Ricker WINGS #4

Why did some world leaders and theologians feel that flying would be the end of mankind?

According to Tom Crouch in his book Wings, as long as mankind has dreamed of flying there have been those who have cautioned against it.  Most notably, early philosophers linked flying with omniscient or God-like traits and theorized that the reason man was not endowed with the ability to fly “naturally” was because mankind would “play God” – to disastrous effects.  For instance, notes Crouch, noted thinkers such as William Derham were convinced that men could not be trusted to behave themselves, would engage in “mischief,” and “would make ‘the world seem a thousandfold hateful and more ruinous’” (357).  Human nature dictates that there are those who are good and those who are bad, and the bad simply cannot be trusted.  Like pre-flight philosophers, many world leaders worried about the negative effects of human flight on civilization.  By this time, though, the horse had left the barn – once mankind had the ability to fly there was no stopping the use of aircraft against civilians.  Some influential statesmen, like Winston Churchill, proposed heavy regulation of military aviation – even to the point of an outright ban (Crouch 357).  Unfortunately, although deadly and terrible, aerial strikes (even those against civilians) were deemed effective military strategies and so the predictions of early thinkers proved accurate.

What factors influenced the development of the aircraft carrier and what role did it play in WWII?

In his book Wings, author Tom Crouch explains that using ships to launch aircraft occurred many years before the onset of WWII.  It was an American who is credited with being the first to do a landing/takeoff maneuver (Crouch 359).  But this isn’t the same thing as actually “launching” an aircraft from a ship.  The British began working to create a ship dedicated to carrying and launching aircraft from the sea as early as WWI.  Other nations with strong naval presences began to study and emulate the successes of the Western nations’ developments.  In particular, the Japanese were eager to gain this technology and prior to WWII they were considered friendly with the West and so were given access to our technology.  It became clear when they debuted their first aircraft carrier that the Japanese would be an important player in this field.  As time went on, innovations in the field occurred – including tailhooks to catch planes and ship design elements to maximize “stowing, handling, and launching” capabilities (Crouch 360). Because there were treaties in place about the commissioning of warships, seafaring countries got around the rules by converting existing ships (even ocean liners) into aircraft carriers.  The role these carriers played in WWII was substantial.  Their initial mission was “to conduct reconnaissance and provide air cover,” but later was amended to use aircraft launched from sea to “attack the enemy” (Crouch 361).  Although Great Britain, Japan, and the United States were the only nations to use aircraft carriers during WWII, their use was very impactful (Crouch 405).  In the Atlantic, U.S. and British carriers were eventually able to use “electronic searching systems” which “broke the U-boat [German submarine] terror” (Crouch 406).  In the Pacific, the United States had small military bases scattered throughout the Pacific Islands.  These were vulnerable to the Japanese navy because they were basically sitting ducks.  With aircraft carriers, the U.S. could engage in long distance battles between aircraft carriers and the Japanese fleets could no longer threaten the outlying American island bases (Crouch 406).  When these sea battles caused ship and aircraft losses, the United States, being the wealthier nation, was able to replace their lost arsenal faster than the Japanese – a significant advantage.

What type of aircraft emerged from the design revolution of the 1930’s and what role would it play during WWII?

According to Tom Crouch in his book Wings, as the threat of another world war loomed, the U.S. stepped up orders for aircraft.  Other friendly nations ordered American aircraft as well and this “influx” of capital fueled the industry to innovation. After the Japanese decimated the Chinese with wide-spread aerial assaults that wiped out many civilians, Western nations recognized that air supremacy would be a significant aspect of future wars (Crouch 358-59).  They worked to develop technology that would not only be capable of carrying aerial weapons farther but would be able to better pinpoint bomb targets rather than going for wholesale carnage.  Early military plane designs feature “open cockpits and a light bomb load” but as the need for long-range, hardier war-time planes were needed these designs began to change.  According to Crouch, the Martin B-10 was “the first modern, all metal monoplane bomber” able to reach speeds of “200 mph,” featuring “enclosed cockpits,” “a rotating gun turret,” and “internal bomb bay” (390).  As military aircraft evolved, new innovations such as a computerized bomb sight were added.  Most of this technology was put into action and tested during the war.  Some, like the Norden bombsight, were found to be less than effective during actual battles and were put aside in the heat of the moment, but paved the way for further innovation such as the “ultimate in piston-engine aircraft,” jet/rocket propulsion, ground-based onboard electronic systems, and nuclear weapons/computers (which advanced from “theory to practice”) (Crouch 400).  The significance of the new airplane designs and technology during WWII cannot be understated.  Says Crouch, “The global air conflict of World War II began with a series of strikes from the sky and concluded with the destruction of two cities by two bombers carrying two bombs” (400).