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RAF Bomber Command
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==Casualties== {{See also|German casualties in World War II#Air raid deaths}} Bomber Command crews suffered an extremely high casualty rate: 55,573 killed out of a total of 125,000 aircrew (a 44.4 per cent death rate), a further 8,403 were wounded in action and 9,838 became prisoners of war. This covered all Bomber Command operations.<ref name=Roberts>{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/military/article1591152.ece |first=Andrew |last=Roberts |title=High courage on the axe-edge of war |work=[[The Times]] |date=March 2007| location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> A Bomber Command crew member had a worse chance of survival than an infantry officer in World War I; more people were killed serving in Bomber Command than in the Blitz, or the bombings of Hamburg or Dresden.<ref name=Roberts/> By comparison, the US [[Eighth Air Force]], which flew daylight raids over Europe, had 350,000 aircrew during the war and suffered 26,000 killed and 23,000 POWs.<ref name=Roberts/> Of the RAF Bomber Command personnel killed during the war, 72 per cent were British, 18 per cent were Canadian, 7 per cent were Australian and 3 per cent were New Zealanders.{{sfn|Robertson|1984|p=216}} Taking an example of 100 airmen: * 55 killed on operations or died as a result of wounds * three injured (in varying levels of severity) on operations or active service * 12 taken prisoner of war (some wounded) * two shot down and evaded capture * 27 survived a tour of operations<ref>[http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/raf_bc/ Nor the Years Condemn by Rob Davies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615144021/http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/raf_bc/ |date=15 June 2008 }}</ref> In total 501,536 operational sorties were flown, {{convert|1,005,091|LT|e9lb e6t|2|order=out|abbr=off}} of bombs were dropped and 8,325 aircraft lost in action.<ref name=RAFHS>{{cite web|url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/Research/RAF-Historical-Society-Journals/Bracknell-No-4-The-Bomber-Offensive.pdf|title=Reaping the Whirlwind: Bracknell Paper No 4 A Symposium on the Strategic Bomber Offensive 1939–1945|page=16|publisher=The Royal Air Force Historical Society and the Royal Air Force Staff College, Bracknell|date=26 March 1993|access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> Harris was advised by an [[Operational research|Operational Research]] Section (ORS-BC) under a civilian, Basil Dickins, supported by a small team of mathematicians and scientists. ORS-BC (under [[Reuben Smeed]]) was concerned with analysing bomber losses. They were able to influence operations by identifying successful defensive tactics and equipment, though some of their more controversial advice (such as removing ineffectual turrets from bombers to increase speed) was ignored.<ref>[http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/17724/page2/ A Failure of Intelligence] [[Freeman Dyson]], MIT Technology Review</ref> The very high casualties suffered give testimony to the dedication and courage of Bomber Command aircrew in carrying out their orders. The overall loss rate for Bomber Command operations was 2.2 per cent, but loss rates over Germany were significantly higher; from November 1943 – March 1944, losses averaged 5.1 per cent.{{sfn|Hastings|1979|p=334}} The highest loss rate (11.8 per cent) was incurred on the Nuremberg raid (30 March 1944).{{sfn|Hastings|1979|p=343}} The disparity in loss rates was reflected in that, at times, Bomber Command considered making sorties over France only count as a third of an op towards the "tour" total and crews derisively referred to officers who only chose to fly on the less dangerous ops to France as "François".{{sfn|Otter|1998|p=262}}{{sfn|Hastings|1979|p=275}} The loss rates excluded aircraft crashing in the UK on return, even if the machine was a write-off and there were crew casualties, which amounted to at least another 15 percent.{{sfn|Hastings|1979|p=209, 460–461}} Losses in training were significant and some courses lost 25 per cent of their intake before graduation; 5,327 men were killed in training from 1939 to 1945.{{sfn|Hastings|1979|p=173}} RAF Bomber Command had [[List of Victoria Cross recipients of the Royal Air Force|19 Victoria Cross recipients]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~tcosgrove/vcross.html |access-date=2008-07-03 |title=Bomber Command's 19 Victoria Cross Winners |last=Cosgrove |first=Troy |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920162508/http://members.iinet.net.au/~tcosgrove/vcross.html |archive-date=20 September 2008 |df=dmy }}</ref>{{efn |Seven of the VCs were to members of Dominion air forces and nine were posthumous. Two personnel from the same aircrew received the VC as a result of their actions on 12 May 1940. With the [[Battle of the Netherlands|Germans breaking through]], [[No. 12 Squadron RAF|12 Squadron]], flying obsolete [[Fairey Battle]]s, was ordered to attack two bridges on the [[Albert Canal]] near [[Maastricht]]. The whole squadron volunteered and five aircraft, all that were available, took off. Four Battles were shot down by [[flak]] and German fighters, while the fifth staggered back to base heavily damaged. One of the four shot down was piloted by Flying Officer [[Donald Garland]], who dived from {{convert|6000|ft}} in the face of intense fire, and succeeded in destroying one of the bridges. He and his observer, Sgt [[Thomas Gray (VC)|Tom Gray]], both received the posthumous award of the Victoria Cross.}}
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