World war ii began when german troops invaded poland on 1 september 1939. Generalpurpose bombs combine the effects of both blast and fragmentation and hence can be used against a wide variety of targets. Strategic bombing by the united states in world war ii. World war ii for children world war ii homework help ks1. Explore our editors picks for the best kids books of the month. Critics say that the military value of the bombing did not justify dresdens near destruction and that the city could have been spared, like rome, paris, and kyoto. World war 2 atomic bomb on august 6 and 9, 1945, the cities of hiroshima and nagasaki were destroyed by the first atomic bombs used in warfare.
In this book, steve sheinkin describes the development of the atomic bomb during world war ii. On august 6, 1945 an atomic bomb named little boy was dropped on hiroshima, japan. Between 305,000 and 600,000 german and 330,000 and 500,000 japanese civilians were killed by allied bombs during the war. With more detail than the average text book yet written in a way that pulls you in. The number of us soldiers in the war was 16,112,566.
An atomic bomb is a weapon with huge power created by splitting an atom of the element uranium. A sailor aboard hms furious chalks a message on a bomb slung beneath an aircraft due to take part in the attack on the tirpitz in alten fjord, norway, 3 april 1944. The buzz bomb s revolutionary engine, the argus as 014 pulsejet, was designed in 1928 by inventor paul schmidt. Therefore, they prepared more fund and scientists to work on the bomb. Published september 7, 2016updated september 9, 2019. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids. Apr 10, 2014 2125 interesting facts about bombs and explosions.
On august 6, 1945, during world war ii 193945, an american b29 bomber dropped the worlds first deployed atomic bomb over the japanese city of hiroshima, immediately killing 80,000 people. Hitlers plan to invade britain in the summer of 1940 was called operation sea lion. That is an average of 27,700 tons of bombs each month. The bomb was dropped by a plane named the enola gay which was piloted by colonel paul tibbetts. Two types of aeroplane were used in the battle of britain bombers that dropped bombs on towns and cities and fighters that attacked other aeroplanes. Although it was the men who went off to fight the war, the people left behind at home also had a part to play in the war. In 1945, the us dropped two atomic bombs on japan, effectively ending world war ii. Fragmentation bombs used as antipersonnel bombs during ground force support attacks, these 20lb m41s were fitted in 120lb and 500lb clusters. The bombing of dresden 1945 by crang, jeremy a, addison, paul. The first bomb dropped on hiroshima was made from uranium.
The bomb dropped on nagasaki was made from plutonium, which was even more powerful than uranium it is thought that at least 5,000 people died from the hiroshima explosion and another. German flying bomb german missiles ww2 dk find out. There are still thousands of tons of unexploded bombs in germany, left over from world war ii. However, scientists discovered about that time that a powerful explosion might be possible by splitting an atom. The buzz bombs revolutionary engine, the argus as 014 pulsejet, was designed in 1928 by inventor paul schmidt. Throughout world war two, germany was heavily bombed though for many people the blanket bombing of germany could be forgiven after the traumas of dunkirk and the tribulations of the battle of britain. In 1945, the usa dropped two atomic bombs on japan, effectively ending world war ii. Presidents as the most accessible and complete not to mention fun onesubject reference book available, making it perfect for history reports and. That was the unofficial motto of the british people in 1940 as bombs began to rain down during the second world war. Us bombers dropped a bomb every eight minutes, every day from 1964 to 1973 on laos.
Presidents as the most accessible and complete not to mention fun onesubject reference book. World war ii for children world war ii homework help. During ww2, pilots would intercept v1 flying bombs also known as the buzz bomb or doodlebugpictured above and tip them over with their wingtips causing them to crash. The eldest daughter of king george vi of great britain, elizabeth, served as a driver and mechanic during the war. A blockbuster bomb or cookie was any of several of the largest conventional bombs used in world war ii by the royal air force raf. When lida and her friends are assigned to make bombs for the german army, lida cant.
Robert oppenheimer is often called the father of the atomic bomb for leading the manhattan project, the program that developed the first nuclear weapon during world war ii. The big book of world war ii is a comprehensive guide, bringing young readers through the archives of history to learn about this epic war and how the world was changed as a result. The uk declared war on germany on 3 september 1939. Facts about the atomic bomb facts for kids the following fact sheet continues with interesting information, history and facts on atomic bomb for kids. The bombing of dresden was a historic benchmark that demonstrated the power of strategic bombing. The motor, which ran on ordinary gasoline, fired 50 times a second, giving the v1 its unmistakable and terrifying sound. The home front is the name given to the effect of the war on peoples everyday lives. National security archive electronic briefing book no. At the start of world war ii in 1939 the atomic bomb had not yet been invented. Dubbed operation gomorrah, this was an 8day, 7night, u. That is an average of 27,700 tons of bombs each month the eldest daughter of king george vi of great britain, elizabeth, served as a driver and mechanic during the war.
