[7], To effect this doctrine, the United States Army Air Corps would need to expend the majority of its resources in amassing a fleet of self-defending heavy bombers, and in the training and maintenance of a great many airmen to fill aircrew and ground crew positions. There is nothing 'inappropriate' in the book, it is simply not about battles and actions. The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War (Kindle Edition) Published April 27th 2021 by Little, Brown and Company Kindle Edition Author(s): Malcolm Gladwell. To implement these changes, the ACTS instructors began to instill a sense in their students that a separate and independent air arm of the type described earlier by Mitchell, to be called the United States Air Force, was the way forward. Its a history of the dueling philosophies regarding bombing that existed in the US military during World War II. As an expert in the use of air units to aid artillery and infantry, Gordon P. Saville held to the concept of tactical air power through his time as ACTS instructor from 1934 to 1936. Those large conclusions seemed unsubstantiated to me. Yes. Malcolm Gladwells new audiobook, The Bomber Mafia,is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war. Curtis LeMays approach brought everyone Americans and Japanese back to peace and prosperity as quickly as possible, he writes. Two questions have students connect the material to today. Sorry, but these apps are not currently supported: Stitcher, Podbean, or NPR One. Ultimately, though, the Bomber Mafia was right. The Listeners Guide features additional commentary from, Suggestions, Fan Mail, Bones to Pick, and All Other Queries, For Speaking Engagements With Malcolm Gladwell, Hasta la Vista, America: Trumps Farewell Address, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. Another example: Gladwell calls the firebombing of Tokyo on March 9 and 10, 1945, the longest night of the war. This unfortunate phrase, this unproven superlative, is repeated in the books unwieldy subtitle. Much of Japanese housing was wood, paper, with straw mats. However the tale deserves to be informed. The mission failed for several reasons, including clouds that obscured the targets, which had to be seen to use the Norden bombsight. This exclusive Listener's Guide gives you an inside look at the production process, archival imagery and commentary from Malcolm and the producers and engineers involved with this extraordinary project. These pilots dreamed of more humane ways to conduct wars. This page is not available in other languages. [16], The book was met with mixed reviews upon release, with four mixed reviews, one positive review, three pan reviews, and two rave reviews as of November14, 2021[update] according to review aggregator Book Marks. Instead, the bomber fleets were a major factor in the general American war effort, helping to reduce the enemy fighting power, especially in Japan where they destroyed the largest cities by shifting to area incendiary bombing tactics. Almost 100 B-24 planes were lost with only minimal damage done to the ball bearing plant. As long as youre comfortable with the numbers of people who were killed during the air attacks described throughout the book. You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with This advancement of how warplanes were deployed is rather remarkable. Your seamless listening experience is powered by Supporting Cast. Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Malcolm Gladwell - The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War Audiobook. Malcolm Gladwell's "The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War" is a kind of love song to the United States Air Force, which is surprising, because. WATCH SEGMENT . The Sound features songs, audio effects, spoken archival interviews, even one by Ronald Reagan and also Gladwells voice was best for the narrative. 1. In the first chapter, Gladwell introduces Carl Norden, inventor of the Norden bombsight, the first sight that allowed bombs to accurately hit their target. The new discount program will be accessed through the exchange stores or websites, not Home Depot locations. By dropping bombs with precision onto strategic targets, Hansell believed wars could be won faster and with far less . (Gladwell partly excuses this notorious phrase, saying it was likely the work of a ghostwriter.) Kenney left ACTS in 1929, and heavy bomber doctrinarians filled the vacancy. Actually, Gladwell mentions that the audio style is the initial text, as well as the hardback is the secondary item. Haywood Hansell won the war. The evidence for this, of course, is the ability of todays stealthy radar-evading bombers to drop ordnance from great heights and have them guided to precise points on a given target say, a hardened aircraft hangar or an enemy intelligence agencys power system. In the late 1930s, they shared a philosophy that with the new Norden bombsight, bombing could be done more effectively, hitting the enemys vital military targets (called choke points). Highly recommend it. This is an account of a team of elderly minds in the USA airforce who ended up being focused on accuracy battle to decrease innocent noncombatant casualties and also quicken completion of problem by strategically bombing factories and also battle production vital for your enemys ability to continue to combat on. Before they started invading China and Southeast Asia, Japan got most of its oil from the United States, which they knew was going to end when