Role Of Ethics In Warfare: British Area Bombing

Ethics In Warfare:
British “Area Bombing” During World War II

From the Trojan horse to the Atomic Bomb, strategies and motivations during warfare have come under close scrutiny from historians and observers alike. The British strategy of “area bombing” during the Second World War is one of such controversies with differing viewpoints. Historians such as Denis Richards, author of The Hardest Victory, take the stance that “area bombing” was a necessary strategy to help the war effort while other historians such as Max Hastings, author of Bomber Command, see this strategy as an atrocity toward humanity. In war, the overall motivation of a strategy must be taken into consideration when determining whether or not an ethical boundary has been crossed. Did the British cross a moral boundary in their bombing campaigns between
Harris was a tough and stubborn man, the exact kind of man England needed at the time. Later critics have given credit to Harris as the inventor of area bombing when something negative has been said about the tactic. The truth is Sir Hugh Trenchard, as was previously stated, first implemented area bombing. The RAF was not making a significant contribution to the war effort and was in danger of being dropped. Targets were not being hit with precision, costs were astronomical, and their effectiveness had not been what it was at the outset of the war. Needless to say, Harris had his hands full as he stepped into command, but he was spoiling for a good challenge. Harris teamed up with the Americans to bring a device known as the “Gee” onboard British bombers. The “Gee” was a position-fixing device much like radar that allowed a bomb-aimer to lock on to a target and hit it with greater accuracy. Harris also stepped up operations by scheduling bombings every night unless weather conditions absolutely forbade it (Neillands,