With Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer‘ going to be released in cinemas soon, viewers cannot contain their excitement. The first atomic bomb to be created and to be ever used was in World War II. And, it had catastrophic results. Nuclear weapons became a thing whose power every country wanted to harness.
So today we will take a look at a little bit of history. Ahead of the release of the movie, let’s talk about why America did not use the atomic bomb on Germany instead of Japan. What was the strategy behind this? Let’s take a look.
Why Wasn’t The Atom Bomb Used Against Germany?
Although the main power of the Allies was Germany there are various reasons why the atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. First and most importantly, Germany had already surrendered in 1945 before the atomic bomb was completely developed.
Another reason was that America feared that the Germans could steal the bomb. The surety of the successful explosion of the atomic bomb was not 100%. And America feared if Germans got their hands on the unexploded bomb then with their technology they could copy it.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki also provided a contingency plan. In case the plan did not work out, the bombs could be dropped in the sea and later retrieved by the military. But that would not have been possible in the case of Germany.
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Bombing Germany Posed Logistic Challenges
If Germany had to be bombed, the atomic bombs needed to be transported to the UK. American scientists could not risk it. The UK may not have had enough resources for the successful detonation. The best option for the American military was the B-29 bomber that carried the bombs from Tinian Island.
Lastly, Japan had bombed Pearl Harbour in America which caused one of the biggest war casualties. This is also the main reason why America joined World War II. Although the atomic bomb was created as a competition against Germany, America used it against Japan for plain and simple revenge.
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