Sir Arthur Travers Harris was a prominent British military commander who served as Marshal of the Royal Air Force. Born in Gloucestershire in 1892, Harris emigrated to Rhodesia at age seventeen. At the outbreak of the First World War, he joined the 1st Rhodesia Regiment, serving in South Africa and South West Africa. In 1915, he returned to England to join the Royal Flying Corps, remaining with the service through its transition into the Royal Air Force in 1918. During the interwar period, his military career took him to India, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, and Palestine.\n\nAt the start of the Second World War in 1939, Harris took command of No. 5 Group RAF, and in February 1942, he was appointed Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of RAF Bomber Command. Tasked with implementing the British Cabinet's policy of "area bombing," Harris oversaw the execution of massive aerial campaigns against German cities. He supported technological and tactical innovations to maximize the efficiency of these raids, which aimed to disrupt German infrastructure and morale. Under his leadership, the RAF carried out highly destructive attacks, including the controversial bombing of Dresden.\n\nHarris's strict adherence to area bombing over precision targeting remains a subject of historical debate due to the high civilian casualties and widespread destruction of European cultural landmarks. Following the war, Harris moved to South Africa to manage the South African Marine Corporation. He was awarded a baronetcy in 1953 and later returned to England, where he died in 1984.
