Bomber Offensive

by Arthur Travers Harris

The Royal Air Force commander of bombing operations during WWII offers an insider's view of his legendary career in this classic military memoir.

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris remains a controversial figure in the history of the RAF. While many vilify him for his merciless carpet bombing of Germany, others believe that his contributions to Allied victory are grossly undervalued. In Bomber Offensive, Harris candidly describes how he led the men of Bomber Command in the face of appalling casualties, his fierce disagreements with higher authority, and the complicated relationship he had with Winston Churchill.

Written soon after the close of the Second World War, Harris's memoirs reveals the man behind the Allied bombing offensive that destroyed the Nazi war machine, but also many beautiful and historic cities, such as Dresden. His defense of these total war tactics stands in stark contrast to modern military policy, which considers such indiscriminate killing a war crime.

Genres: Military History, History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military Fiction

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1990

About the author

Arthur Travers Harris, father of Marigold Armitage.

Reviews

[Rick Brindle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bomber offensive in Harris' own words, and you can almost hear him talking through the narrative. More dry humour than you'd imagine, and lots of perceptive comments about the world at the time. More than just the single-minded demon some people view him as. Of course, as you'd imagine, he always was a great advocate of the offensive, but as other histories tell us, he didn't dream up the whole thing. It was around before he took over Bomber Command, and if it wasn't him in charge, it would have been someone else.
The description of the offensive itself is as you'd imagine, very detailed with insider knowledge, peppered with wry swipes at the other services which may or may not be completely serious. He definitely wasn't a fan of the battleship, or the cavalry mind, and probably with good reason.
The most eye opening passages though, for me, were right at the end, and his predictions about how the next war would be fought and won. Quite why he was retired and not made chief of staff with his world view, I'll never know.
In my opinion, he wasn't the monster who destroyed German cities (was his American opposite so reviled for doing the same to Japan?) For Harris, it was the weapon of the time, and had to be utilised to the full. For a long time, it was all the British had to fight back with. The ultimate responsibility lay with the politicians who made the decisions. Harris, like any military commander, simply did what he was told. The fact that he agreed with the concept, does not in itself make you a war criminal.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest, blunt, narrow minded and with an alert readiness to attack the - many - idiots in the RAF and especially outside who had the temerity to propose alternatives to the Harris-way

Not demonstrating much reflection or willingness to admit own mistakes, but on the other hand not re-representing his or Bomber Commands's actions in order to fit in with the shifts of public opinion after the war.

Certainly a worthwhile read for anyone trying to build a broader appreciation of the actions and perceptions shaping the Bomber offensive - and the vast casualties associated with it.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

While an informative book, due to it being written 2 years after the war, much had to be left out of the book which you find in more recently written books on the same topic. I was tough not to get sick of the pompous attitude that came across in his writing though.

[David Engel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a must for readers who are passionate about strategy and what went through Harris' mind planning the offensive against Nazi Germany. It gets a bit dry for the rest of us mere mortal WWII enthusiasts.

[Rupert Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most interesting books I have ever read. Straight from the horse's mouth. It reads to me as if Harris was dictating it to somebody. In the final chapter it becomes clear that this book was written very soon after the war and in the wake of the (disgraceful) decision not to award Bomber Command personnel a campaign medal, as was then customary. So looking back on the book I imagine that Harris wrote this as his testimonial to the men who served under him - who he praises unstintingly.

There are some great descriptions of people he worked for, with and over One chap is described as "a very intelligent man, but he did not suffer fools gladly and by his own high standards nearly everyone was a fool" - one gets the impression that included Harris. He also goes into a lot of detail about why Bomber Command did what it did and in the way it did it.

I was quite surprised from what I had previously read about Harris to find that he several times admitted when he had made mistakes and got things wrong. Not often a person in a senior position does that quite as readily as Harris does in this book.

Overall, a fascinating first-hand account that should be read by anyone with an interest in the air campaigns of WW2.

[Graeme · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris puts forth his defence of the huge Anglo-American Bomber Offensives of the Second World War.