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Oldgateboatdriver said:Wether the phrase was used by Churchill (I don't believe so) or by Bomber Harris (I believe it to be so), neither invented it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to4djmDqJRI
03:58
Oldgateboatdriver said:Wether the phrase was used by Churchill (I don't believe so) or by Bomber Harris (I believe it to be so), neither invented it.
Me too, but I would cite Giulio Douhet, Command of the Air, 1921, as kicking it all off. :nod:Old Sweat said:For a bit of context, largely from memory as I am a long way from my library.....
Journeyman said:Me too, but I would cite Giulio Douhet, Command of the Air, 1921, as kicking it all off. :nod:
Oldgateboatdriver said:Wether the phrase was used by Churchill (I don't believe so) or by Bomber Harris (I believe it to be so), neither invented it.
The original is from the Aramaic version of the Hebrew bible, known as the Tanakh, in the Book of Hosea, at Hosea 8-7: "He who sows the wind, he shall reap the whirlwind".
Either way, some historians have pointed out that the phrase was likely used by Churchill/Harris as much as a taunt to the Germans, by threatening them using a Hebrew sacred text, as an indication that the British were aware of the goings on with regards to Jews in Germany at the time.
World War II: Combined Bomber Offensive Against Germany Effectively a Bust
https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/mark-collins-world-war-ii-combined-bomber-offensive-against-germany-effectively-a-bust/
World War II: Combined Bomber Offensive Against Germany Effectively a Bust–or Not?
https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/mark-collins-world-war-ii-combined-bomber-offensive-against-germany-effectively-a-bust-or-not/
Opportunity Costs
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n22/edward-luttwak/opportunity-costs
Movie “Command Decision” and US Strategic Bombing vs Germany, 1943
https://cgai3ds.wordpress.com/2016/04/26/mark-collins-movie-command-decision-and-us-strategic-bombing-vs-germany-1943/
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MarkOttawa said:Two posts on reviews of the comprehensive The Bombing War: Europe 1939‑1945 by Richard Overy--first pro, second con:
Old Sweat said:For a bit of context, largely from memory as I am a long way from my library, at the end of the Great War the newly created independent air forces seized upon the theory of the devastating effect of air power and the invincibility of the bomber as a way to ensure their survival as independent services and not surprisingly as a way to convince politicians to invest the air forces as a way to avoid the horrible casualties of the First World War.
That the theory of air power involved bombing the enemy's industrial base, communications, and armies and navies into submission meant that the civilian population became a target was downplayed, but it must have occurred to more than a few people in positions of authority between the wars. In my opinion it is wrong to suggest that the British civilian and air force leadership were not aware that what they were proposing was mass slaughter of non-combatants, and the same could be said of the Americans as well as the Axis powers. There was some rationalization along the lines that in 20th century warfare there was no such thing as a non-combatant. On the Allied side, there also was plenty of scope to argue that the Huns started it all, but perhaps that was a bit of justification.
In any case, look at the use of chemical weapons in the First World War, where our side retaliated in kind, and that included Canada.
Apologies for a rather wordy two cents worth.
E.R. Campbell said:In the summer of 1944 British morale ~ civilian and military ~ took a real beating thanks to the V1 and V2 attacks: the second "blitz."
Blair Gilmore said:3. Lastly, the sheer number of no known graves on both sides was staggering. Canadians get so worked up over a few deaths when about 20,000 Canadians from the war simply went missing.
Dimsum said:I've wondered about that before - is it possibly that due to the ease of communication and social media, we expect to be able to reach someone when back in WWI/II/Korea/etc the families would only get letters? If a bunch of letters go missing, the family may think that something has happened to Billy but maybe that it's just that Canada Post has screwed up again?
Lightguns said:Vietnam was the first war where the dead were brought home
If you're including the US Civil War, then I'd add the Franco-Prussian war -- roughly the same time-frame, weapons, trains, telegraphs....Oldgateboatdriver said:... save perhaps the American who had some taste of it in their Civil war.
Liberals downplay military role in Canada 150 celebrations, some historians say
4 key themes for sesquicentennial celebrations are diversity, youth, environment and Indigenous reconciliation
[ Highlights only ]
- But University of Calgary military historian David Bercuson says the Liberals are making a political calculation in toning down its focus on the military around the milestone birthday....Canadian milestones like this are an important opportunity to not only remember the sacrifice of fallen soldiers, Bercuson says, but also to note the role military members played in shaping the development of the country industrially, economically and socially.
- Canada 150 is a time to reflect on the extraordinary "story of the nation," and our military history is a part of that, says military historian Jack Granatstein.... It wasn't all perfect, Lord knows. But it's worth remembering. "Military history is a part of that. More than 100,000 Canadians were killed in service of this nation, in service of values that I think we still believe in."
- Steve Harris, who oversees DND's directorate of history and heritage, said the funding gap has meant doing some things more slowly. But he said cutbacks were in lock-step with government-wide spending cuts.
- Michael Behiels, a historian at the University of Ottawa, said Harper's vision for Canada 150 was to focus on celebrating past accomplishments, including the military, and reinforcing his "brand of British-Canadian nationalism." "Trudeau could not launch an Expo 1967-type celebration since there was no time or serious funds," he said. "What he could do — and did — was to revamp the Harper narrow, military-focused agenda into a Liberal Party agenda that reinforces the brand of Liberal Canadian nationalism."