Following the devastation of World War I, a group of idealistic pilots, nicknamed the “Bomber Mafia,” came up with a new concept for aerial warfare based on precision bombing. No longer would cities need to be leveled and millions of civilian and military lives lost before the military could claim victory. Instead, they would target strategic sites such as bridges, water treatment facilities, and munitions factories to cripple the enemy and force them to surrender.

In World War II, it looked like they would have their opportunity. They identified key German sites and flew aircraft equipped with the new Norden bombsites. Under the leadership of Major General Haywood S. Hansell, they put the theory to the test. Unfortunately, Hansell was less disciplined than idealistic and failed to adequately plan or execute the attack. And the technology fell short under battle conditions. The result was significant casualties.

When Hansell was redeployed to the Pacific, he continued trying to prove the new approach, despite even greater logistical barriers. Eventually, he was replaced by Major General Curtis LeMay, who executed a brutal strategy of setting Japan ablaze with newly invented napalm. The full story and agonizing decisions are detailed in Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Bomber Mafia. In the end, Hansell’s failure to execute on or pivot his strategy led to even more loss of life.

Asahel, King David’s nephew, showed similar ill-fated tenacity in a fight against Abner, the commander of the army of Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son. Abner warned Asahel to stop pursuing him while he tried to escape, but Asahel was relentless. Known for his swift footedness, he caught up to Abner, who turned around and killed him. More bloodshed ensued as Joab, the commander of David’s army, murdered Abner in retaliation, even though Abner had defected to David’s side and brought the army with him.

What can we take away?

  • Recognize when technologies and their ecosystems are too immature to fulfill the vision
  • When we continue to pursue an idea that isn’t working, we can create an even bigger problem than the one we started with
  • Discern between the tenacity needed to bring a new idea to pass, and stubbornness driven by ego where the cost is too high and victory is elusive
US Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons