“Official Squeamishness?” - An analysis of the strategic leadership of the air offensive against Germany.

Speaker: Dr Peter Gray, Senior Research Fellow in Air Power Studies and Director of The Centre for War Studies University of Birmingham.

The strategic air offensive against Germany remains one of the most controversial aspects of the Second World War; one historian has recently characterised the debate as 'savage'. There were bitter arguments and disputes during the campaign over its cost in men and materiel, its effectiveness and its legitimacy. The talk will cover the senior leadership and direction of the strategic air offensive and examine the often turbulent relationships between the senior Royal Air Force Leaders and their political masters. The talk will focus on the changing attitudes within the Air Ministry and whether indeed that was a culture of 'Official Squeamishness'.