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{http://i.imgur.com/RX3BP7P.jpg} Adolf Hitler
The Beginning of WWII
WWIIWorld War Two is said to have officially started on September 1stfirst 1939 when hitler invaded Poland. But, in reality tensions had been building for several years. It started when Hitler annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia. Hitler then signed a nonaggression pack with Russia. After invading Poland Hitler used a new form of warfare called Blitzkrieg or "Lightning War" in conjunction with Herman Görings elite Fallschirmjagers "Parachute Hunters" to take over Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland and the Netherlands, and then swung down into northern France. He was able to overwhelm the French Defenders and their BEF "British Expeditionary Force" allies. After capturing France HItler invaded Norway. During the fighting in France and Norway the USSR was waging a war of its own against the Japanese and its puppet state Manchuria in the East while they were trying to invade Finland. Germany then launched Operation Barbarossa aka the invasion of the Soviet Union. While also trying to take the Island of Crete in the Mediterranean, Tobruk in Africa, and Tunisia. The Axis Powers looked unstoppable until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the Russians turned back the German Army at the gates of Moscow.
Major Battles in WWII
The Battle of Berlin- The Battle of Berlin was the last major battle of the Second World War. The German Army was in shambles and all that stood between the Red Army was a small coalition of German units and some Volksturm platoons. The Red Army took the city in a mater of days and lead to the unconditional surrender of German.
The Siege of Lenningrad- The attack started in June 1941 and ended in January 1944. The Germans where assisted by Italian and Finnish forces. The Germans where stopped 62 miles south of the city. The German with their allies encircled the city and bombarded it, but they where never able to capture it. Finally in 1944 Soviet forces broken through and relieved the city.
The Siege of Sevastopol- The Siege began in June 1941 through July 1942. The German also had allied assistance in this siege too. The Romanian, Italian, Hungarian, Croatian, and Bulgarian forces all participated in the siege. The Siege lasted for a year until the soviet navy pulled the defenders and any civilians out by sea.
Japan's Role in WWII
Japan was working on industrializing itself after WWI. Japan had planned on expanding their military and educating Japanese citizens further to try and get started with the new technologies that were being created. These attempts ultimately failed because of the events of WW1. Japanese military expansion was limited because of the five power naval limitation agreement of 1922, and the Japanese Exclusion Act prohibited any Japanese citizens from going into the U.S. Japan had already been going through a depression and economic collapse was ruining the country. The Prime Minister, Hamaguchi Osachi, was also shot and killed by an ultra-nationalist. This caused Japan to be ruled over by admirals in 1932, and lasted until 1936. The admirals had created what was called the "Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere" which was said to have created unification with the western countries, but was ultimately a lie, as its true intention was to have domination in the East. Japan then made a full on attack against China which had caught them by surprise. Japan quickly took over much of China and had made their way to Nanking, where 300,000 Chinese civilians were slaughtered. The U.S. then decided they would cut off any kind of trade with Japan, and their supply of Oil and Steel would quickly decrease. Japan needed to act fast, so with the supplies they had left they bombed Pearl Harbor.
The first concentration camp opened in March 1933, near Dachau. Those who were sent their were mostly communist or social democrats. While targeting Jewish citizens to put in concentration camps, Germany burned Jewish synagogues, destroyed Jewish stores and shops, and killed about 100 Jews and thousands were arrested. Germany occupied the Western half of Poland. The Germans raided the Polish Jews homes and took their belongings. They put the Polish Jews into ghettoes where famine set in. The Germans chose tens of thousands of institutionalized Jews to be gassed to death. Germany conquered many other counties and placed their Jews into the Polish ghettoes. At Auschwitz, a concentration camp, mass murder methods were being experimented. Jews from the Polish ghettoes were being transported to concentration camps for mass murder. Concentration camps all over were killing Jews by gassing, starvation, disease, etc.. Millions upon millions of people were murdered during the time of the holocaust. (8)
The Allied Victory
The Allied Victory in Europe was pretty much Guarantied by the summer of 1944. Soldier were told the war in Europe would be over by Christmas. While the war in the Pacific was predicted to continue for another year because on fierce Japanese resistance. In December 1944 the Germans launched a daring offensive to push American Army out of the Ardennes and off the doorstep of the German homeland. The Offensive started on the 16th of December 1944 and lasted 9 days. The Germans wanted to Secure Allied Supply/Fuel Dumps, Bridge Heads and split the British and American Forces in half. The Americans were able to halt the German offensive, the Americans in June crossed the Rhine and on May 8th, 1945. The on August 6th 1945 the American dropped the first Atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Then on August 9th, 1945 another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. And finally, on September 2nd, 1945 Japan surrendered.
