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Joining me in this episode is Dr. John Curatola, the Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian at the National World War II Museum. John talks about "Big Week" which took place 80 years ago this week, from 20 to 25 February 1944, and how this began the shift in how we employed our air forces to try to better utilize this important "tool of war". We also see a shift in the Luftwaffe as they begin to accept the reality that they can no longer realistically keep up with the losses they are suffering, which is undermining the Axis ability to utilize their air power as a "tool of war". Links National WWII Museum Digital Resources (https://www.ww2online.org/) John Curatola, PhD (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/contributors/john-curatola-phd) Autumn of Our Discontent: Fall 1949 and the Crisis in American National Security (https://www.amazon.com/Autumn-Our-Discontent-American-National/dp/1682476200/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701003497&sr=8-1) Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and the American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Bombs-Brighter-Tomorrow-Strategic/dp/0786494190/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701003552&sr=8-3) No Quarter Given: The Change in Strategic Bombing Application in the Pacific Theater During World War II (https://www.amazon.com/No-Quarter-Given-Strategic-Application-ebook/dp/B06XGJ2DQM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2U36YERQFF9IO&keywords=no+quarter+given%2C+the+change+in+strategic+bombing&qid=1701003598&sprefix=no+quartr+given%2C+the+change+in+strategic+bombing%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1) Why We Fight Bonus Content (https://www.patreon.com/motheroftanks) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-of-tanks/message
In this episode, I'm joined again by Dr. John Curatola to talk about the Strategic Air War in Europe, with a particular focus on Black Week in October 1943. This episode works well with Episode 79 with Dr. Luke Truxal, which also talks about the Schweinfurt and Regensburg raids, episode 80 with Dr. Rich Muller on the Luftwaffe aerial defense over Germany, episode 81 with Lt.Col. Alex Moon which discusses the Combined Bomber Offensive, and also the next episode with Dr. Graham Cross on the Allied Fighters in Europe. Links John Curatola, PhD (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/contributors/john-curatola-phd) Autumn of Our Discontent: Fall 1949 and the Crisis in American National Security (https://www.amazon.com/Autumn-Our-Discontent-American-National/dp/1682476200/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701003497&sr=8-1) Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and the American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (https://www.amazon.com/Bigger-Bombs-Brighter-Tomorrow-Strategic/dp/0786494190/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701003552&sr=8-3) No Quarter Given: The Change in Strategic Bombing Application in the Pacific Theater During World War II (https://www.amazon.com/No-Quarter-Given-Strategic-Application-ebook/dp/B06XGJ2DQM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2U36YERQFF9IO&keywords=no+quarter+given%2C+the+change+in+strategic+bombing&qid=1701003598&sprefix=no+quartr+given%2C+the+change+in+strategic+bombing%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-1) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-of-tanks/message
In this episode, on the 80th anniversary of the start of Operation Husky, Dr. John Curatola, US Marine Corps veteran and Military Historian at the National WWII Museum, joins me to talk about the components of amphibious assaults, how the Marine Corps ultimately made Operation Husky and all of these amphibious operations possible, and how the Allies in general, but the American Forces specifically are learning organizations and, at this time, 10 July 1943, they were learning organizations under fire. John also shares some quotes he included when writing his most recent book, which will hopefully be available before too long. In the meantime, I'll link to some of his other work below. This is one of about 30 episodes that help tell the story of the Sicily Campaign in 1943. Links John Curatola, PhD (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/contributors/john-curatola-phd) Autumn of Our Discontent: Fall 1949 and the Crises in American National Security (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3D7O9ZO) Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3XLPT4r) No Quarter Given: The Change in Strategic Bombing Application in the Pacific Theater During World War II (Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3PQ5T3j) Operation Husky: The Classroom for Amphibious Landings (https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/operation-husky-classroom-amphibious-landings) http://www.motheroftanks.com/ads-sponsors-and-affiliate-links/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mother-of-tanks/message
Welcome back to the Modern Scholar podcast! Our guest today is Dr. John Curatola, a retired Marine Corps officer of twenty-two years and a history professor at the Army Command and General Staff College. During his Marine Corps career he served in Somalia, Iraq, and was a lead planner for the 2005 Indian Ocean Tsunami Relief operation. He taught both joint operations and military history at Fort Leavenworth and was named the college's Instructor of the Year. His academic work focuses on World War II aviation and the early Cold War period. His first book, Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950,addressed the nature of the American atomic monopoly from 1945-1949. His lectures can be seen on both CSPAN and You tube and he has given numerous presentations at international history conferences. His most recent book, Autumn of Our Discontent: Fall 1949 and the Crises in American National Security, deals with the origins of NSC-68 and the events that occurred in the fall of 1949 leading to a change in the American military tradition of a small peacetime military. He is an FAA licensed pilot and an aviation enthusiast who considers himself a frustrated P-51 pilot that was born 40 years too late.
