Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki information

Operation Centerboard
Operation Centerboard
Part of the Pacific War of World War II
	Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)
Type	Nuclear bombing
Location	Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
Date	6 and 9 August 1945
Executed by	Manhattan Project; 509th Composite Group: 1,770 U.S.;
Casualties	Hiroshima: 70,000–126,000 civilians killed; 7,000–20,000 soldiers killed; 12 Allied prisoners of war; Nagasaki: 60,000–80,000 killed (within 4 months); 150+ soldiers killed; 8–13 Allied prisoners of war; Total killed: 129,000–226,000;

On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict. Japan surrendered to the Allies on 15 August, six days after the bombing of Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan and invasion of Japanese-occupied Manchuria. The Japanese government signed the instrument of surrender on 2 September, effectively ending the war.

In the final year of World War II, the Allies prepared for a costly invasion of the Japanese mainland. This undertaking was preceded by a conventional bombing and firebombing campaign that devastated 64 Japanese cities. The war in the European theatre concluded when Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, and the Allies turned their full attention to the Pacific War. By July 1945, the Allies' Manhattan Project had produced two types of atomic bombs: "Little Boy", an enriched uranium gun-type fission weapon, and "Fat Man", a plutonium implosion-type nuclear weapon. The 509th Composite Group of the United States Army Air Forces was trained and equipped with the specialized Silverplate version of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and deployed to Tinian in the Mariana Islands. The Allies called for the unconditional surrender of the Imperial Japanese armed forces in the Potsdam Declaration on 26 July 1945, the alternative being "prompt and utter destruction". The Japanese government ignored the ultimatum.

The consent of the United Kingdom was obtained for the bombing, as was required by the Quebec Agreement, and orders were issued on 25 July by General Thomas Handy, the acting chief of staff of the United States Army, for atomic bombs to be used against Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, and Nagasaki. These targets were chosen because they were large urban areas that also held militarily significant facilities. On 6 August, a Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, a Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki. Over the next two to four months, the effects of the atomic bombings killed 90,000 to 146,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000 to 80,000 people in Nagasaki; roughly half occurred on the first day. For months afterward, many people continued to die from the effects of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness and malnutrition. Though Hiroshima had a sizable military garrison, most of the dead were civilians.

Scholars have extensively studied the effects of the bombings on the social and political character of subsequent world history and popular culture, and there is still much debate concerning the ethical and legal justification for the bombings. Supporters claim that the atomic bombings were necessary to bring an end to the war with minimal casualties; critics believe that the bombings were unnecessary for the war's end and a war crime, and highlight the moral and ethical implications of the intentional nuclear attack on civilians.

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki information

and 28 Related for: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki information

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Debate over the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Little Boy

Hibakusha

Tsutomu Yamaguchi

Hiroshima

Nagasaki

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

Enola Gay

Manhattan Project

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The Making of the Atomic Bomb

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in popular culture

Fat Man

Soviet atomic bomb project

History of nuclear weapons

Nuclear warfare

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Nuclear fallout

Charles Sweeney

Acute radiation syndrome

Japan during World War II

Nagasaki Peace Park

Nuclear weapon

Paul Tibbets

The Hiroshima Panels

Hiroshima Toyo Carp