Little Boy (Nazi Nukes)

Little Boy

A post-war "Little Boy" model. Type 	Nuclear weapon Place of origin 	United States Specifications Weight 	8,818.49 lbs. 4,000 kg Length 	9.84 ft. 3.0 m Diameter 	2.3 ft. 0.7 m Blast yield 	13 to 18 kilotons

Little Boy was the codename of the atomic bomb, developed via the "Manhattan Project" which was dropped on Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945 by the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets in the 393d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy of the United States Army Air Forces.[1] It was the first atomic bomb ever used as a weapon, and was dropped three days before the "Fat Man" bomb was used against Nagasaki.[2]

The weapon was developed by the Manhattan Project during World War II. It derived its explosive power from the nuclear fission of uranium 235. The Hiroshima bombing was the second artificial nuclear explosion in history (the first was the "Trinity" test), and it was the first uranium-based detonation. Approximately 600 milligrams of mass were converted into energy. It exploded with a destructive power equivalent to between 13 and 18 kilotons of TNT (estimates vary) and killed approximately 140,000 people. It was also never tested at the Trinity test site (unlike Fat Man), due to the fact that uranium was very rare at the time, and the United States wanted to conserve its uranium. Contents [hide]

* 1 Basic weapon design o 1.1 Assembly details o 1.2 Counter-intuitive design * 2 Physical effects of the bomb o 2.1 Blast o 2.2 Fire o 2.3 Radiation * 3 Development of the bomb * 4 Construction and delivery o 4.1 Fuze system * 5 The bombing of Hiroshima * 6 See also * 7 References * 8 External links