Certain world leaders were extremely weary about flying. The book points out British Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, as being one of them. He once stated, "I wish for many reasons that flying had never been invented… I think it is well for the man on the street to realize that there is no power on earth that can prevent him from being bombed. Whatever people may tell him, the bomber will always get through." The possibility of aerial attacks on civilian targets seemed to be the biggest concern amongst thinkers. Baldwin concluded that the only defense against these sorts of attacks, was to rely on offensive attacks- so by avoiding destruction of your own people, you had to destroy someone else's.
English philosopher William Derham once stated that flight would "give ill men greater Opportunities to do Mischief," and interrupt ideas of world peace. His thoughts were completely valid, but these risks are just as similar as having gun regulations (or lack thereof) on land. There are bad people out there, but you have to hope that they won't be able to access guns, planes, bombs, etc.; anything that can be used as a weapon against other civilians.
2. What factors influenced the development of the aircraft carrier and what role did it play in WWII?
Many factors influenced the development of the aircraft carrier, but the biggest push factor was the lack of availability of land use for aircrafts. It can be assumed that any area that the projection of national policy forces is in use, there will not be easily accessible land for the use of that air power. In the beginning, developers simply added platforms to cruisers. They soon realized that it was to their benefit to start designing ships solely for aircraft carrier usage. These carriers played a great role in WWII because it was almost like a whole new playing field. Carriers could more discreetly transport aircrafts near their intended locations than they could on land, and aircrafts would have less worry about gas usage and wear of the aircraft. They just had to decide which aircrafts would be of best use.
4. What type of aircraft emerged from the design revolution of the 1930’s and what role would it play during WWII?
The modern bomber was one of the biggest designs to come out of the 1930's. These designs began with the Boeing B-9, in 1931, and progressed into the Martin B-10 which was developed in 1933. The Martin B-10 was the first modernized, all-metal monoplane bomber to actually be used in action. The cockpits were enclosed, it offered a rotating gun turret, and a bomb bay on the inside; all at a speed of up to 200 mph. The B-10 was recognized as a sign of just how advanced the American aviation industry was, and was becoming. It took an even more important role with the testing of bombsight, which became one of the biggest "secret weapons" of the Air Corps. Bombsight represented the "American way of war" which was "clean and precise."
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