a425couple
2021-02-14 19:09:02 UTC
Some interesting reminders here:
from
https://www.quora.com/How-close-were-Germany-and-Japan-to-developing-their-own-nuclear-weapons
James Welch, lives in Orange County, CA (2008-present)
Answered February 7
Originally Answered: How close was Germany and Japan to develope their
own nuclear weapons?
Not close at all.
Neither Japan nor Germany had the following:
A team of scientists—nuclear physicists, chemists, mathematicians,
explosive experts, and others—who, just from knowing about uranium
fission, could work out how to make a nuclear bomb. Hell, they didn’t
even get a working reactor!
The funds to make this possible. Remember, it took $2,000,000,000 1945
American dollars to build the first 4 nukes (Trinity, Little Boy, Fat
Man, and “the demon core”).
The resources to make this happen. The Manhattan project, for example,
used HUGE amounts of electricity to run the isotope separation plants.
In the 1950s these plants used **8%** of American electricity. Neither
the Japanese nor the Germans could build all the extra power plants;
they just did not have the manpower to build them, nor did they have the
copper to install the generators and then transmit the power to the
plants needed.
The Alsos Mission investigated this in 1945 and found the Germans had
not only not built nukes, they didn’t even have a blueprint of how to
get there! And Japan was worse off.
Finally, in both Germany and Japan the scientific resources were spread
amongst various ministries. No coordination nor cooperation.
------------------
a response
Emmett Smith
·
February 7
During the Korean War, U.S. troops who were pursuing the fleeing North
Korean army found a huge, artificial lake in a relatively remote part of
North Korea. Two hydroelectric dams impounded the lake, but they were
not connected to the North’s power grid! This complex remained a mystery
until long after the war ended. Finally, a Japanese scientist admitted
that the dams were built by his country in World War Two as power
sources for an atomic bomb project. The Japanese also created a four
engine bomber (based on a Kawanishi seaplane design!) to carry their
bomb and drop it on U.S. forces on Okinawa or Russian forces (if they
entered the war). The project was intended to make its first atomic bomb
some time in 1946.
James Welch
·
February 7
Emmett, please provide me a link or a reference.
I have read Boris Pash's book on the Alsos mission, which he commanded,
and I have also read The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun, both by
Richard Rhodes. All three state the Germans and the Japanese were
nowhere NEAR making a nuke.
And by the way, the power supply would have to go somewhere. Separating
U235 is a tedious process that requires large amounts of power to run
the Calutrons. During the Manhattan Project, they went to the Treasury
Department to get 15,000 tons of SILVER to wind the magnets, as there
was not enough copper available. Did your source say what the Japanese
used to separate the isotopes?
Emmett SmithNo, they went no farther than to state that Japan was trying
to assemble a nuclear complex in Korea. The area was beyond the
knowledge -or the
No, they went no farther than to state that Japan was trying to assemble
a nuclear complex in Korea. The area was beyond the knowledge -or the
bombing range-of the allies. Information about their method for making a
bomb is sadly lacking. Maybe they were not entirely certain themselves!
Or maybe they were hoping for some assistance by German scientists. In
any case, the latter was not forthcoming and Japan ran out of time.
------------------------------
Frank Duncan, Radiation expert, Extensive study of the war against Japan.
Answered February 7
Originally Answered: How close was Germany and Japan to develope their
own nuclear weapons?
Germany had run all of the top scientists out because they were Jewish,
and “Jewish science” was bad science. They had very few top level
scientists left, Heisenberg being the best, and had made minimal
progress. By the end of the war, they had the beginnings of a nuclear
reactor, but the British sank the ferry carrying heavy water (D2O,
deuterium oxide) in a lake in Norway, so they were prevented from any
experimentation except with natural uranium which won’t work.
The Japanese had two programs going, one run by the Navy and one run by
the Army. They were both underfunded, under manned, and neither one made
any serious progress. Both were cancelled before the end of the war.
There were rumors that both Japan and Germany had set off atomic bombs
at the end of the war, but no scientific evidence has ever been found
for it. The early bombs were VERY inefficient and would have given off a
huge flash and left a big radioactive area, none of which has ever been
found. Not even a trace.
It might be added that the facilities to separate the U238/U235 isotopes
were HUGE and required enormous amounts of electricity. This was never
available in Germany and the Japanese had no extra power too spare,
either, and in either case there has never been a trace of a facility
capable of isotope separation been found.
Please note that although both had cyclotrons that could separate
isotopes, they made nanogram quantities, not tens of kilogram quantities.
--------------------------
Dan Gall, worked at Canadian Armed Forces (1972-1997)
Answered February 8
Germany had decided in 1939 that nuclear power was not suitable for
weapons, although they were working on developing nuclear power
reactors. The allies had developed a workable ‘pile’ (early reactor) in
1942 and with 500 scientists working on it developed a bomb in July
1945. The Germans were not working on a weapon, and only had 10
scientists on the project and still hadnt built a pile in 1945. The
earliest they could have had a weapon was 1950 but more likely 1955.
The Japanese didn’t have a dedicated project and were not working on a
weapon. They had 1 scientist working on nuclear studies.
