Impact of Technological Developments and the Beginning of the Atomic Age in World War II Avena | Kushi | Lowe

New Technological Advancements Air Power o Battle of Stalingrad  Allies used air power to batter German cities while great sieges took place in Moscow and Leningrad; Russian tanks utilized to wear down German tanks in war of attrition o Both bombers and fighters developed rapidly during the war o Pilotless rockets o Use of radar made it possible to track air attacks -> utilized significantly in Battle of Britain

Air Power (cont.) Especially in the war of the Pacific, the airplanes became the most deadly weapon by far because of their mobility combined with increased destructive capabilities Thus, the aircraft carrier became the most important ship in any fleet because it carried the airplanes to the battlefield

Air Power (cont.) The Japanese failed to recognize planes as the most potent weapon, believing that battleships were the way to win the war A prime example of this was the Yamato, a top class battleship that took years to build and was destroyed in minutes by a group of US bombers

Sea Power Establishment of convoys and effective depth charges and radar detection made it possible to eliminate German U-Boats The key to the battle group is the aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier is the largest and most versatile member of the battle group One way of viewing the carrier is as a mobile air base The majority of the aircraft carriers are nuclear powered, which greatly extends their operational capabilities

Amphibious Landings Made possible because of superior Allied resources, ship, and aircraft building The mission of an amphibious group is to "support assault from the sea against defended positions ashore" They must also provide a source for a rapid build-up of combat forces ashore in order to conduct further operations inland, to capture and establish a ground base, as well as to deny the use of the area to the enemy

Home Front Propaganda: development of media enabled greater use of propaganda in WWII o radio, cinema, film with sound, and television o U.S. utilized propaganda to elicit a vision of future peace against their enemies

Beginning of Atomic Age WWII experienced a different mindset o enabled genocide fantasies and racial hatred to be enacted upon in reality Bombs developed as a result of an advanced industrial country with resources available to develop scientific ideas Total war o Every civilian was viewed as a potential asset that should be demolished to prevent enemy waging war

Manhattan Project Idea began when Einstein decided to use his influence and present the military potential of an uncontrolled fission chain reaction to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Under leadership of J. Robert Oppenheimer o Professor of physics at Berkeley A $2-billion effort was enacted o Needed obtain sufficient amounts of the two necessary isotopes, uranium-235 and plutonium-239 for nuclear fission

Manhattan Project (cont.) Research on nuclear reaction enacted at University of Chicago and on radiation at University of California at Berkeley Test explosion ("Trinity") enacted near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945 o Detonated on top of a steel tower o Result of test explosion:  Explosion came as an intense light flash, a sudden wave of heat, and then a extreme roar as the shock wave passed and echoed in the valley

Manhattan Project Images

Bombing at Hiroshima Hiroshima- Important commercial and industrial center manufacturing trucks, ships, automobiles, steel, rubber, furniture, and canned foods; also market for agricultural and marine products On "Enola Gay", first bomb ("Little Boy") dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945 Almost 130,00 people were killed injured, or missing 90% of the city was destroyed

Hiroshima Aftermath Deaths from radiation injury have mounted over the years Much of the city has been reconstructed Movements to attain peace and ban nuclear weapons o "Peace City"- illustrate the effects of an atomic bomb o Peace Memorial Museum o Since 1955 an annual world conference against nuclear weapons has met in Hiroshima

Hiroshima Aftermath Images

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb, A Day That Shook The World

Nagasaki Aftermath As compared to that of the atomic bomb explosion over Hiroshima, the terrain and smaller size of Nagasaki reduced the destruction of life and property Just like Hiroshima, the city has been rebuilt and advocates/leads movements to ban nuclear weapons

Nagasaki Aftermath Images

Duck and Cover! This video was released by the U.S. government (Federal Civil Defense Administration) to be shown to U.S. students to provide them with a procedure in case an atomic bomb were to be dropped in their premises -> served as a means of protection

Atomic Bomb Activity Now let's see what you have learned!

Works Cited Holloway, Rachel L. In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer: Politics, Rhetoric, and Self- Defense. Westport, CT: Praeger, Web. 03 Nov "The U.S. Navy." The U.S. Navy. Web. 07 Nov Wainstock, Dennis D. The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb. Westport, CT: Praeger, Web. 04 Nov