The Bomber Mafia

The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell

The American Air Force was an offshoot of the Army. Some leaders were isolated in Alabama. They were intrigued by precision bombing. Rather than blanket a large area with many bombs on a night time raid, they would use calculations to drop a few well-placed bombs on a critical target to hamper the enemies war efforts. The British, however, were in favor of the nighttime raids and annihilation bombing of working class neighborhoods. They thought this would help demoralize the enemy. (Alas, the British did not learn from their own experience in the Blitz. They were extensively bombed, but kept the faith.)  This audiobook traces some of the characters in bombing discussion. Some are portrayed as sadists that want violence, while others are skilled aviators that want to do what is right. They all set the future for the current air force and the precision bombing of today.