Deseret News archives: Bomb dropped on Hiroshima as WWII wound to tragic close

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

On Aug. 6, 1945, in the final days of World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths.

Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, perhaps killing 100,000 more people, mostly civilians. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15.

Remembering those days — both for those who were alive then as well as for those who now ponder the use of nuclear weapons — is a sobering exercise. When the anniversaries of such events occur, focusing on the lives lost and the lessons learned has great value.

The front pages of the Deseret News through August 1945 were dominated by coverage of the events in Japan.

According to historical reports, the mission “to drop Little Boy, the atomic bomb detonated above Hiroshima, and Fat Man, the bomb that hit Nagasaki three days later, was fine-tuned at the Wendover Army Air Corps base — under such a cloak of secrecy that only one man on the entire base knew what was really going on there. Only later was it revealed that Wendover was a crucial part of the bombing missions credited with both bringing an end to World War II and ushering in the atomic age, distinctions that are at once heralded and fraught with controversy.

“Sixty years later, the isolation and secrecy that served Wendover and America well in the mid-1940s are what keep the old air base from getting the recognition it now deserves, say those who would like to see it turned into a tourist destination.”

Here are stories compiled from Deseret News archives about the history of the conclusion of World War II, Utah’s connections to the mission, and some in-the-moment accounts of that time:

“ Read the Associated Press report from when the US dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 ″

“ The last days of World War II”

“ Trinity, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 75 years later: Utah’s connections to nuclear weapons ”

“ Nagasaki marks 65th anniversary of U.S. atomic bomb ”

“ Hiroshima marks 67th anniversary of A-bomb attack ”

“ He really did shoot photos of the Hiroshima A-bomb ”

“ Display of Hiroshima victims adds face of U.S. POW ”

“ This week in history: The beginning of the nuclear age ”

“ End of WWII had Utahns dancing in streets ”

“ Atomic bombs in August ”

“ Utah air base saw the birth of Atomic Age ”

“ Wendover Enola Gay hangar being restored ”

“ The end of World War II began in Wendover ”

“ Morris Jeppson, Utah airman who flew on the Enola Gay, dies at 87 ″

“ Nuclear weapons testing still hot topic in Utah on 75th anniversary of atomic bomb ”

“ She was called the ‘Mother of the Atomic Bomb’ — but she wanted nothing to do with a bomb ”

“ The audacious quest to document the lives of all 421,000 American soldiers who died in WWII ”