Wings #4 - McDougle

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

The ability to fly made all corners of the world reachable.  Water or walls could no longer protect countries and cities.  This caused great fear in the world, because no one was safe from the threat of aerial attack.  Prior to the invention of the airplane, theologians and philosophers agreed that giving people the ability to fly would have an incredibly negative impact.  One such philosopher, William Derham, felt that flight would allow evil men to cause greater problems.  Samuel Johnson, an author, believed that although flight could have some benefits, as long as there were evil men, flight would be catastrophic, because they would be able to attack good people from the air. 

Following the invention of the airplane, world leaders continued to have similar feelings about flight as those who could only imagine its possibility. The Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin felt that the only solution for protection from such attacks was to attack threats quicker and in greater numbers, which would inevitably result in more civilian casualties.  Individuals such as Winston Churchill recommended the destruction of all air forces except for one international air force.  Although this approach was too extreme for many, plans began to help regulate the air in order to protect civilians from aerial warfare. (pgs. 356-358)

6.      What role did strategic bombing play during the war and was it successful?

Bombing throughout World War II was never ending.  There were no longer boundaries between war zones and all areas of the globe could be exposed to the war through bombings.  The United States made claims that they would not participate in the bombing of civilians or other unprovoked attacks, but then used the strategic bombing that was part of the assault plan of the Allies in order to attack Germany.  The definition of this form of warfare as defined by historians is “a direct attack on the enemy state with the object of depriving it of the means or the will to continue the war.” Neither side was able to accurately bomb, and they were unable to protect their aircraft while they were in the air.  A blitz of attacks all throughout Europe occurred from September 1940 through May 1941 and resulted in civilian deaths unmatched by any other period of the war.  The strategic bombing occurred not only in retaliation due to destruction by the enemy, but it was also used in order to gain some offensive advantage.  It was believed that bombing was safer than ground warfare and could lead to a quicker victory.  The accuracy of navigation and bombing rapidly improved throughout 1942-1943 which lead to more successful strategic attacks, often occurring during the night. (pgs. 408-413)

8.      How did WWII transform the prewar United States aviation industry into the huge aerospace and defense industrial complex it is today?

The United States had a very small aviation industry due to a lack of demand.  While European nations had a greater demand for aircraft, they chose to invest it in their own industries.  When the threat of a war in Europe became evident, the United States greatly increased their airplane production in order to support the preparations for war.  American aircraft were sold in Europe, and production of airplanes for a US Air Force increased as well.  Politicians were greatly involved in the expansion of aviation in the United States.  By exporting aircraft to other countries, President Roosevelt put strain on laws that were in place to keep the United States neutral.  Congressmen who disagreed with the President’s actions made efforts to take him to trial, which actually brought about more support for Roosevelt’s decisions.  The increase in purchases from both within and outside of the US allowed for rapid expansion in the aviation industry.  Companies employed mass amounts of both men and women.  The government created programs in order to help with the rapid expansion of such companies, because the companies themselves were not willing to take on the cost when they knew demand would decrease following the war.  The rapid expansion of the industry and development of technology were both contributors to the transformation of the United States’ aviation industry post WWII. (pgs. 429-433)