Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 - Softcover

Curatola, John M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786494190 ISBN 13: 9780786494194

Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2016

Synopsis

Right after World War II, the United States felt secure in its atomic monopoly. With the American "Pax Atomica" in place, the free world held an apparent strategic advantage over the Soviet bloc and saw itself as a bulwark against communist expansion.

But America's atomic superiority in the early postwar years was more fiction than fact. From 1945 until 1950, the U.S. atomic arsenal was poorly coordinated, equipped and funded. The newly formed Atomic Energy Commission inherited from the Manhattan Engineer District a program suffering from poor organization, failing infrastructure and internal conflict. The military establishment and the Air Force's Strategic Air Command little knew what to do with this new weapon.

The Air Force and the AEC failed to coordinate their efforts for a possible atomic air offensive and war plans were ill-conceived, reflecting unrealistic expectations of Air Force capabilities and possible political outcomes. This lack of preparedness serves as a case study in the tenuous nature of American civilian-military relationships.

About this title

About the Author:

John M. Curatola, a retired Marine Corps officer, is a history professor at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Review:

"rich details...a crisp book that reads smoothly, presenting a wealth of solid information in a cogent way"--H-Net Reviews.

About this edition

• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0786494190
• ISBN 13: 9780786494194
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 236