Rent Bomber Boys (2012)

Good Summary of Bombing Campaign During WWII - Bomber Boys review by CV

It gives a balanced view on the ethics of the bombing campaign of the RAF in WW II. Veteran crew give their views and the bigger picture is filled in. There is no doubt that the campaign turned the tide in the war so that defeat for Germany became a matter of time and morally, it was only tit for tat following the blitz on Britain. On the other hand, interviewing two German citizen survivors of the bombing of Hamburg gave another, though non-accusatory, witness: the fire-storms of thousands of degrees centigrade, with people spontaneously combusting, were like the descriptions of the atomic bombing of Japan later in the war, and the two brothers interviewing were visibly moved by this report. Churchill left Harris out of the credits for the eventual victory, not because he disapproved of his actions but because he was embarrassed by them and so slighted the sacrifice that many young airmen gave to defend Britain. It was also interesting how one veteran described how Lancaster crews were a mix of the working class and privileged classes and how strong comradeship was forged.

There was a veteran riveter also, which reminded me that my late grandmother in Manchester tested gyro-mechanisms on the Lancasters during the war. I believe also, that young girls would "drive" them to airfields for testing. The crew loved their Lancasters, a magnificent design and there was mention of one being flown back from duty, safely landing with only one engine working!