By the middle of 1945, the war in
Europe was over, and it was clear that the Japanese could hold no
reasonable hope of victory. After years of grueling battle, fighting
island to island across the Pacific, Japan’s Navy and Air Force were all
but destroyed.
The production of materiel was faltering, completely
overmatched by American industry, and the Japanese people were starving.
A full-scale invasion of Japan itself would mean hundreds of thousands
of dead GIs, and, still, the Japanese leadership refused to surrender.But
in early August 66 years ago, America unveiled a terrifying new weapon,
dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In a matter of days,
the Japanese submitted, bringing the fighting, finally, to a close.