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Atomic Bombs
Atomic bomb is an explosive device in which a large amount of energy is released through nuclear reactions. This makes an atomic bomb, more properly called a nuclear weapon, a much more powerful device than any conventional bomb containing chemical explosives. The first Atomic Bombs were used during World War 2 in 1945 by the US onto 2 Japanese cities.
2,042 Questions
What reasons did America have for dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagaski during World War 2?
The official reason for dropping the bombs were that the casualties in taking the Japanese mainland would be unacceptable. I believe that bomb was a show of strength from Truman to Stalin. Which Stalin pointedly ignored
Where was announcement of dropping of atomic bomb?
Leaflets were dropped over Japan warning them of a "big bomb" but not naming it as an atom bomb. They were told to get their government to surrender or the big bomb would be dropped. The Military Leaders were asked to surrender again.
What was Stimson's role in the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima?
By 1945, Stimson was receiving more direct information about World War II than any other U.S. official. Army Chief of Staff George Marshall reported directly to Stimson and as a member of the "Committee of Three with Sec. of the Navy James Forrestal and Under Sec. of State Joseph Grew, Stimson also received information directly from the Sec. of the Navy. Grew provided Stimson with the State Department's diplomatic information on the war. Stimson also knew much about an important factor known to few others: the atomic bomb project. In June 1942 the transfer of the a-bomb project to the Army was begun, and from May 1, 1943 until his retirement on Sept. 21, 1945, Stimson was directly responsible to the President for the Manhattan Project.
-Henry Stimson, George Bundy, "On Active Service in Peace and War", pg. 612-613-
Who were The leaders during the dropping of the atomic bomb in World War 1?
The atom bomb was not in existence during World War One, also known as "The Great War".
Why didn't both sides of the fire an atomic bomb?
After checking out the devastation and the sickness no other nation wanted to get in an atomic holocaust.
Was Truman right or wrong in dropping the atomic bombs on civilians to end the war?
he was very wrong he should have dropped it on just the government.
When the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb the us response was?
When the Soviet Union exploded an atomic bomb, the US response was to increase its own arsenal and its own testing of nuclear weapons.
Where did the us drop the atomic bomb in japan?
The first one was dropped near/on Hiroshima, the second one near/on Nagasaki.
No, it isn't fair to "Monday-morning quarterback" this decision, nor is it even usually done with much historical accuracy involved in the criticism!
The atomic bombing decision was made in view of the situation known and experienced during the time of the decision-making. The primary factor was obviously the casualty estimates that were projected for a conventional troop invasion landing on mainland Japan (over a million U.S. casualties estimated). There were then many other factors taken into account, including the just-recent (in 1945) record of fanatically suicidal defences of Japanese islands.
This same type of second-guessing is, unfortunately, due to today's political correctness, applied to the removal of ethnic Japanese from the U.S. west coast district by General DeWitt, after FDR's executive order of February 1942.
Another view
Yes it is fair and correct to do so. We learn by our mistakes and actions. We should always question our actions, especially when they may have such dreadful consequences.
Third View: Of course this question & answer is a personal opinion. However, an opinion should be based in factual information & not on emotional sentiment. I agree with most of the previous two opinions, in that it is fair to judge past decisions based on what we know now, however the first person said it correctly: "The atomic bombing decision was made in view of the situation known and experienced during the time of the decision-making. The primary factor was obviously the casualty estimates that were projected for a conventional troop invasion landing on mainland Japan (over a million U.S. casualties estimated). There were then many other factors taken into account, including the just-recent (in 1945) record of fanatically suicidal defences of Japanese islands. This same type of second-guessing is, unfortunately, due to today's political correctness..." The decision to use two atomic bombs against Japan was correct & necessary to convince Emperor Hirohito to direct the Japanese (primarily military ) leaders to accept the Unconditional Surrender terms of the Allies. Nothing we have learned since 1945 has altered the truth of the situation as it was believed by American leaders in 1945, as it relates to the decision to use the A-Bombs. Actually as the more we learn, the greater is the evidence that it was a correct decision.
