The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
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- Create Date：2022-06-15 17:21:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Malcolm Gladwell
- ISBN：0316296813
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Summary
An exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
In The Bomber Mafia， 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， the “Bomber Mafia，” asked: What if precision bombing could cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal？
In contrast， the bombing of Tokyo on the deadliest night of the war 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 even more by averting a planned US invasion。 In The Bomber Mafia， Gladwell asks， “Was it worth it？”
Things might have gone differently had LeMay’s predecessor， General Haywood Hansell， remained in charge。 Hansell believed in precision bombing， but 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。
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
In The Bomber Mafia， 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， the “Bomber Mafia，” asked: What if precision bombing could cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal？
In contrast， the bombing of Tokyo on the deadliest night of the war 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 even more by averting a planned US invasion。 In The Bomber Mafia， Gladwell asks， “Was it worth it？”
Things might have gone differently had LeMay’s predecessor， General Haywood Hansell， remained in charge。 Hansell believed in precision bombing， but 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。
Reviews
Crystal
，
Any time someone asks me whom I would like to have dinner with （at least for the "alive" category）， I say Malcolm Gladwell。 What a fascinating conversationalist he would be！ This book， like all his others， illuminated a portion of history and human nature I had never considered before。 I'm not sure I had *ever* heard about the fires in Tokyo， for example， at least in something major like a popular book。 Now I'm off to learn more！ Any time someone asks me whom I would like to have dinner with （at least for the "alive" category）， I say Malcolm Gladwell。 What a fascinating conversationalist he would be！ This book， like all his others， illuminated a portion of history and human nature I had never considered before。 I'm not sure I had *ever* heard about the fires in Tokyo， for example， at least in something major like a popular book。 Now I'm off to learn more！ 。。。more
Tom
，
A fascinating analysis， with many digressions， of how bombers were used in war - terrifying and inhumane， of course。
Emmy
，
Not my favourite Gladwell book but an 11/10 audiobook experience
Lyndsay
，
Normally I LOVE his books。 I had a hard time getting into this one。
Stefanie Robinson
，
The Bomber Mafia is about all of the minds that met up to come up with the bomber planes that did so much work during World War II。 The planes had to be designed， produced， and outfitted。 Strategies for bombing runs， and precision bombing had to be thought up and tested out。 Without these planes and the people behind them， World War II would have looked very different at the conclusion。 It was interesting to read about the way they came up with it， though this writing style left a lot to be desi The Bomber Mafia is about all of the minds that met up to come up with the bomber planes that did so much work during World War II。 The planes had to be designed， produced， and outfitted。 Strategies for bombing runs， and precision bombing had to be thought up and tested out。 Without these planes and the people behind them， World War II would have looked very different at the conclusion。 It was interesting to read about the way they came up with it， though this writing style left a lot to be desired for me。 I'm not sure if it was the formatting， the storytelling， or the fact that it was put together like a series of blog posts or a serial editorial， but I just wasn't really a fan。 I have nothing negative to say about the research or information presented though， which is why I rated it a three star。This book was recommended on a World War II page that I follow。 I had every intention of buying this， but I found it at the library while my girls were doing a summer reading program activity， so I just checked it out。 I am glad I didn't buy it， or I would be more disappointed。 。。。more
Carson Payne
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I loved this book as it provided a beautiful rendition of the inception of the United States Air Force。 I think the voice of the author was well delivered and that the storytelling was captivating。 A perfect read for anyone interested in historical non-fiction。
Juan Russo
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Entretenido y muy facil de leer。 Ofrece una perspectiva bastante ilustrativa de como diferentes personalidades y formas de ser encaran las situaciones y las decisiones que deben tomar， todo enmarcado en un contexto histórico que a pesar de ser conocido， es abordado desde un ángulo distinto。 Me gustó bastante。
Mia Wolf
，
The audiobook was excellent。
Susan
，
As usual， Gladwell provides thoughtful insight into the creation and psychology behind precision bombing。
Ceasar Lourenco
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Classic Gladwell。 Very insightful and with his writing style that makes it seem that you're sitting with him listening to him tell interesting stories。 I enjoyed this read。 If you like Gladwell， you will like this book。 Of yyou don't， stay away Classic Gladwell。 Very insightful and with his writing style that makes it seem that you're sitting with him listening to him tell interesting stories。 I enjoyed this read。 If you like Gladwell， you will like this book。 Of yyou don't， stay away 。。。more
