Operation Flower Festival
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| Operation Flower Festival Great Blossom-1 | |
|---|---|
 Mushroom cloud forming during the test | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Janpia |
| Test site | Evakadosche Island |
| Period | April 16, 1958 |
| Number of tests | 1 |
| Test type | Atmospheric |
| Device type | Fission |
| Max. yield | 22 Kilotons |
Operation Flower Festival was the codename of the first nuclear weapons test conducted by Janpia on April 16, 1958, at the island of Evakadosche. The bomb used on the test was named as the Great Blossom-1, a 22 kiloton nuclear fission device that was developed and enriched by gaseous diffusion plants by the Union Research Bureau 593. The Operation was among the first of 20 nuclear test conducted by the Janpian Union of Revolutionary Army, and subsequently the Janpian Union of Revolutionary Missileers, between 1959 to 1974.
The name of the Operation was derived from the upcoming flower festival at that time, with the date of the operation coinciding with it as well. This was mainly done to confuse foreign intelligence reports or any political opposition against the Party, considering that it was at the height of the Great Rectification at that time.
Background
Motivations
The Atomic Bombing of Fuzan was already a great concern for the All-Union Workers' Party due to its destructive capabilities that it can achieve unlike any other weapons. It was figured that the only way to deter such weapons is by also having one, so that nations will simply not use it against Janpia, else risk mutual destruction. However, nuclear development was not prioritized by the All-Union Workers' Party at that time due to the Civil War, and it was only until succeeding Janpian Union of Government Workers' Party that such developments were extensively pursued. While the successor Party faced more threats in internal matters than external ones, there was still the need to stop foreign nations to take advantage of the ongoing political situation in Janpia.
Needless to say, the effects of the Great War and the following Janpian Civil War have set the Janpian military considerably weak as compared to any military standards in Hiakemiria at that time. This was further exacerbated with political rivalries and instability which plague the new Party, leaving the Janpian Union of Revolutionary Forces with less credible defense, and incapable of conducting large-scale operations. Furthermore, with the start of the Great Rectification, there was also the need to solidify and strengthen the JUGWP's new position over Janpia. As such, having nuclear weapons was not only seen as a way to compensate Janpia's weak military strength or as a deterrent, but to safeguard the Party's politics and its establishment as well.
History
While nuclear research was already done in the past by the Janpian Empire, actual development only began on August 6, 1954, just 4 years after the Atomic Bombing of Fuzan, and 6 months before the establishment of the Janpian Union of Government Workers' Party (JUGWP). During that period, the nuclear development was done by the All-Union Workers' Party, which was the predecessor of the JUGWP, headed by Commissar Karasumako Iluyischa of the All-Union Directive of War. The development team initially started with just 20 physicists and a small number of staff, as they were mostly given low priority in development.
On the 4th of February 1955, with the establishment of the JUGWP, the civil war has officially ended. This led to further development and prioritization, with the development team exponentially being expanded up to 10,000 people, and the nuclear weapons program being highly prioritized by the Revolutionary Council. The motivation behind the sudden pursuit of nuclear weapons was mainly due to a variety of reasons stemming from the reasons of the former All-Union Workers' Party, and the subsequent political situations.
In July 1956, the team now led by Haschikuma Sugoschumo was able to create a nuclear chain reaction in a graphite structure, creating Janpia's first artificial nuclear reactor.