The Second World War, or World War II, was a global conflict that was fought by all of the world’s great powers. The war came twenty years after the First World War and lasted for six years. When the war was officially over in 1945, the total death tally had reached more than sixty million people. World War II was the deadliest war in history. The war was mostly fought and divided into two military alliances: the Axis and Allied powers. The countries that made up the Axis powers were Germany, Japan, and Italy. The countries of the world that opposed the Axis powers, such as the United States and United Kingdom, converged into a group known as the Allied powers. The start of World War II can be traced back to September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded
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In World War I, aircrafts were built out of wood and fabric and were constructed into biplanes, a fix-winged aircraft with two wings stacked on top of each other. These biplanes were followed by planes with aluminum bodies and supercharged piston engines, creating more power than previous planes. These new style of planes were very effective in battle. Aerial warfare was very crucial during World War II, and any country that could control the sky could deliver crates and packages to ground troops. One example of this was the Battle of Britain, fought entirely in the air between the British and the Germans. The British were able to hold off the German’s aerial attack, forcing the Germans to completely change their war plans. If Germany had won this battle, they would have controlled the sky over Britain and could have possibly defeated the country. Two other crucial planes included bombers and reconnaissance airplanes. As Allied forces began retaking territory in Europe, heavy bombers were used to stop the ability of the Germans to produce fuel and munitions, turning the tide of the war. Reconnaissance airplanes were able to take pictures of enemy territories in high altitudes without being spotted. In World War I, aerial reconnaissance was a new form of warfare that was only used …show more content…
Fearing the Germans might start a nuclear program and weaponize uranium; Albert Einstein sent President Roosevelt a letter in 1939 urging the United States to start its own nuclear program. Soon after this letter, the United States government began “The Manhattan Project” with the sole purpose of creating an atomic bomb. The project started in 1939 and was completed in 1945, costing more than two billion dollars. In July of 1945, the bomb was successfully tested in New Mexico. Less than a month later, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan. Three days later, the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, also in Japan. These were the first and last times that nuclear weapons had been used in warfare. More than two hundred thousand people died within the first four months after the bombs fell. Almost a week after the United States dropped the second bomb, Japan surrendered. Truman stood by his order to use the atomic bombs because it would not risk any American lives. Some of Truman’s advisers warned him that invading Japan could cost upward of two hundred and fifty thousand military casualties. Although the affects of the atomic bomb were devastating, this advancement in science and technology saved hundred of thousands of American lives and brought the war in the Pacific to a swift
In World War I, aircrafts were built out of wood and fabric and were constructed into biplanes, a fix-winged aircraft with two wings stacked on top of each other. These biplanes were followed by planes with aluminum bodies and supercharged piston engines, creating more power than previous planes. These new style of planes were very effective in battle. Aerial warfare was very crucial during World War II, and any country that could control the sky could deliver crates and packages to ground troops. One example of this was the Battle of Britain, fought entirely in the air between the British and the Germans. The British were able to hold off the German’s aerial attack, forcing the Germans to completely change their war plans. If Germany had won this battle, they would have controlled the sky over Britain and could have possibly defeated the country. Two other crucial planes included bombers and reconnaissance airplanes. As Allied forces began retaking territory in Europe, heavy bombers were used to stop the ability of the Germans to produce fuel and munitions, turning the tide of the war. Reconnaissance airplanes were able to take pictures of enemy territories in high altitudes without being spotted. In World War I, aerial reconnaissance was a new form of warfare that was only used …show more content…
Fearing the Germans might start a nuclear program and weaponize uranium; Albert Einstein sent President Roosevelt a letter in 1939 urging the United States to start its own nuclear program. Soon after this letter, the United States government began “The Manhattan Project” with the sole purpose of creating an atomic bomb. The project started in 1939 and was completed in 1945, costing more than two billion dollars. In July of 1945, the bomb was successfully tested in New Mexico. Less than a month later, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan. Three days later, the second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, also in Japan. These were the first and last times that nuclear weapons had been used in warfare. More than two hundred thousand people died within the first four months after the bombs fell. Almost a week after the United States dropped the second bomb, Japan surrendered. Truman stood by his order to use the atomic bombs because it would not risk any American lives. Some of Truman’s advisers warned him that invading Japan could cost upward of two hundred and fifty thousand military casualties. Although the affects of the atomic bomb were devastating, this advancement in science and technology saved hundred of thousands of American lives and brought the war in the Pacific to a swift