The annals of WW-II is loaded with cities razed to ground across all countries (though advertised, thanks to prominent media/winning side account, just the Allied cities). To frame the book in this simplistic binary is to misconstrue the doctrines of both precision and area bombing". 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. [1] The bomber mafia's strategic doctrine, changed by war and experience, helped shape the mission of the new Air Force and its Strategic Air Command.[2]. 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. Why were the North Vietnamese such a powerful force, because they were colonized for generations and their cities were being carpet bombed by B52s from 40,000, if you kill someones family you should prepare to face their relatives. 4.9 . Can the less humane way actually save more lives in the long run. Please check back soon for future events. Perhaps bombing debate this is old hat to many of my readers. Gladwell conceived this project as an audiobook and previously made much of it available as a podcast, so the production values for the audio version are impressive. Yes. Malcolm Gladwells 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 it is the least romantic of our armed services, with leaders who focus on technology, not tradition. People growing up on animations and motion pictures see planes going down bombs/shooting targets as if done through cross hairs. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Blow them up for existing to us !!! 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. The setting is Second World War. On the one side, there are the Americans who believed that the Norden bombsight and the B-29, which could fly at more than . 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. He revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State University, and the death of Sandra Blandthrowing our understanding of these and other stories into doubt. Just how wrong was I, however in a blink of an eye I had a book I could not take down. in History Nonfiction June 10, 2021, Malcolm Gladwell The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War Audiobook. Because of a review from one of the Goodread friends, I decided to take on the audiobook, instead of the print/e-book version. Two questions have students connect the material to today. 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? They believed that bombing strategic targets made sense, and bombing population centers didn't. But when Gladwell leaps to provide superlative assessments, or draws broad lessons of history from isolated incidents, he makes me wary. 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. By stream This was all in one plane. I just re-listened to Gladwell's podcast on Curtis LeMay and the Bomber Mafia. Copyright 2023 Free Audiobooks. [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. Your seamless listening experience is powered by Supporting Cast. Yes, it would have caused millions to starve and die but the invasion alternative would have caused millions of allied lives. As a work of history, it borders on reckless". The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation and the Longest Night of the Second World War, by Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown and Co., New York, 2021, $27. I went back and read The Bomber Mafia a second time. On the eve of the Second World War, a band of visionaries at Maxwell Air Force Base tried to reimagine modern warfare. 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 Didnt have it in his soul. After a few months in command of the B-29 raids on Japan, Hansell was dismissed and replaced by LeMay, who was told to come up with a new plan. Malcolm Gladwells exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war. The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War. Bomber Mafia Daylight precision-bombing advocates Carl A. Spaatz, Muir S. Fairchild and Donald M. Wilson at Maxwell Air Force Base in 1946 The Bomber Mafia were a close-knit group of American military men who believed that long-range heavy bomber aircraft in large numbers were able to win a war. Yup, thats right! 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. In one day in March, 1945, more than 400 B-29s totally burned 16 square miles of Tokyo killing far more than 100,000 people. Hansell was not the moral opposite of LeMay. Most of his books deal with research into the social sciences, particularly sociology and psychology and have been best sellers. Its proponents continued to promote the doctrine into the Atomic Age, forming the Strategic Air Command to carry out a vision modified to fit the needs of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear warfare. Also, the air arm tends to be regarded by the other services as suspiciously civilian-ish as in the soldiers one-liner, I have a lot of respect for the U.S. military, and also for the Air Force. But in Gladwells deft hands, the Air Force generals of World War II come back to life as the stirring 20th-century equivalent of Adm. Horatio Nelson and his band of audacious captains from the age of fighting sail. 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? So, he asserts, Curtis LeMay won the battle. This is a case where the audiobook definitely defeats the print version. Copyright 2023 Military.com. Restricted in scope, short in play time, I located this believed prompting. Reader Q&A, By subscribing to Pushkin+ or purchasing an audiobook, you are agreeing to be bound by Pushkins Terms of Service and Privacy Policies and to be added to Pushkins mailing list. Ask the Author. 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. 1. This is history brought to life through the power of audio. [4] He devoted four episodes of the fifth season of Revisionist History to air power in World War II, and stated the audiobook served as an expansion of material from the podcast. 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. The new discount program will be accessed through the exchange stores or websites, not Home Depot locations. [5][6], The book follows the story of the Bomber Mafia, a group of American military officers, especially Major General Haywood S. Hansell, as they developed a military doctrine of daylight strategic bombing as a means to defeat an enemy with precision high-altitude aerial bombardment. It's pretty much about the history of how the military went from ground wars to air wars and theoretically . In World War II, the Bomber Mafia's theory of the primacy of unescorted daylight strategic bombing was proved wrong. (Gladwell partly excuses this notorious phrase, saying it was likely the work of a ghostwriter.) [21] In The New York Times Book Review, Thomas E. Ricks called the book "a conversational work" which he enjoyed, but noted that "when Gladwell leaps to provide superlative assessments, or draws broad lessons of history from isolated incidents, he makes me wary". There is nothing 'inappropriate' in the book, it is simply not about battles and actions. 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. Malcolm Gladwell and "The Bomber Mafia". Emphasizes just how technical breakthroughs are typically made use of in means they were not indicated. The Listeners Guide features additional commentary from Malcolm Gladwell, reflections on the production from producers and engineers, and archival photos from the period. Tap the link to open your audiobook purchase in your podcast app. