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. Key ideas from The Bomber Mafia. in the program we will take some of your questions. The US Bomber Mafia agreed with Baldwin only in that the bomber would prevail in its mission. 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's true: The audiobook breaks conventional audiobook standards, as this is a well-produced audio experience. 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. Sen. Amy Klobuchar Talks the G7 Summit. This guide is based on the hardcover first edition. [7] This could lead to a minimum of war-time casualties with new technology such as the Norden bombsight. Take capers these are certainly not peas. But rather Russias entry into the war and their invasion into Japanese-held Manchuria. The audiobook is an experience in itself, complete with sound results, music, and old interviews from the men he profiles (and also several of their battles survivors). On the eve of the Second World War, a band of visionaries at Maxwell Air Force Base tried to reimagine modern warfare. I immediately thought, Oh yeah? Kurt Vonneguts seminal publication Slaughterhouse five took the allied battle (pointless) of Dresden with the POV of Prisioners of war. A third option is rarely discussed. 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. USAAC Fighter Projects officer Lieutenant Benjamin S. Kelsey appreciated that a large bomber fleet would be able to perform many military tasks, not just strategic bombing, and felt that the force's doctrine should remain flexible to meet any demand. 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. His thinking was that it would be better to force the enemy to surrender early, as a prolonged war would cause more suffering. Malcolm Gladwell - The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War Audiobook. 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. ASIN: B08V1N49ZN Edition language: English . 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 American military leaders, however, convinced their allies to let them pursue precision bombing, based on the Bomber Mafias philosophy of taking out vital choke points. You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with War stories are a brand-new category for those utilized to Macolm Gladwells distinct brand of nonfiction. This is a preview of the digital audiobook of The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell, available on Libro.fm at https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781735803227?cmp=li. Much of Japanese housing was wood, paper, with straw mats. [2] In November 1932 when British Lord President of the Council Stanley Baldwin said "the bomber will always get through", he was talking about the terror bombing of cities. Japan was largely self-sufficient as far as food is concerned, they would have become uncomfortable but they would not have starved to death. 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). a lot of current racial issues facing our country. Just that, with bombing plane B29s the issue is definitely a lot more intricate with visibility, weather and anti-aircraft weapons to battle with. 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. Much of the book concerns the technical and practical aspects of the Norden bombsight, in a 'grown-ups arguing' sort of way. The Bomber Mafia isn't an honest or earnest look at what experts have written and thought about America's air campaigns during WWII. By stream 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. 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. In the end, the book's central flaw resides at the core of Gladwell's supposed greatest strength. The ACTS officers who believed in the heavy bomber doctrine realized that any other Air Corps expenditures such as for tactical bombers and fighter aircraft would take away from the proposed large fleet of heavy bombers. To most people, a city park is a grace note, a green space that makes urban life more livable. The Bomber Mafia began as an audiobook, and later transitioned into a print book. In the first chapter, Gladwell introduces Carl Norden, inventor of the Norden bombsight, the first sight that allowed bombs to accurately hit their target. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. What of the infinitely long nights of millions of concentration camp prisoners? Simply not a subject I seem out, neither do I think I would certainly have liked it as much had I review. This was a stunning yet enjoyable audio books, one I most likely wouldnt have actually gotten if it wasnt composed by Gladwell. [13] The result furthered the Allies' military objectives leading to Japan's surrender, such as with the Bombing of Tokyo on March 10, 1945 with Operation Meetinghouse. 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. We are excited to provide you an exclusive Listener's Guide that offers an inside look at the production process, archival imagery, and commentary from Malcolm and the producers and engineers involved with this extraordinary project. This is a case where the audiobook definitely defeats the print version. Content Warning: The source text contains historical quotations that use offensive terms for Japanese people. 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. Take those in the hazardous category such as the spikey pineapple or a horned melon. Actually, LeMays B-29s firebombed 67 different Japanese cities with far more lives lost than the atomic bombs. [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. The brief Conclusion looks at the bigger picture this story tells about the use of technology. Reader Q&A, 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. Once Japan became secluded on their mainland why not just create a complete blockade of the whole nation? Ive read most of Gladwells books, but he always finds something new to tackle from a different angle. But when Gladwell leaps to provide superlative assessments, or draws broad lessons of history from isolated incidents, he makes me wary. In Gladwells account, Hansells relatively more humane approach didnt work. And then another. So, he asserts, Curtis LeMay won the battle. I'm interested in the Bomber Mafia for my 13 y.o. 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. Por Vs. Para Mafia Game. Most of his books deal with research into the social sciences, particularly sociology and psychology and have been best sellers. Nixon tried the LeMay strategy in North Vietnam, and we all know how that ended. [18] In The Daily Telegraph, military historian Saul David called the book "error prone" and "bedevilled by the same oversimplification of the world into a single Big Idea that is characteristic of his other work", and gave the book two out of five stars. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 4.9 . When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Supported apps include: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocketcasts, Podcast Addict, Castbox, BeyondPod, Downcast, PlayerFM, Breaker, and RadioPublic. 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. Fans of Revisionist History will recognize some of the characters from the last season of the podcast, but The Bomber Mafia expands on these episodes and includes new original interviews, archival footage, and a fresh analysis of one of the most important events in military history. [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. Yes. [14], After the 1991 Gulf War, David L. Goldfein states that by then bombs could hit, with precision, a specific wing of a building. 