The bombing was not revenge per se, but the Japanese never surrendered even when outnumbered 20 to 1. Even worse, the last Japanese standing would probably blow

The bombing was not revenge per se, but the Japanese never surrendered even when outnumbered 20 to 1. Even worse, the last Japanese standing would probably blow himself up with a grenade to take out a few Americans with him. In this light, the Japanese basically “forced” the US to literally go with the Nuclear option: using such outrageous force on an already weakened enemy, just to get them to surrender.