Europe and Japan in Ruins
Europe
WWII had ended, but the death rate in Japan did not see any declines because of it. With most of the major cities and industries completely devastated, millions of people were out of jobs, had no shelter, and food was scarce. Any territory claimed in 1894 was taken away. Many of the generals in the Japanese army committed suicide after the surrender of Japan. Japan is still trying to recover some parts of their territory and is still cleaning up the events of WWII today.
{http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/ww2_19/s_w45_09081123.jpg} Postwar Japan
(Optional Area)Micheal Wittman (The Normandy Tiger Ace)
Michael Wittman was born on April 22nd, 1914 in Bavaria. His military started in 1934 when he joined the German Heer (Army) as an infantry soldier. He soon become interested in tanks and in 1936 near the end of his enlistment he joined the elite German SS. When the war started he was still in training as an Armoured car commander, and was quickly sent to Poland. After a small amount of time in Poland he was assigned to a Sturmgeschütz (StuG) assault gun. He was sent to the Balkans to assist in the Balkans Campaign. After the Balkans Campaign he was sent to Russia. In his first summer in Russia he was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class soon followed by the Iron Cross First Class and finally in the spring of 1943 he joined the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Divisions 13th Schwere Panzer Kompanie (Heavy Tank Company). He was promoted to Company Commander and assigned a company of Tiger IE's. He was then sent to Normandy by Villers-Bocage slightly North of the Panzer Lehr Division. And, in a single day he stopped almost an entire British Armored Division and Single-handed saved the flank of the Panzer Lehr Division. He was then awarded the Knights Cross with swords. He was then killed in action on August 8th, 1944 near Caen, France.
Works Cited
(1) http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression

To gain support for his ideas, Hitler tapped into a hatred for Jews that had been known in European history. For generations, many Germans, along with other Europeans, had gone after Jews as the cause of their failures. Some Germans even blamed Jews for their country’s defeat in World War I and for the economic problems after the war. He ordered Jews in all countries under his control to be moved to designated cities. In those cities, the Nazis moved the Jews to their own segregated ghettos. As Nazi troops went across and through Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the mass killings began soon after. The Nazis built camps with huge gas chambers that could kill as many as 6,000 people in a day. They would be told to undress and a take a shower though gas would be coming out of holes in the shower/ walls killing everyone inside. Around six million European Jews died in the death camps and in Nazi massacres. Fewer than four million survived leaving them scared for life.
(1)
{http://www.349amw.afrc.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/090419-F-0000Z-019.jpg}
The Great Depression
Several weaknesses in the U.S. economy (an uneven distribution of wealth, overproduction by business and agriculture, and the fact that many Americans were buying less) caused severe problems. By 1929, American factories were producing almost 50% of the world's industrial goods and the rising productivity led to enormous profits, but it wasn't shared equally throughout the nation. This made it very difficult for many of the families to buy the goods that were being produced. And because all the goods weren't being sold, store owners eventually cut back their orders from factories, forcing them to reduce their production and fire workers.
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The Rise of Dictators In Europe
promising leaders.
The people of Italy elected a man named, Benito Mussolini. Soon after being elected, he started a new political movement called Fascism. This political movement included governing by striking fear into the people of the country. With the help of his followers, he became Prime Minister in 1922, promising Italy will turn into a new Roman Empire.
private property.
In Japan, military officials held high rankings in their government. In 1931, Japan had invaded China, starting the beginning of an Asia expansion. In 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the "Axis Powers".
The Beginning of World War II
that Spring.
