Eighty years ago, the world witnessed an unprecedented act of devastation: the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the Second World War reached its conclusion, American bombers dropped two nuclear weapons in a final effort to force Japan’s surrender and bring the conflict to an end.

Today in The Bunker, Gavin Esler is joined by Richard Overy, author of Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima and the Surrender of Japan, to discuss the final days of World War II, the ethics of destroying entire cities, and how it reshaped the nature of warfare.

Buy Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima and the Surrender of Japan through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Hiroshima: The untold story – with Gavin Esler and Richard Overy