Bomber Harris Interview on TV (merged - AGAIN!)
 

At 1930 on 11 February, the BBC1 West Midlands edition of Inside Out will feature an interview with Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris. Filmed in 1977, he is interviewed by the then Gp Capt Tony Mason. See BBC One - Inside Out West Midlands, 11/02/2013 .

It will also be available on BBC I-player afterwards

1977 Bomber Harris interview uncovered
 

BBC just showing excerpts from a 1977 interview by (then) Gp Capt Tony Mason. Discovered in the RAF Film Archive.

PC BBC Luvvies tonight
 

I've just noticed that at 19.30 this evening BBC 1 (West) are showing "Inside Out", among the other clap-trap is the "Never-before-seen interview with the notorious Bomber Harris"! (my italics). Why "notorious"?
I feel the BBC should be bombed.
Grrrr.:E:E:E:E

Unfortunately the DM and Torygraph are already receiving comments with respect to this film, as " an evil man, war criminal,etc etc". Reading such cr@p makes me laugh, none of these "highly knowledgeable" commentators would have the right to state their case had the likes of Harris and the brave men of Bomber Command not prevailed. I'm starting to despair for what's left of our country.

Smudge

smujs

Well said.

My grand parents would turn in their graves if they read those types
of comments.

I think a few more stories of what the Germans did to British cities
might be worth it to show people it wasn't one sided and the terror
British people felt night after night (according to my grand parents
and mother who lived in Croydon during the war).

500N

Well said

My mother still becomes very frightened by the sound of an air road siren, even if its on TV or radio.

Some habits are hard to break. She has no hard feelings against any German ( as far as I can tell), but does does know full well that the bombers of both sides were at work during WW2!

"Some habits are hard to break."

Was only discussing it on the weekend about why my mum
always over cooked, always had so much food in the house,
always over bought.

It is all because of the shortages during the war.


My Grand mother had hard feelings against them. She and her
daughter were shot up in Croydon as they walked home. She
said she could see the pilots face ! And then of course coming
out of the shelter hoping your house was still standing.

Those idiots should look at the on line "Bomb Sight" which shows where every German bomb fell on London in the seven months of the first blitz, 1940 and 1941. For those of you who haven't seen it, take a google gander. I'm not clever enough to post a link.

I'll give it a go anyway and hope it works.

Bomb Sight - Mapping the World War 2 London Blitz Bomb Census

The justification of the WWII Allied Strategic Bombing Campaign in Europe is not that the Luftwaffe had flattened our cities (they didn't drop a single bomb on the USA, AFAIK), but that it helped us to win the war. I strongly believe that was the case.
No-one knows what would have happened if we had not conducted it as we did, but crucial turning points in our favour such as Kirsk and D-Day would most probably not have been possible, leaving Europe in the thrall of the Nazis and the fall of Moscow a matter of time only. Our demise would have not been far behind unless the atomic bombs had been dropped on Germany, as intended. The monster was war, not Harris. If you have to fight a war, fight it to win or just don't bother fighting at all, for you will lose.

Bomber Harris
 

It is beyond belief that this hydra-headed calumny still resurfaces.

As one who was there at the time, I cannot do better than to quote from one of my Posts of long ago.

"Moreover, we were the only Service fully on the offensive. Bomber Command was hitting back, night after night, far harder, but in exactly the same way, as the enemy had bombed (and were still bombing) us in the "Blitz". Nobody felt the slightest guilt about it at the time - that was a luxury we could allow ourselves post-war, long after the danger was past".

It now seems that some "Gentlemen in England now a-bed" (Shakespeare: Henry V.) are positively wallowing in that luxury.

D.

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, and he who sheds his blood this day with me shall be my brother, may it temper his disposition be it ne´er so vile, and Gentlemen of England now a-bed will think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap , whilst others speak, who fought with us......." etc. How true. sorry for any mistakes but Henry v at Agincourt was learnt a long time ago. Still very stirring though.

Danny

And we thank you for your service. My Grand mother often
talked about those who went :ok:

Well I thought the interview excerpts were quite limited and possibly tailored to reflect what ever it was the Beeb wanted to protray.