In the US, isolationists urged Americans to stay out of the European conflicts/affairs and avoid being part of the war. FDR, however, thought that if the Nazis and the Fascists would endanger the United States if not stopped soon. In 1941, he addressed the public on aiding the Allies in the effort to stop the Nazis and Fascists. (1)
{http://www.mapsales.com/products/geonova/images/WWII_Europe_Apr07.gif}
The Allied Victory
In 1943, the Allies began to secretly build an invasion force in Great Britain. The Allies were planning on launching an attack on the Germans in France across the English Channel. (1)
soldiers. (4)
Despite these loses, the Allies were able to maintain control of the beachheads and within a month of D-Day, received an extra one million troops. On July 25th, the Allies crippled the German forces near Saint-Lô and the United States Third Army, led by General George Patton, broke out. After a month, the Allies victoriously marched into Paris & liberated France, Belgium, and Luxembourg by September. (1)
At this point, the Soviet Union is advancing west and pushing the Germans back on the Eastern Front while Britain & the U.S are advancing east and pushing the Germans back on the Western Front in order to close them in to deliver the killing blow. Hitler took a big risk and ordered a counter-attack in the west in an attempt to split up the British and American forces and damage their sources of supplies. (1) On December 16, German tanks travelled into Allied territroy along a 75-mile front in Ardennes, but were eventually pushed back and forced to retreat. This battle became known as the Battle of the Bulge. (4)

During this time, Wall Street was the financial capital of the world. Many middle-income people began buying stocks on margin. Around September of 1929, people started thinking that the prices were extremely high so they began to sell their stocks. This eventually led to a drastic drop in the prices of stocks since everyone wanted to sell and no one wanted to buy. After the market crashed, factory production was significantly reduced, unemployment rates went up, prices went down and wages for workers dropped. This would be the beginning of a long period of time known as the Great Depression.
{http://mtviewmirror.com/wp-content/uploads/us-history-great-depression-picture1.png}
The Rise of Dictators In Europe
Not only did the Great Depression affect the United States, but most of Europe and Asia were affected as well. Searching for hope, countries such as Italy, Germany, and Japan, began to become desperate. Everyone had there own ideas on how they could reform their countries, and eventually new leaders began to emerge. These new leaders made promises of gaining back financial stability and even helping get the country in an even better spot than before. People, desperately seeking change, elected these new promising leaders.
The people of Italy elected a man named, Benito Mussolini. Soon after being elected, he started a new political movement called Fascism. This political movement included governing by striking fear into the people of the country. With the help of his followers, he became Prime Minister in 1922, promising Italy will turn into a new Roman Empire.
In Germany, Adolf Hitler came to power through the Nazi regime. He came to power by blaming certain ethnic and religious groups of people for all of Germany's problems. (Including all of the expenses Germany faced for damages from WWI) He also used the communist party as an "enemy" toward Germany, making people believe the communist were there to take their businesses and outlaw private property.
In Japan, military officials held high rankings in their government. In 1931, Japan had invaded China, starting the beginning of an Asia expansion. In 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the "Axis Powers".
The Beginning of World War II
September 1, 1939; the Nazis invaded Poland using massive air and ground attacks. Using these attacks made Britain and France realize that Hitler could only be forcibly stopped. After two days, France and Britain declared war on Germany, starting WWII. The "Allied Powers" included Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, among others. In the Spring of 1940, Germany conquered Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium, making them seem unstoppable. Most of France soon fell to the Germans later that Spring.
In the US, isolationists urged Americans to stay out of the European conflicts/affairs and avoid being part of the war. FDR, however, thought that if the Nazis and the Fascists would endanger the United States if not stopped soon. In 1941, he addressed the public on aiding the Allies in the effort to stop the Nazis and Fascists. (1)
{http://www.mapsales.com/products/geonova/images/WWII_Europe_Apr07.gif}
December, 7 1941: "A day that will live in infamy". The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S Naval base of Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. FDR and congresses passed A declaration of war on Japan, and the rest of the Axis Powers (Germany and Italy) declared war on the United States.
