The Failure of Precision Bombing — James M. Scott — Scott explains the systematic failure of Hansell's precision bombing doctrine: Japan's notoriously unpredictable weather patterns and the unexpected discovery of violent jet streams traversing the Pacific islands rendered high-altitude precision bombing operationally nearly impossible. Scottdocuments that the B-29, which cost approximately $3.7 billion in development expenditures—exceeding the financial investment in the atomic bomb—suffered chronic mechanical defects including catastrophic engine fires and structural failures compromising operational reliability. Scott details that early raids targeting Japanese aircraft manufacturing facilities failed to destroy critical industrial targets, resulting in the grim nickname "Flack Alley" for the densely defended airspace above Nagoya and Tokyo. Scott notes that General Arnold, demonstrating impatience with mounting losses and facing escalating political pressure to produce quantifiable military results, replaces the intellectual Hansell with the pragmatic Curtis LeMay after merely 44 days of failed operations.
1930 TOKYO