Haukelid, who sabotaged german bomb efforts while working for the norwegian resistance. Buzz kill remarkable facts about the v1 flying bomb. While the war was over, the doubts regarding the use of the bomb had just begun. It exploded 600m 2,000ft above the city, creating a blast of heat and blinding light. Father wilhelm kleinsorge, a german jesuit priest who had endured. There were different sizes of bomber planes including light, medium, and heavy. The bomb designs were created by robert serber who chose the codenames according to the design. Pure fission weapons were the first nuclear weapons built and the only type ever used in warfare. Armourpiercing bombs have a thick case and a pointed tip and are used to penetrate armoured or hardened targets such as warships and bunkers. The historical facts of the dropping of these bombs has been discussed many. History of world war 2 in one take history bombs youtube. Bomb sight makes you discover london during ww2 luftwaffe blitz bombing raids, exploring maps, images and memories. A bomb is an explosive device that makes and lets out its energy very quickly and has a big shock wave. History of world war 1 in one take by history bombs.
It exploded 2,000ft 600m above the city, creating a blast of heat and blinding light. Its a story about unconscionable unfairness on the part of the us government toward the binkinians, whose homeland was left uninhabitable by the experiments of the atomic bomb. As far back as 1934, the munichbased rocket scientist envisioned his creation being used to propel high explosive warheads. On may 5, 1945, three and a half years after japans bombing of pearl harbor, and three months before the atomic bomb was dropped on hiroshima, one of these japanese balloon bombs actually did explode in rural oregon, killing six people. An atomic bomb is a weapon with huge power created by splitting an atom.
The book won the 20 newbery honor and sibert medal from the american library association. Even though world war ii involved countries all over the globe, there were two sides fighting against each other the axis powers and the allied powers. This book follows the process of building the nuclear bomb by the discovery of nuclear fission by german scientist otto hahn in december 17, 1938. On 6th august, the bomb was dropped on the city of hiroshima. Best sellers, newest to oldest oldest to newest price low to high price high to low. Apr 07, 2020 world war 2 saw more technological leaps in the field of military aircraft than any other conflict. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to factbased news and analysis. Flying fortresses of the 303rd bomber group hells angels drop a heavy load on industrial targets in germany. However, they release their energy more quickly, thus are more powerful. May 19, 2015 throughout world war two, germany was heavily bombed though for many people the blanket bombing of germany could be forgiven after the traumas of dunkirk and the tribulations of the battle of britain. Simple public satisfaction and a feeling of revenge were enough of a rationale to explain away the bombing of germany during world war two. A guide on dealing with unexploded devices was released by the construction industry research and. The day of the bomb in german sadako will leben, meaning sadako wants to live is a nonfiction book written by the austrian author karl bruckner in 1961. In 1942, a new weapon was invented by the german, the flying bomb.
The explosion was huge, the city was destroyed, and tens of thousands of people were killed. Bombs of the aforementioned types generally range in size from 100 to 3,000 pounds 45 to 1,360 kg. Fast, fun, atomic bomb facts for kids ww2 and the atomic bomb. Oct 05, 2016 history of world war 2 in one take by history bombs. Dropping the atom bomb and the end of world war ii in the pacific, the book. The atomic bomb was developed by scientists on the manhattan project during ww2. The first test of the a bomb was made on july 16, 1945 at alamogordo, new mexico. From february to february 15, 1945, during the final months of world war ii 193945, allied forces bombed the historic city of dresden. The amount of bombs dropped on the city was greater than any other previous air bombing in the history of. During trial, jury let him go because he didnt do any damage or even spying source. Wwii atomic bomb atomic bomb facts for kids dk find out. Media in category british ww2 airdropped bombs the following 17 files are in this category, out of 17 total.
