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No one doubts the bravery of the thousands of men who flew and died in Bomber Command. The death rate was an appalling 44%. And yet until the opening of a monument in Green Park this year they have received no official recognition, with many historians claiming that the offensive was immoral and unjustified. How can it be right, they argue, for the Allies to have deliberately targeted German cities causing the death of hundreds of thousands of civilians? Even on a strategic level the offensive failed to bring about the collapse of civilian morale that was its intention.

Others, however, maintain that the attacks made a decisive contribution to the Allied victory. Vast numbers of German soldiers and planes were diverted from the eastern and western fronts, while Allied bombing attacks virtually destroyed the German air force, clearing the way for the invasion of the continent.

SPEAKERS FOR THE MOTION

AC Grayling: Philosopher and author of Among the Dead Cities: Is the Targeting of Civilians in War Ever Justified?

Richard Overy: Professor of history at Exeter University

FEATURING:

Antony Beevor: Award-winning historian of the Second World War

Patrick Bishop: Historian, author and journalist

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Come to class with detailed notes—typed or written— from this debate. Your notes will detail:

• EACH speaker’s arguments
• Evidence deployed to substantiate their arguments
• Rebuttals to arguments made