The 'Whirlwind' of Bomber Harris

摘要

Arthur Travers Harris, known as "Bomber" Harris, became commander of RAF Bomber Command in early 1942. Until then, Bomber Command hadn't done much, but the energetic and controversial Harris soon changed all that. He became the architect and chief proponent of nighttime "area bombing" of major German cities. He developed tactics, techniques, and training for the task.In March, he struck Lubeck. In April, he bombed Rostock. Then, on the night of May 30-31, 1942, he launched a devastating, 1,000-bomber attack on Cologne. A few days later, Harris went before RAF film cameras and delivered a chilling, two-minute message, shown on newsreels nationwide. He was unleashing a whirlwind on Germany, he said. "They sowed the wind," he warned, "and now they are going to reap the whirlwind." They did. The film has been preserved in the Imperial War Museum.