The podcast is called Revisionist History, and is excellent by the way. 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WATCH SEGMENT. They failed. The three factors that accounted for 91% of the rankings were (1) total endowment (2) price of tuition and (3) how many white people were on campus. One of Gladwells skills is enabling us to see the world through the eyes of his subjects. Hansell was not the moral opposite of LeMay. And then another. [1][2][3] In 2016, Gladwell started Revisionist History, a history-focused podcast that "re-examines something from the past an event, a person, an idea, even a song and asks whether we got it right the first time". It's true: The audiobook breaks conventional audiobook standards, as this is a well-produced audio experience. Reader Q&A, Malcolm Gladwells new book and audiobook The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation and the Longest Night of the Second World War digs deep into one of the lesser-known rivalries of the war, the one between Brig. After the war, the 20 years of foundational work by the bomber mafia resulted in the separation of the United States Air Force from the Army to become an independent military arm. The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War is a 2021 book by Malcolm Gladwell that examines the US Bomber Mafia of World War II, which advocated precision aerial bombing as a means to win a war. [25] Professors Fedman and Karacas stated that errors "pile up to the point where it becomes clear that a book that has received so much attention ought to have received more fact-checking". I was also aware of Bomber Harris who led the fire battle on Germany, and I have actually reviewed exactly how this impacted cities like Dresden. It was decided primarily by General Curtis LeMay to carpet bomb Tokyo, using napalm. Along with the bombing this was a key factor in Japans decision to surrender. I have read up on LeMay, he did in fact tout a theory that killing civilians by carpet bombing was a winning strategy, that it would destroy the morale of the citizenry. Block buster films have actually made World War II seem even more actual and technically skilled in all things armed forces yet this book was needed for me to grasp the relevance of war in the 1940s. It is also the story of the ascent of Air force. During World War II, some of these pilots became major decision makers. [6] Though unproven, the major attraction of this sort of strategic bombing doctrine was that a war was expected to be won relatively quickly, with minimal casualties, and that grinding, static trench warfare as seen in World War I could be avoided. What would happen with bombing in a really big war remains to be seen. I am a big fan of Malcolm Gladwell. Curtis Lemay as well as Haywood Hansell are opposite ends of a range in the high adrenaline battle Flying force. They intended the mission to be against military and industrial targets, not populations. It certainly is arguable that others, like Gen. George C. Marshall, were just as important, but Gladwell simply tosses out the claim about Stimson and hurries on. [2] Fleets of heavy bombers were not able to achieve victory without the cooperation of the Army and Navy, and required the protection of long-range fighters for deep penetration missions. The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War. He was hardly a theorist, and especially not someone out to make war more humane. Many historians posit that the primary reason for Japanese surrender was not the use of the atom bomb. This book once more casts an extra critical eye on this situation and outcome. Purchase The Bomber Mafia and receive the exclusive Bomber Mafia Listeners Guide a visual document of the making of The Bomber Mafia. A sixth hit the number 3 engine, setting it on fire. I went back and read The Bomber Mafia a second time. [10] The doctrine also ran counter to the theories of Billy Mitchell himself, who espoused that pursuit support was essential for daylight bombing operations.[11]. The words "Bomber Mafia" refer to a group of American pilots in the 1930s stationed at what was then called Maxwell Field in Montgomery, Alabama. The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War is a nonfiction book by Malcolm Gladwell, published in 2021. [11] The book examines Hansell's replacement by Major General Curtis LeMay,[12] who implemented a series of tactical changes such as ordering bombing at a dramatically lower altitude to avoid the jet stream, removal of most of the bombers' defensive weaponry to increase bomb payload and wholesale nighttime fire bombing with incendiaries like napalm to devastate many of the population centers of Japan. Malcolm Gladwells exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war. The next chapter details the pilots at the Air Corps Tactical School in Alabama who were known as the Bomber Mafia. This Bomber Mafia asked: What if precision bombing could, just by taking out critical choke points industrial or transportation hubs cripple the enemyandmake war far less lethal? A novelty of this book is that Gladwell says it began as an audiobook and then became a written one, reversing the usual process. These four instructors, the core of US bomber advocacy, argued that an enemy's army and navy could be defeated intact due to the destruction of industrial and military targets deep within enemy-held territory. Developed over the years 19261929 at Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS) at Langley Field in Virginia, a forward-looking doctrine of daylight precision bombing was promulgated by Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell who advocated a greatly expanded role for the bomber force. Anyone can read what you share. The book description sounds exactly like the podcast. Bombing of Tokyo on March 10, 1945 with Operation Meetinghouse, "You Know Your History? He is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audio content company that produces the podcasts Revisionist History, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood, and Broken Record, where he, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam interview musicians across a wide range of genres. Scientists at Harvard repurposed a failed Dupont Chemical product and refined it into napalm, the most brutal bombing tool devised before