Wikijunior:World War II/Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Japanese Surrender

A photo of Hiroshima after the bombing. There are very few buildings left standing.

Hoping to end the war in the Pacific and to save American lives by not invading Japan, the United States decided to use the "Atomic Bomb". On August 6 and 9, 1945 the US president, Harry Truman, ordered the Air Force to drop atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Six days after the bombs were dropped, the Japanese surrendered, ending the war.