Yes, there was some intent on the part of the leaders and generals, but even though they "pulled the trigger," I would submit that the vast majority of the bomber crews did not hold murderous malice towards the German civilians (or the Japanese civilians in the fire bombings of Tokyo and other cities). They would have rather had the hype surrounding the Norden bombsight (place a bomb in a pickle barrel) be 110% accurate (which it was not) and truly have precision, pinpoint bombing of factories, transportation centers, dams, bridges, and military installations. But, even if that had been possible, there still would have been plenty of civilian casualties, notwithstanding the carpet bombing.
The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted. ~ D.H. Lawrence
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