Arthur Travers Harris

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris led Bomber Command from February 1942 to the end of the war. Under his command, the strategic bombing campaign grew from a small-scale effort to a massive offensive involving over 1,000 aircraft raids.Harris remains one of the most controversial figures of the war. His area bombing strategy devastated German cities but came at a terrible cost: 55,573 Bomber Command aircrew were killed — a casualty rate of 44.4%, higher than any other branch of the British forces. His Leeds connections come through Bomber Command operations in Yorkshire.