The raid should never have taken place in those clear conditions – Harris demonstrated a callous disregard for the airmen and well deserved being called “butcher Harris”.
It is even worse if you consider the strategy dictated to him by Churchill, this snippet in Wikipaedia about the “dehousing” advised by Lindemann, Churchill's mate:
“Following the
Air Ministry Area bombing directive on 12 February 1942, Lindemann presented in a paper on "
Dehousing" to Churchill on 30 March 1942, which calculated the effects of
area bombardment by a massive bomber force of German cities to break the spirit of the people.
[15]
His proposal that "
bombing must be directed to working class houses. Middle class houses have to much space round them, so are bound to waste bombs" changed accepted conventions of limiting civilian casualties in wartime. "
It should be emphasized that the destruction of houses, public utilities, transport and lives, the creation of a refugee problem on an unprecedented scale, and the breakdown of morale both at home and at the battle fronts by fear of extended and intensified bombing, are accepted and intended aims of our bombing policy. They are not by-products of attempts to hit factories."
”
I wonder how many, if any, of those brave young RAF men knew of the main aim of their mission? I sincerely doubt that Englishmen of the time would have participated if they had known the truth – at least I hope that they would not have. A wicked waste for both peoples.