The United States, after entering the war, jumped right out of their Depression because of all of the available jobs that the war brought. Since men were in the war, all of manufacturing
jobs fell to the women, thus providing women to basically "prove" their worth. Opening up all of these jobs for manufacturing, was the main reason the US got out of its Depression. (1)
Japan's role in WWII
By October 1940, Americans had found one of the codes that the Japanese used in sending secret messages. Therefore, they all had knowledge of Japanese plans for Southeast Asia. Early in the morning of December 7, 1941, American sailors at Pearl Harbor were awaken to the sounds of explosive bombs. They soon had figured out they were being attacked by the Japanese. U.S. military leaders had known that a Japanese message had been sent and that an attack might come soon though they didn't know when. Japanese forces took over Guam and Wake soon after. The Japanese then went on the offensive and started moving towards the Philippines. In January 1942, they finally marched into the Philippine capital of Manila. The Japanese continued their strikes against British forces in Asia. After seizing Hong Kong, they invaded Malaya from the water, and on ground from Thailand. Doolittle’s raid on Japan destroyed the confidence of people in Japan and made the Americans feel more in power. Japan soon went after Midway Island, which was 1,500 miles west of Hawaii, the location of a important American air base. Thanks to Allied code breakers, Admiral Chester Nimitz knew that a huge Japanese fleet was coming toward Midway. With hopes high after their victory at Midway, the Allies feeling better went off and after Japan. The war in the Pacific covered vast distances where Japanese troops had grown onto hundreds of islands across this ocean. In February 1943, after six months of fighting, the Battle of Guadalcanal finally ended. After losing more than 24,000 out of 36,000 troops, the Japanese abandoned the island they occupied in the Pacific. (1)
Next, Roosevelt and Churchill decided to invade Italy. On July 10, 1943, Allied forces entered Sicily and captured it from Italian and German troops after a month of continuous fighting. While this was happening, the Soviet Union was winning on the eastern front at Stalingrad, gradually pushing the Germans west.
The conquest of Sicily drove Mussolini from power. King Victor Emmanuel III had Mussolini arrested on July 25. About 2 months later, Italy surrendered. Despite Italy's surrender, the Germans seized control of northern Italy and made Mussolini the absolute leader again. In the end, the Germans retreated to the north and the Allies entered Rome on June 4, 1944. However, fighting continued until May 1945.
driving standards. (1)
The Allied Victory
English Channel. (1)
By May in history. (1) On June American soldiers.
Despite (4)
Despite these loses, by September. (1)
At this of supplies. (1) On December the Bulge. (4)
After this artillery fire. (1) On May towards Japan. (4)
Around the from advancing. (1) They planned Leyte Gulf Whichwhich began on the kamikaze. (3)
In March 12,000 American) (3)
Soon after never replIced. (1) Because of ending the war
The Rise of Dictators in Europe
In Germany, Adolf Hitler came to power through the Nazi regime. He came to power by blaming certain ethnic and religious groups of people for all of Germany's problems. (Including all of the expenses Germany faced for damages from WWI) He also used the communist party as an "enemy" toward Germany, making people believe the communist were there to take their businesses and outlaw private property.
In Japan, military officials held high rankings in their government. In 1931, Japan had invaded China, starting the beginning of an Asia expansion. In 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the "Axis Powers".war. (3)
Major Battles of World War II
The Battle of the Bulge
(1) World History: Patterns of Interaction
(2) History.com
(3) http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/world-war-ii-allied-victory-pacific.html
(4) http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/world-war-ii-allied-victory-europe.html

On May 8, 1945, the United States and Europe celebrated VE Day, or Victory in Europe day. The war in Europe had lasted for six years, and after Hitler committed suicide, Germany had surrendered and the people in the U.S. and in Europe were content. News that the Europe war had ended was published that same day in many American newspapers. Church bells rang and the streets were filled with singing and cheering, People went to places like Trafalgar Square in London and Times Square in New York City to celebrate. Newspapers were made and everybody grabbed them. One of the newspapers had said "Germany Quits!" and another had said "Victory! Germany Gives Up." There were many political cartoons that showed how Germany had quit. The battle didn't end for another three months until Japan surrendered. Once Japan surrendered, the war had finally ended and everyone had another celebration cheering for the returning home of soldiers. (6)
{http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/abc_archive_WNBA5257A_wg.jpg}
{https://itinerantneerdowell.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/ve-day.jpg} Rosie
