RAF Bomber crews remembered. Better late than never.

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

Are you saying Bomber command was formed solely for killing civillians.....yes or no, not looking for comparissons or elaborate sentences, I really just want to hear the point of your above statement.

the reason I ask is because the Luftwaffe were bombing British civillians, and somehow that doesn't qualify the Luftwaffe to the same lable.

No,don't be silly,they were both offensive branches of the respective air forces.

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

No,don't be silly,they were both offensive branches of the respective air forces.

I know that and you seem to know that.....does Bewolf?

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

I know that and you seem to know that.....does Bewolf?

I'm sure he does, have a read at that link I posted Bongo.

[ATAG_Dutch]

'It was not just Bomber Command that was responsible for the estimated 450,000 dead; the US air forces soon abandoned any pretence that they could bomb with precision, and two-thirds of their bombs were dropped blind through cloud and smog. A staggering 87 per cent of all bombs missed their target. American planes also killed tens of thousands of civilians. Nor was Bomber Command ever ordered exclusively to murder the German population. The directive for 'area attacks' of 14 February 1942 contained a long appendix, not mentioned by Friedrich, which listed more precise military and economic target systems, while limiting attacks on cities to those with large industrial areas and extensive workers' housing. For much of the last year of war, Bomber Command was ordered to attack transport, oil and other military targets linked with the war on land as it rolled across the German homeland in 1945.'

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by ATAG_Dutch

'It was not just Bomber Command that was responsible for the estimated 450,000 dead; the US air forces soon abandoned any pretence that they could bomb with precision, and two-thirds of their bombs were dropped blind through cloud and smog. A staggering 87 per cent of all bombs missed their target. American planes also killed tens of thousands of civilians. Nor was Bomber Command ever ordered exclusively to murder the German population. The directive for 'area attacks' of 14 February 1942 contained a long appendix, not mentioned by Friedrich, which listed more precise military and economic target systems, while limiting attacks on cities to those with large industrial areas and extensive workers' housing. For much of the last year of war, Bomber Command was ordered to attack transport, oil and other military targets linked with the war on land as it rolled across the German homeland in 1945.'

yep, Americans were also guilty and had their responsibility in the perpetration of this war crime.

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

I'm sure he does, have a read at that link I posted Bongo.

Pretty sure I've read loads of stuff like that, so how about you highlight the salient points you want me to take from it.

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

Pretty sure I've read loads of stuff like that, so how about you highlight the salient points you want me to take from it.

No. You can read it quick yourself if you really do care about this topic in its entirety. Besides you wouldn't want my "biased view" to get in the way

Seriously, it's a very good read.

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger II

No. You can read it quick yourself if you really do care about this topic in its entirety. Besides you wouldn't want my "biased view" to get in the way

Seriously, it's a very good read.

Seriously, I have read that stuff, what exactly is it meant to be changing my mind on? how is it meant to inspire me to go and protest against a memorial to the bomber crews?

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

Seriously, I have read that stuff, what exactly is it meant to be changing my mind on? how is it meant to inspire me to go and protest against a memorial to the bomber crews?

I knew you completely missed the point. Nobody here is saying one should protest against the memorial per se, but it's of vital importance to convey the right message about it, not to turn it into a way of exorcising the dark memory of the mass murder of civilians for no purpose whatsoever.

It really shocks me that there's still people nowadays like Winny who think it was good to bomb the Germans "because they deserved it", this "eye for an eye" attitude doesn't make the act of bombing civilians less of a crime.

[Bewolf]

Originally Posted by bongodriver

Seriously, I have read that stuff, what exactly is it meant to be changing my mind on? how is it meant to inspire me to go and protest against a memorial to the bomber crews?

It hardly is ment to inspire you to do anything. It is your country, your history, your take on it.
Just do not wonder if it causes ambigious reactions and alienation by current generations elsewhere for well based reasons.
If you are willingly taking that into account then there is not need for a debate to begin with. It should not have been dragged into an international forum by the topic starter in the first place, seen as that.