In today's blog we will talk more about history than science. History remains my most favorite subject after science. After reading this blog you will appreciate the extend to which our scientific knowledge has reached and at the same time worry about the problems that arise, with use of science, adversely, for satisfying certain groups of people and authorities.
The world history can be broadly classified into two phases (according to me), namely period before the World War and period after the World War. This phase distribution is very obvious because after two bloodshed World Wars, the world has never been peaceful again, even for the slightest of problems nations go for war. In history nothing has been achieved though wars, all that we gain from wars are pain, hunger, anger and worries.
In this blog we will dig deep into World War II when the world saw the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare.
'' If you win you need not explain, but if you lose, you should not be there to explain''
-Adolf Hitler, the 'Fuhrer'
WORLD WAR II BEGINS
The Second World War was fought between the Allied and the Axis Powers. The Allied powers were mainly constituted by, the United States of America, United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, while the Axis powers on the other hand was constituted by Nazi Germany, Italy and Empire of Japan.
Many historians claim that the notorious, illegal and maniacal behavior of Adolf Hitler led to the evolution of Second World War. This statement is not far away from the truth.
Winston Churchill, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain wrote a series of letter to Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin urging him to join the Allied powers to fight against Hitler. But Stalin rejected each and every letter from Churchill. Churchill even warned Stalin that the Soviet Union was on the brink of an attack from the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Stalin rejected this letter too, which proved to be a costly mistake.
The confidence of Stalin was because of a pact between him and Hitler, according to which neither of the nations would attack each other and that they would remain in peace terms to work for overall development of both the nations. But in the year 1941, Hitler launched a surprise attack on Soviet Union capturing a lot of posts near German border and expanded his German territory to parts of Russia to implement his election-campaign propaganda of 'lebensraum' or free space for German inhabitants.
The pact was broken and at the same time Hitler's war strategy also broke out. It was heavy winter in the year 1941 and Hitler unmindful of this fact launched his 'Operation Barbarossa'. The German soldiers found it difficult to fight in such extreme conditions and they had to retreat, rest is history...
So as Germany made their way back it was time for the Empire of Japan under Hideki Tojo to get into the war front and fight the West, particularly the Americans.
JAPAN ENTERS WW II
Like Hitler, Tojo was literally a dictator. Even though their existed an Emperor in Japan, the whole of the powers were concentrated in his hand. He would use these powers to unleash inhumane attacks on his own countrymen, POW's and to Allied powers.
In those years there existed a special group of military in Japan who were primarily acted as suicide bombers. You may think that these people carry bombs in their body and then explode them in front of their enemy, NO. Their strategy was different and highly treacherous, these people would purposefully crash land their planes in enemy war ships or enemy lands, in the process the pilot will be killed and at the same time there would be a huge casualty in the enemy side due to the impacts of the crash. The pilot would tightly fastened to his seat and so while in flight he has no option to get out from the cockpit,
''If he was successful in lifting the aircraft from Japanese soil, then he must be successful in crashing it in the enemy soil''
These special fighter jet expert pilots were called the, 'Kamikaze'. These pilots would be given old planes for flying which is quite obvious because anyhow they are going to crash land it, so why should a country spent so much to buy new aircrafts for these covert operations?
Figure 2: Lt. Yoshinori Yamaguchi's Judy in suicide dive against USS Essex on 25 November 1944
Figure 3: Aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, after being struck by kamikaze.
What made me even terrified was that once they have boarded the aircraft they must crash land it somehow, but if a 'Kamikaze' pilot survived the impact of the explosion he was never allowed to come back to their country, to summarise these, 'Kamikaze' pilots were originally meant to die.
The Emperor of Japan would go to meet these pilots on the day of their first and last operation giving them mental strength by proclaiming that they are working for the empowerment of Japan, they are going to die as a hero who loved their motherland dearly. Just imagine what a 'Kamikaze' pilot would have felt in boarding the aircraft, knowing very well that he is going to die in a few hours from now, sound terrifying, isn't it?
PEARL HARBOUR ATTACK AND ITS AFTERMATH
''The only thing that we have to fear is fear itself''
-Franklin D. Roosevelt, the President of the United States of America when the Pearl Harbour attacks took place.