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter was an icon of the United States in which she represented women who work in factories and work yards during World War II. She was used as a symbol of feminism and for women's economic power. Her advertisement was used by the government to encourage women to volunteer for wartime service in factories. The term "Rosie the Riveter" was first used in 1942 in a sing written by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb. It became a national hit. The song portrays "Rosie" as a tireless assembly line worker and doing her part to help the American war effort. Nearly 19 million women held jobs during World War II and many of the women had already been working, but they decided to work in factories to help out. Rosie the Riveter was an inspiration to us all and is still an inspiration today. (6)
{https://americaniconstemeple.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/rosie-the-riveter-poster-s.jpg}

Europe:
The Battle of Britain
-During- During WWII, many
{http://spitfiresite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/battle-of-britain-map.jpg}
The Battle of Stalingrad
-On- On August 23,
D-Day
-In- In May of
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The Battle of the Bulge
-While- While Allied forces
Asia -
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The Battle of the Coral Sea
-During- During this battle,
The Battle of Midway
-Before- Before this battle
The Battle of Guadalcanal
-During- During the war,
The Holocaust
-In- In the year
{http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/public/cms/70/92/157/311/EHW6mC_web.jpg}
Europe and Japan in Ruins
-After- After the war,

{http://bouteillealamer.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/mussolini-22.jpg}
Beginning of World War Two - A World Plunges Into Chaos
often debated amongstamong historians as
The United States Becomes Involved - The Tiger's Slumber Is Disturbed
- Throughout the period in which Germany seized the vast majority of Western Europe, the United States began revising it's stance on neutrality due to the rising threat from the fascist dictatorships of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The United States began to take steps in providing support and assistance to China and the Western Allies, and in 1939 the 'Neutrality Act' was revised to allow for 'cash and carry' purchases. The United States also responded to the invasion of France and other European countries by increasing the size of it's navy, army, and air force (1). Despite an agreement in 1940 which traded British bases for American destroyers, the American public's stance on the war remained largely neutral well into 1941. Despite Roosevelt's promises to keep the United States out of war, he began the mass build up of the American armed forces and navy calling on the United States to become the 'Arsenal of Democracy' and eventually began the 'Lend-Lease act' in order to support Britain in the war effort. Starting as early at 1939, the United States responded to the Japanese aggression in Asia by imposing trade restrictions that became increasingly more economically devastating to Japan throughout 1939-1940 (1). The United States then began a ban on selling aviation fuel to Japan in 1940. Following a Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies, the United States and other western powers responded to the aggression by imposing an entire oil embargo on Imperial Japan. On December 7th (8th in Asian time zones), Japan commenced a massive offense against American and British holdings in Asia that led to Pearl Harbor and the deceleration of war by the United States, Australia, and several other states (1). Germany then, followed by other Axis powers declared war on the United States.
Europe:
The Battle of Britain
major battles occured.occurred. One of be more affective.effective. The British battle ended.(3)
{http://spitfiresite.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/battle-of-britain-map.jpg}
The Battle of Stalingrad
-On August 23, 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad began when the Luftwaffe launched many attacks during the night, and reduced most of the town to rubble. Stalin did not want the town named after him to be taken over by the Nazis, so he ordered his commanders to defend it at all costs. By November of 1942, 90% of Stalingrad was controlled by German forces, but that did not stop the Soviets from fighting back. On November 19, the Soviets cut off all German supply lines in a counter attack, and they were trapped in the Russian winter, where many soldiers starved and froze to death. German General Friedrich Paulus pleaded for Hitler to order his troops to retreat, but Hitler refused. By February 2, 1943, only 90,000 German troops that survived surrendered to the Soviets. In the end, 99% of Stalingrad was destroyed, and about one million Soviets were killed.(3)
D-Day
-In May of 1944, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was planning a strike on northwestern France on a beach named Normandy. The Allies built a dummy army to fool the Germans, since they knew that the Allied forces would attack, but did not know when. The whole battle was nicknamed Operation Overlord, and was the largest land and sea attack in history. D-Day officially started on June 6, 1944 when British, Canadian, American, and French troops stormed through the 60-mile stretch of beach. The Germans built a strong defense with three foot thick walls, and dug trenches where they could use machine guns and rocket launchers. The first day had more than 2,700 American deaths, but the Allies still held the beachheads. On July 25, George Patton led Allied forces and got through German defenses at Saint-Lô.(3)
