrigo · #1 (**permalink**) August 15th, 2002, 07:07 PM

I´ve been reading some articles of some papers and at "The Guardian" (I don´t read the original article, but a translation), bomber pilot Paul Tibbets of Enola Gay said that General Uzal Ent, told him that there was a third atom bomb, destinated to Europe....

Is that true?

Here is the Enterview
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0...769634,00.html

What cause me such doubt is the fact that, he knows about the bomb at late 1944, and even the bomb was not ready.

[ 15 August 2002, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: Rodrigo ]

CrazyD · #2 (**permalink**) August 15th, 2002, 07:26 PM

The time frame seems off for this to have happened- the A-Bomb was dropeed on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945... and the war in Europe ended May 45. On top of that, Truman did not decide for sure to drop the bomb on Japan until Roosevelt died in April. And finally, the US dropped the bomb on Japan for fear of excessive casualties during a conventional invasion- that fear did not exist for the European theater.

Just my thoughts...

(After reading the article) OK, that's a bit different. It sounds like he claims that in late 44 they were planning for a drop on both Japan and Europe. That makes some sense- at that point germany's collapse and defeat could not be foreseen. I would imagine that the idea didn't last for long though- France and England would have had coniptions over the US using the A-Bomb that close to their teritory.

[ 15 August 2002, 01:31 PM: Message edited by: CrazyD88 ]

Kai-Petri · #3 (**permalink**) August 16th, 2002, 02:40 PM

Wasn´t it something like june 1945 that they made the first test explosion with the atom bomb?( On July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb was detonated at a remote desert site in New Mexico called "Trinity.")Found it in the net, so it was july.

I mean if they didn´t have a bomb that would surely work then all the talking of an atom bomb being used in europe (in 1944) would be useless, for they didn´t have a single bomb by then. There was a third bomb but it was meant to be used against Japan if they wouldn´t surrender after the second blast.

Friedrich · #4 (**permalink**) August 16th, 2002, 05:09 PM

By 1944? I don't think so. When the war was lost in Germany, the USA did not have the bombs even tested... And even if they had I do not think they would have used them in Europe...

And beside, there were only three bombs and one was needed for testing. One in Europe and one in Japan? I don't think they would have had the same impact than two of them...