Air Marshal Arthur Harris (1942/43) As commander-in-chief of the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command (BC), Arthur Harris (second row, left) played a crucial role in planning and executing the Allied strategy of "morale bombing." The strategy called for cities to be destroyed by carpet bombing and firestorms to break the civilian population's will to fight and force Germany to surrender. Between 500,000 and 600,000 German civilians died in air attacks.