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Enola Gay
A detailed history of the World War II American B-29 Enola Gay, its crew, and the controversial mission to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.Painstakingly researched, the story behind the decision to send the Enola Gay to bomb Hiroshima is told through firsthand sources. From diplomatic moves behind the scenes to Japanese actions and the US Army Air Force’s call to action, no detail is left untold. Touching on the early days of the Manhattan Project and the first inkling of an atomic bomb, investigative journalist Gordon Thomas and his writing partner Max Morgan-Witts, take WWII enthusiasts through the training of the crew of the Enola Gay and the challenges faced by pilot Paul Tibbets.
327 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1977
674 people are currently reading
1168 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Thomas
120 books199 followersGordon Thomas (born 1933) is a Welsh author who has written more than fifty books.
Thomas was born in Wales, in a cemetery keeper's cottage where his grandmother lived. He had his first story published at nine years old in a Boy's Own Paper competition. With his father in the RAF, he traveled widely and was educated at the Cairo High School, the Maritz Brothers (in Port Elizabeth, South Africa) and, lastly, at Bedford Modern School. His first book, completed at the age of seventeen, is the story of a British spy in Russia during World War II, titled Descent Into Danger. He refused the offer of a job at a university in order to accompany a traveling fair for a year: he used those experiences for his novel, Bed of Nails. Since then his books have been published worldwide. He has been a foreign correspondent beginning with the Suez Crisis and ending with the first Gulf War. He was a BBC writer/producer for three flagship BBC programmes: Man Alive, Tomorrow's World and Horizon.
He is a regular contributor to Facta, the respected monthly Japanese news magazine, and he lectures widely on the secret world of intelligence. He also provides expert analysis on intelligence for US and European television and radio programs.His book Gideon's Spies: Mossad's Secret Warriors became a major documentary for Channel Four that he wrote and narrated: The Spy Machine. It followed three years of research during which he was given unprecedented access to Mossad’s main personnel. The documentary was co-produced by Open Media and Israfilm.
Gideon's Spies: Mossad's Secret Warriors has so far been published in 16 languages. A source for this book was Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli intelligence agent, and legendary Israeli spy Rafi Eitan. According to Charles Foster in Contemporary Review: "Writers who know their place are few and far between: fortunately Mr Thomas is one of them. By keeping to his place as a tremendous storyteller without a preacher's pretensions, he has put his book amongst the important chronicles of the state of Israel."
Thomas was born in Wales, in a cemetery keeper's cottage where his grandmother lived. He had his first story published at nine years old in a Boy's Own Paper competition. With his father in the RAF, he traveled widely and was educated at the Cairo High School, the Maritz Brothers (in Port Elizabeth, South Africa) and, lastly, at Bedford Modern School. His first book, completed at the age of seventeen, is the story of a British spy in Russia during World War II, titled Descent Into Danger. He refused the offer of a job at a university in order to accompany a traveling fair for a year: he used those experiences for his novel, Bed of Nails. Since then his books have been published worldwide. He has been a foreign correspondent beginning with the Suez Crisis and ending with the first Gulf War. He was a BBC writer/producer for three flagship BBC programmes: Man Alive, Tomorrow's World and Horizon.
He is a regular contributor to Facta, the respected monthly Japanese news magazine, and he lectures widely on the secret world of intelligence. He also provides expert analysis on intelligence for US and European television and radio programs.His book Gideon's Spies: Mossad's Secret Warriors became a major documentary for Channel Four that he wrote and narrated: The Spy Machine. It followed three years of research during which he was given unprecedented access to Mossad’s main personnel. The documentary was co-produced by Open Media and Israfilm.
