Sorry if this has been asked before, but it seems relevant in light of everything that is happening with North Korea.
Hi there -- just to clarify, are you asking about conventional (non-atomic) strategic bombings of Japan that started in October 1944; or the atomic bombings that happened in August, 1945?
No one outside a small group of people knew about the atomic bombings, but a major war aim of the island-hopping campaign the Allies waged in the Pacific was the capture of island bases that would allow B-29s to strike Japan with conventional bombs, and the millions of soldiers, sailors and Marines involved in the operations understood that.
(Indeed, there was a demonstration raid of Tokyo in 1942 carried out by Army bombers launched from Navy carriers that was well publicized).
The results of the fire bombing of Japanese cities throughout 1944 and 1945 were reported (though censored) in the American press, and the bombing of cities was not a secret.
The effects of the strategic bombing campaign on Japan's ability to make war -- and indeed the role of the atomic bombs in ending the war -- are still debated. You may be interested in this section of our FAQ on the atomic bombs.
Hi there -- just to clarify, are you asking about conventional (non-atomic) strategic bombings of Japan that started in October 1944; or the atomic bombings that happened in August, 1945?
No one outside a small group of people knew about the atomic bombings, but a major war aim of the island-hopping campaign the Allies waged in the Pacific was the capture of island bases that would allow B-29s to strike Japan with conventional bombs, and the millions of soldiers, sailors and Marines involved in the operations understood that.
(Indeed, there was a demonstration raid of Tokyo in 1942 carried out by Army bombers launched from Navy carriers that was well publicized).
The results of the fire bombing of Japanese cities throughout 1944 and 1945 were reported (though censored) in the American press, and the bombing of cities was not a secret.
The effects of the strategic bombing campaign on Japan's ability to make war -- and indeed the role of the atomic bombs in ending the war -- are still debated. You may be interested in this section of our FAQ on the atomic bombs.