"A single [atom] bomb might well destory a city and some of the surrounding
territory" - Albert Einstein
Did Germany have an atomic bomb?
There isn't a huge possibility for the Germans to have possessed an atomic bomb since it evidently was not used even at the most difficult situation.
In 1938, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strabman split an atom in two and after Frederic Joliot in Paris showed that when the nucleus in divided into two, the neutrons eject and they trigger a chain reaction.
Within the few weeks of the release of the papers, the German scientists formed
the Uranverein (Uranium Club). The news of this spread around and evidentially,
and the Jewish scientists in the United States, naming Albert Einstein, Leo Szailard and Eugene Wigner were worried that the NAZIs were going to develop an atomic weapon. However, surprisingly, the development and research of the atomic bomb was scattered across Germany: lavatories were set in Berlin,Cologne, Hamburg, Heidelberg and Leipzig. The ten German atomic scientists were to be working on some kind of work in the field near the end of 1945: Erich Bagge, Kurt Diebner, Walther Gerlach, Carl Friedrich von Weizasacker and Karl Wirtz.
In 1938, Otto Hahn and Fritz Strabman split an atom in two and after Frederic Joliot in Paris showed that when the nucleus in divided into two, the neutrons eject and they trigger a chain reaction.
Within the few weeks of the release of the papers, the German scientists formed
the Uranverein (Uranium Club). The news of this spread around and evidentially,
and the Jewish scientists in the United States, naming Albert Einstein, Leo Szailard and Eugene Wigner were worried that the NAZIs were going to develop an atomic weapon. However, surprisingly, the development and research of the atomic bomb was scattered across Germany: lavatories were set in Berlin,Cologne, Hamburg, Heidelberg and Leipzig. The ten German atomic scientists were to be working on some kind of work in the field near the end of 1945: Erich Bagge, Kurt Diebner, Walther Gerlach, Carl Friedrich von Weizasacker and Karl Wirtz.
It is true that Dr.Horst Willkomm knew many principals of the atomic bomb. However, Otto Hahn and his research colleagues were determined to not give the Nazis an atomic bomb. Therefore, Germany did not get the opportunity of owning an atomic bomb. These scientists are somewhat heroes of the United States of America and the rest of the world, because if they told Hitler about the possibility of an atomic bomb, the current state of the world is not guaranteed.
The Manhattan Project
The following video was made by Anna Lee and posted by Anna Lee.
The creation of the atomic bomb:
The link directly to Youtube is below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNid6A00anw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNid6A00anw
Potsdam Declaration, which asked for Japan’s unconditional surrender and listed peace terms, was signed by President Truman, Prime Minister Attlee for the United Kingdom and with the concurrence of Chiang Kai- Shek, President of the National Government of China was sent to Japan on July 26, 1945. The declaration stated that refusal of the immediate unconditional surrender would result to total destruction; however there was no mention of the atomic bombs which President Truman was informed to have been successfully developed. Upon Japan’s refusal, President Truman gave the order to drop the bombs.
9:15AM on August 6, 1945, a B-29 ENOLA GAY piloted by Paul W Tibbets dropped a uranium atomic bomb codenamed LITTLE BOY on Hiroshima, a seventh largest city in Japan. Around 70, 000 people died or just went missing. 140, 000 were injured and the radiation reached over 100,000. Among the 90,000 buildings, 60,000 were destroyed.
Three days after the Hiroshima bombing (on the morning of August 9), the B-29 Bockscar piloted by Sweeney reached the sky over Kokura, but left it because of smoke over and changed its path for Nagasaki. Nagasaki, a industrialized city was blew up at 11:02a.m.. The “Fat Man” bomb was dropped over the north factory at 1,800 feet above the city for maximum blast. Then the secondary fires followed and the city was destroyed.
References
Ford, Brian J. "The Power of the Atom." Secret Weapons: Technology, Science
& the Race to Win World War II. Oxford: Osprey, 2011. 200-17. Print.
Wiegrefe, Klaus. "The Third Reich: How Close Was Hitler to the A-Bomb?"
SPIEGEL ONLINE. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2013.
"Biography." Max Von Laue. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2013.
"Nazi Science - 03." Nazi Science - 03. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2013.
<http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ciencia/nscience/nscience03.htm>.
"The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Hiroshima & Nagasaki Atom Bombs. N.p., n.d.
Web. 06 May 2013. <http://www.atomcentral.com/hiroshima-nagasaki.aspx.>
"51g. The Decision to Drop the Bomb." The Decision to Drop the Bomb [ushistory.org]. N.p.
n.d. Web. 06 May 2013.< http://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp>.
Ford, Brian J. "The Power of the Atom." Secret Weapons: Technology, Science
& the Race to Win World War II. Oxford: Osprey, 2011. 200-17. Print.
Wiegrefe, Klaus. "The Third Reich: How Close Was Hitler to the A-Bomb?"
SPIEGEL ONLINE. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2013.
"Biography." Max Von Laue. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2013.
"Nazi Science - 03." Nazi Science - 03. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2013.
<http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/ciencia/nscience/nscience03.htm>.
"The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Hiroshima & Nagasaki Atom Bombs. N.p., n.d.
Web. 06 May 2013. <http://www.atomcentral.com/hiroshima-nagasaki.aspx.>
"51g. The Decision to Drop the Bomb." The Decision to Drop the Bomb [ushistory.org]. N.p.
n.d. Web. 06 May 2013.< http://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp>.