Axis co-operation to build an A-bomb

[Kiwiguy]

Until November 1943 both Germany and Japan were unaware of each other's nuclear projects.

On 7 July 1943 Gen Touransouke Kawashima asked Japan's ambassador in Berlin, Gen Oshima to secure from the Nazis as much Uranium Oxide as possible.

The Germans would not accept false explanations from Kawashima that the uranium oxide was intended for use as a catalyst to make jet fuel. Eventually by November 1943, Kawashima sheepishly conceded to the Germans that Japan needed Uranium oxide to build an atomic weapon.

This led throughout 1944 to various former Italian submarines (UIT-24 & UIT-25) plus some transport U-boats (U-219, U-180, U-195, U-234 etc) sailing east with uranium oxide.

During the war Nazi scientist Dr Paul Harteck developed gaseous centrifuges so that Germany could enrich Uranium to bomb grade without any need for norwegian heavy water.

[stellung]

The Germans and Japanese were exchanging men and material. See the book Yanagi by Mark Felton. It has been reported that Japanese scientists had visited at least one of the Geman atomic projects during the war. See also the book Atomversuche in Deutschland by Guenter Nagel. Page 335 is a reproduction of an Allied report regarding successful pile experiments.

[Kiwiguy]

Thanks for those tips Stellung. Are those recently published books ?
Most of my research was done ten years ago at the library before I owned a computer.

In September 1944 Hitler issued a decree ordering maximum co-operation with Japanese allies (BFHQ 219/44)

Much of Allied documents and captured German documents remain under a hundred year embargo. Until they release everything, it is like trying to glue together a shattered porcelain vase.

[stellung]

This is not the case. The Deutsches Museum has acquired secret documents that were compiled by the Americans at the end of the war. Some were shown in a special exhibit in 2001, the rest are in their archive. There were three German atomic bomb projects. One headed by Heisenberg, another by Diebner and a secret SS project.

The books I mention are recent.