Gideon's Spies: Mossad's Secret Warriors has so far been published in 16 languages. A source for this book was Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli intelligence agent, and legendary Israeli spy Rafi Eitan. According to Charles Foster in Contemporary Review: "Writers who know their place are few and far between: fortunately Mr Thomas is one of them. By keeping to his place as a tremendous storyteller without a preacher's pretensions, he has put his book amongst the important chronicles of the state of Israel."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
January 7, 2014
The facts speak for themselves: I couldn't put this book down (when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it) and when I got to the part where the bomb was dropped, my heart literally started beating faster and my mouth was dry. Not all the parts of the book were quite that intense of course (I felt like it picked up speed as it went) but overall it's a riveting history read and despite being about the atomic bomb, Hiroshima, and WWII, it isn't overwhelmingly disturbing. There are so many elements about the dropping of the atomic bomb that I had never given a single thought to before reading this, and I also really appreciated the greater WWII context that the book talks about. Finally, I thought it did a pretty fair job of portraying a wide array of perspectives, including the Japanese one.
July 17, 2016
Lots of ironies and happenstance surrounded the delivery of the first atomic bomb. FDR backed the beginning of the Manhattan Project without the knowledge of Congress using money off the books. Max Tibbetts, a pilot with an impeccable record who had been the first to fly a B-17 on a bombing raid across the English Channel and was in charge of flight testing the B-29, a plane that had killed its first test pilot and was thought by some to be too dangerous to fly, almost didn’t get the job to drop the bomb. In an interview he admitted he had gotten into trouble in high school for a backseat “dalliance” with a girl. Had he forgotten about it or lied about it he would not have been chosen. They were looking for someone who could be totally honest. Because of that his name would be forever enshrined with the bomb and Hiroshima, a city he had never heard of.
Use of the bomb was never a certainty. Neils Bohr, one of the scientists working on the project, thought science belonged to the world and wanted to open up the research to everyone. A laudable thought but in 1944? To the Germans and Japanese?
Thomas focuses mainly on two participants to get differing POV: Colonel Tibbetts as he prepared the 393 Bombing Group for the mission over Japan; and Officer Yokoyama in charge of the anti-aircraft guns on the hills surrounding Hiroshima. I had always been under the assumption that Hiroshima was primarily a civilian target targeted simply because after General LeMay’s firebombing of Japan there were few cities left to bomb. But, apparently Hiroshima was home to several military industrial sites producing many weapons, although by this stage of the war raw materials were in such short supply they were barely operating. Hiroshima, was highly vulnerable to air attack. All a bomber need do was drop its load within the bowl to be almost certain of causing damage. Apart from a single kidney-shaped hill in the eastern sector of the city, about half a mile long and two hundred feet high, Hiroshima was uniformly exposed to the spreading energy that big bombs generate. Structurally—like San Francisco in the earthquake and fire of 1906—Hiroshima was built to burn. Ninety percent of its houses were made of wood. Large groups of dwellings were clustered together. The Japanese had rationalized the fall of the Marianas and other Pacific Japanese bases by saying it was a strategic withdrawal to lure the Americans closer to the Homeland where they could be more easily destroyed.
In the U.S. secrecy surrounded all preparations for the atomic bomb development and attack. "Many thousands of man-hours and dollars had been spent on tapping telephones, secretly opening letters, collecting details of extramarital affairs, homosexual tendencies, and political affiliations. The dossiers represented the most thorough secret investigation until then carried out in the name of the U.S. government.
I still remain a bit astonished at the naive faith everyone had in the bomb. They really had no idea whether it would work and if it did, what the results might be. How far from the center would radioactivity extend, what would be the effects of the blinding flash, were just a couple of the many questions they had. The extraordinary secrecy probably had as much to do with their fear the bomb might not work as it did that it would work.
The United States, to this date, remains the only country ever to have used nuclear weapons in war.
Use of the bomb was never a certainty. Neils Bohr, one of the scientists working on the project, thought science belonged to the world and wanted to open up the research to everyone. A laudable thought but in 1944? To the Germans and Japanese?