Additionally, the use of the atomic bombs in 1945 has had a lasting positive influence on the US ability to maintain a credible nuclear deterrent during the Cold War, in that the US has actually used them in the past and is likely to use them in the future if sufficiently threatened. This 'threat' has prevented the Soviet Union from achieving many of its territorial ambitions during the Cold War. Case in point: Austrian independence from the Soviet grasp. Few remember that Austria was divided into post-WW2 occupation zones, just as Germany was. Vienna (Wien) was divided like Berlin was, and the rest of Austria was divided like Germany. The Austrians skillfully convinced the Soviets to allow a public referendum on the Soviet presence in Austria. The Austrians led the Soviets into thinking that the Austrians would overwhelmingly support the continued presence of the Soviets. The Soviets thought this would be great public relations/propaganda victory for them. When the referendum took place and the Austrians voted overwhelmingly to reject the Soviet occupation, then the Soviets refused to leave. Enter President Truman: He dispatched long-range bombers to Europe & quietly notified the Soviets that he (the US) was prepared to use nuclear bombs against the Soviets if they did not honor the Austrian vote & depart Austria. Soon the Soviets departed, and all Austrians were free. Most likely, Austrian neutrality (not joining NATO) was the concession made by Truman to allow the Soviets to swallow this bitter pill. If the US had not previously used the A-Bomb against Japan, then how credible would have been Truman's threat? Fortunately, we will not know for sure if it was a bluff, and neither will our enemies.
What is the casing of an atomic bomb?
It could be made of many different things, including plastics, depending on its intended usage.
The two dropped on japan in WW2 each used a casing made of an aluminum alloy called Duralumin.
Could the Hiroshima bomb blast been seen or heard from other parts of the region?
the atomic cloud over hiroshima went up to 70,000 ft. in a half hour. the cloud could be seen from 150 to 200 miles away. it broke windows 15 miles from ground zero.
The bomb that hit Hiroshima was called "Little Boy" and it was an uranium bomb. It killed 70,000 people immediately or soon after and injured 70,000 more. The blast was so hot that it burned people's clothes off or had the pattern or color of their clothes "tattooed" on them...PERMANENTLY!
Was the dropping of the atomic bomb on the city of hiroshima necessary and just?
At the end of World War II, few questioned Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most Americans accepted the obvious reasoning: the atomic bombings brought the war to a more timely end. They did not have a problem with over one hundred thousand of the enemy being killed. After all, the Japanese attacked America, and not the other way around. In later years, however, many have begun to question the conventional wisdom of "Truman was saving lives," putting forth theories of their own. However, when one examines the issue with great attention to the results of the atomic bombings and compares these results with possible alternatives to using said bombs, the line between truth and fiction begins to clear. Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan was for the purpose of saving lives and ending the war quickly in order to prevent a disastrous land invasion.
Did the us use second atomic bomb out of spite?
No. A demand for surrender had been made and the Japanese refused so the second bomb was delivered.
Why did the unites states drop the atomic bomb on Nagasaki?
President Harry Truman had many alternatives at his disposal for ending the war: invade the Japanese mainland, hold a demonstration of the destructive power of the atomic bomb for Japanese dignitaries, drop an atomic bomb on selected industrial Japanese cities, bomb and blockade the islands, wait for Soviet entry into the war on August 15, or mediate a compromised peace.
At the end of World War II, few questioned Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Most Americans accepted the obvious reasoning: the atomic bombings brought the war to a more timely end. They did not have a problem with over one hundred thousand of the enemy being killed. After all, the Japanese attacked America, and not the other way around. In later years, however, many have begun to question the conventional wisdom of "Truman was saving lives," putting forth theories of their own. However, when one examines the issue with great attention to the results of the atomic bombings and compares these results with possible alternatives to using said bombs, the line between truth and fiction begins to clear. Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan was for the purpose of saving lives and ending the war quickly in order to prevent a disastrous land invasion.
Advantages and disadvantages of using the atomic bomb?
Advantages: The Atomic Bomb stopped the war on 14th of August when Japan finally surrendered. This was necessary as the brutal war costed many lives from both sides. The end of the war saved a lot of money for the countries in war. Also Japan wouldn't surrender otherwise but to defeat US. They thought surrendering was a disgrace to the emperor. They prefered death over surrendering as they created kamikazes (suicide bombers) who weren't afraid of dying. Japan killed people in their army who surrendered. They saw the Potsdam Declaration a sign of weakness and knew US was desperate to end the war. So Japan was planning to end the war by a decisive strike so they could rule the world. The last surrender was 29 years after the war ended. This proved how much the Japanese despised surrendering. If the war continued on, it could lead to the defeat of US as the main army of Japan was barely harmed in the constant struggle between the two countries. Japanese treated Prisoners of War who were captured in Southeast Asia really badly. The prisoners of war were starved and buried alive. Also guards tied prisoners to bamboo to starve them to death. Prisoners were forced to kneel on glass carrying a heavy rock. US's bombing saved the prisoners of war and stopped their suffering. They intimidated and impressed many countries including Soviet Union and Japan. Truman didn't want Japan to become a communist country by Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union defeated Germany, they turned Germany, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania into communist countries. They were "ruling" the world. By dropping the bomb, they proved to Russia that they were in the lead. They spent $5 billion dollars in old money to develop the Atomic Bomb. Since they already spent the money for the Atomic Bomb, they used it. If they didn't use it the bomb would become a white elephant. Also war is really expensive to maintain and using something you already "bought" would save money. Truman proved taxpayers that the money was well spent. They haven't bombed Hiroshima before so bombing there would convey US was serious in bombing Japan. If they continued the war, many soldiers and resources of both sides would be used.
Disadvantage: 250,000 innocent people died in total from the two nuclear blasts. Anyone within a kilometer of the explosion became a bundle of smoking black charcoal within seconds. Others in close vicinity died from the 3000C blazing inferno created by the explosion. Those who were still alive writhed in agony from their burns. 70,000 of the 78,000 buildings were destroyed and caused falling debris killing and trapping people. The bombing of Hiroshima caused 70,000 deaths within minutes. People's eyes were melted by looking at the light from the bomb, they died quickly of blood loss. People suffering blood loss and injuries died in less than a week. Later sickness spread and killed many people in a few weeks. The people lucky enough to survive died of radiation sickness in a few months. US just massacred 250,000 innocent people just to defeat Japan. People think it was unnecessary, gruesome and inhumane. Adding to that, the bombs destroyed the land and the environment making the place uninhabitable. Also the wildlife was poisoned by radiation leaking into the soil and killed fish which was the Japanese's food source. Radiation caused a long lasting scar to the environment. Another disadvantage of the bombs was that radiation spreaded easily by the wind or the sea and polluted the sea and countries around Japan. Because of dropping the bomb, US now does not have a special unknown weapon to defend themselves as other countries have already produced nuclear bombs. If an accident happens, the world could break out into a nuclear war which would have an apocalyptic effect on the world, the environment and the population on earth by making it uninhabitable for all life.What was the population after the atomic bomb was dropped?
The atomic bomb was used on two cities in Japan. At Hiroshima the uranium bomb nicknamed 'Little Boy' killed 66,000 people instantly and injured 69,000. The second bomb was a plutonium bomb, nicknamed 'Fat Man" dropped on Nagasaki, leveling half of the city. The population of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 before the bomb was 422,000, seconds later it was 383,000 with over 25,000 injured.
Did the axis powers have scientists working on building an atomic bomb?
Yes, but they had made almost no progress:
- Germany, yes initially but atomic bomb work was stopped after Heisenberg made an arithmetic error in the critical mass calculation suggesting that the atomic bomb would be too heavy for any practical bomber of the time to carry, so the project was scaled back to only development of a prototype heavy water reactor fueled with natural uranium
- Japan, yes but unavailability of quality high power high voltage vacuum tubes needed for cyclotrons had hindered measurement of properties of uranium
- Italy, no program had ever began
Did the Atomic bomb at Hiroshima drop by parachute?
No parachute, it was a barometric fuse. The parachute spotted by some survivors on the ground was a live telemetry sensor package dropped by the lead aircraft.
The actual bomb itself Little Boy had a box shaped fin which acted like an air brake loosely termed the "California Parachute" but it was not a real parachute: rather an air brake to reduce terminal velocity.
