Operation Millennium : 'Bomber' Harris's Raid on Cologne, May 1942

Operation Millennium was an extraordinary feat of organization involving 1,048 bombers, over 6,000 aircrew, and 53 British airfields. To ensure the success of this first strike of the Allied blitz, maximum effort was the order and the Royal Air Force waged a merciless campaign against any airmen who showed faltering commitment, ruthlessly trying them by court martial as "lacking moral fiber." In this impressive and uncompromising picture of the war in the skies, the atmosphere of night bomber stations is vividly recalled—the comradeship, the courage lightly worn, the pity, and the fear. The raid on Cologne is remembered by the crews of Bomber Command and the unfortunate citizens of Cologne who endured the catastrophic rain of steel. The author has interviewed Britons and Germans, aggressors, and victims, and their eyewitness accounts testify to the horror and heroism on both sides of this unprecedented raid.