Sir Arthur Harris: Dutiful Soldier or War Criminal?

Mortimer

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Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris (1892-1984) led British Bomber Command for the greater part of World War II. He is widely regarded as one of the most controversial figures of the war. Called “Bert” or “Bud” by his friends, “The Chief Bomber” by Winston Churchill, “Bomber” by the general public, “Butch” by his crews and “Butcher” by those opposed to what he stood for, these nicknames alone indicate the wide range of feelings that existed about Harris during and after the war.[1]

This article discusses the career path that enabled Harris to become commander-in-chief of Bomber Command, as well as the morality of area bombings practiced by Harris during World War II.
 

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris (1892-1984) led British Bomber Command for the greater part of World War II. He is widely regarded as one of the most controversial figures of the war. Called “Bert” or “Bud” by his friends, “The Chief Bomber” by Winston Churchill, “Bomber” by the general public, “Butch” by his crews and “Butcher” by those opposed to what he stood for, these nicknames alone indicate the wide range of feelings that existed about Harris during and after the war.[1]

This article discusses the career path that enabled Harris to become commander-in-chief of Bomber Command, as well as the morality of area bombings practiced by Harris during World War II.

Odd source.
 
He was lucky his side won. He'd have been on the list, fer shure.

crimes against humanity—"namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war
 
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He was lucky his side won. He'd have been on the list, fer shure.

By the time that Britain and The Allies were in a position to start a strategic bombing campaign, the victory for The Allies was much more certain.

Harris, LeMay, and Pierse weren't overly concerned with post-war prosecutions by Germany.

In fact, given how disgraced Goring was near the end of the war, in the event of a British surrender, Hitler may have replaced Goring with Harris.
 
By the time that Britain and The Allies were in a position to start a strategic bombing campaign, the victory for The Allies was much more certain.

Harris, LeMay, and Pierse weren't overly concerned with post-war prosecutions by Germany.

In fact, given how disgraced Goring was near the end of the war, in the event of a British surrender, Hitler may have replaced Goring with Harris.
Looking like that cnm type is a nazi
 
Serbians hate the idea of war crime trials but love the idea of war crimes.
 
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The Area Bombing Directive was a directive from the wartime British Government's Air Ministry to the Royal Air Force which ordered RAF bombers to attack the German industrial workforce and the morale of the German populace through bombing German cities and their civilian inhabitants. The directive is contradictory to Article 25 of the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907
 
The Area Bombing Directive was a directive from the wartime British Government's Air Ministry to the Royal Air Force which ordered RAF bombers to attack the German industrial workforce and the morale of the German populace through bombing German cities and their civilian inhabitants. The directive is contradictory to Article 25 of the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907

But ... it was very effective.
 

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris (1892-1984) led British Bomber Command for the greater part of World War II. He is widely regarded as one of the most controversial figures of the war. Called “Bert” or “Bud” by his friends, “The Chief Bomber” by Winston Churchill, “Bomber” by the general public, “Butch” by his crews and “Butcher” by those opposed to what he stood for, these nicknames alone indicate the wide range of feelings that existed about Harris during and after the war.[1]

This article discusses the career path that enabled Harris to become commander-in-chief of Bomber Command, as well as the morality of area bombings practiced by Harris during World War II.
I am not going to read this link (though I would like to) because I am already familiar with the subject. As I have been led to understand Germany mistakenly bombed civilians and they apologised for it - or maybe I have confused the incident with some other one? - but the UK decided to treat it as an intentional attack on non-combatants and decided to send in Bomber Harris to do his worst. If that is true then the UK is at fault and Harris might have been guilty (depending upon the range of his orders and "freehand") of being a war criminal.
 
As I have been led to understand Germany mistakenly bombed civilians and they apologised for it - or maybe I have confused the incident with some other one? - but the UK decided to treat it as an intentional attack on non-combatants and decided to send in Bomber Harris to do his worst.

In fact, not entirely accurate.

It is true that Germany's initial bombing on civilian London was an accident. But, after Britain retaliated with a punitive bombing of Berlin, Hitler was anything but apologetic. He proclaimed, over and over, that for every thousand pounds of bombs The British dropped on German populations, he would drop TEN THOUSAND on British populations.

Hitler re-directed ALL of Germany's substantial bomber force (several times larger than that of Britain) into a sustained campaign of carpet bombing civilian London known as "The Blitz".

It was nearly two years later until British Bomber Command and US Eighth Air Force had a large enough force to retaliate with a sustained bombing campaign on German industrial and population centers. During that same time, Germany was also mounting strategic missile barrage on London early in 1942 with V1 rockets and later than year with V2 rockets that killed thousands of Londoners.

The famous raid on the Ruhr Valley dams didn't take place until 1943 and The Bombing of Dresden didn't take place until 1945 --- five years AFTER The Blitz.
 
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"Bomber Harris" was no more a war criminal than Spaatz or LeMay. Those who don't want their cities burned and civilians slaughtered indiscriminately, should probably refrain from starting wars.

He bombed and gassed the Kurds and Iraqis in 1920. They didn't start war. Neither did Dresden.
 
He was lucky his side won. He'd have been on the list, fer shure.

crimes against humanity—"namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war
but he isn't a war criminal --not for sure....for sure you don't know what you are talking about
..lucky???ahhahahahahah ...you people don't know shit about WW2.....the war was decided on 21 June 1941 ...no way Germany/etc will win
 
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The Area Bombing Directive was a directive from the wartime British Government's Air Ministry to the Royal Air Force which ordered RAF bombers to attack the German industrial workforce and the morale of the German populace through bombing German cities and their civilian inhabitants. The directive is contradictory to Article 25 of the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907
...like all laws and guide books, they are just GUIDES--they can't contain EVERY situation, etc.........especially FUTURE issues
= 1899 and 1907---long before massive air bombing
 
He bombed and gassed the Kurds and Iraqis in 1920. They didn't start war. Neither did Dresden.
you are babbling crap--Germany started the war--stop trying to say otherwise ..yes--THEY started the war
....you people need to come over to WW2Forums--where we EXPERTS discuss Dresden/etc...Dresden was a military target --plan and simple
 
you are babbling crap--Germany started the war--stop trying to say otherwise ..yes--THEY started the war
....you people need to come over to WW2Forums--where we EXPERTS discuss Dresden/etc...Dresden was a military target --plan and simple

I know.. Dresden had 100 factories.
 

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