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See the full story · 3 sourcesThe scene of destruction after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Near the end of World War II, Germany surrendered to the Allies, but Japan refused.
To end the war quickly, President Truman's government decided to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
On August 6, the atomic bomb "Little Boy" was dropped, killing an estimated 80,000 people.
On August 6, 1945, a 10-foot-long uranium bomb that weighed 9,788 pounds called "Little Boy" was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
The explosion wiped out 5 square miles of the city, including 62,000 buildings. As many as 80,000 people are estimated to have been killed instantly.
The explosion was so powerful that people were vaporized, leaving nothing behind except for their "nuclear shadow."
The attack on Hiroshima has gone down as one of the deadliest days in Japanese history and ushered in the nuclear age . In the years since, there has been debate around whether the attacks were necessary to end the war.
Eighty-one years since the bombing, here's a look at why the US government dropped the bomb, how the mission unfolded, and the devastating impact it had on Hiroshima.
On May 7, 1945, after World War II had been fought for almost six years, Germany surrendered to the Allies, but Japan refused.
Celebrations in New York on May 7 1945 after Germany announces its surrender towards the end of World War II. Bettmann/Getty
Germany surrendered to the Allies — including Britain, China, the Soviet Union, and the US — but instead of following suit, Japan continued to fight. They made it clear they would fight until the bitter end.
At the same time, Allies' casualties grew worse.
A photo of the fall out after a kamikaze plane strike in May 1945 near Okinawa. MPI/Getty
Between April and July, the Japanese killed as many as half of the total casualties they had inflicted over the previous three years of the war, according to History.com.
In April, President Harry Truman was sworn in and learned about the Manhattan Project.
President Harry Truman in 1945. MPI/Getty
Until then, he had not known about the work being done by J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team on the Manhattan Project to build an atomic weapon. But with Japan's refusal to surrender, he soon came around to the idea of using it.
Some generals argued that the war should have ended with a final invasion of Japan, but they also advised that it could result in the deaths of up to 1 million US troops.
Among other reasons, Truman didn't want more US soldiers to die, so he chose to proceed with the atomic bomb if Japan wouldn't surrender, Al Jazeera reported.
Many military leaders believed the atomic bomb was unnecessary and that Japan would surrender without the use of atomic bombs.
But a committee of advisors, led by the Secretary of War Henry Stimson, argued that there was a consensus supporting the bomb and that it needed to be dropped to end the war.
On July 16, a test atomic bomb was successfully detonated in New Mexico. Less than a fortnight later, Truman issued his warning to Japan.
President Harry Truman with Soviet leader Josef Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the Potsdam Conference on July 17, 1945. AP Photo
On July 26, Truman made the Potsdam Declaration. He told Japan to unconditionally surrender or face "prompt and utter destruction."
Japan ignored Truman's demand.
US intelligence also showed that Japan, which had 2.5 million troops, was preparing for an American invasion.
Japan had readied thousands of suicide planes and more than 560,000 soldiers for an expected US invasion. Reports also showed that Japan planned on executing all US prisoners as soon as US armed forces landed in Japan, according to the National WWII Museum.
The plan to use the atomic bomb proceeded.
Enola Gay, the B-29 plane from which the first atom bomb was dropped, taken in April 1946. Art Edger/NY Daily News Archive/Getty
A crew of 12 was assembled on a US military base on Tinian, an island in the Northern Marianas in the Pacific. Colonel Paul Tibbets was named pilot, and Captain Robert Lewis was his co-pilot, per The New York Times.
Captain William Parsons was the weaponeer, and Second Lieutenant Morris Jeppson was the electronic test officer, according to the Atomic Heritage Foundation .
On August 5, the crew was briefed about their mission. Hiroshima, which had an active military base, had been chosen for bombing.
A briefing held on August 5 led by Captain William Parsons and Colonel Paul Tibbets. PhotoQuest/Getty
Tibbets told the crew they would be dropping bombs on Hiroshima, a city of about 350,000 people, but he didn't tell them they would be dropping an atomic bomb.
The atomic bomb was called "Little Boy."
A 1946 postwar replica of the "Little Boy" nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945. MPI/Getty Images
It was a 10-foot-long uranium bomb that weighed 9,788 pounds.
On August 5, Little Boy was loaded onto an American B-29 bomber Tibbets had called "Enola Gay" after his mother.
Men around the Little Boy bomb the day before it was dropped in 1945. Bettmann/Getty
It was confirmed that the drop would take place the next day.
At 12:15 a.m. on August 6, the crew listened to a prayer composed for the occasion.
Colonel Paul Tibbets waves from his cockpit before takeoff from Tinian Island, on August 6, 1945. AP Photo
At the time, there was no certainty that the flight would survive the explosion.
At 2:45 a.m., Enola Gay and two other B-29 observation bombers took off.
The Enola Gay in August 1945. Corbis/Getty
Because Enola Gay's cargo was so heavy, it required the entire 2-mile runway to take off.
Three weather planes also left Tinian. Each one flew to a potential target city — Hiroshima, Kokura, and Nagasaki — to check if weather conditions would permit a bomb drop.
At 3 a.m., Pars...
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