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. Everyone, generals included, hated the mass . This change of commandand what it meant in terms of military strategyis the crux of this book. World War II had begun in Europe in 1939, and the United States entered in 1941, after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. 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. ", "Warden and the Air Corps Tactical School", "Malcolm Gladwell's Fantasy of War From the Air", "Malcolm Gladwell's The Bomber Mafia is misleading history-lite", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bomber_Mafia&oldid=1093347884, 1960s disestablishments in the United States, Organizations disestablished in the 1960s, 20th-century history of the United States Air Force, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. First, the U.S. command didnt really seem to understand what LeMays campaign was doing to Japan. 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. [17] In The Wall Street Journal, Yale professor Paul Kennedy praised the audiobook version of The Bomber Mafia as "remarkable" and a "work of art"; similarly, in The Times, reviewer Gerard DeGroot said "The Bomber Mafia remind[ed] [him] of a really good podcast a fascinating story is appealingly delivered", and historian Diana Preston of The Washington Post called the audiobook "innovative" for its inclusion of archival clips, music, and sound effects. LeMay replaced Hansell at the end of 1944 and soon began a campaign of terror that eventually visited virtually every major city in Japan. Kennedy stated there were "gaps in [Gladwell's] account", and cites the RAF Bomber Command's attempt at careful bombing as an example. This was a stunning yet enjoyable audio books, one I most likely wouldnt have actually gotten if it wasnt composed by Gladwell. 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 Following numerous casualties from ground warfare in World war, a group people army males focused on producing a bombing system that would certainly be so . They believed that bombing strategic targets made sense, and bombing population centers didn't. LeMay believed that the campaign was so effective that the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 werent even necessary, because his campaign already had made clear the price if Japan declined to surrender. 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. The Bomber Mafia is also available in print and ebook wherever books are sold. Content Warning: The source text contains historical quotations that use offensive terms for Japanese people. He has been a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine for over 25 years and was named by Time magazine as one of its 100 Most Influential People. [18][19][20] James McConnachie of The Times stated "for a book that is not a war story, this one is brilliantly, brilliantly told". Had the war gone on longer, into the winter of 1945-46, he suggests, millions of Japanese could have died of starvation. This page was last edited on 16 June 2022, at 01:38. A fourth shell hit the cockpit, taking out the planes hydraulic system. This page is not available in other languages. 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. Please take a moment to review it. Privacy Policy | Sen. Amy Klobuchar Talks the G7 Summit. But when Gladwell leaps to provide superlative assessments, or draws broad lessons of history from isolated incidents, he makes me wary. 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. The most compelling account is the clash of ideas and the practical options sought to fight on a distant enemy. To bombing experts, parks are nettlesome firebreaks that interfere with a target citys combustibility. Those fools can really do some damages if you capture one in the kisser. Why? Hansell was not the moral opposite of LeMay. WATCH SEGMENT. Their empire building was targeted towards oil production, in order to be a world power you must have oil. 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. [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. [7] This could lead to a minimum of war-time casualties with new technology such as the Norden bombsight. The last chapter deals with the end of the war, as Gladwell examines the moral issues involved in LeMays actions and whether they were justified in the circumstances. Many of my academic friends have warned me to take his conclusions with at least a few grains of salt. [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". 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. Malcolm Gladwells exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war. Malcolm Gladwell has in his hands a very good story in The Bomber Mafia. When he and Curtis LeMay squared off for a leadership handover in the jungles of Guam, LeMay emerged victorious, leading to the darkest night of World War II. The Bombing plane mafia under Hansell are bent on reduce the destruction as well as focused on throwing a spanner in the works of battle. The calculation is based on fuel vs weight vs resistance so tailwind wins. The podcast is called Revisionist History, and is excellent by the way. Chapter 7 provides some background regarding the development at Harvard University of napalm, an incendiary substance that could be used in bombs to create an intense firestorm. After the undeniable horrors of the Great War, a group of Army Air Corps generals spent much of the 1930s brainstorming ways to use airpower to make war bombing more strategic while keeping casualties to a minimum. The book is adapted from a series of podcasts Gladwell created for his show . In The Bombing plane Mafia, he hones in on a specific period of history. I went back and read The Bomber Mafia a second time. If you enjoyed those episodes, I think you'll like the full book. So it is probably too early, far too early, to believe that wide-area, city-destroying attacks that kill large numbers of civilians have become a horror only of the past. 