Épisodes

  • Summer of Trinity - Week ending July 7, 1945

    Summer of Trinity - Week ending July 7, 1945
    Jul 9 2025

    A daily description of events in the summer of 1945, touching points around the world but centered (as that summer was) on the Trinity nuclear test. This episode has daily events for the week ending Saturday July 7th, 1945.

    Sunday, July 1,1945 - 15 Days Before Trinity

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_C4-class_ship

    http://ww2troopships.com/crossings/1945b.htm

    https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/7-8/7-8_7.HTM

    http://www.yeide.net/World_War_II_History/Cavalry_Histories.html

    Monday, July 2,1945 - 14 Days Before Trinity

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sterling_Parsons Captain William Parsons, US Navy - head of Project Alberta, which is the part of the Manhattan Project focused on delivering the bomb to it’s target.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_F._Farrell - Brigadier General Thomas Farrell, who is “Grove’s deputy for operations”

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_R._Purnell - Rear Admiral William Purnell is Navy liason to manhattan project, also the Navy’s deputy chief for materiel.

    http://www.dannen.com/decision/testdate.html

    The "IT" mentioned a couple of times there appears to be the Little Boy device, which was going to be transported to Tinian aboard the USS Indianapolis (then finishing repairs in the San Franciso area), and which Parsons was coordinating with Purnell.

    Tuesday, July 3,1945 - 13 Days Before Trinity

    https://automotivehistory.org/july-3-1945-ford-starts-postwar-production/

    https://vtauto.org/1946-ford-tudor/

    https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/photograph-records/64-57-01

    Wednesday, July 4,1945 - 12 Days Before Trinity

    https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/truman-independence-day-message-1945

    https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/public-papers/72/statement-president-fourth-july

    Thursday, July 5,1945 - 11 Days Before Trinity

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_United_Kingdom_general_election

    Friday, July 6,1945 - 10 Days Before Trinity

    https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/delivering-atomic-bombs-silverplate-b-29

    https://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/EnolaGay/EnolaGay.html

    Saturday, July 7,1945 - 9 Days Before Trinity

    http://www.brigs.us/Phila/Candids1.htm — photographs from USS Philadelphia

    http://www.brigs.us/Phila/reunion-files/and-we-were-there-Truman-Potsdam.htm - a first-person account of the trip

    https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2014/08/14/truman-bacall-and-that-photograph/

    https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nara-series/80-g/80-G-600000/80-G-603322.html
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    16 min
  • Summer of Trinity - Week ending June 30, 1945

    Summer of Trinity - Week ending June 30, 1945
    Jun 30 2025
    This is Summer of Trinity, for the week ending Saturday June 30th, 1945. Sunday, June 24,1945 - 22 Days Before Trinity https://stanislavs.org/victory-parade-in-moscow-on-june-24-1945/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_Moscow_Victory_Parade Monday, June 25,1945 - 21 Days Before Trinity Let There Be Light - assigned to John Huston on June 25 1945 https://catalog.afi.com/Film/24480-LET-THEREBELIGHT?sid=f9d82931-bb26-4320-ab6d-68db16b9b687&sr=16.411694&cp=1&pos=0 Tuesday, June 26,1945 - 20 Days Before Trinity https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-n-charter-signed While the war continued, and there was certainly concerns of all sorts that it might not be over soon - that Operation Downfall might be necessary, a full amphibious invasion of Japan to occupy and subordinate it on bayonet and rifle - there were definite expectations of hope. When representatives of 50 nations came to San Francisco to sign the Charter of the United Nations, it was about the peace after, even if the peace hadn’t arrived, yet. It will take some time yet for the headquarters to be built, the general assembly brought together, for it to be a significant part of world diplomacy, but this day is the start of the United Nations. Wednesday, June 27,1945 - 19 Days Before Trinity Undersecretary of the Navy Ralph A. Bard sends the following memorandum concerning the use of the atomic bomb. argues that the Japanese should be given some warning ahead of the use of the weapon. https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/documents/manhattan-project/bard-memo.html Thursday, June 28,1945 - 18 Days Before Trinity The Ford Willow Run line produces its last B-24 Liberator https://www.motorcities.org/story-of-the-week/2021/remember-ford-motor-company-s-post-war-years-1946-1955 https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/expert-sets/101765 https://detroithistorical.org/things-do/events-calendar/events-listing/story-willow-run “One every 55 minutes” https://ss.sites.mtu.edu/mhugl/2015/10/11/willow-run-b24-liberator/ “The Flying Coffin” https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/watch-fords-willow-run-plant-churn-out-a-b-24-every-55-minutes/ “The story of willow run” on Youtube https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/willow-run-airplane-plant/ “44-51928 was flown directly to a storage facility, then later, to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation site at Kingman, Arizona, where it was scrapped.” The picture of 44-51928 shows very small but distinct shadows, indicating that it did in fact get rolled out right around noon. Friday, June 29,1945 - 17 Days Before Trinity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Magic_Carpet - return of personnel from Europe begins. Saturday, June 30,1945 - 16 Days Before Trinity https://history.army.mil/books/wwii/okinawa/ https://80.stripes.com/archives/sure-campaigns-over-dont-forget-mop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indianapolis_(CA-35) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa Okinawa area (per Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawa_Island Area 1,199[1] km2 (463 sq mi) as of 1 October 2018[2] Honshu area (ditto) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honshu Area 227,960[1] km2 (88,020 sq mi) Summer of Trinity is a part of Mapping History here on The Latest Generation.
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    11 min
  • Summer of Trinity - Week ending June 23, 1945

