Atomic Exposure: USAAC Navigator Photographed First Nuclear Missions

12/12/2016 ISO 1200 Magazine 0 Comments

Russell Gackenbach was a second lieutenant aircraft navigator and photographer who flew into the heart of Japan on Aug. 6, 1945, as Little Boy, a 9,000-pound uranium-235 atomic bomb was dropped onto Hiroshima, Japan.

Atomic Exposure: USAAC Navigator Photographed First Nuclear Missions

The significance of this event is immeasurable, as it was the first time a nuclear device had been used as a wartime strategy, which ultimately led to Japan agreeing to an unconditional surrender on Aug. 14, 1945, and the end of World War II. (U.S. Air Force video/Kenny Holston)

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