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? We are excited to provide you an exclusiveListener'sGuidethat offers an inside look at the production process, archival imagery, and commentary from Malcolm and the producers and engineers involved with this extraordinaryproject. The mission failed for several reasons, including clouds that obscured the targets, which had to be seen to use the Norden bombsight. The airmen believed that the tool would allow forces to focus on taking out specific targets that could cripple the enemys production lines rather than engaging in the kind of indiscriminate bombing that the Germans did on London and the Allied forces would against Dresden. 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. There is nothing 'inappropriate' in the book, it is simply not about battles and actions. So, he asserts, Curtis LeMay won the battle. Malcolm Gladwell had a podcast on this topic last year. Required fields are marked *. They believed that war could thus be waged more humanely because collateral damage, including civilian deaths, could be minimized and wars ended faster. It is indeed a conversational work, almost garrulous at times, as when he reports that one psychologist has a heartbreaking riff about what one member of a couple will often say when the other one dies that some part of him or her has died along with the partner. However, this chatty style also glides over some important historical questions. 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. Visit gladwellbooks.com for moreinformation. The straightforward location of how Japan was merely outside the range of bombers. Note from the author Malcolm Gladwell, author . I'm interested in the Bomber Mafia for my 13 y.o. And also yet, this publication is something that maintains you invested as it exists as a little bit more than an item of history. Unfortunately for its believers, the Norden bombsight was a brilliant idea that didnt quite work in practice, mostly because the technology did not yet exist to do the additional computations that real-world issues required to move beyond the theoretical ones that worked so well in the lab. 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. Maybe so. 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. 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. 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. If LeMay firebombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the loss of life would have been similar as to what the atomic bombs caused without the radiation. Thank you for purchasing The Bomber Mafia, an audiobook by Malcolm Gladwell. You can listen in your preferred podcast app (See below for a complete list of supported apps). Margaritaville at Sea is a 1,680-passenger cruise ship that first started sailing early this year. Purchase the audiobook by using the form on an audiobook page. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effects predicts sociologists and sports psychologists would say the same for his . Part one on the extraordinary life of the Air Force General Curtis LeMay. By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Groups Privacy Policy 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. [1], The term "Bomber Mafia" came from the sometimes bitter debates between United States Army staff and Air Corps men who observed, and argued with, the insistence by instructors and students of the ACTS that heavy bombers were the new primary weapon of war, and that a separate air arm was required to command them. Departing from his usual path, New York Times bestselling writer Malcolm Gladwell addresses a still heated historical debate: Was Allied carpet bombing during World War II reasonable or criminal? The additional we obtain from these events the less we appear to appreciate it was a various time and lacking much of the technology we currently take for given. Once you are in a way, are some forms of bombing more humane than others? Yes, it would have caused millions to starve and die but the invasion alternative would have caused millions of allied lives. [27] Ricks calls LeMay an "unexpected hero" of the story,[22] while McConnachie cites Hansell as Gladwell's hero. Would this audiobook be appropriate for a teen with an interest in military history? However, the doctrine nonetheless became the foundation for the separation of the Air Force from the Army, and the basis for modern airpower theory. 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). [2] The Bomber Mafia was gradually replaced in the 1950s and 1960s by advocates of intercontinental ballistic missile warfare. Tap the link to open your audiobook purchase in your podcast app. 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. Thank you for purchasing The Bomber Mafia, an audiobook by Malcolm Gladwell. 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. 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. . People growing up on animations and motion pictures see planes going down bombs/shooting targets as if done through cross hairs. Take those in the hazardous category such as the spikey pineapple or a horned melon. This notion that killing someones family and friends will lead them to surrender is bunk, all it does is motivate people to hate you forever And the Japanese Government of the post war era was a puppet of our military, the notion that a proud people would hail a man who rained fiery death indiscriminately from the sky because they figured maybe less died this way is specious drivel in my opinion. Is this book appropriate for an 11-year old that reads a lot WW II history and fiction books? Starting in 2022, Starbucks is expanding its Veterans Day freebie to include an additional product: iced coffee. As a key member of the Bomber Mafia, Hansells theories of precision bombing had been foiled by bad weather and human error. Regardless, it was estimated that there would have been 2 MILLION American casualties had there been an invasion. [10] This especially applied with the aerial bombardment of Japan where previously unaccounted atmospheric conditions such as the jet stream seriously interfered with operations under Hansell's command. Bomber Mafia Questions 2,700,000+ results. Emphasizes just how technical breakthroughs are typically made use of in means they were not indicated. 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. 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 Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers The Tipping Point, Blink,Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. LeMay has taken over from Hansell and used napalm, resulting in markedly more success but also much greater destruction and killing of civilians. Those large conclusions seemed unsubstantiated to me. You can send this audiobook as a gift by visiting this page to select the audiobook and enter your lucky recipients information. That Japanese cities were bombed beyond those I found out about, in a fashion I rarely want to picture. The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War Buy on Bookshop Little Brown and Company, 256 pp., $27.00 The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the. 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. When he is introducing characters and showing them in conflict, The Bomber Mafia is gripping. Malcolm Gladwell's 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,. There are a lot of moral dilemmas to chew on here. 4.9 . He was and is wrong, killing the elderly, women, and children is not an object of war, its evil and destructive. 1. 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. Malcolm Gladwells new audiobook, The Bomber Mafia,is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war. Two new bomber groups were formed in the Pacific: LeMay headed one in India and Hansell led another in the Marianas. Take capers these are certainly not peas. To frame the book in this simplistic binary is to misconstrue the doctrines of both precision and area bombing". Malcolm Gladwell - The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War Audiobook. He advocated the close coordination of air and ground forces, with an emphasis on medium bombers and fighter bombers. Curtis Lemay as well as Haywood Hansell are opposite ends of a range in the high adrenaline battle Flying force. How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? As listeners hear these stories unfurl, Gladwell examines one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history. Yes. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. However I really did not recognize why this publication merely discusses why this was the status quo. Please check back soon for future events. The imposter foods ought to additionally be moved up on the bomb listing. I seriously doubt Russias entry into the war was a factor. Failure to see this issue through proved one of the Air Corps Tactical School's major shortcomings.[18]. [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. As long as youre comfortable with the numbers of people who were killed during the air attacks described throughout the book. Members of the "Bomber Mafia" produced the two airpower war plans (AWPD-1 and AWPD-42) that guided the wartime expansion and deployment of the Army Air Forces. He bled to death. [2] Precision in bombing was not achieved until long-range fighter escorts became available and air superiority was achieved, as opponents had warned. Do Not Steal My Personal Information. Malcolm Gladwell The Bomber Mafia Audiobook Online. 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. 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. And then another. The strategic bombing concept, however, was a major factor in the eventual victory and became the first core doctrine of the independent United States Air Force. Yup, thats right! The setting is Second World War. I just re-listened to Gladwell's podcast on Curtis LeMay and the Bomber Mafia. Much of Japanese housing was wood, paper, with straw mats. Show Description. The system was then implemented in The second world war to varying outcomes. Bombing of Tokyo on March 10, 1945 with Operation Meetinghouse, "You Know Your History? Please simply click here to enter your email address (no additional purchase required) and you will receive the Listeners Guide. [22] Writing for the Los Angeles Review of Books, professors David Fedman and Cary Karacas state "[a]s a piece of writing, The Bomber Mafia is engaging. [13], Other opposition was more subtle. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Actually, LeMays B-29s firebombed 67 different Japanese cities with far more lives lost than the atomic bombs. Gladwell raises two fascinating points. The kind of indiscriminate destruction that LeMay used to win the war is absolutely a thing of the past, at least for American forces. Overall casualties in the war were not minimal, and victory did not come significantly more quickly. [4][5] In contrast, American theorists devised a strategy of pin-point bombing that targeted the enemy economy and the production of weapons. It does give you a. Suggestions, Fan Mail, Bones to Pick, and All Other Queries, For Speaking Engagements With Malcolm Gladwell. Those are exactly the same, but there's a lot more to the book. It's true: The audiobook breaks conventional audiobook standards, as this is a well-produced audio experience. Moreover, the men realized that the United States government would have to reduce funding to naval and ground forces in order to establish a great air fleet. Kurt Vonneguts seminal publication Slaughterhouse five took the allied battle (pointless) of Dresden with the POV of Prisioners of war. I thought he was pretty thorough but obviously if he's written a book he must have thought it worthy of a more even in depth look. If the Allied forces had been forced to invade Japan, the country likely would have been split up by the Soviets and Americans after the war, and the casualties are almost impossible to imagine. In Gladwells account, Hansells relatively more humane approach didnt work. Bomber Mafia is story of efficiency, morality and technology. Guide because backdrop is a story of optimism. The audiobook brings to life the stories. Ask the Author. The Bomber Mafia His scorched-earth philosophy was most evident in the indiscriminate firebombings of Tokyo in 1945 that left an estimated 100,000 civilians dead. Gen. Haywood Hansell and Maj. Gen. Curtis LeMay about the best way to bomb Japan in hopes of ending the war in late 1944 and early 1945. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. Whats more, the sight itself was less accurate in real-world conditions than during testing. Talking to Strangers is a classically Gladwellian intellectual adventure, a challenging and controversial excursion through history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news. Highly recommend it. He basically reported that he hired hackers to pull the criteria for university rankings. 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. 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. But a small band of idealistic strategists had a different view. and Terms of Use, 2023 Hachette Book Group | Terms of Use | Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Emergency workers and local residents battled to clear debris and extinguish fires in the Ukrainian city of Uman after Two U.S. army helicopters collided and crashed Thursday in Alaska while returning from a training flight, killing three soldiers 89-year-old Max Hancock was an U.S. airman stationed outside of Oxford, England, in 1953. 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. The unexpected hero of Gladwells story is Curtis LeMay yes, that one, the general who firebombed Tokyo and dozens of other Japanese cities and then, decades later, supposedly advocated bombing the Vietnamese back into the Stone Age. It does give you a sense of the futility of war and leaves you feeling like there must be a better way, which is a good message for a 13 yo. 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. Blow them up for existing to us !!! What about the sailor whose ship is torpedoed and who hangs from debris in the water with no chance of rescue? A second shell hit the radio compartment, cutting the legs of the radio operator off at the knees. Malcolm Gladwell's extraordinary new book, "The Bomber Mafia," tells the story of a group of pilots who met on a muggy airbase in central Alabama and hatched a plan to revolutionize warfare. LeMay was allowed to kill civilians by the tens of thousands because he had a theory about morale among the populace, which never came close to a conclusion. Gladwell has been included in the TIME 100 Most Influential People list and touted as one of Foreign Policys Top Global Thinkers. Following numerous casualties from ground warfare in World war, a group people army males focused on producing a bombing system that would certainly be so exact that it could get really specific targets that would cripple enemies while decreasing human loss. Precision-guided munitions are hugely expensive, and the stockpiles of them are surprisingly small. Their assurance, their journey gets provided a little bit too late for it to have any substantial bearing on the war. Gladwell steps back from the bombing of Tokyo, the deadliest night of the war, and asks, Was it worth it? The attack was the brainchild of General Curtis LeMay, whose brutal pragmatism and scorched-earth tactics in Japan cost thousands of civilian lives but may have spared more by averting a planned US invasion. Sorry, but these apps are not currently supported: Stitcher, Podbean, or NPR One. son. LeMays solution was to saturate Tokyo with napalm bombs, killing as many as 100,000 people in about six hours, and then to go on and firebomb dozens of other Japanese cities, killing thousands upon thousands, sometimes when the target cities were of little or no military value. T H E B O M B E R M A FI A. l i ste n er's g u i de ma lc o l m g l a d w e l l Thank you for purchasing Malcolm Gladwell's The Bomber Mafia.. Many years later a related term "Fighter Mafia" described those within the Air Force that favored lightweight fighters good at dog-fighting instead of heavy missile-firing fighters. I did know that the British bombed during the night while the Americans seemed to have the much more hazardous daytime raids over Germany. Once Japan became secluded on their mainland why not just create a complete blockade of the whole nation? The print has its merits of being able to take your time to know the history of the "bomber mafia." 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.

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