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. He basically reported that he hired hackers to pull the criteria for university rankings. Those large conclusions seemed unsubstantiated to me. Gladwell raises two fascinating points. A third hit the bombardier in the head and shoulder. Gladwell describes the challenges that both faced. [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. To frame the book in this simplistic binary is to misconstrue the doctrines of both precision and area bombing". 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 calculation is based on fuel vs weight vs resistance so tailwind wins. 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. This was in the 1930s, the era of the bomber, a new breed of aircraft that could supposedly drop a bomb from six miles up and land it in a pickle barrel. Please simply click here to enter your email address (no additional purchase required) and you will receive the Listeners Guide. With battles airborne having the power to win you the battle, can we do accuracy battle to help reduce the casualties of war? there is a link to purchase . Many historians posit that the primary reason for Japanese surrender was not the use of the atom bomb. Purchase The Bomber Mafia and receive the exclusive Bomber Mafia Listeners Guide a visual document of the making of The Bomber Mafia. The bomber mafia succeeded in their goal to have extensive bomber fleets in the US military, but they failed in their wish to achieve pinpoint targeting precision during World War II. The theoretical discussions they had back at Maxwell Field didnt properly account for weather, enemy fire, and mass-produced bomb sights. The new discount program will be accessed through the exchange stores or websites, not Home Depot locations. Yes, it would have caused millions to starve and die but the invasion alternative would have caused millions of allied lives. Because of a review from one of the Goodread friends, I decided to take on the audiobook, instead of the print/e-book version. Sort: Relevance. 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. Since I had the ability to concentrate on guide as a historical message, I had much more success following along. I went back and read The Bomber Mafia a second time. 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. What about the sailor whose ship is torpedoed and who hangs from debris in the water with no chance of rescue? The Listeners Guide is only available from Pushkin Industries when you buy The Bomber Mafia. 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. In The Bombing plane Mafia, he hones in on a specific period of history. As a key member of the Bomber Mafia, Hansells theories of precision bombing had been foiled by bad weather and human error. Malcolm Gladwells new audiobook, The Bomber Mafia,is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Starting in 2022, Starbucks is expanding its Veterans Day freebie to include an additional product: iced coffee. The villain, or at least loser in this account, is another Air Force general, Haywood Hansell, who had tried to win the war in the Pacific through the precision-bombing of Japan. His latest book, The Bomber Mafia, deals primarily with the philosophies of bombing during World War II, and has not become a best seller at least not yet. I did know that the British bombed during the night while the Americans seemed to have the much more hazardous daytime raids over Germany. Whats more, the sight itself was less accurate in real-world conditions than during testing. With thousands of Veterans Day military discounts to choose from, how do you find the best ones? Is this book appropriate for an 11-year old that reads a lot WW II history and fiction books? The most compelling account is the clash of ideas and the practical options sought to fight on a distant enemy. I am a big fan of Malcolm Gladwell. Curtis LeMay (with pipe) discusses plans for bombing Tokyo. The book description sounds exactly like the podcast. As a work of history, it borders on reckless". Along with the bombing this was a key factor in Japans decision to surrender. It was decided primarily by General Curtis LeMay to carpet bomb Tokyo, using napalm. Thank you for purchasing The Bomber Mafia, an audiobook by Malcolm Gladwell. Curtis Lemay as well as Haywood Hansell are opposite ends of a range in the high adrenaline battle Flying force. Most military thinkers in the years leading up to World War II saw the airplane as an afterthought. He just didnt have it. Please check back soon for future events. A novelty of this book is that Gladwell says it began as an audiobook and then became a written one, reversing the usual process. 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. Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? As for Vietnam, Johnson and Mcnamara screwed that up by NOT applying LeMay principals and the war should have been ended in 1965 , again saving many lives. Whether it was the atom bombs or LeMays bombing tactic that hastened the Japanese to surrender will always be a debatable topic. Bomber Mafia Questions 2,700,000+ results. 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 straightforward location of how Japan was merely outside the range of bombers. Malcolm Gladwells exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war. 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. It's pretty much about the history of how the military went from ground wars to air wars and theoretically . Perhaps bombing debate this is old hat to many of my readers. [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]. 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 print has its merits of being able to take your time to know the history of the "bomber mafia." Malcom Gladwells book Talking to Strangers is a very good book that ties together 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? Please take a moment to review it. Two new bomber groups were formed in the Pacific: LeMay headed one in India and Hansell led another in the Marianas. He released a couple chapters from this book as episodes of Revisionist History. 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. ", "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. Precision-guided munitions are hugely expensive, and the stockpiles of them are surprisingly small. On the one side, there are the Americans who believed that the Norden bombsight and the B-29, which could fly at more than . [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. 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? 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. 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. 1. Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to one another that isnt true? In The Bombing plane Mafia, he hones in on a specific period of history. Show Description. 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. [] Hansell won the war". Suggestions, Fan Mail, Bones to Pick, and All Other Queries, For Speaking Engagements With Malcolm Gladwell. [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".