Henry proberts critical but sympathetic new account draws on recent research and, for this first time, all of this is the definitive biography of one of the most controversial. Today, it is generally accepted that the deliberate targeting of civilians or their reckless endangerment is a war crime. Bomber harris was unrepentant over german city raids 30 years after the end of world war two sir arthur bomber harris was the raf chief of the bomber command dresden bombings sparked controversy after 25,000 civilians died in attack but newlydiscovered video shows raf chief saying he would do it again. Marshal of the royal air force sir arthur travers harris was air officer commandinginchief of the royal air forces bomber command for much of world war ii. A fighter pilot in world war i, harris was charged with implementing the british policy of area bombing german cities in the later conflict. As part of the museums collection, we look after many of the items that bomber harris stored in his house that made up his bomber command museum as well as personal papers and documents one of which is the message of. Sir arthur bomber harris talks about the dresden holocaust duration. Harris became a marshal of the royal air force in 1946 and soon afterwards retired from active duty. He published his war memoirs, bomber command, in 1947. His life and times the biography of marshal of the royal air force sir arthur harris, the wartime chief of probert, henry on.
Bomber harris do it again heartland scorched earth policy download 3. Sir arthur travers harris, 1st baronet british military. Our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance isr solutions serve a broad array of government, civil and commercial customers by enhancing information superiority, contributing to our national security and. Unveiled by the queen mother on 31 may 1992, the 50th anniversary of the first allied 1,000 bomber raid on 30 may31 may 1942. Marshal of the royal air force sir arthur travers harris, 1st baronet april 1892 5 april 1984 was a british air marshal during world war ii. To conclude i feel the question of whether bomber harris was a national hero or mass murderer should now be addressed. The bomber offensive in harris own words, and you can almost hear him talking through the narrative. Colin bomber harris vs colin bomber harris wikipedia. Join facebook to connect with paul bomber harris and others you may know. Harris commanded bomber command during the allies massive air campaign against nazi germany. More than just the singleminded demon some people view him as. Finally, it was discussed whether harris was mad or bad. Join facebook to connect with bomber harris and others you may know.
Marshal of the royal air force sir arthur travers harris, 1st baronet gcb obe afc april 1892 5 april 1984, commonly known as bomber harris by the press, and often within the raf as butcher harris,2 was air officer commandinginchief aocinc of raf bomber command from early 1943 holding the rank of air chief marshal3 during the latter half of world war ii. Death and burial ground of harris, arthur, sir bomber. Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance harris. Drama about sir arthur bomber harris, wartime leader of bomber command from february 1942 to may 1945. As colin fights himself, a commentator john cleese, with michael palin as mc in both versions hastily reports the events. John thaw stars as the legendary bomber command cinc in this engrossing bbc drama, costarring robert hardy as churchill. There are many useful appendices and tables, and there is a strong photoplate section that conveys graphically the major elements of. Vulcan bomber crashes at london airport at the end of its triumphant round the world flight. I knew he was just jealous of my devotion to harris. Sir arthur harris remains the target of criticism and vilification by many, while others believe the contribution he and his men made to victory is grossly undervalued. The history of one of the key commanders of ww2, the head of raf bomber command, air chief marshall sir arthur bomber harris. Marshal of the raf, sir arthur bomber harris was air officer commandinginchief of raf bomber command from early 1943. Id always thought the nickname coined for him by his men in bomber command was actually butch which, in the 1940s, didnt have the connotations it has today, but simply meant vigorous or forceful. The man who engulfed germany in flames i war history duration.
Marshal of the royal air force sir arthur travers harris, 1st baronet, gcb, obe, afc april 1892 5 april 1984, commonly known as bomber harris by the press and often within the raf as butcher harris, was air officer commandinginchief aocinc raf bomber command during the height of the angloamerican strategic bombing campaign against nazi germany in the second world war. Bomber harris first mention online was on the daily mail website in 20 where a post war interview was found of him saying he would bomb dresden again. The queen mothers speech was disrupted with shouts of mass murderer and following repeated. Harris went to boarding school in england and then settled in rhodesia in southern africa. Marshal of the raf sir arthur harris is the memoir of sir arthur harris, who served as air officer commandinginchief of raf bomber command from 22. Arthur travers harris was born on april 1892 in cheltenham. Bomber harris a hero or a mass murderer history essay. Air marshall arthur bomber harris remains one of the most controversial military commanders of world war two. Sir arthur harris was the air marshal of the raf during the second world war. Paul bomber harris is a member of vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. View the profiles of people named paul bomber harris. Information and translations of bomber harris in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web.