Thomas focuses mainly on two participants to get differing POV: Colonel Tibbetts as he prepared the 393 Bombing Group for the mission over Japan; and Officer Yokoyama in charge of the anti-aircraft guns on the hills surrounding Hiroshima. I had always been under the assumption that Hiroshima was primarily a civilian target targeted simply because after General LeMay’s firebombing of Japan there were few cities left to bomb. But, apparently Hiroshima was home to several military industrial sites producing many weapons, although by this stage of the war raw materials were in such short supply they were barely operating. Hiroshima, was highly vulnerable to air attack. All a bomber need do was drop its load within the bowl to be almost certain of causing damage. Apart from a single kidney-shaped hill in the eastern sector of the city, about half a mile long and two hundred feet high, Hiroshima was uniformly exposed to the spreading energy that big bombs generate. Structurally—like San Francisco in the earthquake and fire of 1906—Hiroshima was built to burn. Ninety percent of its houses were made of wood. Large groups of dwellings were clustered together. The Japanese had rationalized the fall of the Marianas and other Pacific Japanese bases by saying it was a strategic withdrawal to lure the Americans closer to the Homeland where they could be more easily destroyed.
In the U.S. secrecy surrounded all preparations for the atomic bomb development and attack. "Many thousands of man-hours and dollars had been spent on tapping telephones, secretly opening letters, collecting details of extramarital affairs, homosexual tendencies, and political affiliations. The dossiers represented the most thorough secret investigation until then carried out in the name of the U.S. government.
I still remain a bit astonished at the naive faith everyone had in the bomb. They really had no idea whether it would work and if it did, what the results might be. How far from the center would radioactivity extend, what would be the effects of the blinding flash, were just a couple of the many questions they had. The extraordinary secrecy probably had as much to do with their fear the bomb might not work as it did that it would work.
The United States, to this date, remains the only country ever to have used nuclear weapons in war.
December 4, 2016
A well balanced and interesting book about the creation of the atomic bomb and the use of it on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There is a lot of information about the secrecy surrounding the creation of the bombs and the training of the pilots, the thoughts and actions of the people involved, and a look at what was going on in Japan as well. It is history but well written and full of enough human interest and anecdotes that it reads more like a novel.
The problem for me was that I wasn't going to get to the end of the book without reading about dropping the bomb. I kept going slower and slower as the time approached. I finally forced myself to finish it, but it was so painful.
The United States killed 100,000 people in one night of firebombing Tokyo. We killed approx 80,000 in the first eye blink of the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima and many died after that. In fact the bomb exploded directly over Shima Hospital instantly vaporizing the people in it. I think something like 40,000 + died in Nagasaki. And there was not much of an expression of doubt or regret at the time, just a lot of hurrah and positive media blitz. It did end the war, so that is understandable to some extent.
The book presents the other side as well of course, you know like how many people would have died on both sides had we not used the bomb and the war continued, that sort of thing. I'm not making a case for either scenario, but the bombings were very difficult for me to read.
The problem for me was that I wasn't going to get to the end of the book without reading about dropping the bomb. I kept going slower and slower as the time approached. I finally forced myself to finish it, but it was so painful.
The United States killed 100,000 people in one night of firebombing Tokyo. We killed approx 80,000 in the first eye blink of the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima and many died after that. In fact the bomb exploded directly over Shima Hospital instantly vaporizing the people in it. I think something like 40,000 + died in Nagasaki. And there was not much of an expression of doubt or regret at the time, just a lot of hurrah and positive media blitz. It did end the war, so that is understandable to some extent.
The book presents the other side as well of course, you know like how many people would have died on both sides had we not used the bomb and the war continued, that sort of thing. I'm not making a case for either scenario, but the bombings were very difficult for me to read.
July 22, 2020
First read [in or around 1979; we had lived with my grandparent's for 2 years by now and I was desperate for books and this is when I started diving into their RDC] - Hardcover/Readers Digest Condensed 1977 Volume 115 #4
This is one of those books that I was WAY to young to read and should now re-read as an adult. But it was so mesmerizing and I was so torn for these guys that had to go and fly this mission. I am sure that at 12 I truly didn't understand the magnitude of it, but I know that it has always stayed with me and people are usually amazed that I have read the book.
:::UPDATE::: This just came up for $1.99 on the Kindle and Hoopla has the audiobook so this will be read again this year [2020].
