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A Little VJ Day History
The war in the Pacific was hard fought and bloody. The tide had definitely turned, and the U.S. military was fighting island by island towards Japan. Resistance was fierce. Casualties on both sides were high.
The U.S. had developed the atomic bomb. The U.S. government was anxious to end the war, and stop the loss of American lives.
On August 6th, 1945, the United States military dropped an atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan in an effort to force Japan into an immediate, unconditional surrender. Instead of immediately surrendering, the Japanese government debated what to do. So, the U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb on August 9, 1945 over the city of Nagasaki, Japan.
On August 14, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito cabled the U.S. to surrender, and agreed to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.
On August 15, 1945, news of the surrender was announced to the world. World War II was finally over. Hostilities ended.
On September 2, 1945, the Japanese formally surrendered aboard the U.S. battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. President Truman declared this to be V-J Day.
Did You Know? The battleship USS Missouri was chosen for the formal surrender ceremony, as she was named after President Truman's home state.
