Notes 4 Ending the War in the Pacific

Notes #4 – Ending the War in the Pacific

The Allied Strategy in the Pacific was known as island-hopping. The strategy called for taking out certain Japanese held islands & breaking up their communication & supply lines

Truman first had to determine the pro’s & con’s to using the bomb. Pro’s Con’s • End the war quickly • Save over a million and half American & British lives • In the long run, it would save Japanese lives as well. • Show our military strength to the Soviets • Introduces the use of nuclear weapons as a tool of war. • Concern over the long term consequences of using a nuclear bomb

Were there alternatives to dropping the bombs on populated cities? • Dropping a test bomb or demonstration bomb – Consequence: Test bomb could have been a dud & would not have shown the full destructive power – Japanese could have moved American POW’s to the drop site. • Land invasion of Japan – Consequence: high cost of American soldiers lives

President Truman makes the decision to use the newly created Atomic Bomb

The Dropping of the Atomic Bombs • 1 st bomb was dropped on August 6 th on the city of Hiroshima • 2 nd bomb was dropped on August 9 th on city of Nagaski https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=v 5 OI 9 xr. J 8 Zw

“Little Boy” was the bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. It killed 75, 000 people and destroyed 48, 000 buildings. Name: Little Boy Type: Uranium gun-type fission Weight: 9, 700 lb (4400 kg) Length: 10 ft, 6 in (3. 2 m) Diameter: 29 in (0. 737 m) Explosive Yield: 15, 000 tons of TNT Along with those killed, another 140, 000 – 150, 000 were effected in the 4. 7 square miles surrounding the bomb site.

“Fat Man” was even more powerful than the previous bomb. The drop was set for August 9 th but due to the terrain and layout of the city, ONLY 40, 000 were killed with an additional 75 -80, 000 casualties. Name: Fat Man Type: Plutonium fission Weight: 10, 000 lb (4535 kg) Length: 10 ft, 8 in (3. 25 m) Diameter: 5 ft (1. 52 m) Explosive Yield: 21, 000 tons of TNT

The Atomic bomb Attacks Before the Bomb After the Bomb

http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=gwky. Pvl. WPM 0

The first bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945 on the city of Hiroshima

Three days later, on August 9, the second bomb “fat-man” was dropped on Nagasaki.

August 14, 1945 the Japanese surrender. September 2, the official signing took place aboard the USS Missouri.

Human Toll

Shadows left behind

Memorial Rest in peace, for the mistake will not be repeated. ” “

Responsibility? “The final decision of where and when to use the atomic bomb was up to me. Let there be no mistake about it. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never had any doubt that it should be used. ” - Harry S. Truman

What would you do? • In a paragraph, explain what your decision would be if you were President Truman? – Would you drop bomb or not? – Why?