Atomic Bomb
The atomic bomb is a weapon of mass destruction, capable of destroying on a scale that had originally been feared. The only usage of atomic bombs in combat was used by the German Empire against Great Britain during the World War. The controversial usage of the bomb created the deadliest attack from a single bomb in military history
Utility
The decision to drop the first atomic bomb in combat came from the order of Kaiser Wilhelm III. American bombers flew with a mix of German and American crews from Germany over the English Channel and into British airspace. The usage of B-29's became critical, as the design of the planes allowed the mission to be flown above British air defenses. The bomb was dropped on the city of Norwich, where it was said to have killed approximately 35,000 to 50,000 people, with thousands more being displaced. Those that died from the sickness of the bomb would reach nearly 100,000
Manufacturing
Though Germany kept the number of bombs totally manufactured during the war a secret, it was later revealed the one used for the bombing of Norwich was the only one fully developed, and that Germany largely bluffed their capabilities. However, their atomic arsenal grew in the later years to an unspecified amount as a means to retain their place as the world's superpower.
Social Impact
Historians continue to debate the nescessity of the bombing. The usage of the atomic bomb caused immediate controversy, as it was deemed too destructive, as well as have been used on a largely civilian target. Sources close to the German Kaiser defended the decision, as the alternative, a full scale invasion of Great Britain, was deemed to be too costly for both sides. As a result, the bombing of Norwich caused the government of Great Britain to surrender, with King Edward VIII abdicating in favor of his brother, George VI.
Many, including Colonel Theodore Herrmann, the Luftstreitkräfte pilot who flew the B-29 that dropped the bomb, were forced to come to terms with the rising toll from the bombing. Herrmann himself would grow to regret the ordeal, and never fully came to terms with it. His American copilot, however, defended the action as bringing a swift end to the deadly war, citing the toll from Operation Downfall in the Pacific Theater.
The first concepts of atomic weapons came from German spies and academics piecing together ideas from British scientists. The technology of splitting the atom in order to create an explosion thousands of times that of tons of TNT began a race to develop the weapon first between the two rivals. Germany, along with America, worked to create the technology first.
Uranium was mined in the colonies of the German African Colonial Empire, while German and American scientists discerned the theoretic of the bomb in New Mexico. The first successful detonation came in 1950, being in German controlled Niger in the Tenere Desert. Meanwhile, American engineers worked to create the B-29 Superfortress as a means to deliver the bomb.
War and weapons of war have always effected our relationship with death. I find it interesting that we humans will argue over when killing each other is justified.