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administration buildings and ordnance store houses. In addition, there are the following important military targets:

A. Army Reception Center
B. Large Military Airport
C. Army Ordnance Depot
D. Army Clothing Depot
E. Army Food Depot
F. Large Port and Dock Area
G. Several Ship Yards and Ship Building Companies
H. Japan Steel Company
I. Railroad Marshalling Yards
J. Numerous Aircraft Component Parts Factories

The fact that Hiroshima was undamaged made it an ideal target. This was deemed necessary to assess correctly the damage which could be inflicted by the Atomic Bomb. The size of Hiroshima was another important factor in the selection. According to preliminary data, it was believed that the radius of damage which could be inflicted by the Atomic Bomb was 7,500 feet. By placing the aiming point in the center of the city, the circle of prospective damage covered almost the entire area of Hiroshima with the [[strikethrough]] explosion [[/strikethrough]] ^[[exception]] of the dock area to the south.

4. MUNITIONS
One (1) Atomic Bomb.

5. NAVIGATORS PLAN
(See Report Number 1, 509th Composite Group, page 6, paragraph 1.)

6. BOMBARDIERS PLAN
(See Report Number 1, 509th Composite Group, Page 6, paragraph 2.)

7. RADAR PLAN
(See Report Number 1, 509th Composite Group, page 7, paragraph 2.)

8. FLIGHT ENGINEERS PLAN
(See Report Number 1, 509th Composite Group, page 7, paragraph 4.)

9. R.C.N.
None

10. FIGHTER ESCORT
None

11. AIR SEA RESCUE
Normally this function is arranged by Wing Headquarters, but due to the importance of this operation, 20th Air Force Headquarters made arrangements for this mission. Every precaution was taken to provide complete air sea rescue facilities so that any untoward incident would not jeopardize the safe return of all witnesses.

12. STRIKING FORCE
3 A/C - one bombing, 2 observing

13. SPECIAL PLANNING OPERATIONS

A. In order to prevent interference with the attack all friendly aircraft were instructed to stay at least 50 miles away from target areas for four hours prior to strike time. And in order to protect friendly aircraft from the almost infinite amount of radio activity in the immediate area above the explosion, they were restricted from entering the 50-mile area for six hours after the attack. The post-strike photo aircraft were permitted in the area four hours after the attack, because they had had special briefing.

B. In order to have the attack go off on the day planned in spite of possible abort of the bombing airplane, a spare ship was stationed at Iwo Jima, where there was also a pit for unloading and reloading the Atomic Bomb.

C. Weather: Three aircraft which will be dispatched one to each target at such a time as to be able to

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relay, from their assigned target, the target weather forecast for strike time, broadcasting the message between 060845K and 060915K. This will enable strike force to select either the secondary or tertiary target in the event the primary is found to be covered by clouds. Each weather aircraft will have aboard a weather observer furnished by the 313th Wing.

D. Post Strike Photography: C.O., 509th Group, will be responsible for briefing and dispatching two F-13 A/C. These aircraft will not enter target area until four hours after bombs away. To insure this schedule is maintained regardless of whether the strike force has to make use of the spare aircraft at Iwo Jima or not, the photo aircraft will be required to check in with the ground stations at both Tinian and Iwo Jima to obtain clearance to proceed past Iwo Jima. If these photo aircraft do not receive notification of which target has been bombed, they will photograph all three targets.

On August 9, 1945, the second bomb, "Fat Boy", was dropped over Nagasaki. I was assigned to check the principal target, Kokura, for weather. Sweeney piloted "Bock's Car" for this mission. I had reported that the target was clear but by the time Sweeney got there clouds had formed and he diverted to Nagasaki. At the moment the bomb was dropped over Nagasaki, I was landing on Iwo Jima. After the bombing of Nagasaki, we heard that the war would end soon. For a show of force, there would be one more raid on Japan, "Maximum Effort." All planes that could fly were ordered into the air. I felt I could not go on that raid. I knew if I did I would not return. I had seen this in a dream where I was told to be careful. I did not go on that mission.

Most of the airplane commanders lived together in one quonset. We'd been together in the same squadron for two years, and no one had been injured or killed. That was unheard of. While I was an instructor in B-26's, we lost a crew every other month.

After the war ended, we came back to Roswell, New Mexico. Col. Blanchard was made CO of the 509th group, replacing Col. Paul Tibbets. I was operations officer for Blanchard, running the Bikini tests in the Pacific. They dropped bombs on battle ships for experimental tests. During these tests, Blanchard asked me, "Marquardt, how well do you know this S.O.B. Tibbets? I'm after his ass, and I'm going to get him!" Tibbets was in the Army Reserve, and Blanchard was a West Point graduate who believed the Army Reserve Officers couldn't do the job. That's when I realized the politics in the Air Force. There I was a Major, wondering what I was doing in the Air Force with all this fighting going on among the "Top Brass." That's when I decided to quit the Air Force, although I loved it! I had wonderful training. In fact, the training I received I couldn't get anywhere else. In the end, I got out of the Air Force because of the politics.

I have never for one moment regretted my participation in the dropping of the A-Bomb. I knew that this was the only way to end this terrible war and as a result, thousands perhaps millions of lives were saved.

"The United States used the atomic bomb against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans."

— President Harry S. Truman, radio address, August 9, 1945