we realized what was going on. For the first few years, the strongest voice at ACTS against the bomber doctrine was Captain (later General) George C. Kenney who called for the use of air power to attack enemy fighting units on the ground. [8] In that regard, this was at odds with Britain's Royal Air Force' doctrine of area bombing under the command of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Harris. What could be more American than the story of LeMay, a gruff, cigar-chewing Ohioan who made his way through the state university by working night shifts at a foundry? But a small band of idealistic strategists had a different view. There was never going to be a land invasion of Japan, I know that that possibility was used to justify nuking them, but I also know that president Truman was not going to be the CIC that sent hundreds of thousands to die for something that patience and strategy could preclude. Because of a review from one of the Goodread friends, I decided to take on the audiobook, instead of the print/e-book version. LeMay has taken over from Hansell and used napalm, resulting in markedly more success but also much greater destruction and killing of civilians. son. Napalm is a gel that when it explodes, blows large clumps of fiery hot substance that sticks to every substance and burns brightly for several minutes. I didn't know he had a podcast on this topic, but after listening to the book my immediate thought was "Why did I pay for this book? Key ideas from The Bomber Mafia. The destruction was so far beyond anything theyd seen before that the reality of the reports coming in from American bases in the Mariana Islands just didnt register. Norden, LeMay, the Air force, DuPont, a complete range of personalities that created methods to make war much more effective, with the hope that this war would certainly be the last. All Rights Reserved. The setting is Second World War. We won the war when we did because our aircraft carriers were luckily out of Pearl Harbor when it was invaded, we were never going to lose but our task would have become daunting if we had to re-build our aircraft carrier fleet in my opinion Germany invaded Russia for its oil, oil was and is the commodity needed for modern militaries, Your email address will not be published. These Podcasts Aren't So Sure", "Presenting: The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell", "The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War", "The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell review why 'precision bombing' is an utter delusion", "Wrestling with the strategy and morality of the firebombing of Japan", "The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell, review the Outliers author on the morality of war", "Malcolm Gladwell on the Hard Decisions of War", "When Pop History Bombs: A Response to Malcolm Gladwell's Love Letter to American Air Power", "Malcolm Gladwell's The Bomber Mafia is misleading history-lite", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Bomber_Mafia&oldid=1134344848, This page was last edited on 18 January 2023, at 06:23. Perfect tinder for firebombing. This was all in one plane. Relevance; Rating; Price (Ascending) Most Recent; View: Filter. All rights reserved. Whats more, the sight itself was less accurate in real-world conditions than during testing. The most compelling account is the clash of ideas and the practical options sought to fight on a distant enemy. Yup, thats right! The book follows the Bomber Mafia, especially Major General Haywood S. Hansell, and the development of a high-altitude precision aerial bombardment strategy in World War II as a means to limit casualties. There are actual recordings of interviews conducted by Gladwell and also taken from documentaries filmed or recorded in the decades since the war. He released a couple chapters from this book as episodes of Revisionist History. From what Ive read, dropping the atomic bombs was more a signal to Russia of our strength than a strategy to defeat Japan, which was pretty much defeated already. Tap the link to open your audiobook purchase in your podcast app. Copyright 2023 Free Audiobooks. What of the infinitely long nights of millions of concentration camp prisoners? THE BOMBER MAFIAA Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World WarBy Malcolm Gladwell. Por Vs. Para Mafia Game. However I really did not recognize why this publication merely discusses why this was the status quo. Very interesting. Ive read most of Gladwells books, but he always finds something new to tackle from a different angle. This ferocious approach may have helped end the war, but there is no question that it was horrible. This was a ripoff, I didn't know he had a podcast on this topic, but after listening to the book my immediate thought was "Why did I pay for this book? On both sides. The kind of indiscriminate destruction that LeMay used to win the war is absolutely a thing of the past, at least for American forces. Regardless, it was estimated that there would have been 2 MILLION American casualties had there been an invasion. This was a stunning yet enjoyable audio books, one I most likely wouldnt have actually gotten if it wasnt composed by Gladwell. The calculation is based on fuel vs weight vs resistance so tailwind wins. We could have surrounded their ports, mined their harbors, Japan has no energy natural resources, that is why they invaded Maylaysia and the Borneo oil fields. 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