During WWI airplanes and pilots fell under the jurisdiciton of the Army and their main job was supporting ground crews. After the war, the military set up a pilot training school which would eventually become the airforce academy, but in its infancy, was the incubator for what was called the Bomber Mafia. The Bomber Mafia were a group of military strategists who came up with the idea that to win a war, you don't have to kill a lot of civilians, you just have to take out strategic essential services. In their mind, this could be done with high altitude bombing missions done with technologically aided targeting systems. The only problem is, that during WWII there wasn't any technology that would make the bombers accurate enought to hit the strategic targets consistantly. This "book" discusses the rise of the strategic accuracy bombing theory, and the oposing philiosophy, massive distruction bombing, and explains which worked best in WWII. It also follows a champion of each camp, and explains how one failed and the other was very effective in helping shorten the war.
The "book" was produced in its audio format before it became a print volume. The recording contains clips from interviews and newsreels related to the significant events in the book. It is really well done, and listening to it is more like watching a documentary than like reading a book. Gladwell does a good job of presenting complex moral issues, with out varnishing over hard questions. I learned a lot I didn't know about WWII. I am embarrassed to say I didn't understand how much Napalm was used against Japan the last year of the war. The topic of WWII bombers is of special interset to me since my uncle was a bomber and lost his life in WWII. This is a great choice for any WWII buff, man or woman, who is willing to have their moral fiber stretched a little. (2021)
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