History of world war 2 in one take by history bombs. He decided to use his funds to move to ottawa and then surrendered to canadian authorities. Bombers were larger planes that were designed to carry and drop bombs on enemy targets. Some of the more famous fighter planes during world war ii included the german messerschmitt bf 109, the british spitfire, the japanese zero, and the u. Bomb disposal is an allencompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the military fields of explosive ordnance disposal eod and improvised explosive device disposal iedd, and the. They even brought 3 complete bottling plants ashore in north africa to supply the troops with this beverage. This type of bomb could destroy large cities in a single blast and would change warfare forever. The bomb case consists of wire wound around an explosive charge. Sep 15, 2017 on may 5, 1945, three and a half years after japans bombing of pearl harbor, and three months before the atomic bomb was dropped on hiroshima, one of these japanese balloon bombs actually did explode in rural oregon, killing six people. Most bombs do not contain more energy than ordinary fuel, except in the case of a nuclear weapon. It was announced by prime minister neville chamberlain. The bombing of hamburg in world war ii 1943 was among the most devastating attacks on germany during the war.
The first atomic bomb ever to be used in a military operation was dropped on the city of hiroshima, japan on august 6, 1945 at 8. Well balanced book based on facts, not the fiction created by joseph. The manhattan project was set up by united states to make sure that they were the first one who could create the bomb. Army air forces and british raf bomber command strategic aerial campaigns against germany, this book covers german use of strategic bombing during the nazis conquest of europe. Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Wells also predicted aerial bombardment and an imminent devastating world war in the same book. The v1 was powered by jet engines and they could fly for up to 200km 125 miles without needing to be dropped by a bomber aircraft, which.
The bomb itself was over 10 feet long and weighed around 10,000 pounds. Some bombs also throw out dangerous metal fragments, and some are firebombs. It joins the big book of the civil war and the big book of u. This book is a short, interesting, and intense read for history lovers. Herseys extraordinary, gripping book tells the personal stories of six people who endured the 1945 atom bomb attack on the japanese city. On the other hand, 60,595 british, 67,078 french and over 500,000 soviet civilians were killed by axis bombing. There are still thousands of tons of unexploded bombs in. Apr 12, 2017 between 1939 and 1945, allied planes dropped 3. The country with the largest number of wwii causalities was russia, with over 21 million. Bomb sight mapping the world war 2 london blitz bomb census. The term blockbuster was originally a name coined by the press and referred to a bomb which had enough explosive power to destroy an entire street or large building through the effects of blast in conjunction with incendiary bombs.
Fragmentation bombs, by contrast, explode into a mass of small, fastmoving metal fragments that are lethal against personnel. Simple public satisfaction and a feeling of revenge were enough of a rationale to explain away the bombing of germany during world. Aug 11, 2015 most ww2 bombs stumbled across in the 21st century are discovered by builders digging foundations. It is a safe and sensitive book, as well as a great conversation starter. More than 70 years after being dropped in europe, the. Langbein, a german spy was sent to canada during ww2. Between 1939 and 1945, world war 2 planes evolved to the point the jet engine was introduced and even the first cruise missile would see its first use by the axis powers. Given the high number of civilian casualties and the relatively few strategic targets, some even called the bombing of dresden a war. It reads like an international spy thriller, and thats the beauty of it.
Thus the last member of the axis had surrendered effectively ending world war 2. Most ww2 bombs stumbled across in the 21st century are discovered by builders digging foundations. The atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki by the manhattan engineer district paperback. When the war began in september 1939 the government knew that large cities would be the target for german. The surrender that they hoped to accomplish with the bombings came on 15 august 1945, six days after the bombing of nagasaki. Heinkel he 111 wreckage and bombs in libya 8e00405u original. The code name for the bombs was taken from the movie the maltese falcon the bomb dropped over hiroshima was a uranium guntype atomic bomb with codename little boy while the one dropped on nagasaki was a plutonium implosiontype atomic bomb with codename fat man. On august 6th, the bomb was dropped on the city of hiroshima. The race to buildand stealthe worlds most dangerous weapon is a 2012 adolescent nonfiction book by author steve sheinkin. Some bombs also throw out dangerous metal fragments, and some are firebombs most bombs do not contain more energy than ordinary fuel, except in the case of a nuclear weapon. In december of 1938, a chemist in a german laboratory made a shocking disco. They were very light bombs and the b17 norden bombsight had to be used with a special computation table to provide the maximum trail angle distance between plane and point of impact.
The book even has a few facts unknown to an old hand like myself. The bomb sight web map and mobile app reveals ww2 bomb census maps between 7101940 and 06061941, previously available only by viewing them in the reading room of the national archives. While many countries were involved in the war, they each took sides either with the allies, or the axis. Author steve sheinkin once scientists learned that uranium atoms could be split, leading to a chain reaction that would cause an enormous explosion, the race for an atomic bomb was on. After conquering france, hitler planned to defeat his greatest rival, the great britain. The race to buildand stealthe worlds most dangerous.