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The Battle of the Bulge
-While Allied forces were coming in on Germany from the east and west, Hitler had to decide which front he would assault first. He ultimately chose the western front, and said that the battle that would happen would decide which side would win. On December 16, German forces broke though a weak Allied defense near the Ardennes, only to be pushed back and retreat after the Allies fought back.(3)
Asia -
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The Battle of the Coral Sea
-During this battle, things were done differently since both the U.S. And Japanese troops couldn't see each other, so instead of fighting at sea they fought in the skies. In the end of this battle, while the U.S. suffered more casualties, still stopped Japan from advancing south.(3)
-During the war, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur used a strategy known ask island hopping, and his first target was an airbase the Japanese were building named Guadalcanal. On August 7, 1942, the Australians supported thousands of U.S. Marines as they landed on Tulagi and Guadalcanal, and by February of 1943, the Allies won the battle. After the battle, the island was nicknamed the "island of death" after 24,000 Japanese troops died on the island.(3)
The Holocaust
as Kristallnacht, stormtroopersstorm troopers destroyed Jewish the Holocaust.(3)
{http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/public/cms/70/92/157/311/EHW6mC_web.jpg}
Europe and Japan in Ruins
-After the war, while some governments went back to their former states, others wanted a change, like France, Germany, and Italy. The Communist Party became very popular within France and Italy, but the people voted against communism after violent strikes occured. From 1945-1946 though, the International Military Tribunal put 23 high ranking Nazis on trial for war crimes. Even though Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, and Heindrick Himmler killed themselves, many others like Rudolf Hess and Herman Göring survived and were tried. Göring was sentenced to execution but killed himself why Hess was sentenced to life. On October 16, 1946, ten more Nazis were hung, and the bodies of those officers were sent to Dachau where they would be cremated in the ovens of the countless people they killed. Only one officer, Hans Frank, apologized for the horrible things and sorrow he caused to so many people.(3)

9. The Holocaust: An Introductory History: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/history.html
10. World War II History: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history
11. Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki

DESTRUCTION IN EUROPE AND JAPAN
At the end of WWII, nearly 40,000 civilians died. Two-thirds of the people that died were civilians. Many cities and towns were bombed. People in these towns either stayed where they were and tried to survive, or they fled to other countries. Many buildings were destroyed. Farms were also destroyed, causing a lack of food. Many people starved because of this. The first winter after the war caused many problems because, not only did the people not have homes or food, they did not have clothes to keep them warm. Many people blamed their government for the war and destruction. This caused some places to return to their original governments from before the war. They got rid of the old German governments forced upon them. Communism began to look very promising in Europe, this was because they promised change and many people in France and Italy were already heading towards communism. The Nuremberg Trails were trails that were held to deal with war crimes. Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, and Joseph Goebbels all committed suicide before the could be put on trial. In Japan two million people died, and the country's major cities were destroyed including the capital Japan. The Atomic Bombs dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused about 199,000 casualties. General Douglas MacArthur took control of Japan after they surrendered. The U.S. decided that to keep peace, they must demilitarize Japan. (8)
THE "LITTLE BOY" AND "FAT MAN"
The target for the first atomic bomb was a manufacturing center 500, miles away from Tokyo. The target was the city of Hiroshima, with a population of about 350,000. When the bomb arrived at the U.S. base on the Pacific island of Tinian, it was loaded on a modified B-29 bomber named Enola Gay. The bomb known as "Little Boy", was over 9,000 pounds and made of uranium-235. "Little Boy" was dropped at 8:15 in the morning by parachute. It blasted 2000 ft. above Hiroshima, destroying 5 square miles of the city. Even with the destruction of Hiroshima, the Japanese still refused to surrender. On August 9, another B-29 bomber named Bockscar dropped a plutonium bomb called "Fat Man" on the city of Nagasaki at 11:02. The original target was the city of Kokura, but the clouds over the city made it to dangerous to fly. The bomb weighed 10,000 pounds and was supposed to produce a 22-kiloton blast, but Nagasaki was located in a valley between two mountains which reduced the blast to 2.6 square miles. At 12:00 on August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender on a radio broadcast. The official surrender agreement was signed on September 2, aboard the U.S. battleship Missouri.
CITATIONS
1. American History Book Chapter 25.2 http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/TBurke1/files/25.2%20The%20Rise%20of%20Dictators%20and%20World%20War%20II.pdf