Why were some German and Japanese cities bombed more than others during WW2? Is there a scientific consensus?

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By late 1944, Japan was in ruins. Most major cities had already been destroyed by 1945 bombing of Japan was more so a psychological weapon than practical. However Japan did not consolidate industry to major factories and diversified production of war goods to cottage industry and small scale manufacturing. So destroying all in vicinity was paramount.

Upvote:5

You're going to have to learn quite a lot about the bombing campaigns before you can start to research this facet of them in a meaningful way. The history is complicated, and has been obscured by politics. The issues you need to understand include, but are not limited to:

  • The ideology of "independent air forces."
  • The widely variable meanings of "strategic", as applied to bombing.
  • The very different means and methods of the British and American bombing campaigns in Europe, and their evolution over the course of the campaign.
  • The much-neglected subject of the use of tactical bombing and ground attack by lighter bombers as a means of reducing the casualties of the heavy bombers.
  • The changes in American methods during the bombing campaign against Japan.
  • The personal ideas and objectives of many of the personalities involved.
  • The degree of whitewashing that some hold to have been applied to the history.

A good start can be obtained from Richard Overy's The Bombing War: Europe 1939–1945 (2013), ISBN 0713995610 (later published as The Bombers and the Bombed: Allied Air War Over Europe, 1940–1945, ISBN 978-0-670-02515-2). That book is not enough orientation, but it is a reasonable introduction, and it is well-referenced.

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