On 7 December 1941, the infamous Pearl Harbour Attack took place. The Imperial Japanese Navy Service attacked the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbour destroying up to 19 U.S. Naval ships, which included 8 battleships. Furthermore, an estimated 2,403 U.S. personnel including 68 civilians were killed in the attack according to the National World War II Museum records.
Video 1: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the Congress after Pearl Harbour Attacks
The above video showcases the historic speech rendered by Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Congress on the very next day of the attack. Towards the end of his speech, FDR as he is fondly called, declares war on the Empire of Japan, which would in turn change the course of World History forever.
Figure 4: The above four pictures depicts the 'Pearl Harbour Attacks of 1941'.
President Roosevelt's health deteriorated during the coarse of the Second World War, and died on April 12, 1945 after boldly leading his nation against all odds that came its way.
Harry S. Truman took over as the President of the United States, and what followed next was one of the most disastrous events in world history. A revenge which was meant to show its enemy their power soon turned onto to wipe out an entire segment of innocent Japanese population.
Video 2: U.S. President Harry S. Truman announces the dropping of atom bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
WHERE WAS EINSTEIN ALL THIS TIME?
''War is expensive, peace is priceless''
- Anonymous
We have discussed in detail a small segment of the Second World War. But if the title of this blog were to be meaningful I should mention the role of Albert Einstein in World War II right.
So let's dig into some history and analyse the science behind it.
Albert Einstein was a Jew by birth, moreover he was a German. I think you all know the Hitler hated Jews a lot and set up concentration camps to eliminate them. In fact Hitler in his infamous autobiography, 'Mein Kampf', mentions that Jews were responsible for the defeat of Germany in WW I. He also puts up many illogical and treacherous facts against Jews in his book which later became the propaganda of Nazi Germany.
Albert Einstein feared Hitler and at the same time criticised his notions of governance. Einstein knew that speaking against the government meant treason and that he might be captured the very next moment by the Nazis. Jews like Einstein were taken to concentration camps set up at the outskirts of Germany where they would have to do forced labour and if found unfit would be gassed in gas chambers.
In order to avoid this, Einstein immediately leaves Germany and takes U.S. citizenship.
Einstein was working on his new scientific concept of the amount of energy released during an atom bomb explosion. His energy-mass equivalence is given by the world famous equation:
Although this equation cannot be used directly for developing nuclear weapons, its application is widely used in it. Einstein knew that the Nazis were developing nuclear weapons of mass destruction. He informed the then U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt about it.
'' A single weapon of this type...exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory''
- Albert Einstein, in his letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt
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However, the reader should not misunderstand what is given here. Einstein must nit be blamed for his remarkable energy-mass equivalence relation, this simple expression could have been used for good deeds rather for destruction of the world. Further, Einstein warned the use of atomic weapons because he knew as a physicist the impact it would have on this planet. Hence, we must turn deaf ears to the ones who say that, 'Einstein was responsible for the deaths of several hundred-thousand men, women and children'.
HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI ARE UNDER ATTACK!
Figure 6: The 'Bockscar' and its crew members who dropped the atom bomb at Nagasaki
On 6 August 1945, U.S. aircrafts, namely 'Enola Gay' and 'Bockscar', dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively which immediately led to the formation of the well known mushroom clouds.
Figure 8: The 'mushroom clouds', formed over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)
The atom bomb dropped in Hiroshima was codenamed, 'the Little Boy', while the atom bomb dropped in Nagasaki was codenamed, 'the Fat Boy'. The pictures (replica) of both these bombs are given below for your knowledge,
Figure 9: The 'Little Boy', a post-war replica.
Figure 11: Bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a New York Times newspaper report dated 7 August 1945, a day after the bombings took place.
SCIENCE: FRIEND OR FOE?
''Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world''
- Louis Pasteur
The bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki is the best example of the extend to which an adverse usage of scientific knowledge can cause destruction to humanity and to the world. Science is for conserving our planet and not to destroy it. Even if you have the knowledge of each and everything in this world, it is of no use, unless and until it can be used for the betterment and empowerment of a healthy coexistence between humanity and nature.
The word science is derived from the Latin word, 'scientia', which means knowledge. Use this knowledge not to destroy our brothers and sisters rather use this knowledge to build ties between one another, so that we can all work together for the development of heathy, peaceful and harmonious Earth for the future...
One of the best articles I've read on WW2 and the philosophical question on whether science and technology really contributes to the better of society or not. Keep going brother!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much @Photon. I am really glad that you loved it!
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