Conventional wisdom has long held the position that between 1945 and 1949, not only did the United States enjoy a monopoly on atomic weapons, but that it was prepared to use them if necessary against an increasingly hostile Soviet Union. This was not exactly the case, our guest John M. Curatola argues in his book, Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (McFarland & Company, 2016). Curatola is a professor of history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He presents the story of an ad hoc, frequently chaotic, strategic defense posture at the opening of the Cold War. Inter-service rivalries, inter-agency bickering, and deficiencies in equipment, morale, and training all left the United States Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission to pursue their own strategic plans, which Curatola notes were unrealistic, and in some cases, almost ludicrous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Conventional wisdom has long held the position that between 1945 and 1949, not only did the United States enjoy a monopoly on atomic weapons, but that it was prepared to use them if necessary against an increasingly hostile Soviet Union. This was not exactly the case, our guest John M. Curatola argues in his book, Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (McFarland & Company, 2016). Curatola is a professor of history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He presents the story of an ad hoc, frequently chaotic, strategic defense posture at the opening of the Cold War. Inter-service rivalries, inter-agency bickering, and deficiencies in equipment, morale, and training all left the United States Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission to pursue their own strategic plans, which Curatola notes were unrealistic, and in some cases, almost ludicrous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Conventional wisdom has long held the position that between 1945 and 1949, not only did the United States enjoy a monopoly on atomic weapons, but that it was prepared to use them if necessary against an increasingly hostile Soviet Union. This was not exactly the case, our guest John M. Curatola argues in his book, Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (McFarland & Company, 2016). Curatola is a professor of history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He presents the story of an ad hoc, frequently chaotic, strategic defense posture at the opening of the Cold War. Inter-service rivalries, inter-agency bickering, and deficiencies in equipment, morale, and training all left the United States Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission to pursue their own strategic plans, which Curatola notes were unrealistic, and in some cases, almost ludicrous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Conventional wisdom has long held the position that between 1945 and 1949, not only did the United States enjoy a monopoly on atomic weapons, but that it was prepared to use them if necessary against an increasingly hostile Soviet Union. This was not exactly the case, our guest John M. Curatola argues in his book, Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (McFarland & Company, 2016). Curatola is a professor of history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He presents the story of an ad hoc, frequently chaotic, strategic defense posture at the opening of the Cold War. Inter-service rivalries, inter-agency bickering, and deficiencies in equipment, morale, and training all left the United States Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission to pursue their own strategic plans, which Curatola notes were unrealistic, and in some cases, almost ludicrous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Conventional wisdom has long held the position that between 1945 and 1949, not only did the United States enjoy a monopoly on atomic weapons, but that it was prepared to use them if necessary against an increasingly hostile Soviet Union. This was not exactly the case, our guest John M. Curatola argues in his book, Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow: The Strategic Air Command and American War Plans at the Dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950 (McFarland & Company, 2016). Curatola is a professor of history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He presents the story of an ad hoc, frequently chaotic, strategic defense posture at the opening of the Cold War. Inter-service rivalries, inter-agency bickering, and deficiencies in equipment, morale, and training all left the United States Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission to pursue their own strategic plans, which Curatola notes were unrealistic, and in some cases, almost ludicrous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices