Strategic Bombing by the United States in World War II

The United States relied heavily on bombing to defeat the Germans and the Japanese in World War II, and air raids were touted as "precision" bombing in American propaganda. But was precision really possible over cloud-covered Europe or a darkened Japanese countryside? Could the vaunted telescopic sights really "drop bombs into pickle barrels"? Were the American aircrews well trained and well protected? What were the real results of the raids? This work explores the myths and facts surrounding the United States use of strategic bombing in World War II. Chapters cover the events leading up to World War II; the start of the war; the seers and the planners; the airplanes, bombs, bombsights, and aircrews; the planes Germany used to defend itself against American planes; the five cities (Hamburg, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki) that saw the heaviest bombing; and the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey of the damage done by aerial bombing. The book also probes the governments myth-building statements that supported Americas view of itself as a uniquely humanitarian nation, and analyzes the role played by interservice rivalry--"battleship admirals" against "bomber generals."