I thought BH came across as the typical ex-Commander who didn't say he regretted anything (well, how could he?) But he also came across as quite human too.

As an aside, my mother was in the "Land-Army" working the Search Lights for the German Ack-Ack during the War. Her home in Hamburg was demolished and she lived in its Cellar for a year before moving to UK as a Coal Mine Administrator. My Dad was in the 9th Para's at the same time.

Their reactions were to be totally against me and my brother joining up. They shunned anything military until well into the 70s.

And my deeepest respect to Danny. Thank you, Sir.

Bomber Harris
 

Never in British Military history have a group of service personnel been given the most dangerous, and the most awful but necessary wartime task to perform. This resulting in almost 60% casualties if training accidents included, but got little or no recognition as their task was swept under the carpet at the end of the war. Senior Politicians and very Senior RAF Chiefs need to look inwards as it took 70 years or so to give these brave men a decent memorial, if the ones at the top wanted one it could have been done a long time ago.

The most destructive raid of the war as for loss of life was General Curtis Le May fire raid on Tokyo with the loss of 400,000 Japanese civilians using the exact tactics of Harris, but the US Bomber crews in both the Pacific and ETO were fated for their bravery.

Bottom line Harris and Bomber Command Personnel carried the Can and still do today.

Danny,

Not that I think you need it but if it's any consolation:

There are many of us on here (myself included) who would like to look you in the eye, thank you with the deepest sincerity for you efforts during WW2, shake your hand and buy you a pint in your local pub. I personally would also love to chat in depth about your experiences and hear all of your stories from those days. I would also want you to have no illusions about how much I/we respect you.

Then there are those who I truly believe are the silent majority who will also respect you with awe. They may not make a 'song and dance' about it but you have their support and deepest thanks.

Then there are those (sadly increasing in numbers) liberals who shout the loudest and hide under the umbrella of political correctness, gay rights, equality and diversity agendas etc.. who I personally think have done more damage to this country than Hitler ever could. None of them will admit that without people like yourself, they would probably be speaking German now and none of them will accept that they have the ability to criticise war leaders as murderers because people like you fought to maintain their right to free speech.

Bottom line here, you have the respect of the majority of the nation and for your efforts sir, we thank you

Bomber boys remembered
 

I feel Noel Cowards famous lines say it all, heroes one & all.


BOMBER BOYS REMEMBERED

Lie in the dark and listen.
It's clear tonight so they're flying high,
Hundreds of them, thousands perhaps,
Riding the icy, moonlit sky.
Men, machinery, bombs and maps,
Altimeters and guns and charts,
Coffee, sandwiches, fleece-lined boots,
Bones and muscles and minds and hearts,
English saplings with English roots
Deep in the earth they've left below.
Lie in the dark and let them go;
Theirs is a world we'll never know.
Lie in the dark and listen.

Lie in the dark and listen.
They're going over in waves and waves,
High above villages, hills and streams,
Country churches and little graves
And little citizen's worried dreams;
Very soon they'll have reached the sea.
And far below them will lie the bays
And cliffs and sands where they used to be.
Taken for summer holidays.
Lie in the dark and let them go.
Deep in the earth they've left below.
Lie in the dark and let them go;
Theirs is a world we'll never know.
Lie in the dark and listen.

City magnates and steel contractors,
Factory workers and politicians.
Soft hysterical little actors,
Ballet dancers, reserved musicians,
Safe in your warm civilian beds.
Count your profits and count your sheep,
Life is passing above your heads,
Just turn over and try to sleep.
Lie in the dark and let them go;
There's one debt you'll forever owe,
Deep in the earth they've left below.
Lie in the dark and let them go;
Theirs is a world we'll never know.
Lie in the dark and listen.

Nöel Coward

well said
 

Well said Party Animal - I'm with you on that.

Respects to all the Bomber Boys, I salute them all.

Recall too that Bomber Command* crews of he 50s and 60s were equally committed retaliation while at the same time hoping that deterrence would work.

Also allowed the CND the luxury to propagate their peacenik theories.


*and of course all the other nuclear forces.