Description

8vo., First Edition, with endpaper maps; elegantly bound in full navy crushed morocco, sides with gilt frame border, back with raised bands, second and fourth compartments ruled and lettered in gilt, all other compartments tooled in gilt with propeller motif, gilt top, hand-made endpapers, ribbon marker, custom-made slip-case, a most attractive copy ideal as a gift or for presentation. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris (1892-1984) was Commander in Chief Bomber Command from 1942 (when he replaced Richard Peirse) to 1945. Based on his experiences in London during the Blitz, Harris developed a belief in intensive incendiary bombing as a means not merely of destroying cities but of undermining civilian morale. His new concept of 'area bombing' was put into practice with the first 'thousand-bomber' raid on Cologne in May 1942. Like most large-scale innovations this was a major gamble, but its undoubted success (colossal damage inflicted for the loss of forty aircraft) paved the way for Britain's bombing strategy for the rest of the war. Eventually this policy (which remains controversial to this day) brought him into direct conflict with both Portal and Churchill, but Harris pursued it doggedly until the surrender. Arguably the greatest RAF commander of WWII, Harris was an outstanding and inspiring leader, achieving almost iconic status among staff and crews alike. After the war he refused a peerage but accepted a baronetcy in 1953. Enser, p.65.