Why did the Allies bomb Nagasaki and Hiroshima in WWII?

Question

Why specifically those two cities?

Answer 1

While the atom bombs were being developed, a list of cities was reserved and did not suffer much bombing during the war, unlike the rest of Japan. So by the time they were bombed they were still in good shape and good targets to test the effects of the new weapon. They wanted cities with military targets (also to justify bombing citizens), easy to spot aiming points, and good communication with the central government.
BTW The Americans did not did not set out at first to bomb Nagasaki. Their target was Kokura, but when they arrived there, they found it clouded over and couldn't find the drop aiming points so they moved on to another target on their list. The Japanese still talk of "Kokura luck".

Answer 2

The A-Bomb was to quicken the end of the War in the Pacific. To use the A-bomb was to scare Japan to the bargaining table, to sign a peace treaty.Nagasaki and Hiroshima were the big industrial areas, population size. The U.S knew that Japan would not surrender due to their heritage and customs (Bushido code). Also to deter the Soviet Union not to mingle and interfere.

Answer 3

According to "Truman" by David McCullough, the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon wanted to "shock" the Japanese leadership into surrendering unconditionally and thereby avoid an invasion that Secretary of War George S, Marshall estimated would cost a minimum of 250,000 U.S. casualties. The kind of target that would do this would be a military target such as an industrial or logistical center with housing nearby. The cities you mentioned fit the bill.

Answer 4

Since Japan was essentially already defeated, it was not primarily about defeating that country. It was more a live demo to put the Soviet Union off balance, like to bring them to heel. Worked for a while. That bombing was Satanic. The mentality that would order such?-- see the movie Dr. Strangelove. And watch the Sunday Morning talk shows. Powers that be still maintain in their twisted minds that it actually saved lives. Not dropping them would have saved lives.

Answer 5

To save millions of American lives in an invasion also a clear message to the Soviet Union to stay out of the Japanese conflict, the Japanese had made several approaches to the USSR.Those two cities large population centres away from Tokyo

Answer 6

Just to prove they were able to, and to demonstrate how many people could they kil in just one blow... This discouraged all further agressions and pretty much marked the end of the war!

Good luck! Bear hugs! ;-)