This is one of those books that I was WAY to young to read and should now re-read as an adult. But it was so mesmerizing and I was so torn for these guys that had to go and fly this mission. I am sure that at 12 I truly didn't understand the magnitude of it, but I know that it has always stayed with me and people are usually amazed that I have read the book.
:::UPDATE::: This just came up for $1.99 on the Kindle and Hoopla has the audiobook so this will be read again this year [2020].
May 15, 2020
With all the atrocities that Japan committed during the Second World War, it is galling for some Japanese lunatics to make Hiroshima as a shrine for peace. Kapal ng mga mukha!
For the record, Japan was THE aggressor of that terrible war. And their atrocities are also for the record: Korea, Manchuria, Nanjing, the Bataan Death March, the Rape of Manila, the mistreatment of Allied POWs.
And Japan had no intention to surrender until the Soviet Union declared war on them and the US delivered the coup de grace of the atomic bombs. And the excuse that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were civilian areas? WTF. Those cities contained military installations. And there were almost no civilians in Japan at that time, as almost all were active in the war effort.
For the record, Japan was THE aggressor of that terrible war. And their atrocities are also for the record: Korea, Manchuria, Nanjing, the Bataan Death March, the Rape of Manila, the mistreatment of Allied POWs.
And Japan had no intention to surrender until the Soviet Union declared war on them and the US delivered the coup de grace of the atomic bombs. And the excuse that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were civilian areas? WTF. Those cities contained military installations. And there were almost no civilians in Japan at that time, as almost all were active in the war effort.
August 22, 2020
Informational read
I had known about the atomic bombing but not much of the detail. I was surprised at the number of people who survived the blast. Due to my ignorance of the history, I assumed that everyone had died. This is not to say that it wasn’t terrible, it was different from what my expectation was. It is well documented so I am reasonably confident of its overall historicity.
I had known about the atomic bombing but not much of the detail. I was surprised at the number of people who survived the blast. Due to my ignorance of the history, I assumed that everyone had died. This is not to say that it wasn’t terrible, it was different from what my expectation was. It is well documented so I am reasonably confident of its overall historicity.
January 16, 2019
The "Enola Gay: The Bombing of Hiroshima" is one of the most riveting and remarkable books I have read in several years. Unlike many liberals and "social justice warriors" I prefer history books that do not draw moral assumptions for me or force feed the author's interpretation of events on me. Instead, I like straightforward history that simply shares the facts in an interesting and compelling manner and allows me, as the reader, to draw my own conclusions, opinions, and viewpoints. This book does just that.
The Manhattan Project began with a single $6,000 federal expenditure to purchase graphite, and $2 billion (which equates to $22 billion in today's dollars) later, it resulted in the uranium-fueled atomic bomb known as "Little Boy" and the plutonium-fueled bomb named "Fat Man." Remarkably, this money was spent off-book with little congressional knowledge or oversight, and the existence of the bombs remained secret from the public until after the first was dropped on Hiroshima.
There is no doubt that Col. Paul Tibbets and his crew are true American heroes whose actions quickly ended WWII and saved countless American and Japanese lives. Too many in today's politically-correct times have second-guessed the decision to deploy the bombs, and Tibbets was even forced to have his remains cremated and spread over the English Channel so hippies and activists could not desecrate his grave site or use it for protests.
Some fascinating revelations in the book include the fact that 13 American POWs, who were members of B-24 bomber crews shot down by the Japanese, were imprisoned in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb detonated just yards from where they were held. Almost all of them were immediately killed or vaporized, but it is believed at least two survived until the were dragged into public and stoned to death by enraged Japanese survivors.
It was also interesting to learn that the plane's name originated with pilot Paul Tibbet's mother, Enola Gay Tibbets.
My only regret after reading the book, which was published in 1977, is that I did not know about it sooner. If you love unvarnished and unfiltered WWII history that is free from the politically-correct edicts often mandated today, I encourage you to purchase a copy immediately.