    Summer of Trinity - Week ending June 23, 1945
    Jun 23 2025

    This is Summer of Trinity, for the week ending Saturday June 23, 1945.

    Sunday, June 17,1945 - 29 Days Before Trinity

    It’s the 78th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    https://archive.org/details/FirstBoxingMatchesOnOkinawa

    Monday, June 18,1945 - 28 Days Before Trinity

    It’s the 79th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Bolivar_Buckner_Jr.

    The American submarine USS Bonefish was sunk in Toyama Bay by Japanese warships.

    Although it still has not been scheduled, the Trinity test is now 4 weeks away.

    Tuesday, June 19,1945 - 27 Days Before Trinity

    It is the 80th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Mayfield

    https://catalog.archives.gov/id/205583221

    Wednesday, June 20,1945 - 26 Days Before Trinity

    It is the 81st day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    http://www.v2rocket.com/start/chapters/backfire.html

    Return of troops on June 20 - picture came from this tweet.

    https://twitter.com/HistoryInPics/status/1483460234307850249
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    10 min
  • Summer of Trinity - Week ending June 16, 1945

    Summer of Trinity - Week ending June 16, 1945
    Jun 17 2025
    June 10 to June 16, 1945 This is Summer of Trinity, for the week ending Saturday June 16, 1945. Sunday, June 10,1945 - 36 Days Before Trinity It’s the 71st day of the Battle of Okinawa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_William_D._Porter_(DD-579) Monday, June 11,1945 - 35 Days Before Trinity It’s the 72nd day of the Battle of Okinawa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Miles_McCool Tuesday, June 12,1945 - 34 Days Before Trinity It is the 73rd day of the Battle of Okinawa. General Eisenhower receives the “Freedom of the City” at London’s Guildhall. This symbolic act, with seven hundred years of history behind it, makes him “a citizen of the city.” https://www.nps.gov/articles/general-eisenhower.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franck_Report Wednesday, June 13,1945 - 33 Days Before Trinity It is the 74th day of the Battle of Okinawa. Thursday, June 14,1945 - 32 Days Before Trinity It is the 75th day of the Battle of Okinawa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Inmate Friday, June 15,1945 - 31 Days Before Trinity It is the 76th day of the Battle of Okinawa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calutron (How they enriched U-235 for Little Boy) https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/science-behind-atom-bomb Saturday, June 16,1945 - 30 Days Before Trinity It’s the 77th day of the Battle of Okinawa. The Science Panel, headed by Robert Oppenheimer, and also including Enrico Fermi, Ernest O. Lawrence and Arthur H. Compton, gives the following report, classified Top Secret, to the Interim Committee: The report is titled “RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE IMMEDIATE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS” and begins as follows: [Note to self - some emphasis included here to assist in reading as a script, but there’s no font differences in the original.] You have asked us to comment on the initial use of the new weapon. This use, in our opinion, should be such as to promote a satisfactory adjustment of our international relations. At the same time, we recognize our obligation to our nation to use the weapons to help save American lives in the Japanese war. (1) To accomplish these ends we recommend that before the weapons are used not only Britain, but also Russia, France, and China be advised that we have made considerable progress in our work on atomic weapons, that these may be ready to use during the present war, and that we would welcome suggestions as to how we can cooperate in making this development contribute to improved international relations. (2) The opinions of scientific colleagues on the initial use of these weapons are not unanimous; they range from the proposal of a purely technical demonstration to that of the military application best designed to induce surrender. Those who advocate a purely technical demonstration would wish to outlaw the use of atomic weapons, and have feared that if we use the weapons now our position in future negotiations will be prejudiced. Others emphasize the opportunity of saving American lives by immediate military use, and believe that such use will improve the international prospects, in that they are more concerned with the prevention of war than with the elimination of this specific weapon. We find ourselves closer to these latter views; we can propose no technical demonstration likely to bring an end to the war; we see no acceptable alternative to direct military use. (3) With regard to these general aspects of the use of atomic energy, it is clear that we, as scientific men, have no proprietary rights. It is true that we are among the few citizens who have had occasion to give thoughtful consideration to these problems during the past few years. We have, however, no claim to special competence in solving the political, social, and military problems which are presented by the advent of atomic power. The report is signed by Robert Oppenheimer, with the note “for the panel” https://www.atomicarchive.com/resources/documents/manhattan-project/interim-committee.html As this week ends, the Trinity atomic bomb test has not yet been scheduled. However, it is exactly 30 days away. Summer of Trinity is a part of Mapping History here on The Latest Generation.
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    17 min
  • Summer of Trinity - Week ending June 9, 1945

