It's also quite flattering to Bomber Command to assume that they could hit the crematoria or railroads by night in late '43/early '44.

Only one precision night-time attack against a small target was carried out in the second half of WWII - Peenemunde. Despite being the clearest possible target ( a peninsula ) the attack had to take place on a moonlit night. 1,800 tons of bombs were dropped and many, if not most, of the key target buildings escaped destruction. Ironically, a large number of bombs dropped on a forced-workers camp nearly two miles away. The raid could only be judged a success because accomodation buildings were hit, killing a number of key German personnel. 40 four-engined bombers failed to return.

Aircrew morale was even a factor in this raid. 'Peenemunde ? Never heard of it !' was the main reaction amongst aircrew, who were briefed that the installation was developing a new kind of anti-bomber radar.

Agreed, by early 1945 Bomber Command would have had the operational capability to 'do a Dresden' on Auschwitz, but would it have been worth it by that stage ?

Or could the hardly anti-Semitic 8th Air Force have carried out a precision raid by daylight ?

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson