The war that saw the use of atomic bombs in WWII was the Pacific Theater of World War II, specifically against Japan in 1945. The United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of that year. The bombings were intended to bring about a swift end to the war, avoiding a costly invasion of Japan. This decision had profound implications, resulting in Japan's eventual surrender on August 15, 1945, and marking the first and only use of nuclear weapons in warfare. The bombings also ushered in the nuclear age and raised ethical debates regarding wartime tactics.