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The Atomic Bomb
In 1938 Germany succeeded in splitting the atom. German chemist Otto Hahn and scientist Werner Heisenberg then carried out research into what the best materials and methods would be for building a successful atomic bomb. But the research was never given the full support of the Nazi government.
Hitler believed that Germany would win the war quickly and it was clear that the development of the atom bomb would be costly and could take years. So research was directed into long-range weapons instead, which could be used more rapidly in the war effort.
Atomic research did continue in Germany during the war, but on a smaller scale. The Nazis believed that America didn't have a nuclear development programme and so weren't concerned with perfecting their own atomic bomb.
In fact, the USA was carrying out extensive research, initiated by Dr. Leo Szilard - a Hungarian refugee who had fled from Nazi persecution. Albert Einstein, whose “Theory of Relativity” eventually led to creation of the atomic bomb, supported Szilard in his work. A German-Jew, Einstein lived in America in self-imposed exile.
Germany refused to believe that the Americans had successfully built an atomic bomb, even after it was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