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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? The mushroom cloud of atomic bombs minimizes the function of air campaign which annihilated the cities with a view to damage the morale of the forces. Actually, LeMays B-29s firebombed 67 different Japanese cities with far more lives lost than the atomic bombs. Gladwell opined that the moralistic, casualty-avoiding ideas of Haywood Hansell stayed relevant for many years while the heavy death toll of area bombing fell out of favor. To bombing experts, parks are nettlesome firebreaks that interfere with a target citys combustibility. [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". [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. This page was last edited on 16 June 2022, at 01:38. [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. Guide begins with a very genuine trouble. Purchase The Bomber Mafia and receive the exclusive Bomber Mafia Listeners Guide a visual document of the making of The Bomber Mafia. Malcolm Gladwell - The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War Audiobook. Gladwell raises two fascinating points. The State of Journalism on World Press Freedom Day. If you have actually ever attempted to toss a can from a moving automobile into a whip can you would understand the math/physics behind it. After you enter your email address, youll get a unique link. This ferocious approach may have helped end the war, but there is no question that it was horrible. The derogatory term "Bomber Mafia" was used before and after World War II by those in the military who did not share their belief, and who were frustrated by the insistence of the men that the heavy bomber should take a primary position in planning and funding. It was decided primarily by General Curtis LeMay to carpet bomb Tokyo, using napalm. Its a history of the dueling philosophies regarding bombing that existed in the US military during World War II. 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. Much of the book concerns the technical and practical aspects of the Norden bombsight, in a 'grown-ups arguing' sort of way. There is even a score and plenty of effective sound effects. 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? Everyone, generals included, hated the mass . LeMay was instead, in the words of the military historian Conrad Crane, the Air Forces ultimate problem solver. As Gladwell tells it, the practical problem was how to win the war as quickly as possible. Whether you're looking for news and entertainment, thinking of joining the military or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Highly recommend it. I did know that the British bombed during the night while the Americans seemed to have the much more hazardous daytime raids over Germany. ", He released a couple chapters from this book as episodes of Revisionist History. There are actual recordings of interviews conducted by Gladwell and also taken from documentaries filmed or recorded in the decades since the war. Those fools can really do some damages if you capture one in the kisser. That Japanese cities were bombed beyond those I found out about, in a fashion I rarely want to picture. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. The second is that Japanese politicians and historians actually thanked LeMay for the campaign after the war. They had and have no oil or other energy natural resources, their cities and industries would have suffered greatly. [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". [14] Because of his lower rank, he was in no position to challenge the bomber mafia, and instead strove to work around their restrictions on pursuit aircraft. Tap the link to open your audiobook purchase in your podcast app. He just didnt have it. [23], Several reviewers criticized the book for its accuracy, and for being light on details. [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. It's a history of the dueling philosophies regarding bombing that existed in the US military during World War II. [2] Precision in bombing was not achieved until long-range fighter escorts became available and air superiority was achieved, as opponents had warned. During World War II, some of these pilots became major decision makers. All rights reserved. But rather Russias entry into the war and their invasion into Japanese-held Manchuria. By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Groups Privacy Policy As listeners hear these stories unfurl, Gladwell examines one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history. They believed that war could thus be waged more humanely because collateral damage, including civilian deaths, could be minimized and wars ended faster. This book is so much extra; not just filling up a few spaces in my understanding but educating me, simply exactly how little I understood about the altering role of the airforce. Welcome back. Youll hear the voices of generals, the sound of aircrafts and bombs crashing. The book description sounds exactly like the podcast. The kind of indiscriminate destruction that LeMay used to win the war is absolutely a thing of the past, at least for American forces. The United States had already completely cut off Japans oil supplies and pipelines by the middle of 1944/beginning of 1945, and decimated their navy. 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). Sen. Amy Klobuchar Talks the G7 Summit. This page is not available in other languages. He and several friends decided People have been flocking to the Egypt-Sudan border to escape the violence from two Sudanese rival forces despite a South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol urged still-more strengthening of the U.S.-led security alliance guarding against nuclear-armed North Korea One fun way to see the world and visit unique locations is on a cruise ship. Precision-guided munitions are hugely expensive, and the stockpiles of them are surprisingly small. The book is adapted from a series of podcasts Gladwell created for his show Revisionist History. One historian tells the author that Hansell was not the kind of man who was willing to kill hundreds of thousands of people. Simply not a subject I seem out, neither do I think I would certainly have liked it as much had I review. 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. The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effects predicts sociologists and sports psychologists would say the same for his . This change of commandand what it meant in terms of military strategyis the crux of this book. Subscribe to the Military.com newsletter to have military news, updates and resources delivered straight to your inbox. Failure to see this issue through proved one of the Air Corps Tactical School's major shortcomings.[18]. The theoretical discussions they had back at Maxwell Field didnt properly account for weather, enemy fire, and mass-produced bomb sights. WATCH SEGMENT. All Rights Reserved. Sorry, but these apps are not currently supported: Stitcher, Podbean, or NPR One. [14], After the 1991 Gulf War, David L. Goldfein states that by then bombs could hit, with precision, a specific wing of a building. InRevisionist History, Gladwell re-examines moments from the past and asks whether we got it right the first time. son. Malcolm Gladwell has in his hands a very good story in The Bomber Mafia. They intended the mission to be against military and industrial targets, not populations.