What led to the dropping of the Atomic Bomb in World ar 2?
The United States, in its war with Japan, had to clear the Japanese from many islands across the Pacific Ocean to reach a point where it cut Japan off from its resources and then could directly attack Japan.
While doing this, the U.S. suffered enormous casualties against the Japanese in Tarawa, Guam, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and other islands. The Japanese burrowed into caves and tunnels, and fought fanatically.
The people of the U.S. were getting tired of the war and the sacrifice they were making. Aside from material sacrifices such as rationing, everyone had friends or relatives who had died battling the Nazis. Now more were being killed in the Pacific.
The casualties for the Pacific battle were high. In Iwo Jima, for instance, 4 out of every 10 marines sent to attack the island was killed. Also, the battle of Leyte Gulf in the Phillippines saw the Japanese use of over 2,000 Kamikaze (Divine Wind) aircraft, which were laden with bombs and rammed into ships by their suicidal pilots. The Kamikazes damaged or sank almost 50 U.S. ships. This was staggering, considering most of the pilots had little training and many of the aircraft were of poor quality, and even included training aircraft.
Facing the invasion of Japan, estimates were that if the Japanese mainland was as costly to invade as Okinawa had been, per mile, that it could require millions of U.S. lives to pacify them.
On top of all this, analysts were growing worried about the surprising power the Soviet Union was displaying as it drove into Germany. The U.S. is a strongly capitalist country, and many powerful people there had been frightened of communism since it became a movement during the first world war. At the time, the Soviets were helpful allies of the Communist Chinese. Looking at maps, this created an intimidating red blotch on a large part of the world's surface.
There was also a lack of consideration for the Japanese, who were seen to have "broken the rules" by making their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor without declaring war first. Propaganda during the war painted the Japanese as sub-human animals. Generally, at the time they were seen by many as being more monstrous than the Germans.
There is great controversy as to whether the atomic bombs should have been dropped. It's said that the Japanese were already wanting to surrender, and simply were looking for a face-saving way to do it. It's unknown whether this is true, and if so, whether the Truman administration knew this. And, even if they had heard this, whether it was reasonable for the administration to rely on it.
The dropping of the atomic bombs told the Japanese that the U.S. had a way to wipe them out without spending millions of lives. At the same time, it announced to the Soviet Union and communist China that the U.S. had the power to stop them if they got too aggressive.
Why did the US dropped the atomic bomb on japan?
Date of first bombing: August 6, 1945
In April and May 1945, Japan made three attempts through neutral Sweden and Portugal to bring the war to a peaceful end. On April 7, acting Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu met with Swedish ambassador Widon Bagge in Tokyo, asking him "to ascertain what peace terms the United States and Britain had in mind." But he emphasized that unconditional surrender was unacceptable, and that "the Emperor must not be touched." Bagge relayed the message to the United States, but Secretary of State Stettinius told the US Ambassador in Sweden to "show no interest or take any initiative in pursuit of the matter." Similar Japanese peace signals through Portugal, on May 7, and again through Sweden, on the 10th, proved similarly fruitless.
By mid-June, six members of Japan's Supreme War Council had secretly charged Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo with the task of approaching Soviet Russia's leaders "with a view to terminating the war if possible by September." On June 22 the Emperor called a meeting of the Supreme War Council, which included the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and the leading military figures. "We have heard enough of this determination of yours to fight to the last soldiers," said Emperor Hirohito. "We wish that you, leaders of Japan, will strive now to study the ways and the means to conclude the war. In doing so, try not to be bound by the decisions you have made in the past."
By early July the US had intercepted messages from Togo to the Japanese ambassador in Moscow, Naotake Sato, showing that the Emperor himself was taking a personal hand in the peace effort, and had directed that the Soviet Union be asked to help end the war. US officials also knew that the key obstacle to ending the war was American insistence on "unconditional surrender," a demand that precluded any negotiations. The Japanese were willing to accept nearly everything, except turning over their semi-divine Emperor. Heir of a 2,600-year-old dynasty, Hirohito was regarded by his people as a "living god" who personified the nation. (Until the August 15 radio broadcast of his surrender announcement, the Japanese people had never heard his voice.) Japanese particularly feared that the Americans would humiliate the Emperor, and even execute him as a war criminal.
