Table of Contents
What happened at the Battle of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict.
Why did the US bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki specifically?
The explicit reason was to swiftly end the war with Japan. But it was also intended to send a message to the Soviets. Ever since America dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945, the question has persisted: Was that magnitude of death and destruction really needed to end World War II?
Which bomb was bigger Nagasaki or Hiroshima?
With respect to Nagasaki, it is usually stated that there were approximately 33,000 civilian deaths, and 25,000 surviving injured. The plutonium-type bomb detonated over Nagasaki actually had a greater explosive power than that used on Hiroshima.
Why the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima?
The decisions to drop the atomic bombs on Japan were based on several main factors. One of the reasons why Harry Truman dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was that thousands and thousands of civilians were killed per day and the US would like to minimize their own casualties, by dropping the atomic nuclear bombs.
Why did the US bomb Nagasaki?
The USAAF dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki because the Japanese ignored the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The USAAF had been bombing Japanese cities for fourteen months when Hiroshima was bombed August 6, 1945. (This included the devastating fire bombing of Tokyo in March.) The Japanese did not flinch in the face of that atomic attack.
Why did the U.S. choose Hiroshima?
Rushay said that Hiroshima was one of four potential targets and that Truman left it up to the military to decide which city to strike. Hiroshima was chosen as a target because of its military importance . Nagasaki was bombed a few days later. The US remains the only country to have used nuclear weapons.
How much of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were destroyed?
In Hiroshima over 60,000 of 90,000 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged by the atomic bomb; this figure represents over 67% of the city’s structures. In Nagasaki 14,000 or 27% of 52,000 residences were completely destroyed and 5,40O , or 10% were half destroyed. Only 12% remained undamaged.