Among the Dead Cities: Was the Allied Bombing of Civilians in WWII a Necessity or a Crime?

Among the Dead Cities: Was the Allied Bombing of Civilians in WWII a Necessity or a Crime? By A. G. Grayling. London: Bloomsbury, 2006. ISBN 07475-7671-8. Photographs. Maps. Appendix. Bibliography. Index. Pp. 384. $20.00.

"Was this bombing offensive [against the cities of Germany and Japan] a crime against humanity? Or was it justified by the necessities of war?" (p, 1). The English philosopher Anthony G. Grayling poses these questions in an attempt to understand the ethical and legal aspects of the Allied "area-bombing" strategy during World War II. An answer, Grayling asserts, is morally obligatory. Furthermore, "history has to be got right before it distorts into legend and diminishes into over-simplification" (p. 2). Finally, a more contemporary purpose is sought: charting guidelines for the future behaviour of states in waging wars.

Grayling's case is laid out in eight neatly written chapters. There is also an appendix of Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks on Germany with inflicted and sustained losses. He delves into the history of the aerial campaign, the growing prominence of Bomber Command, and its faithful pursuit of the thesis of ruthless industrial bombing advocated by physicist Frederick A. Lindemann. The gruesome experience of the bombed is...