Turning point in the German nuclear program
"When we compare the German work with the corresponding Anglo-American effort, the beginning of 1942 seems to be
the turning point. Up to that time, both sides were dealing predominantly with the scientific problem as to whether nuclear energy could be utilized at all, and what fundamental methods had to be employed to that end. Both sides had arrived almost simultaneously at very similar results,... It remained to determine the technical sequel to these results."
-Werner Heisenberg
"Research in Germany on the Technical Application of Atomic Energy", August 16, 1947
By the winter of 1941, Germany's "Blitzkrieg" ended and the war changed to one of attrition. The Germans wanted "wonder weapons" to end the war quickly. Speer met with the nuclear scientists in 1942. He decided to invest in "vengeance" rockets which could be produced faster than nuclear weapons. This was the turning point for the nuclear program. Nuclear research continued and was not limited to peaceful applications. However, without pressure from authorities, single-minded focus and necessary investment, success changed from a possibility to an improbability. Combined with the strain of the war, talent emigration, the reactor explosion and lack of heavy water, the German nuclear program eventually failed.
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Mark Walker comparing the Nazi and Allied perspectives of atomic weapons development.
BBC Horizon: Hitler's Bomb, 1992 |
turning points for the world
Salvation from a nuclear GermanyHitler's aim of world domination paired with nuclear physics could have been devastating. The discovery of fission in Germany and the possibility of a chain reaction by the start of WWII made this combination possible. In 1939, Germany appeared capable of producing the first nuclear weapon. The failure of the German nuclear program was a turning point for the world which kept the world from having to face Hitler empowered with a nuclear bomb.
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the nuclear era
When Einstein wrote his letter to Roosevelt requesting Allied action on creating a nuclear bomb, and when Allied intelligence confirmed increased use of uranium and deuterium in Germany, Allied leaders became increasingly worried. The threat of German nuclear weapons was a turning point for the world, inspiring the Manhattan Project, which lead to the creation and use of the world's first nuclear bombs, starting the nuclear era.
"I realize the tragic significance of the atomic bomb. Its production and its use were not lightly undertaken by this government. But we knew that our enemies were on the search for it...We won the race of discovery against the Germans."
- Harry Truman
Truman by David McCullough
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"A smell of death and corruption pervades the place, ranging from the ordinary carrion smell to somewhat subtler stenches with strong overtones of ammonia, decomposing nitrogenous matter, I suppose. The general impression, which transcends those derived from the evidence of our physical senses, is one of deadness, the absolute essence of death in the sense of finality without hope of resurrection. And all this is not localized. It's everywhere, and nothing has escaped its touch. In most ruined cities you can bury the dead,clean up the rubble, rebuild the houses and have a living city again. One feels that is not so here. Like the ancient Sodom and Gomorrah, its site has been sown with salt and Ichabod is written over its gates." |
A new era
After the war, the Soviets and the West were plunged into the Cold War, racing for nuclear supremacy. However, nations feared nuclear war because of the destructive capacity demonstrated in Japan. Therefore, despite nuclear armament, large scale wars between superpowers became far less likely. Since 1945, the year of the first nuclear bomb, there have been no superpower wars but only small scale proxy wars, indicating a significant turning point in history.
“It may be that we shall by a process of sublime irony have reached a stage in this story where safety will be the sturdy child of terror, and survival the twin brother of annihilation.”
-Winston Churchill
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