How did World War 2 end in 1945? Date: September 17 th 2014

1.What happened to end WW2? 2.Why did the Americans do it? 3.Do you think the Americans regret what they did? 4.What were the effects of what they did?

Source 1: Japanese planes attack American battleships stationed at Pearl Harbour, in Hawaii (December 1941)

“…No matter how long it may take us to overcome this attack, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. With confidence in our armed forces, with the determination of our people, we will gain triumph - so help us God. A state of war now exists between the United States and the Japanese empire and their friends, the German nation…” Source 2: US President Roosevelt makes a speech the day after the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Source 3: A propaganda poster from 1944 after the USA had helped the British and French defeat the Germans.

Source 4: J. Robert Oppenheimer, a famous American scientist who specialises in nuclear weaponry. Here he is pictured at a secret location in 1944.

Source 5: Crew members of the bomber plane the Enola Gay. They were asked to pose in front of the plane by the US government so they would have a souvenir.

Source 7: Colonel Ferebee speaking in 2005 remembers that day in ''Now we look back and remember how much damage just one bomb did, or two bombs, then I think we should realize that this can't happen again. You can’t even imagine it…knowing you are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. That people were so burnt that their bodies disappeared with the blast…”

Source 8: A photograph of one of the victims. The top half of their back was only burnt because the bottom half was protected by a wall.

Why did it happen? It was World War 2 and America was angry at Japan because they had attacked their navy at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii unprovoked (1941) America did not spend four years sulking over Pearl Harbour though – they bombed again and again cities across Japan in revenge and planned to invade when the time was right

But if they invaded Japan then they would lose a lot of American soldiers......so they came up with a plan. After many years of research into atomic and nuclear power in the Manhattan Project, America developed two massive nuclear bombs: Little Boy and Fat Man

What happened? On 5 th August 1945 the American plane the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb, Little Boy, on the city of Hiroshima After 90% of the city Hiroshima was destroyed on August 5 th 1945, the Japanese still refused to surrender

What happened next? Despite hundreds of thousands dead, the Japanese refused to surrender On August 9 th the Americans a second U.S plane, called 'Bockscar'dropped the second atomic bomb (Fat Man) on Japan, this time on the city of Nagasaki.

On August 14 th 1945 Japan announced its surrender The war with Japan was over and World War 2 officially ended

The Deaths The total death rate for both cities was over 150,000 But many of the survivors of the bombs died later from radiation sickness (the bomb’s chemicals getting into the soil, air and water), numbering over 200,000 more Over the next 30 years many thousands more died from the effects of the radiation (770,000) Even today many are living (and dying) with the effects and children are still being born with disabilities caused from the radiation released by the bombs in 1945.

Radiation Sickness This is when radiation from nuclear power stays in the body for a long time and makes you very sick It can effect babies in the womb with babies born with severe defects It can also stay in the body for decades and eventually lead to leukaemia and different cancers

Who was Sadako Sasaki? A Japanese girl who was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, near her home by Misasa Bridge in Hiroshima Years later she got leukaemia and believed the old Japanese legend that if she folded 1000 paper cranes she would get better She died before she reached 600

What do you think the effects would be on the whole country if a nuclear bomb was dropped on Slough?

Drop an egg on the map!