History of Warfare Summary 11 - World War II, Part 19: The Atomic Bomb and Japan's Surrender

In 1945, the United States demanded Japan's surrender, but the Japanese government did not immediately accept. Anticipating massive casualties from an invasion of the Japanese mainland, the U.S. decided to use a new weapon. On August 6th, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, causing severe damage to the city. On August 8th, the Soviet Union also declared war on Japan and attacked Japanese forces stationed in Manchuria. The next day, the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Debates raged within the Japanese government over whether to continue the war or surrender, and Emperor Hirohito ultimately decided to surrender. On August 15th, an announcement of Japan's surrender was broadcast, and on September 2nd, the Instrument of Surrender was formally signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This marked the end of major combat operations in World War II. The extent to which the use of atomic bombs and the Soviet Union's entry into the war contributed to Japan's surrender remains a subject of ongoing discussion among historians, and the war's conclusion was a result of a combination of various military and political factors.