Many Americans greeted the news of the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima with jubilation. Beginning shortly after the war, however, a number of prominent US military leaders began to question the bomb's use.
By August 1945, the Japanese Empire was on the verge of defeat but still refused to surrender. However, a new weapon, unlike any other, would soon help lead to the end of World War II and have ripple effects for decades to come.
The bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki with the Fat Man plutonium bomb device on August 9, 1945, caused terrible human devastation and helped end World War II.
On July 16, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb detonated in the New Mexican desert, releasing a level of destructive power unknown in the existence of humanity. Emitting as much energy as 21,000 tons of TNT and creating a fireball that measured roughly 2,000 feet in diameter, the first successful test of an atomic bomb, known as the Trinity Test, forever changed the history of the world.
German technology surpassed the Allies' with the production of radio-guided weapons that worked in a combat environment. As early as 1943, the Henschel (Hs) 293 and the Ruhrstahl X-1 (Fritz X) were the first guided bombs employed in combat. These weapons debuted around the time of the Allied assault on Salerno and were a new concern for fleet defense.
Take a closer look at the patterns, stripes, codes, and colors that helped aviators know who was who in the tumultuous skies.
Join us to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan (V-J) Day and the historic moment Imperial Japan officially surrendered to the Allies.
Eighty years after the end of World War II, this two-day symposium will offer a comprehensive look at the turning points and closing moments of the war in Europe and the Pacific.