Arthur harris commanded bomber command and was a believer that the bombing of civilian targets, and as a result civilians, would shorten world war two. Based on real events and skilfully making use of genuine wartime film footage of raf bomber command, bomber harris is a triumph for john thaw and a fascinating account of some of the most controversial and devastating missions ever carried out by the raf. Colin bomber harris vs colin bomber harris is a monty python comedy sketch in which wrestler colin harris graham chapman fights himself, colin harris. In his bbc tv series the making of modern britain, andrew marr last night referred to acm sir arthur bomber harris with the alternative moniker butcher. Bomber harris is a 1989 bbc television drama biography based on the life of arthur harris, who was commanderinchief of raf bomber command during the second world war john thaw played the role of harris during a period away from filming for inspector morse and robert hardy returned to the role of winston churchill, which had earned him a bafta nomination for winston churchill. His first raids were largely publicity stunts, like the bombing of medieval lubeck more like a firelighter than a human habitation, in harriss words and the 1,000bomber raid on cologne. A full range of accounting and financial services to help your business tackle everything from gst returns, budgets to annual financial reports. Sir arthur harris despatches on war operations 19421945 grehan, john, mace, martin the bombing campaign conducted against germany and germanoccupied europe in the second world war was, and remains, one of the most controversial operations of the entire war. His life and times the biography of marshal of the royal air force sir arthur harris, the wartime chief of. The flawed command of bomber harris by major lynne chaloux royal canadian air force journal, vol 2, no. With john thaw, robert hardy, frederick treves, bernard kay.
During the war, he built bomber command into a highly effective force and aided in devising. Sir arthur travers harris, 1st baronet, byname bomber harris, born april, 1892, cheltenham, gloucestershire, englanddied april 5, 1984, goringonthames, oxfordshire, british air officer who initiated and directed the saturation bombing that the royal air force inflicted on germany during world war ii harris was reared in rhodesia now zimbabwe and educated in english public. His first raids were largely publicity stunts, like the bombing of medieval lubeck more like a firelighter than a human habitation, in harris s words and the 1,000 bomber raid on cologne. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. This book collects together the reports written by harris, that show how he set about building bomber command and using it as a strategic weapon. In february 1942 arthur harris was given the job of taking the war to the enemy at a time when britain was still on the defensive. Bomber harris, i say, do it again my dad hears me and calls me a partisan. When he took over bomber command it possessed only sixtynine heavy bombers and his force was incapable of undertaking any major operations, yet by may 1943 harris was able to mount the first of many 1,000bomber raids.
Bomber harris is a member of vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. Dresden protests statue of bomber harris by gil kezwer 19920501 12. Protesters against the statue prior to its erection included the mayor of cologne. In todays complex world, illegal and threatening activities around borders, highprofile events and critical infrastructure put lives, resources and regional stability at risk. Bomber offensive is a book all students of world war ii and airpower simply must read. Upset by criticisms of his area bombing strategy he went to live in south africa where he ran a shipping line. More dry humour than youd imagine, and lots of perceptive comments about the world at the time. Compared to the memoirs of contemporaries such as alexander, montgomery, slim, and cunningham, page after page of harris book reverberates with ferocious, uncompromising blasts. Much of the material contained in this article was taken from the authors book, none but the brave, published in 2009. Dresden protests statue of bomber harris peace magazine.
414 1253 468 27 722 121 600 13 626 798 1652 1126 264 193 1462 760 1601 1666 1489 663 729 165 530 585 25 1656 696 58 617 1066 778 643 896 1282 1070 1338 53 1391 54 743 640 1250 1117 1203 1046