What kind of bombs were used in ww2

On December 28, , President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the formation of the Manhattan Project to bring together various scientists and military officials working on nuclear research. It created an enormous mushroom cloud some 40, feet high and ushered in the Atomic Age. While the war in Europe had ended in April, fighting in the Pacific continued between Japanese forces and U. Tens of thousands more would later die from radiation exposure. When the Japanese did not immediately surrender, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb three days later on the city of Nagasaki.

Nagasaki had not been the primary target for the second bomb. American bombers initially had targeted the city of Kokura, where Japan had one of its largest munitions plants, but smoke from firebombing raids obscured the sky over Kokura. American planes then turned toward their secondary target, Nagasaki.

The Soviets initially lacked the knowledge and raw materials to build nuclear warheads. Within just a few years, however, the U. On August 29, , the Soviets tested their first nuclear bomb. The United States responded by launching a program in to develop more advanced thermonuclear weapons. The Cold War arms race had begun, and nuclear testing and research became high-profile goals for several countries, especially the United States and the Soviet Union. Over the next few decades, each world superpower would stockpile tens of thousands of nuclear warheads.

Other countries, including Great Britain, France, and China developed nuclear weapons during this time, too. To many observers, the world appeared on the brink of nuclear war in October of The Soviet Union had installed nuclear-armed missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U. This resulted in a day military and political standoff known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

President John F. Nuclear war had been avoided, but the threat remains that some nation might use them someday. Although no nuclear war has occurred since World War II, many limited, non-nuclear wars have taken place. America has engaged in wars in Korea , Vietnam , Iraq , and Kosovo. It has never again targeted civilians as it did during World War II, but many civilians have died in these wars.

Their deaths usually resulted from mistake, accident, or being too close to a military target. With advances in technology, weapons have grown more accurate. The "precision bombing" of World War II often missed their targets. Today's cruise missile usually hits its mark. But even with today's "smart bombs" and precise targeting, civilians still die. The aftermath of World War II brought more attempts to protect civilians in war. The Geneva Convention of stated that civilian hospitals "may in no circumstances be the object of attack.

General Assembly adopted several resolutions, which are not legally binding but do carry the weight of international opinion. A resolution declared that the "use of nuclear and thermo-nuclear weapons" violates the "spirit, letter and aims of the United Nations.

It ruled that "the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law. History of the Spanish Civil War. International Law on the Bombing of Civilians. One way that international law is created is by nations signing treaties and charters that bind them to follow particular rules.

Throughout the 20th century, international conferences have attempted to write rules protecting civilians in time of war. In this activity, students will role play nations attending a new Hague Convention. It has been convened to clarify and enact international laws protecting civilians in wartime. Alumni Volunteers The Boardroom Alumni. Curriculum Materials. Add Event. Main Menu Home. An eyewitness described what happened: A group of women and children.

Civilian Bombing and the Laws of War Attempts to control warfare from the air occurred as early as Which one do you think was the better strategy? The entire population got into the act and worked to make those airplanes or munitions. Do you think international law should define rules of war? Why or why not? Although in hindsight it is tempting to view March as the closing act of the war in Europe, German forces continued to inflict heavy casualties on Allied forces.

On March 6, the German Army launched a final offensive near Lake Balaton in Hungary in a bid to protect valuable oil fields in the region. More than 3, of the rockets struck Allied-held territory by March , killing in excess of 4, people.

Similarly, the British and American air campaign against Germany did not show any signs of abating in March Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum. In the spring of , the Anglo-American air forces launched increasingly bigger and more destructive raids on German cities.

Between February 13 and February 15, American and British bombers destroyed the virtually undefended city of Dresden, Germany, killing more than 25, civilians. On March 11, the Royal Air Force reduced much of the city of Essen to rubble when 1, British aircraft dropped over 4, pounds of bombs on the city.

In the midst of so many devastating raids, one of the most significant air battles of the war has frequently been overlooked. The target for 1, of the bombers was Berlin. This mission, the largest wartime raid on Berlin, was intended to support the Russian advance by attacking rail stations and tank factories in the city.

Once the fuse has been neutralised, the bomb still has to be disposed of. Sometimes it is relocated to a remote site and detonated with modern explosives as was the case with the Bermondsey device. Alternatively, operators might drill a hole into the bomb casing itself and carefully steam out the explosive. Add to this the unexploded torpedoes launched by submarines, surplus bombs jettisoned by both British and German planes and the poorly regulated munitions dumping practices which began during World War I and only ended a few years ago and the waters around the UK begin to resemble an explosive soup.

For decades, none of this was much of a problem. But the huge growth in offshore renewables particularly off the east coast of Britain in recent years means that seabed ordnance is now becoming a major headache.

Wrecked on a sandbank near Sheerness in Kent during a storm in , the SS Richard Montgomery was a so-called US Liberty ship delivering much-needed ammunition to help in the war effort. But it never got to its destination. And years later it languishes with its deadly cargo of some 1, tonnes of high explosive becoming more unstable by the day.

If they do, and one goes off, all the others could detonate. And if that occurs, it could be a catastrophe. Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the amount of unexploded ordnance on the SS Richard Montgomery, as well as Dave Welch's former position; he was a former Royal Navy, not British army, bomb disposal officer. Jon Excell is the editor of The Engineer.