167 The Karlsruhe raid involved 637 aircraft of which 19 were lost. Unfavourable weather resulted in many of the bombers missing their targets. Reports indicate, however, that up to 118 civilians were killed in Karlsruhe that night and 900 houses destroyed. Judgment remains divided about the efficacy and morality of the Allied bombing campaigns in World War Two. Did the military benefits of the bombing outweigh the staggering civilian casualties and physical destruction to historic German cities? Beyond question, though, is the courage of the air crews who did their job under enormous physical and mental strain and against chilling odds. Bomber Command crews experienced a staggering 44% death rate, the highest in all the services. 8,200 Canadians died while serving with Bomber Command. My grandparents dedicated a stained-glass window to the memory of Charles in their parish church, St. Philip’s Anglican in Montreal West. Mrs. Bob Morris, sister-in-law of Sgt. Fred Morris, visiting the shrine for the crew member who landed in the farmhouse garden (2005).
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