On July 12, Hirohito summoned Fumimaro Konoye, who had served as prime minister in 1940-41. Explaining that "it will be necessary to terminate the war without delay," the Emperor said that he wished Konoye to secure peace with the Americans and British through the Soviets. As Prince Konoye later recalled, the Emperor instructed him "to secure peace at any price, notwithstanding its severity."
The next day, July 13, Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo wired ambassador Naotake Sato in Moscow: "See [Soviet foreign minister] Molotov before his departure for Potsdam ... Convey His Majesty's strong desire to secure a termination of the war ... Unconditional surrender is the only obstacle to peace ..."
On July 17, another intercepted Japanese message revealed that although Japan's leaders felt that the unconditional surrender formula involved an unacceptable dishonor, they were convinced that "the demands of the times" made Soviet mediation to terminate the war absolutely essential. Further diplomatic messages indicated that the only condition asked by the Japanese was preservation of "our form of government." The only "difficult point," a July 25 message disclosed, "is the ... formality of unconditional surrender."
Summarizing the messages between Togo and Sato, US naval intelligence said that Japan's leaders, "though still balking at the term unconditional surrender," recognized that the war was lost, and had reached the point where they have "no objection to the restoration of peace on the basis of the [1941] Atlantic Charter." These messages, said Assistant Secretary of the Navy Lewis Strauss, "indeed stipulated only that the integrity of the Japanese Royal Family be preserved."
Navy Secretary James Forrestal termed the intercepted messages "real evidence of a Japanese desire to get out of the war." "With the interception of these messages," notes historian Alperovitz (p. 177), "there could no longer be any real doubt as to the Japanese intentions; the maneuvers were overt and explicit and, most of all, official acts. Koichi Kido, Japan's Lord Privy Seal and a close advisor to the Emperor, later affirmed: "Our decision to seek a way out of this war, was made in early June before any atomic bomb had been dropped and Russia had not entered the war. It was already our decision."
In spite of this, on July 26 the leaders of the United States and Britain issued the Potsdam declaration, which included this grim ultimatum: "We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces and to provide proper and adequate assurance of good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction."
Commenting on this draconian either-or proclamation, British historian J.F.C. Fuller wrote: "Not a word was said about the Emperor, because it would be unacceptable to the propaganda-fed American masses." (A Military History of the Western World [1987], p. 675.)
America's leaders understood Japan's desperate position: the Japanese were willing to end the war on any terms, as long as the Emperor was not molested. If the US leadership had not insisted on unconditional surrender -- that is, if they had made clear a willingness to permit the Emperor to remain in place -- the Japanese very likely would have surrendered immediately, thus saving many thousands of lives.
The sad irony is that, as it actually turned out, the American leaders decided anyway to retain the Emperor as a symbol of authority and continuity. They realized, correctly, that Hirohito was useful as a figurehead prop for their own occupation authority in postwar Japan.
On August 6, 1945, the world dramatically entered the atomic age: without either warning or precedent, an American plane dropped a single nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion utterly destroyed more than four square miles of the city center. About 90,000 people were killed immediately; another 40,000 were injured, many of whom died in protracted agony from radiation sickness. Three days later, a second atomic strike on the city of Nagasaki killed some 37,000 people and injured another 43,000. Together the two bombs eventually killed an estimated 200,000 Japanese civilians.
Source: Weber, Mark "Was Hiroshima Necessary? Why the Atomic Bombings could have been avoided" The Journal of Historical Review, May-June 1997 (Vol. 16, No. 3), pages 4-11.
Did Russia steal the atomic bomb?
They did steal all the information needed to make it. Read "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes
Was dropping the atomic bomb the correct way to end the war?
No. Atomic bombardment was act of intimidation and new weapon test. Both Japan cities were civilian without any military infrastructure. By the way many Japan pupils think that bombs were Russian! The only real and ready-to-fight 1 million Japan Quantun Army based in Manjuria was destroyed by Red Army.
