Why did the United States bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan?
According to the original plan, the cities prepared for nuclear attacks were not only Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but also Kokura, Fukuoka, Osaka, and Kyoto, a total of six cities, and Nagasaki was originally ranked first. After Kokura, it was only changed to Nagasaki due to weather conditions during the bombing.
The target selection of the nuclear attack has profound meaning. In addition to severely damaging Japan's morale and will to resist, the choice of strategy and tactics is very important.
Among these six targets, Hiroshima was known as the "Japanese Army Capital". It was the headquarters of Japan's Second General Army (equivalent to the Front Army) at that time, and it was also the headquarters of China (referring to the Kansai region of Japan). The headquarters of the Military Administrative Region is located here. Most of the main force of the Japanese Army came from here. Generations of Japanese Army soldiers set out here and experienced the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, the Russo-Japanese War, the annexation of Northeast my country, Marco Polo Bridge, Harbin Pingfang Unit 731, Nanjing, and Wuhan. , Panjiayu, Pingdingshan, Bridge on the River Kwai... It can be said that this city is the symbol of the Japanese Army. Destroying it will basically paralyze the army command centers in Kansai and Kyushu, setting the stage for the US military to land in Kyushu. Olympic Plan" paves the way.
Okura is Kitakyushu’s armament industry center and the location of the largest weapons depot. Destroying this place will make the Japanese army even more deprived of guns and ammunition, and it will be much easier for the US military to land in Kyushu.
Nagasaki City is the most important shipbuilding center in Japan. Not only naval warships, but also most civilian ships are built here. Destroying this place will seriously affect the shipping capabilities of Japan, an island nation.
Fukuoka is the economic and political center of Kitakyushu and is mainly responsible for the connection with the Asian continent. Destroying it can minimize the possibility of recent support from North Korea and Manchuria, further paving the way for the Kyushu landing plan.
The importance of Osaka and Kyoto to Japan is self-evident, but the target is expected to be ranked after the first four cities. Generally speaking, it is to weaken the will to resist and destroy this ancient city with a long history. The military significance of destroying a nation's cultural symbols is not very important.
Due to Japan's surrender, only two of the planned atomic bombs used in nuclear attacks included "Fat Man", "Little Boy", "Gilda", and "Helen", and the latter two were later used Regarding the Bikini Island nuclear test, if Japan did not surrender, Gilda and Helen would explode over Fukuoka, Kokura, Osaka, and Kyoto. It can be seen that the six targets selected are all cities in the Kansai and Kyushu regions of Japan. This shows that in the "decline" plan to occupy the Japanese mainland, these six targets are for the first stage of the "Olympic Plan", that is, In preparation for the landing operation in southern Kyushu, the second phase of the "Crown Plan", that is, the Honshu landing operation, may also include Kanto City as an attack target, but it is known that Japan surrendered before the first phase was implemented, Therefore, the Japanese city of Kanto was not attacked or included in the attack plan.