the atomic bomb and one particularly suited to cause maximum damage to the wood-and-paper houses of Japan. On the one side, there are the Americans who believed that the Norden bombsight and the B-29, which could fly at more than . THE BOMBER MAFIAA Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World WarBy Malcolm Gladwell. Its a history of the dueling philosophies regarding bombing that existed in the US military during World War II. Chapter 3 is about the British and American bombing campaign against Germany in 1943. Please simply click here to enter your email address (no additional purchase required) and you will receive the Listeners Guide. I caught Gladwell on CNN last Sunday. This ferocious approach may have helped end the war, but there is no question that it was horrible. They also complete an image analysis section and create two propaganda posters from different . [4][5] In contrast, American theorists devised a strategy of pin-point bombing that targeted the enemy economy and the production of weapons. I knew the Americans went down two atomic weapons to shorten the battle as well as bring Japan to its knees as well as accept surrender to conserve countless lives needed to get into those islands. On page 127 of the hard copy, Gladwell got it backwards when he stated heavily laden B-29s headed for a Japan bombing run had to wait for a tailwind to be able to take off. And because we dont know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world. This page was last edited on 16 June 2022, at 01:38. But rather Russias entry into the war and their invasion into Japanese-held Manchuria. The Bomber Mafia A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War Audio Book Free Online Download. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. While we are at it, I really feel that nobody sane would actually mind if a barrel of olive loaf, or environment-friendly bean casserole catches a bomb or 2. Precision-guided munitions are hugely expensive, and the stockpiles of them are surprisingly small. Subscribe to the Military.com newsletter to have military news, updates and resources delivered straight to your inbox. Copyright 2023 Free Audiobooks. The British strategy was known as area bombing, which amounted to creating as much damage as possible over a wide area. However, the doctrine nonetheless became the foundation for the separation of the Air Force from the Army, and the basis for modern airpower theory. 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. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy. by . InThe Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War, Malcolm Gladwell, author ofNew York Timesbestsellers includingTalking to Strangersand host of the podcastRevisionist History, uses original interviews, archival footage and his trademark insight to weave together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard. Just how wrong was I, however in a blink of an eye I had a book I could not take down. Their empire building was targeted towards oil production, in order to be a world power you must have oil. Two questions have students connect the material to today. This was all in one plane. [19] Publishers Weekly stated "this history feels more tossed off than fully fledged", though Gladwell "provide[d] plenty of colorful details and pose[d] intriguing questions about the morality of warfare". In The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War, Malcolm Gladwell, author of New York Times bestsellers including Talking to Strangers and host of the podcast Revisionist History, uses original interviews, archival footage and his trademark insight to weave together the stories of a Dutch genius and his The war ended some 76 years ago. NOW PLAYING. Most military thinkers in the . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Why? I just re-listened to Gladwell's podcast on Curtis LeMay and the Bomber Mafia. Malcolm Gladwell had a podcast on this topic last year. In spite of the horrifying damage inflicted by napalm bombs, many Japanese believed theyre what caused the government to surrender. [23], A reviewer in Kirkus Reviews stated Gladwell "[delivered] a fairly flattering portrait of LeMay". Show Description. Or the soldier in a minefield whose buddy is bleeding to death? Yup, thats right! Some apps may require users to copy their URL and paste it directly into the app. Talking to Strangers is a classically Gladwellian intellectual adventure, a challenging and controversial excursion through history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news. A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War The Bomber Mafia Malcolm Gladwell's exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war Learn More Buy the Hardcover and eBook eBook Hardcover Buy the Audiobook Pushkin Audiobook About Malcolm [2] Precision in bombing was not achieved until long-range fighter escorts became available and air superiority was achieved, as opponents had warned. [3], This theory was first espoused by Italian General Giulio Douhet, though his ideas included the terror bombing of population centers that the American theorists eschewed. Kennedy stated there were "gaps in [Gladwell's] account", and cites the RAF Bomber Command's attempt at careful bombing as an example. There is even a score and plenty of effective sound effects. We now live in a world where its not too much of an exaggeration to say that a bomber flying at 50,000 feet can tickle a targets nose hairs with the advanced systems we now have in place. All Rights Reserved. As a key member of the Bomber Mafia, Hansells theories of precision bombing had been foiled by bad weather and human error. But when Gladwell leaps to provide superlative assessments, or draws broad lessons of history from isolated incidents, he makes me wary. Group of soldiers arguing that long-range bombers could win wars, Braxton, Leon E.; Wagner, Arthur H. (2012), Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, "Warden and the Air Corps Tactical School: What Goes Around Comes Around. He just didnt have it. [17] Hansell wrote: It was recognized that fighter escort was inherently desirable, but no one could quite conceive how a small fighter could have the range of the bomber yet retain its combat maneuverability.
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