Chris
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I always enjoy reading Gladwell books， this one didn’t disappoint。 Combination of WW2 history， avionics， leadership and persistence。 Will read again I’m sure。
Carlo
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Overdrive book
Harry B
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Easy read， fantastic presentation， intriguing story。 A perfect weekend book。
Alex Peck
，
Quite different from his previous outings， The Bomber Mafia is a decent read but doesn’t have the same tug as Gladwell normally provides。
Cortneygshipe
，
Such a timely read with the the destruction occurring in the Ukraine。 I highly recommend supplementing with the "original" audio version。 The interviews really enhance the content and the pics in the book provide a visual。 Such a timely read with the the destruction occurring in the Ukraine。 I highly recommend supplementing with the "original" audio version。 The interviews really enhance the content and the pics in the book provide a visual。 。。。more
Samuel Guthridge
，
audiobook。 little over 7 hrs？What's so interesting about this book in particular is that it started as an audiobook and then went to print。 I also listened to all of this content already as part of a three-episode segment on Revisionist History。 But that was a while ago so it was fun to revisit these characters。As a history book， it has a lot to offer in terms of the context to the unending argument over the dropping of the atomic bomb。 By bringing it into the context of the high-altitude， preci audiobook。 little over 7 hrs？What's so interesting about this book in particular is that it started as an audiobook and then went to print。 I also listened to all of this content already as part of a three-episode segment on Revisionist History。 But that was a while ago so it was fun to revisit these characters。As a history book， it has a lot to offer in terms of the context to the unending argument over the dropping of the atomic bomb。 By bringing it into the context of the high-altitude， precision bombing vs firebombing， Malcom tells the story of two different ideologies of war， where they came from and how they have evolved over time。The facts of war are murky; actions and consequences are never straight-forward and attaching moral constraints to some of the brutal ways we kill each other is a bit problematic。Very interesting。 Great as an audiobook because there are brilliant interviews with eyewitnesses， army historians， and oral histories with survivors which make characters and events come alive in a way print would not allow。 If interested， listen to it。 。。。more
Monica
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Interesting information。
André Fonseca
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Napalm was invented and tested in Harvard in 1945。It was used to burn many Japanese cities with extreme human casualties before the 2 Atomic bombs were dropped。
Philip Jackson
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Good。。。 Not great
Rob
，
The themes got muddled and the end tries to tie it together- but never quite got here。 I did love the story and the characters。
Challen （clark） Vollrath
，
War history books can be dry but this is not！ Gladwell recorded this with music， sound effects， and old voice recordings。 It is super fascinating and deeply sobering as he describes one of the most inhumane American leaders of WW2 and the effects of his power。
Melilycui
，
Interesting material， very different than other Malcom's materials。 Interesting material， very different than other Malcom's materials。 。。。more
Tim Pendry
，
Gladwell， the populariser of social psychology and East Coast intellectual， has come up with an interesting book about the psychology of American air war and of the bombing campaigns of the Second World War that is well worth reading， assuming one's critical faculties remain intact。 He rightly characterises the Brit 'Bomber' Harris as a card-carrying psychopath （a characterisation probably as applicable to Lindemann and possibly Churchill） in passing but spends the last chunk of his 220-page （ro Gladwell， the populariser of social psychology and East Coast intellectual， has come up with an interesting book about the psychology of American air war and of the bombing campaigns of the Second World War that is well worth reading， assuming one's critical faculties remain intact。 He rightly characterises the Brit 'Bomber' Harris as a card-carrying psychopath （a characterisation probably as applicable to Lindemann and possibly Churchill） in passing but spends the last chunk of his 220-page （roughly） book trying to persuade us that Curtis LeMay was not。It is a morality tale of sorts taking us from the interwar air intellectuals （the 'Bomber Mafia' of the title） through the precision bombing failures of the Second World War to the final resort of massively damaging incendiary warfare against Japan。If I had to characterise this book ideologically （which I am wont to do） I would say that it represents， wittingly or not， a very recent turn of East Coast progressives in the direction of liberal militarism， perhaps a new tough-minded shift of mindset as their world comes under more threat。For example， the author seems inordinately proud of his hob-nobbing with Air Force big wigs yet he has undoubtedly done his research and he presents a thoughtful analysis which stands up to scrutiny as a valid and evidenced opinion （even if I have my own doubts）。With regret， Gladwell comes to the conclusion that the original interwar intent （present in the UK as much as US） that air power could be a means of avoiding mass slaughter was proven to be flawed or at least flawed given the technological situation in the early 1940s。 