The Bomber Mafia A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell

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The Bomber Mafia A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell

Author: مالکم گلادول (Malcolm Gladwell)

An exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war

In The Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell weaves 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 to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history.

Most military thinkers in the years leading up to World War II saw the airplane as an afterthought. But a small band of idealistic strategists, the “Bomber Mafia,” asked: What if precision bombing could cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal?

In contrast, the bombing of Tokyo on the deadliest night of the war 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 even more by averting a planned US invasion. In The Bomber Mafia, Gladwell asks, “Was it worth it?”

Things might have gone differently had LeMay’s predecessor, General Haywood Hansell, remained in charge. Hansell believed in precision bombing, but 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 Bomber Mafia is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war.

[highlight color=”green”]Goodreads users review :[/highlight]

I listened to this as an audiobook, and it was a fantastic experience: so much archival audio, so many interesting sound effects. Like much of Malcolm Gladwell’s work, this is a book about unintended consequences: how a bombsight, clouds, and the Jet Stream, (among other factors) turned the idea of using bombers to MINIMIZE civilian casualties in World War Two to one of using bombers to MAXIMIZE civilian casualties. The story is riveting and horrifying at once. And Gladwell’s analysis, as always, will leave you pondering so many “what if’s?” Chris                                                                                                      rated it: 5.0 from 5.0

A deep dive into a forgotten issue from WWII through the eyes of two men – Haywood Hansell and Curtis LaMay. The question – do you save lives by shrinking war, or by expanding it? As always with Gladwell the best parts are the fascinating nuggets he digs up during his extensive research – the history of the Norden bomb site, the 1936 flood in Pittsburgh that started a domino effect halting airplane production and launching the “chokepoint” theory, the Americans discovering the existence of the Jet Stream at the exact worst time, the air route over the Himalayas known as “The Hump” or “The Aluminum Trail” because of all the planes that crashed. Jim                                                                                                        rated it: 5.0 from 5.0

What an awesome read. A great breakdown as to why target bombing failed, mostly late against German and more so against Japan and what was learned from it. Plus, what psychological shift was needed in leadership to move to widespread fire bombing and why it was necessary or at least justified during the time period. Read this book if you want to get into the mind of why certain equipment and decision on its use were made as it related to bombing……fascinating read. Wes Robertson                                                                                    rated it: 5.0 from 5.0