20th century record. Played 2, lost 2. There’s more to war than having smart uniforms.

@@user-sq5uo8oh3g Germany could of beaten any two of the Allies I suspect, it was only the channel that saved Britain, distance that saved Russia and in the case of the USA, both.....There, that wasn't bad considering I just made that up and it's nearly one in the morning! Lol

@@rob5944wehraboo delusion. The Germans were doomed to lose from the start.

So the 80,000 British civilians killed ON purpose by the Luftwaffe wasn't a 'war crime'? The RAF didn't knowingly bomb German civilians at all until well into 1942. But by then, tens of thousands of British civilians had already been deliberately bombed by Germany. That's why 'all bets were off' once the USA entered the war. As Harris says in the film, 'Germany sowed the wind now they'll reap the whirlwind'.

It was the UK and France that declared war for the sake of Poland, that heartland of the British Empire. Two weeks later they saw the USSR invade and played dumb.

It's British TV film not a big Hollywood production.

Bomber Command aircrew casualties were why Harris was nicknamed "Butcher" by Bomber Command - not because of the civilian casualties. Their deaths were as pointless as the 600,000 German civilians they killed, mainly refugees and woman and children, which is what makes it all the sadder. Nobody who flew got a "campaign medal" for it - NOBODY. What they got was a clasp to the '39-'45 star and the France-Germany star if in that theatre, which is what the 3,000 Battle of Britain pilots got. Harris wanted a "Bomber Command" clasp for all Bomber Command, up to a million of them including ground crew who never flew or left their base in the UK - that was never going to be acceptable and never has been. It's like the RAF demanding Afghanistan and Iraq medals for drone pilots who "flew" drones there from the comfort of an office in the UK - which the RAF have demanded more recently. Totally unacceptable and unjustifiable.

@@John-G First point. Harris was known 'Butch' not butcher. 'Butcher' was a term coined by post War lefties who were quick to condem the bombing campaign as 'terror'. The bomber offensive both in Europe and the Far East made a major contribution to winning the War. Unfortunately civilians become targets. The German War machine could not have worked without millions of munitions and industrial workers. Yoy can argue as soon as you pick up a spanner to put a tank together you then become a legitimate target, i happen to agree with this. Easy to sit back on the moral high ground years later. I think Harris got it pretty much right, although i think he became a little obsessed with Berlin. As Speer was quoted to say after the War. 6 more raids like Hamburg the War would have been over. Bombing did finish the War. Japan was 95% destroyed and the A bombs brought back peace to the World...for a while. As a well read student and historian of the air war i could go on all day, i will leave it there.

@@richardmarshall4322 First point - laughable. Even those commenting here whose parents and relatives were in Bomber Command say that they said he was nicknamed "Butcher". It's also explained in detail in his authorised biography by Henry Probert, in the official history of Bomber Command, is detailed in the official IWM biography (reel 4), and I not only heard him say so himself in 1975, unashamedly, but he said so himself in 'Bomber Command'. Somehow I doubt they all got it wrong, including the man himself, or that they're all "post-war Lefties" including Harris himself. You can indeed argue that as soon as you pick up a spanner to work on a tank you're a legitimate target, and few would disagree. Unfortunately for your argument none of those in Dresden had ever picked up a spanner to do anything and most were women, children, and refugees as were most of the 600,000 killed by Bomber Command. That isn't the fault of those men in Bomber Command who risked and gave their lives, but sadly they did so for little reason. I'm sure you could go on all day, but that wouldn't make you any better informed or any less of an armchair hard man talking about something he's never dared experience.

@@richardmarshall4322 and for a "well read student and historian of the air war" you're remarkably uninformed if you think Bomber Command Aircrew didn't qualify for a campaign medal. All, without exception, qualified for at least the '39-'45 Star and the France-Germany star. What they didn't get until decades later, which is very different to a campaign medal, was a separate clasp to the campaign medal like the Battle of Britain clasp. The reason, well documented, was that BoB pilots didn't qualify for the France-Germany Star for obvious reasons and because Harris wanted the clasp awarded to all Bomber Command, not just aircrew, even if they never left the ground or the UK, which was as unacceptable then as it is now. Edit: my original reply to your comment about Harris being nicknamed "Butch", not "Butcher", seems to have disappeared. Those commenting here who's parents and relatives were in Bomber Command say that he was nicknamed "the Butcher". So does his authorised biography. So does the official Bomber Command history. So does the IWM (reel 4). So did Harris himself, unashamedly, when I heard him speak in 1975. So Harris said himself in 'Bomber Command'. I doubt they're all wrong or post-war Lefties, including Harris.

@@John-G I didn't mention campaign medal. Ofcoarse they should have had one. At least they got the memorial in London. The crews played a pivital role in winning the War and later becoming the means of delivering the Nuclear deterrent, which they would have done with the same zest as the loads delivered on Berlin. As for 'Butcher' will have to disagree.

"Hitler let the RAF do it" ? Seriously? Nobody tried to shoot them down? 😢

The EU isn't a thing of permanence, comrade!

It nearly did go the other way, as Harris was nearly responsible for Coastal Command losing the war in the Atlantic until he was over-ruled.

Why do people call Charles Portal "Peter"? Its a nickname used by his friends.

"Bert" was a common nickname for anyone named Harris at the time, apparently after a popular racing cyclist who'd died young in a cycle race.

@@John-G Wow! That is so strange it sounds true! May I ask how you know such an arcane notion?

@@IvegottobeFrank I googled "Bert Harris"!

@@John-G Honest to God, sometimes simple ideas are the best! Please put your fact checking skills to good use!

No.

The "war to end all wars" was WWI - not WWII.

@@John-G yes, He fought in WWI also. Both of my grandfathers did. I am so proud of you for all your knowledge.

@@chuckgilbert2035 Sorry, I wasn't trying to be one-up, but if you re-read your original comment I think it'd be fair to say that it sounds very much as if you're referring to WW2 as "the war to end all wars", not WW1.

Interesting..My Uncle an MP and was Eisenhower's jeep driver, I have a picture of him with Eisenhower, General Clark and two female aids in the jeep..

@@MrDonJBerg My Grandfather was badly burn by mustard gas in WWI. They did not take many pictures with him in them. BTW the General had him check out the M1 before it was issued. The third one in production was presented to him with serial # 3 on it.