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The Resource The Bomber Mafia : a dream, a temptation, and the longest night of the second World War, Malcolm Gladwell

The Bomber Mafia : a dream, a temptation, and the longest night of the second World War, Malcolm Gladwell

Creator
Author
Summary
"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 had a different view. This 'Bomber Mafia' asked: What if precision bombing could, just by taking out critical choke points -- industrial or transportation hubs -- cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal? In his podcast, Revisionist History, Gladwell re-examines moments from the past and asks whether we got it right the first time. In The Bomber Mafia, he 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. Things might have gone differently had LeMay's predecessor, General Haywood Hansell, remained in charge. As a key member of the Bomber Mafia, Haywood's theories of precision bombing had been foiled by bad weather, enemy jet fighters, and human error. 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." --
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Edition
  • Large print edition.
  • First edition.
Extent
xvi, 303 pages (large print), 8 unnumbered pages of plates
Contents
  • "This isn't working. You're out."
  • Part one: The dream
  • "Mr. Norden was content to pass his time in the shop."
  • "We make progress unhindered by custom."
  • "He was lacking in the bond of human sympathy. "
  • "The truest of the true believers."
  • "General Hansell was aghast."
  • Part two: The temptation
  • "It would be suicide, boys, suicide."
  • "If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."
  • "It's all ashes-all that and that and that."
  • "Improvised destruction."
  • "All of a sudden, the Air House would be gone. Poof."
Isbn
9780316309851
Instance
Label
The Bomber Mafia : a dream, a temptation, and the longest night of the second World War
Title
The Bomber Mafia
Title remainder
a dream, a temptation, and the longest night of the second World War
Statement of responsibility
Malcolm Gladwell
Creator
Author
Subject
Genre
Language
eng
Summary
"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 had a different view. This 'Bomber Mafia' asked: What if precision bombing could, just by taking out critical choke points -- industrial or transportation hubs -- cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal? In his podcast, Revisionist History, Gladwell re-examines moments from the past and asks whether we got it right the first time. In The Bomber Mafia, he 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. Things might have gone differently had LeMay's predecessor, General Haywood Hansell, remained in charge. As a key member of the Bomber Mafia, Haywood's theories of precision bombing had been foiled by bad weather, enemy jet fighters, and human error. 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." --
Assigning source
Provided by publisher
Cataloging source
WIQ
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1963-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Gladwell, Malcolm
Dewey number
940.54/4973
Illustrations
  • illustrations
  • plates
Index
no index present
LC call number
D790
LC item number
.G534 2021b
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • Bombing, Aerial
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • World War, 1939-1945
  • Aeronautics, Military
  • Precision bombing
  • Strategy
  • Aeronautics, Military
  • Bombing, Aerial
  • Military operations, Aerial
  • Military operations, Aerial
  • Precision bombing
  • Strategy
  • Japan
Label
The Bomber Mafia : a dream, a temptation, and the longest night of the second World War, Malcolm Gladwell
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
"This isn't working. You're out." -- Part one: The dream -- "Mr. Norden was content to pass his time in the shop." -- "We make progress unhindered by custom." -- "He was lacking in the bond of human sympathy. " -- "The truest of the true believers." -- "General Hansell was aghast." -- Part two: The temptation -- "It would be suicide, boys, suicide." -- "If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." -- "It's all ashes-all that and that and that." -- "Improvised destruction." -- "All of a sudden, the Air House would be gone. Poof."
Control code
on1242972160
Dimensions
21 cm
Edition
  • Large print edition.
  • First edition.
Extent
xvi, 303 pages (large print), 8 unnumbered pages of plates
Form of item
large print
Isbn
9780316309851
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
(OCoLC)1242972160
Label
The Bomber Mafia : a dream, a temptation, and the longest night of the second World War, Malcolm Gladwell
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
"This isn't working. You're out." -- Part one: The dream -- "Mr. Norden was content to pass his time in the shop." -- "We make progress unhindered by custom." -- "He was lacking in the bond of human sympathy. " -- "The truest of the true believers." -- "General Hansell was aghast." -- Part two: The temptation -- "It would be suicide, boys, suicide." -- "If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." -- "It's all ashes-all that and that and that." -- "Improvised destruction." -- "All of a sudden, the Air House would be gone. Poof."
Control code
on1242972160
Dimensions
21 cm
Edition
  • Large print edition.
  • First edition.
Extent
xvi, 303 pages (large print), 8 unnumbered pages of plates
Form of item
large print
Isbn
9780316309851
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
Other physical details
illustrations
System control number
(OCoLC)1242972160

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