The Manhattan Project began with a single $6,000 federal expenditure to purchase graphite, and $2 billion (which equates to $22 billion in today's dollars) later, it resulted in the uranium-fueled atomic bomb known as "Little Boy" and the plutonium-fueled bomb named "Fat Man." Remarkably, this money was spent off-book with little congressional knowledge or oversight, and the existence of the bombs remained secret from the public until after the first was dropped on Hiroshima.
There is no doubt that Col. Paul Tibbets and his crew are true American heroes whose actions quickly ended WWII and saved countless American and Japanese lives. Too many in today's politically-correct times have second-guessed the decision to deploy the bombs, and Tibbets was even forced to have his remains cremated and spread over the English Channel so hippies and activists could not desecrate his grave site or use it for protests.
Some fascinating revelations in the book include the fact that 13 American POWs, who were members of B-24 bomber crews shot down by the Japanese, were imprisoned in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb detonated just yards from where they were held. Almost all of them were immediately killed or vaporized, but it is believed at least two survived until the were dragged into public and stoned to death by enraged Japanese survivors.
It was also interesting to learn that the plane's name originated with pilot Paul Tibbet's mother, Enola Gay Tibbets.
My only regret after reading the book, which was published in 1977, is that I did not know about it sooner. If you love unvarnished and unfiltered WWII history that is free from the politically-correct edicts often mandated today, I encourage you to purchase a copy immediately.
March 9, 2018
Enola Gay: Mission to Hiroshima immediately became one of my favorite books. It hit the perfect spot as a history book in terms of offering the right level of depth on a subject so as to avoid going too deep in the weeds or being too shallow and not addressing important matters. The book was compelling from start to to finish and it was extremely hard to put down. Required reading for WWII history buffs and those interested in the Manhattan Project.
July 2, 2018
This nonfiction explains what was happening in Japan as well as the US.
June 12, 2020
A detailed but easy to read factual account of the formation of unit 509 and the months leading up to August 1945, and not just from the American perspective.
November 12, 2021
This is a very interesting and informative book. I learned lots of little details I had never heard before. It also told the story from both the American and Japanese sides.
October 5, 2020
A wonderfully written, well researched account of the crew that dropped the first atomic bomb, from their formation through the end of the war. Provides lots of context to the never-ending debate I have with myself over whether or not the bomb was necessary to end the war.
September 29, 2013
I read the authors Voyage of the Damned a long time ago and really enjoyed it. So when I found this book I had expectations. And they were easily met.
The authors take you along with Col. Tibbets and the rest of his squadron - through training, hellraising and more. The book reads like a novel even if it is based on well documented facts. They also cover both sides of the story including the experiences of Hiroshima survivors.
All in all a good and enjoyable read.
The authors take you along with Col. Tibbets and the rest of his squadron - through training, hellraising and more. The book reads like a novel even if it is based on well documented facts. They also cover both sides of the story including the experiences of Hiroshima survivors.
All in all a good and enjoyable read.
May 8, 2013
Thomas and Witts have written a page turner and you will be reading this book into the wee hours of the morning. You know how it ends, but the details of the lead up to the mission make this a great book. The one detail I remember vividly is the arming of the Bomb on the way to Hiroshima. You won't be disappointed reading this book!
August 2, 2018
May It Never Happen Again
This is a fascinating & accurate record of a dreadful time in history that unfortunately had to happen to change a world gone mad back toward more peaceful times. It is at once an easy & difficult read, but one that must be read & understood if we are to be able to keep history from repeating itself.
This is a fascinating & accurate record of a dreadful time in history that unfortunately had to happen to change a world gone mad back toward more peaceful times. It is at once an easy & difficult read, but one that must be read & understood if we are to be able to keep history from repeating itself.
October 12, 2018
El mismo autor de Mossad relata con la misma agilidad el desarrollo científico más importante de la historia de la humanidad. Es un buen resumen sin la parte técnica del exhaustivo The Making of the Atomic Bomb de Richard Rhodes
November 29, 2014
A fascinating blow by blow account of the atomic bombing mission. A page turner and hard to put down. It's been a long time since I sucked down a book in one day.
