World News

Brennan Wong: Staff Writer

The allied bombing in World War II is examined in a new book, Fire and Fury, by Randall Hansen. This wartime action has caused much debate over the years. The allied bombing was supposed to disable the German capacity to make war. However, the death toll was extensive - 593, 000 people were killed. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, was conserned that the allies that the allies had become "beasts" but he was also a supporter of Bomber Harrix, commander of the Royal Air Force. This book examines the ethics and the military  strategy behind the bombing. Hansen's conclusion is that the bombing not only did not shorten the war, but it prolonged it.

Canadian veterans were outraged about a plaque in the Canadian War Museum to honour the victims of Allied bombing because they felt it was necessary to bring the war to an early end.  The parallel with the Canadian mission in Afghanistan is clearly reflected in the attitudes of our military towards civilian death especially in a conflict where the enemy does not wear a uniform and is easily mistaken for a civilian.  Unintended civilian deaths are inevitable in modern warfare just as it was in WWII.