Description
After many listener requests, Dan examines the issue of the morality of dropping the Atomic Bombs in the Second World War. As usual, he does so in his own unique, unexpected way.
Dan’s research and book list
1. A history of strategic bombing by Lee B Kennett
2. Bombs, Cities, and Civilians: American Airpower Strategy in World War II (Modern War Studies) by Conrad C. Crane
3. The Fire: The Bombing of Germany, 1940-1945 by Jörg Friedrich
4. To Destroy a City: Strategic Bombing and Its Human Consequences in World War II by Hermann Knell
5. The Night Tokyo Burned by Hoito Edoin
6. War by Gwynne Dyer
7. On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman
8. The Laws of War: Constraints on Warfare in the Western World by Michael Howard
9. The War of the World by Niall Ferguson
10. Blood, Tears, and Folly: An Objective Look at World War ll by Len Deighton
11. London At War by Philip Ziegler
12. The Command of the Air by Giulio Douhet
13. The War in the Air by H. G. Wells
14. Hell to Pay: Operation DOWNFALL and the Invasion of Japan, 1945-1947 by D. M. Giangreco
15. 2194 days of war: An illustrated chronology of the Second World War by Cesare Salmaggi
16. Experience of War: An Anthology of Articles from Mhq : The Quarterly Journal of Military History by Robert Cowley
17. MHQ SUMMER 1990 VOL: 2 NO: 4. The Battle of Britain: How did The Few Win? by Williamson Murray
18. Eyewitness to History by John Carey
cccarlocoppola1 –
Extremely difficult subject to tackle but Dan does a fantastic job
Thomas –
wow……This podcast should be mandatory for all humans to listen to.
David –
I love this episode because even though he didn’t set out to do this, he details the events that gave birth to the US Air Force. So much of his research list was required reading back when I was an academy cadet, but his telling of the story focuses unapologetically on the early evolution of strategic bombing. Anyone interested in the development of modern air power needs to know this story.
Kewee65 –
Excellent treatment of an emotionally charged event. Dan takes you into the mindset of the people and governments of the time, exploring the extreme inhumanity that preceded the dropping of Little Boy and Fat Man. It puts a very different perspective on the end of the war and is a careful lesson not to be taken in by the kneejerk reaction we have today against the nuclear weapons of World War Two. Required reading for, well, everyone.