tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9064160867000811465.post5234302937083175566..comments2009-01-02T08:53:20.669-05:00Comments on The Redhand Blog: A Memoir of WWII: The Pitcher and the Well, edited by J. D. McDonaldRedhandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677109649946827448noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9064160867000811465.post-12961200094946964142009-01-02T08:53:00.000-05:002009-01-02T08:53:00.000-05:00Redhand,"Wasn't all that area bombing in ...Redhand,<BR/><BR/>"Wasn't all that area bombing in Germany really, really bad?"<BR/><BR/>Sort of, yes, but it's a lot more nuanced than that. The author is an Oxford philosophy professor. I was highly skeptical when I picked it up, but the research is solid. He looks at the moral & military justification for the targeting of civilians in World War 2. But it is explicitly not an attack on the bomber forces themselves. He recognizes their heroism and sacrifice. The argument is a more philosophical/big picture thesis. It covers both Europe and the Pacific, although I thought the Pacific treatment was much more superficial.<BR/><BR/>It's one of those books that you know you are probably going to disagree with, but that was still interesting to read.UNRRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17093711439992855042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9064160867000811465.post-40948565489636353032009-01-01T21:04:00.000-05:002009-01-01T21:04:00.000-05:00"Among the Dead Cities." Have you read i..."Among the Dead Cities." Have you read it? No but I'm tempted to. I did see it in B&N, and after leafing through it thought it was just going to be another "Wasn't all that area bombing in Germany really, really bad?" book with an easy "anti-bombing" bias. The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) is a far more complex subject than that.<BR/><BR/>If you think it's worth reading I'll look again. Generally speaking, I think the CBO was a strategic necessity, but that Harris should have been sacked for lack of flexibility and insubordination.Redhandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06677109649946827448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9064160867000811465.post-13687744776096770252009-01-01T20:37:00.000-05:002009-01-01T20:37:00.000-05:00Redhand,I just read an interesting recent examinat...Redhand,<BR/><BR/>I just read an interesting recent examination of the Allied bomber offensive, A.C. Grayling's, "Among the Dead Cities." I strongly disagree with some of his conclusions, but it is well-researched and worth reading. Have you read it?UNRRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17093711439992855042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9064160867000811465.post-40176862647619878462009-01-01T10:05:00.000-05:002009-01-01T10:05:00.000-05:00I'm sure you'll like the rest! An extra bonus I j...I'm sure you'll like the rest! An extra bonus I just found is the recruiting poster that inspired the author to enlist:<BR/><BR/><I>After all, I did somewhat resemble the chap in the poster -- you know the one --<BR/><A HREF="https://www.mplib.org/wpdb/index.asp?exact=MPW00405" REL="nofollow"> THE AIR FORCE NEEDS <B>MEN.</B> </A> ARE YOU THAT MAN?<BR/>I must grow a mustache. The fellow on the poster wears one.</I>Redhandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06677109649946827448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9064160867000811465.post-17500160880925992182009-01-01T08:10:00.000-05:002009-01-01T08:10:00.000-05:00Redhand,Thanks for the pointer. This treasure wil...Redhand,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the pointer. This treasure will while away a few of my holiday hours!<BR/><BR/><I>"When this war is over there'll have to be some furious thought given to the situations of all those retired officers so firmly planted on the backs of the lesser breeds. You and your kind will have to do the thinking because the retired officers can't. Cerebration is a bar to promotion. Better watch out, my fine feathered friend."(p.18)</I><BR/><BR/>Wonderful!<BR/><BR/>SPServing Patriothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14984393452206039835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9064160867000811465.post-91829572617224878002008-12-31T22:55:00.000-05:002008-12-31T22:55:00.000-05:00You might also be interested in a book I wrote abo...You might also be interested in a book I wrote about <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Half-Wing-Three-Engines-Prayer/dp/0071341455" REL="nofollow"> flying combat in B-17s.</A>Redhandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06677109649946827448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9064160867000811465.post-48142919531825300452008-12-31T22:31:00.000-05:002008-12-31T22:31:00.000-05:00Thanks for the recommendation. My Grandfather's br...Thanks for the recommendation. My Grandfather's brother was a bomber pilot over Germany who did'nt make it back.floyd barberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09559109368310566256noreply@blogger.com