Hiroshima was the ideal target for the atomic bomb in many ways. It was a key city for the Japanese military, housing headquarters for important divisions responsible for the defense of the entire southern region of Japan. In addition, it was a communications center, a storage point, and an area of assembly for troops. Further, Hiroshima had been untouched by previous bombings, creating the ideal location to measure the damage caused by the atomic bomb. Most of the city consisted of wooden construction, leaving it extremely vulnerable to fire damage. In addition, the population of the city was about 255,000 at the time of the bombing, another quality that would help to gauge level of the bomb’s destruction (Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki). However, the fact that in Hiroshima, civilians outnumbered the military five or six to one raises questions about whether the city had as much militaristic value as the U.S. claimed (Dietrich).

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SOURCES:

"Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 11 Jul. 2005. Wikipedia. 11 Jul. 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki>.

Dietrich, Bill. "Pro and Con on Dropping the Bomb." The Seattle Times 1995. 08 Aug 2005 <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/trinity/supplement/procon.html>