Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945. Scholars have extensively studied the effects of the bombings on the social and political character of subsequent world history and popular culture. There is still much debate concerning the ethical and legal justification for the bombings.

About Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in brief

Summary Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiThe United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians. Scholars have extensively studied the effects of the bombings on the social and political character of subsequent world history and popular culture. There is still much debate concerning the ethical and legal justification for the bombings. The 1.25 million battle casualties incurred in total by the United States in World War II included both military personnel killed in action and wounded in action. Nearly one million of the casualties occurred during the last year of the war, from June 1944 to June 1945. In April 1945, American forces landed on Okinawa, where heavy fighting continued until June. Of the 117,000 Okinawan and Japanese troops defending Okinawa, 7401 surrendered, an unprecedentedly large number for the Japanese soldiers. As the Allies advanced towards Japan, conditions became steadily worse for theJapanese people. Japan’s merchant fleet declined from 5,250,000 gross tons in 1941 to 1,560,000 tons in March 1945. The Japanese economy had slowly deteriorated by the middle of 1944, which reached disastrous levels throughout the war. The Allies returned to the Philippines, recaptured Burma, and invaded Borneo. Although some Japanese soldiers were taken prisoner, most fought until they were killed or committed suicide of the 21,000 or more killed in the Battle of Iwo Jima in April or May 1945.

Nearly 99 percent of the defenders of Jima were killed; 94,000 of the defending troops in Okinawa were killed from April to June 1944. The ratio of Japanese to American casualties dropped from five to one in the Philippines to two to one by the end of the year. The Allied victory would come at an enormous cost, including the loss of 1.5 million military personnel and 1.6 million wounded in the Pacific War. The U.S. and Japanese forces fought fiercely, ensuring that the Allied victory came at a cost of $1.6 billion. The war ended on August 15, six days after the Soviet Union’s declaration of war and the bombing of Nagasaki. The Japan government signed the instrument of surrender on September 2, effectively ending the war and ending the Japanese involvement in the Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1945, the Allies’ Manhattan Project had produced two types of atomic bombs: \”Fat Man\”, a plutonium implosion-type nuclear weapon; and \”Little Boy\”, an enriched uranium gun-type fission weapon. In July 1945, a B-29 Enola Gay dropped a Little Boy on Hiroshima, an embarkation port and industrial center that was the site of a major military headquarters. Three days later, to take advantage of favorable weather, the B- 29 Bockscar dropped a Fat Man on Nagasaki, a majorMilitary port, one of Japan’s largest shipbuilding and repair centers, and an important producer of naval ordnance. In August 1945, America’s reserves of manpower were running out and there was consideration of drafting women.