98 views · Answer requested by Phil Swanson
from
https://www.quora.com/How-close-were-Germany-and-Japan-to-developing-their-own-nuclear-weapons
James Welch, lives in Orange County, CA (2008-present)
Answered February 7
Originally Answered: How close was Germany and Japan to develope their
own nuclear weapons?
Not close at all.
Neither Japan nor Germany had the following:
A team of scientists—nuclear physicists, chemists, mathematicians,
explosive experts, and others—who, just from knowing about uranium
fission, could work out how to make a nuclear bomb. Hell, they didn’t
even get a working reactor!
The funds to make this possible. Remember, it took $2,000,000,000 1945
American dollars to build the first 4 nukes (Trinity, Little Boy, Fat
Man, and “the demon core”).
The resources to make this happen. The Manhattan project, for example,
used HUGE amounts of electricity to run the isotope separation plants.
In the 1950s these plants used **8%** of American electricity. Neither
the Japanese nor the Germans could build all the extra power plants;
they just did not have the manpower to build them, nor did they have the
copper to install the generators and then transmit the power to the
plants needed.
The Alsos Mission investigated this in 1945 and found the Germans had
not only not built nukes, they didn’t even have a blueprint of how to
get there! And Japan was worse off.
Finally, in both Germany and Japan the scientific resources were spread
amongst various ministries. No coordination nor cooperation.
------------------
a response
Emmett Smith
·
February 7
During the Korean War, U.S. troops who were pursuing the fleeing North
Korean army found a huge, artificial lake in a relatively remote part of
North Korea. Two hydroelectric dams impounded the lake, but they were
not connected to the North’s power grid! This complex remained a mystery
until long after the war ended. Finally, a Japanese scientist admitted
that the dams were built by his country in World War Two as power
sources for an atomic bomb project. The Japanese also created a four
engine bomber (based on a Kawanishi seaplane design!) to carry their
bomb and drop it on U.S. forces on Okinawa or Russian forces (if they
entered the war). The project was intended to make its first atomic bomb
some time in 1946.
James Welch
·
February 7
Emmett, please provide me a link or a reference.
I have read Boris Pash's book on the Alsos mission, which he commanded,
and I have also read The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun, both by
Richard Rhodes. All three state the Germans and the Japanese were
nowhere NEAR making a nuke.
And by the way, the power supply would have to go somewhere. Separating
U235 is a tedious process that requires large amounts of power to run
the Calutrons. During the Manhattan Project, they went to the Treasury
Department to get 15,000 tons of SILVER to wind the magnets, as there
was not enough copper available. Did your source say what the Japanese
used to separate the isotopes?
Emmett SmithNo, they went no farther than to state that Japan was trying
to assemble a nuclear complex in Korea. The area was beyond the
knowledge -or the
No, they went no farther than to state that Japan was trying to assemble
a nuclear complex in Korea. The area was beyond the knowledge -or the
bombing range-of the allies. Information about their method for making a
bomb is sadly lacking. Maybe they were not entirely certain themselves!
Or maybe they were hoping for some assistance by German scientists. In
any case, the latter was not forthcoming and Japan ran out of time.
------------------------------
Frank Duncan, Radiation expert, Extensive study of the war against Japan.
Answered February 7
Originally Answered: How close was Germany and Japan to develope their
own nuclear weapons?
Germany had run all of the top scientists out because they were Jewish,
and “Jewish science” was bad science. They had very few top level
scientists left, Heisenberg being the best, and had made minimal
progress. By the end of the war, they had the beginnings of a nuclear
reactor, but the British sank the ferry carrying heavy water (D2O,
deuterium oxide) in a lake in Norway, so they were prevented from any
experimentation except with natural uranium which won’t work.
The Japanese had two programs going, one run by the Navy and one run by
the Army. They were both underfunded, under manned, and neither one made
any serious progress. Both were cancelled before the end of the war.
There were rumors that both Japan and Germany had set off atomic bombs
at the end of the war, but no scientific evidence has ever been found
for it. The early bombs were VERY inefficient and would have given off a
huge flash and left a big radioactive area, none of which has ever been
found. Not even a trace.
It might be added that the facilities to separate the U238/U235 isotopes
were HUGE and required enormous amounts of electricity. This was never
available in Germany and the Japanese had no extra power too spare,
either, and in either case there has never been a trace of a facility
capable of isotope separation been found.
Please note that although both had cyclotrons that could separate
isotopes, they made nanogram quantities, not tens of kilogram quantities.
--------------------------
Dan Gall, worked at Canadian Armed Forces (1972-1997)
Answered February 8
Germany had decided in 1939 that nuclear power was not suitable for
weapons, although they were working on developing nuclear power
reactors. The allies had developed a workable ‘pile’ (early reactor) in
1942 and with 500 scientists working on it developed a bomb in July
1945. The Germans were not working on a weapon, and only had 10
scientists on the project and still hadnt built a pile in 1945. The
earliest they could have had a weapon was 1950 but more likely 1955.
The Japanese didn’t have a dedicated project and were not working on a
weapon. They had 1 scientist working on nuclear studies.
98 views · Answer requested by Phil Swanson