Posted by Ruins of Chugoku Regional Military Headquarters Air Defense Room.
The Hiroshima Castle complex in Motomachi was a concentration of Army facilities. At the Chugoku Regional Military Headquarters, which were located in the southern section of the Hiroshoma castle complex, third-year students from Hijiyama Girls High School were mobilized as a Student Communications Squadron. Here, more than 700 Headquarters employees, 64 Hijiyama Girls High School students and teachers, and two prisoners from the U.S. military died.
Yoshie Oka (then, 14), a student at Hijiyama Girls High School, was working in the Chugoku Regional Military Headquarters Air Defense Room as part of the student mobilization.
Oka, who was in the semi-underground defense room when the bomb was dropped, lost consciousness for a while, then went outside. She was shocked to see a flattened Hiroshima, allowing her to see all the way to the sea. Returning to the defense room, she contacted Fukuyama city with the news of Hiroshima’s destruction. This is believed to have been the “initial report” from Hiroshima after the bomb was dropped.
A photo of the bunker 2 months after the bomb was dropped.
Nearly in the same position today, a gate blocks the entrance. A shrine marks the memorial for those who lost their lives.
Western side of the bunker.
Eastern side of the bunker
Words from the Hiroshima virtual museum website, edited by Stuart. Photos by Stuart.
Japanese History and Culture 
Reblogged this on Japanese history and culture.
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How awful to be only 14 years old and left with that responsibility to take charge and inform the outside world of what had happened; and how amazing that any communications was still viable so close to ground zero.
Thanks for another informative and interesting account. Hiroshima is one of my favourite cities in Japan – and not only because Perfume come from there, hehe.
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Thankyou for your comments. Yes, I agree. I remember reading that initially all communications were knocked out but the schoolgirl was able to repair the line to Fukuyama only. In a way, she was lucky to be inside the bunker at the time of the blast. Yes, Hiroshima is very nice.
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