《Masters of the Air》novel introduction

《Masters of the Air》What is the novel about?What are the main plots?If you want to know these contents, you might as well read the introduction of this article. I hope that through the content of the article, you can better understand the content of -Masters of the Air-.

《Masters of the Air》novel introduction

《Masters of the Air》Adapted from the original novel of the same name by Donald L. Miller, it tells the story of the U.S. Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing of Hitler and Nazi Germany during World War II. It will be released on January 26, 2024.Premiering on Apple TV+.

Excerpts from the novel——

In October 1943, less than a quarter of the Eighth Air Force's aircrews were expected to complete their tour of duty (25 combat missions).This is a disturbing statistic.Two-thirds would be killed in battle or captured by the enemy.In addition, 17“ were either seriously injured, suffered an incapacitating mental breakdown, or died in violent air accidents over the UK.Major Egan's bomber group arrived in Britain in May 1943. Only 14” of the pilots in the group were able to complete their 25 combat missions.By the end of the war, the Eighth Air Force would suffer even more fatal casualties - 26,000 killed, a number that exceeded the death toll of the entire United States Marine Corps.Among the US military pilots who had carried out bombing missions in Germany before the launch of D-Day, 77“ were eventually included in the casualty list.

Douhet insisted that future wars would be short, comprehensive, and so intense that there was no need to add anything to them.The victory will be determined by the huge long-range bomber formation in the air. The side that launches the attack first and seizes air supremacy with uninterrupted attacks will win. The main purpose of the operation is not to eliminate the enemy's air power in the battle, but to destroy it.Base, transportation and production center.In the words of Douhet: If you want to eliminate birds, it is not enough to shoot down all the flying birds. There are also eggs and nests.”Destroying eggs and nests is strategic bombing, which is the only bombing method favored by Douhet.

Douhet believes that once air supremacy is seized by bombers rather than fighters, the new era of bombers will destroy all “bird eggs and bird's nests”, and the main targets will be the enemy's key industrial cities, not their troops on the battlefield..Strikes against those vital centers would shake the morale of the nation, destroy the enemy's ability to conduct war, and quickly bring about a surrender agreement with reduced casualties without the use of armies and navies.In this new style of play, an entire country might be viewed as a fighting force, Mitchell echoed Douhet's sentiments.Douhet wrote: “The war is no longer just a fight between armies, but a conflict between the entire country and the entire population.The distinction between combatants and non-combatants is no longer accepted...because when a country goes to war, everyone is involved: soldiers with guns, women assembling shells in factories, farmers growing wheat, in laboratoriesscientists and so on.”

The above is the entire introduction to the novel Masters of the Air.If you want to know more, we sincerely invite you to continue paying attention to the line class.We will provide more detailed and rich plot analysis, character introductions, filming locations, etc. in the future.