[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Furthermore, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, although cities, were military targets.

Tokyo and Kyoto were both in range of American planes--if the United States was seeking the most deaths, and the largest societal impact, those two cities could have been hit instead of the two which were.

[narby]

if the United States was seeking the most deaths, and the largest societal impact, those two cities could have been hit instead of the two which were.

Tokyo and other cities were not chosen for nuclear raids because they had already been nearly wiped out by earlier B-29 firebomb raids that killed many more people than the nukes did. We wanted to assess what damage a nuke would do, so we used them against cities that had virtually no previous damage.

[arthurus]

Tokyo got firebombed like Dresden did.

[Dan(9698)]

Tokyo and Kyoto were both in range of American planes--

those two cities could have been hit instead of the two which were.

Tokyo and Kyoto were both already destroyed by fire bombing.

There was little to destroy there, so they bombed other cities that were intact. One of the cities bombed was a secondary target, which was bombed because the primary was covered with clouds.

[Smokin' Joe]

Tokyo and Kyoto were both in range of American planes--if the United States was seeking the most deaths, and the largest societal impact, those two cities could have been hit instead of the two which were.

Not to take the wind out of anyone's sails, but Tokyo and Kyoto were hit. Research Curtis Le May's incendiary bombing campaign.

Part of the reason Hiroshima and Nagasaki were chosen as A-Bomb targets was the fact they had been pretty much left alone and would give a better idea of how damaging the bombs were.