They staffed the Air Corps Tactical School near Montgomery Alabama at what was then called Maxwell Field. Precision bombing was the dream of the dozen or so young maverick airmen dubbed the Bomber Mafia who trained US Air Force pilots in the 1930s. LeMay emerged the winner at the time, and he comes across as the author’s hero. Gladwell terms it “a case study in dreams gone awry.” In his telling, the debate was personified by the divergent careers of two US Army Air Force generals, Haywood Hansell and Curtis LeMay. The book, subtitled “ A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War,” dramatizes the debate at the heart of the growing use of airpower in the war-the dispute between the two schools of thought about strategic bombing in WWII: high-altitude precision targeting and unrestrained area bombing of cities. The Enola Gay is a specially built plane, that held the very first atomic bomb.In The Bomber Mafia, Malcolm Gladwell departs from the precincts of social psychology he knows so well ( The Tipping Point, Talking to Strangers, Outliers) and ventures into the history of World War II. Despite its name, the Little Boy, made a lot of damage to Japanese land. The Enola Gay is a modified B-29 Super Fortress in the cabin of the plane it had enough room to hold the atomic bomb. The pilot of the plane was Colonel Paul W. The Plane was named after Tibblets mother. He was known as the best flier in America, and he was so good that he served as a personal pilot for the future President. The Enola Gay is so significant to US history because the Enola Gay held and dropped the first ever atomic bomb used in war, which showed the strength of the US Military and showed what power the US had. The reasoning for the war between Japan and American was because the Japan attack on Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was an American base located in Hawaii, Japanese took this as a treat because America was expanding their military. The Japanese also attacked Pearl Harbor because this was the only opportunity they had to have a surprise attack. The attack destroyed many American fleet and caused heavy casualties and this bombing brought American into World War 2. The leader for Japan was Kōki Hirota and the United States President was Dwight D. The Enola Gay had great a crew the people from the crew is Captain Theodore Van Kirk the navigator, he was 24 years old, he was a veteran of 58 wars in North Africa. Major Thomas Ferebee he was a bombardier his job was to push the button that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, he fell asleep before and after he did his job, he passed away in 200. Lieutenant Jacob Beser he was the electronic counter measures he died of cancer in 1992 at the age of 71. Sergeant Joseph Stiborik he was the radar operator, he died of a heart attack in 1984 at the age of 69. Private Richard Nelson, he was the radar operator he was 20 years old when he was on the job.Ģnd lieutenant Morris Jeppson he was the ordnance esper, he was 23 years old he had to arm the bomb and he had to make sure the bomb worked. Richard Nelson died at the age of 77 emphysema. Staff Sergeant Robert Caron, tail gunner.