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BOOKS I READ: The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell (2021). As World War II heats up, long-range bombers and high-altitude bombing arrive as the latest in fearsome weaponry. Technical improvements allow air power to step out, no longer considered just support for ground troops, to become a singularly destructive option. Readers are reminded that this is occurring at a time when the jet stream wasn’t yet well known, and earlier planes had had very limited ranges and payloads.
Like with many technological developments—artificial intelligence in our time—moral considerations are usually shunted to the side. Gladwell explores the doctrines of two WWII generals, Haywood Hansell and Curtis LeMay, on how to conduct bombing raids, now that they can be used to indiscriminately drop incendiary (napalm) explosives and atomic bombs. Should they consider strategic strikes that minimize the enemy’s civilian losses, or should they opt for brutal assaults with the aim to quickly end the enemy’s will to fight, thereby shortening the war? The comparisons recall classical differentiations often applied to warriors, brawn versus cunning, old as Achilles versus Odysseus.
The book is a quick read, at times repetitive, often restating the obvious, but in line with Gladwell’s other explorations. His conclusions add tarnish to General LeMay’s reputation, although one could argue that his legacy was irrevocably blemished when he signed up to become George Wallace’s running mate in 1968, a far-right presidential ticket, with white supremacy and pro-segregation connotations.
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