\u3cem\u3eThe Valour and the Horror\u3c/em\u3e Controversy and the \u3cem\u3eOfficial History of the RCAF\u3c/em\u3e, Volume 3

The publication of Volume 3 of the Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force by Brereton Greenhous, Stephen J. Harris, William C. Johnston and William G. P. Rawling, (University of Toronto Press, 1994) reawakened the media controversy over The Valour and the Horror, particularly that related to the “Death by Moonlight” episode. Although there are certain similarities in approach between the Official History and the film, some of them superficial and some of them not, the differences are far more significant than the similarities. Volume 3 is in fact a comprehensive and well-documented history of the RCAF’s overseas operations in the Second World War; the RCAF’s role in the bombing offensive occupies 344 of 909 pages of text. Though much of this section is taken up with the origins and history of No. 6 (RCAF) Group, the authors also examine the origins of the RAF’s bombing philosophy in the 1919–1939 period, and trace the evolution and execution of RAF bombing policy during the war