Kevmusic
Welcome aboard!
I couldn't agree with you more. The main issue, it seems to me, is the modern penchant for judging actions taken in the past by the politically- correct standards of today. Bill Randle has no need to introduce himself as a war criminal. The cosy world in which aircraft are imagined to be able to select, target and destroy enemy infrastructure without the least risk of collateral damage exists only very imperfectly today, and it certainly didn't exist at all then. Moreover, the facets of "International Law" which are held to make the Bomber Command offensives worthy of being described as "War Crimes" were largely the product of the aftermath of the Second World War; they simply did not exist at the time of the raids. The aircrews did their duty, as did their Commanders. Yes, the outcome was often terrible. The consequences of losing the war would have been more terrible still.
Regards
Ginseng