October 24, 2022
In a Luxembourg prison camp, top-ranking Nazi war criminals— among them Göring, von Ribbentrop, and Field Marshal Keitel— agreed that warfare had reached a turning point. Von Ribbentrop, the former foreign minister, said, "No one would be so stupid as to start a war now. It is the opportunity for mankind to end war forever."
A relatively dated book, Enola Gay was published after the height of the Cold War, at a time where the world's most profilic brush with mutually assured destruction in the Cuban Missile Crisis was over, but before a time where nuclear arms have become something that most countries possess. It makes this book even more insightful to a period where nuclear arms were so unimaginable and destructive, and how society has adjusted to life with these armaments over the years.
Despite having read most of the events and information from other books and online sources, Enola Gay shines in the details it provides to the reader. Not only does it shed some light on the atmosphere and workings of the Americans, but it also gives insight to the Japanese soldiers and government's mindset and willingness to fight on to the bitter end. The book also clarifies some myths and rumours about the Enola Gay, such as the Eatherly Affair.
Strangely, it might be the fact that the author masterfully uses the different perspectives of soldiers and civilians that amplifies the tragedies of the book. Knowing what would happen, such as the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the capture of American airmen, and the destruction of Hiroshima, one is seized with a feeling of helplessness when you can only read about the events to unfold, knowing that nothing you do can change it. It is the first time I've experienced it, and it is not a pleasant feeling at all.
In general, the book is an easy read for everyone and has tidbits of new information that even WW2-junkies will be happy to learn. It is, perhaps, one of the less rigorous books I have read so far, but immensely enjoyable in its clarity and multi-faceted perspective.
A relatively dated book, Enola Gay was published after the height of the Cold War, at a time where the world's most profilic brush with mutually assured destruction in the Cuban Missile Crisis was over, but before a time where nuclear arms have become something that most countries possess. It makes this book even more insightful to a period where nuclear arms were so unimaginable and destructive, and how society has adjusted to life with these armaments over the years.
Despite having read most of the events and information from other books and online sources, Enola Gay shines in the details it provides to the reader. Not only does it shed some light on the atmosphere and workings of the Americans, but it also gives insight to the Japanese soldiers and government's mindset and willingness to fight on to the bitter end. The book also clarifies some myths and rumours about the Enola Gay, such as the Eatherly Affair.
Strangely, it might be the fact that the author masterfully uses the different perspectives of soldiers and civilians that amplifies the tragedies of the book. Knowing what would happen, such as the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the capture of American airmen, and the destruction of Hiroshima, one is seized with a feeling of helplessness when you can only read about the events to unfold, knowing that nothing you do can change it. It is the first time I've experienced it, and it is not a pleasant feeling at all.
In general, the book is an easy read for everyone and has tidbits of new information that even WW2-junkies will be happy to learn. It is, perhaps, one of the less rigorous books I have read so far, but immensely enjoyable in its clarity and multi-faceted perspective.
August 13, 2017
If you are seeking an encompassing story of how the United States worked to drop the atomic bomb to end World War II, this is it.
Enola Gay: Mission to Hiroshima by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts takes readers on an adventure from just before Pearl Harbor up to what happened to the crew and others after the war was over.
This book is well-written with a compilation of stories on both sides, including the story of the Japanese submarine captain who sank the boat that carried the bomb to its launching point.
This book reads very well. It has a good flow and is very interesting, giving the backstory. When there is a difference of opinions, the authors tell both opinions of what happened.
We give Enola Gay: Mission to Hiroshima three stars. We enjoyed the book but, like many books about the military, there is very liberal use of The Lord’s Name in vain. Our readers are mostly Christian and want to know this. Exodus 20:7, one of the Ten Commandments, tells us this is wrong. Whenever we point this out in reviews, we get hammered by negative votes and comments. We will tell you anyway.
We purchased our copy of this book using a gift card. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.
