The Bomber Mafia- Book Review
The Bomber Mafia is a story set in war authored by Malcolm Gladwell. Published in April 2021, the book explores how the dreams of the Bomber Mafia- a close-knit group of American military personnel who flew long-range heavy bomber aircraft- fared in the face of World War II. This futuristic group of men envisioned a cleaner war by use of daylight precision bombing targeting industrial facilities as opposed to carpet bombing, a strategy or lack thereof that kills civilians indiscriminately. Their ambitions were rooted in both morality and strategic warfare.
The book examines one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history leading up to the firebombing raids in Japan (by the United States Army Air Forces- USAAF) through the juxtaposition of two generals; Haywood Hansell and Curtis LeMay. Hansell was an advocate for strategic bombardment, whose fervent hold on his beliefs led to his unceremonious termination, while Curtis LeMay, who replaced Hansell, was described as belligerent and brutal, and was the implementer of the effective but controversial strategic bombing campaign against Japan that burned to death about 90,000–100,000 innocent people.
The narrative paints a vivid picture of the two generals; their backgrounds, careers, and how their belief systems and leadership styles shaped key historical events, alongside other historical figures. Gladwell includes interview excerpts and oral history that bring the personalities in the book to life and presents the technicalities around aerial bombing in a way that is easy to understand.
The story triggers reflection on the morality of war and while many would like to view the moral dilemma in the book as rather straightforward, believing that there had to be a way around a blood bath, the presentation of facts suggests that one would probably make the same choices the supposed villain made or get fired. In the end, you get the sense of being between a rock and a hard place.
While history is fallible; subject to rewriting, interpretation, and misinterpretation, I highly recommend The Bomber Mafia.
