Bomber Mafia Book Club - What the Past Can Tell Us
Table of Contents 📖
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"If my house is gone, doesn't that make me more dependent on my government, not more inclined to turn on my government?"
Introduction
Jonathan is reading the book "The Bomber Mafia" by Malcolm Gladwell. The book is about the development of precision bombing in World War II by the Americans, led by the "bomber mafia", compared to the British approach of area bombing to break civilian morale. Jonathan sees parallels with the Ukraine war.
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The Norden Bombsight
The Norden bombsight, invented by Carl Norden, was a top secret American invention that allowed precision bombing from 30,000 feet by taking into account variables like airspeed, altitude, temperature, etc. It was a revolutionary invention that the British were sceptical of, preferring area bombing at night.
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American vs British Bombing Strategy
The Americans believed in precision bombing of key infrastructure and war-making capacity to cripple the enemy without mass civilian casualties. The British favoured area bombing of civilian areas to break morale and force surrender. The two allies clashed over this, with the British pushing the Americans to join their night raids.
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The Blitz and Bombing Civilian Morale
Britain had endured the Blitz by Germany, mass bombing of civilian areas that killed 40,000+ but failed to break British morale. Despite this, the British pursued the same strategy against Germany. Bombing civilians tends to harden resistance rather than triggering surrender. As one Blitz survivor said "I'm going to survive, and I'm to work hard and be proud that England will be England again" - a sentiment Jonathan compares to Ukraine now.
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The Morality of Bombing
The head of British Bomber Command, Arthur "Bomber" Harris, justified area bombing by saying anyone involved in war production, even civilians, were legitimate targets. The Americans believed the Norden bombsight allowed them to avoid crossing the moral line of targeting civilians deliberately. Carl Norden himself was a devout Christian who believed his invention would save lives by allowing military targets to be hit with precision.
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Precision Munitions Today
Jonathan believes the American preference for precision bombing, as championed by the "bomber mafia", has carried through to today. The US military now favours precision-guided munitions over indiscriminate "dumb" bombs. This allows key targets to be destroyed with minimal collateral damage. In contrast, Russia's strikes on Ukrainian cities echo the British strategy of area bombing in WW2. The Ukraine war demonstrates the difference between these two philosophies of air power.
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Wrap up
Jonathan found the book very thought-provoking and relevant to the current war. He is interested to hear if viewers also see the parallels between the different bombing strategies of WW2 and the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
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