Monochromatic radiation propagating in a direction opposite to that of a uniform, one‐dimensional shock wave is absorbed throughout the region behind the shock front. Euler's equations for unsteady flow with energy addition and the macroscopic equation for radiative transfer neglecting emission are used to describe the motion. Behind the shock front it is assumed that the energy added to a fluid element during heating is small compared with its initial internal energy. Then, the mathematical method of strained coordinates (Poincare´‐Lighthill‐Kuo technique) can be applied, and it is found that the radiation is exponentially attenuated behind the shock wave. The absorbed radiation accelerates the shock wave and generates a secondary shock front. The time at which the secondary shock wave appears is inversely proportional to both the intensity of the radiation and the absorption coefficient. The asymptotic constant velocity of the secondary shock wave is found to equal the speed of a rearward propagating acoustic wave plus a correction proportional to the radiation intensity.