The road is precisely mapped from that failure to the truly psychopathic invention of incendiaries and on to the grim reality of the fire-bombing of Japan， still an embarrassment to Japanese and Americans alike。All attention is now on the Atom Bomb because it became the basis of an 'Age' and was clearly more immediately instrumental in Japan's surrender but the murderous nature of aerial incendiary warfare should not be forgotten even if the Japanese no longer want to talk about itUS officials pointed out that more people died by fire in six hours of bombing over Tokyo than at any other time in history - perhaps 100，000 people， men， women and children， mostly civilians。 The numbers of dead during this and subsequent raids remain unclear but were high。From March to August 1945， Curtis LeMay's bombers did enormous damage to 67 Japanese cities， killing around 330，000 people （though other calculations have suggested 'only' 240，000）， maybe more， with many more injured。 Gladwell does not hide the horror but he cites figures rather loosely。 At the end of the day， once the assumption is made that the only way forward was to win the war as quickly as possible to save more lives， Gladwell may express his own moral torment （the East Coast liberal in him） but comes down firmly on the side of LeMay。 It had， he suggests， to be done。As a realist in human affairs， I get where he is coming from。 It is certainly not helpful to come up with moral sloganeering。 That sort of attitude tends to lead us to major mistakes like the war in Afghanistan and now the asinine and self-destructive economic war against Russia。However， I am not entirely convinced。 There are bigger questions here about political motivation （the obsession of politicians with pre-empting the Soviets） and the ideology of unconditional surrender， necessary in the West but not so necessary in the East perhaps。Stylistically the book may also irritate a little because it has an initial chatty， repetitive and emotive style that detracts from its role as history and implies journalism （which is never to be fully trusted）。 This is explained by it originally having been designed as a podcast。Gladwell says that the subject started in one medium （audio） and ended up in another （print）。 The stylistic traits and journalism of the first endeavour got carried into the final result but， as history， it is to be trusted more than its style may suggest。 It is， regardless， an easy read of a complex story。Overy's 'The Bombing War' is， naturally， a vastly superior book and it should be read first for a balanced view of the morality and utility of aerial bombing of civilians but Overy only deals with the European theatre whereas Gladwell makes his main moral judgements about Japan。Both books （I have reviewed Overy's elsewhere） are about evil but Gladwell's book wants to suggest that what was evil （killing civilians） in principle was not evil in the Japanese case because the killing was， in fact， useful in ending the war。Incendiary and saturation bombing had little effect on Germany compared to the effort involved - part of the evil was the loss of young Allied lives。 Gladwell's argument rather depends on decisive evidence that the firebombing strategy had a major effect on the end of the war in the East。Unfortunately， he asserts that this was so rather than demonstrating that this was so。 However， it clearly was an influential driver for surrender even if the surrender might have taken more months to effect without the arrival of an Atom Bomb that would simply compound the evil。 The moral truth is that this campaign was a 'war crime' objectively speaking and that it only ceased to be a war crime once the Allies had won the war。 Gladwell's morality is essentially that based on the righteousness of the American cause and not much else。 You can agree or disagree accordingly。This is a slight book compared to much that has been written on the war by professional historians but it is more than just opinionated journalism。 The author has made an effort to become a historian and he has served the muse well for an 'amateur'。 It is not perfect but it is useful。 。。。more
Peter Christiansen
，
Concise interesting topic highly readable
Glen Frear
，
One my favourite authors delivers once again。
Wendy Osborn
，
Interesting read。 Not as much psychology as in his other books， but still a good read。 More had to do with why we did what we did in WWII and how precision bombing is now the antitheses to drawn out battles and high death tolls in war。 My grandfather was a bombadier in WWII， so this information gave me a lot more insight to what he was trained to do。 Luckily my Papa was never deployed。 The bombs we dropped on Japan were devastating and really sad。 I think there were certainly men in our military Interesting read。 Not as much psychology as in his other books， but still a good read。 More had to do with why we did what we did in WWII and how precision bombing is now the antitheses to drawn out battles and high death tolls in war。 My grandfather was a bombadier in WWII， so this information gave me a lot more insight to what he was trained to do。 Luckily my Papa was never deployed。 The bombs we dropped on Japan were devastating and really sad。 I think there were certainly men in our military that acted like psychopaths and without conscience。 But I do think precision bombing has cost us less lives in the last conflicts our country has been involved in。 。。。more
Rebekah
，
Gladwell’s audio books are more like a podcast complete with interviews and sound effects。 Really enjoyed listening to his presentation。
Horace Derwent
，
cheap大神推荐但我不看，哈哈
Emily
，
Quick read but full of interesting information。
Bekircan
，