    Summer of Trinity - Week ending June 9, 1945
    Jun 10 2025

    Summer of Trinity is a daily look at the summer of 1945, when the Second World War ended.

    June 3, 1945. Sunday.

    It is the 64th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    June 4, 1945. Monday.

    It is the 65th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    Churchill's Gestapo speech

    June 5, 1945. Tuesday

    It is the 66th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    June 6, 1945. Wednesday

    It is the 67th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    It is the one-year anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy that culminated one month ago in the surrender of Germany.

    Dr. Bine's letters can be found at dearfolksies.com

    https://www.dearfolksies.com/dachau-concentration-camp-june-6-june-26-1945/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp

    June 7, 1945. Thursday

    It is the 68th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    Didn't include Robert M. McTureous, Jr, but he has a story of his own.

    June 8, 1945. Friday

    It is one month since the surrender of Germany.

    It is the 69th day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Salute_(AM-294)

    On Okinawa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Faulkner_Lester dies in combat for actions for which he would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor

    June 9, 1945. Saturday

    A classified document is created within the United States War department, named “Installations in Japan Not To Be Bombed.”

    http://www.mansell.com/pow_resources/recovery/Installations_in_Japan_Not_To_Be_Bombed_1945-06-09.pdf

    As this week ends, the Trinity atomic bomb test has not yet been scheduled. However, it is only 37 days away.

    Summer of Trinity is a part of Mapping History here on The Latest Generation.
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    15 min
  • Summer of Trinity - Week Ending June 2, 1945

    Summer of Trinity - Week Ending June 2, 1945
    Jun 3 2025

    A look at each day between Memorial Day and Labor Day, 1945 - the six weeks on either side of the Trinity test on July 16.

    (For future weeks, we'll have an entry for each day, but we already did May 1945 in the previous episode.)

    May 30, 1945. Wednesday. Memorial Day. It is the 60th day of the Battle of Okinawa

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_Day

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

    May 31, 1945. Thursday. It is the 61st day of the battle of Okinawa

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_B._Craft

    June 1, 1945 Friday. It is the 62nd day of the Battle of Okinawa.

    Times around the world, as the meeting of the Interim Committee starts, 11AM in Washington DC
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    5 min
  • May 1945 - Summer of Trinity

    May 1945 - Summer of Trinity
    May 31 2025

    A introduction to the state of the world in May 1945.

    • FDR is dead.
    • Truman is President, only three months after he became vice-president.
    • The Battle of Okinawa is ongoing - it had started on April 1st.
    • USS Indianapolis is in San Francisco for repairs from a kamikaze attack in the waters around Okinawa, just before the invasion began.
    • The USSR has just ended its non-agression pact with the Empire of Japan.
    • Mussoline is dead, killed on April 28
    • Hitler is dead by suicide on April 30.
    • Nazi Germany is defeated on May 8.
    • The long-term coalition government in the UK ends with the victory over Germany.
    • Churchill has requested that elections be held, around the beginning of July.
    • In Los Alamos, the Manhattan Project team awaits deliveries of uranium and plutonium to use in their Little Boy and Fat Man designs.
    • And although nobody realizes it for certain, the war is nearly over.
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    12 min
  • Summer of Trinity - Intro

    Summer of Trinity - Intro
    May 31 2025

    Summer of Trinity is a look at the summer of 1945, between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Halfway between those dates, on July 16, was the Trinity atomic weapon test - but a lot was happening all around the world, during the 6 weeks before and after Trinity.

    That's what this series will be about.
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    2 min