We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
Enola Gay: Mission to Hiroshima by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts takes readers on an adventure from just before Pearl Harbor up to what happened to the crew and others after the war was over.
This book is well-written with a compilation of stories on both sides, including the story of the Japanese submarine captain who sank the boat that carried the bomb to its launching point.
This book reads very well. It has a good flow and is very interesting, giving the backstory. When there is a difference of opinions, the authors tell both opinions of what happened.
We give Enola Gay: Mission to Hiroshima three stars. We enjoyed the book but, like many books about the military, there is very liberal use of The Lord’s Name in vain. Our readers are mostly Christian and want to know this. Exodus 20:7, one of the Ten Commandments, tells us this is wrong. Whenever we point this out in reviews, we get hammered by negative votes and comments. We will tell you anyway.
We purchased our copy of this book using a gift card. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.
We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
April 28, 2024
Decided I wanted to go for the other side of the coin regarding the survivor accounts for the Hiroshima bombing. I was worried that this would be a really one-sided, positive view of the bombing, but in reality it came across as rather impartial. Inasmuch as the ethical quandary of dropping the bomb is only mentioned when one of the characters in the book decides to pass personal judgement on it. No greater element either way is pushed in the book and I appreciated that. Otherwise, it's great history. It is informative, interesting and illustrative into the various machinations of the crew of the Enola Gay, the secrecy of the tests, some Japanese Army POV chapters, the scientific crew making the bomb, and the general way the military world pushed the project down the line. At its essence, it is a story of characters as much as it is a story about the bombs.
April 14, 2020
This was an excellent study of the development of the atomic bomb and the training and lives of the pilots who flew the mission to Hiroshima in August 1945. While I have read other books on this subject, I liked this one particularly because the authors focused on the pilots themselves, their personal lives and their reactions to the secrecy of the training program. The author does attempt to be balanced in looking at the decision to drop the bomb but they could have provided more evidence of the effectiveness of the two strikes especially since others have suggested that it was the entry of Russia into the war against Japan that really turned the tide. What I especially liked was the story of the major characters like Tibbets after the war and how their lives took such different paths. Well worth reading.
July 23, 2020
This is an insider's account of the events leading up to, and the final mission of "Silverlake" (the name of the ops that would drop the atomic bomb on a Japanese city). You are the fly on the wall both in the American team and the Japanese enemy camp. I found the account fascinating in its detail, and enlightening in its content.
The decision by the US to warn Japan of the ferocity of the new weapon, in order to get them to surrender unconditionally was especially interesting and something I did not know.
The book ends detailing the actual flight of the B-29 Enola Gay, and the reaction of the crew as they looked back at the unprecedented explosion and annihilation of Nagasaki. I think they may have realized what a fundamental turning point in human history this detonation was. The reader is left to draw his/her own conclusions.
The decision by the US to warn Japan of the ferocity of the new weapon, in order to get them to surrender unconditionally was especially interesting and something I did not know.
The book ends detailing the actual flight of the B-29 Enola Gay, and the reaction of the crew as they looked back at the unprecedented explosion and annihilation of Nagasaki. I think they may have realized what a fundamental turning point in human history this detonation was. The reader is left to draw his/her own conclusions.
December 13, 2025
I find it amusing that the edition I had was the typical 70’s version with a Hollywood cover suggesting that the book would have bits of sex and romance. I read it anyway. Don’t judge a book by its cover. It is a very serious fictional history of the preparations for and the actual bombing of Hiroshima. Actually more historical than fictional. A great follow up to American Prometheus (Oppenheimer). A quick read. I’m guessing that there are more detailed accounts of Hiroshima, but this one about such a horrible event is enough for me. There is some insights as to the necessity of the bombing. That is debatable. But these soldiers truly believed that what they did would end the war, which it did, though even they could not imagine how destructive the bomb was. Also a lot could have gone wrong with this mission, but did not, given their planning and training.
August 15, 2022
This book tells the story of how the US decided to drop the bomb to make the Japanese surrender during WWII. It is very enjoyable to read, and it often feels more like a novel, telling side stories not only from the American but also from the Japanese side. I wish it has delved deeper into the physics of the development of the bomb, the opinions of the scientists involved (it barely talks about Oppenheimer and his famous "I Am become death, the destroyer of worlds"...). In my opinion the books develops at a good pace but I felt it ends abruptly short after the dropping of the plutonium bomb over Nagasaki, city which I also wanted to read a little bit more about.
May 9, 2020
I read this book during the COVID-19 lock down. I share this fact because you never know how this emotional and stressful time influence your ideas and opinion.
One of the more powerful aspects of this book is the back and forth between what the Americans where doing leading up to dropping the bomb and what different people in Hiroshima were doing at the same time.
Reading about the lives of ordinary Japanese citizens during war time reminds me that up until this time, our lives in America have been easy.
A good, easy read that captured and kept my attention the entire time.
One of the more powerful aspects of this book is the back and forth between what the Americans where doing leading up to dropping the bomb and what different people in Hiroshima were doing at the same time.
Reading about the lives of ordinary Japanese citizens during war time reminds me that up until this time, our lives in America have been easy.
A good, easy read that captured and kept my attention the entire time.
June 16, 2020
There are 7 sections discounting appendices etc. I found the first 2 sections; the prologue and activation to be a little slow moving but once I got onto acceleration which was the third section then I couldn't put it down. I never believed I could finish this book because it is hard to read about something that destroyed a nation. The epilogue is written in present tense considering that the book was first published in 1977 it makes sense. I'd recommend for people wishing to learn more about World War 2 and the dropping of the atomic bombs.
February 16, 2022
Wow..Detailed and fantastic telling of this event. I had the honor of meet Mr.Tibbets in Florida back in the 70's. I didn't know who he was. I sold him some spicy food and I remarked that his stomach would go nuclear if didn't have some antacids. And he asked me what I knew about WWII bombs. We talked about that for a while and his friend asked me if I knew who I was talking to. I didn't so he told me of his involvement. After that I have read quite a few books about both planes, bombs and their crews.
I did learn new things from reading this book I recommend it.
I did learn new things from reading this book I recommend it.
October 19, 2023
Living History of The Bomb
Many thoughts about the development and employment of the atomic bombs. Whether you support or abhor the employment, we should learn from the efforts of those personally involved. We cannot shrink from the weapons but must embrace their awesome potential for good and evil. The world governments will likely never rid themselves of these tools. But if we can learn from the results of these two weapon employments, perhaps the world will not have to experience any more.
Many thoughts about the development and employment of the atomic bombs. Whether you support or abhor the employment, we should learn from the efforts of those personally involved. We cannot shrink from the weapons but must embrace their awesome potential for good and evil. The world governments will likely never rid themselves of these tools. But if we can learn from the results of these two weapon employments, perhaps the world will not have to experience any more.
March 18, 2020
This book is written exceptionally well. It reads like a novel. Some history books are dry and boring and tedious and I just can't through them. Gordon Thomas's writing style held my interest right from the beginning. It is good the know the story behind the "bomb". After reading there is no doubt in my mind that America had to drop the bomb the save millions of lives. Japan was willing to fight until every man, woman and child were dead. Read it.
August 13, 2020
A recap of history
An insightful look at the events leading up to the dropping of Little Boy on Hiroshima. The book takes directly from those that survived in Japan, and the crew of the Enola Gay. You also get to delve into the inner workings of the Manhattan Project and the 509th Composite Group, which was detailed with dropping the world's first atomic bomb. Sure, it was written in 1976, but that doesn't change the facts in 2020. A well written historical novel.
An insightful look at the events leading up to the dropping of Little Boy on Hiroshima. The book takes directly from those that survived in Japan, and the crew of the Enola Gay. You also get to delve into the inner workings of the Manhattan Project and the 509th Composite Group, which was detailed with dropping the world's first atomic bomb. Sure, it was written in 1976, but that doesn't change the facts in 2020. A well written historical novel.
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