S8 Ep821: James Scott describes Curtis LeMay as a pragmatic, "hardscrabble" problem-solver who put himself through college by working nights in a steel mill. Replacing Hansel after only 44 days, LeMay realizes that high-altitude bombing is an "unsolvable equation"

James Scott describes Curtis LeMay as a pragmatic, "hardscrabble" problem-solver who put himself through college by working nights in a steel mill. Replacing Hansel after only 44 days, LeMay realizes that high-altitude bombing is an "unsolvable equation" given the weather variables. He revamps maintenance, embraces radar, and demonstrates a ruthless focus on results, such as bypassing bureaucracy to pay native tribes in opium for the rescue of downed airmen. The sources also detail the American development of napalm, which was tested on a mock Japanese village in the Utah desert. This village, built with authentic tatami mats and sliding doors, was repeatedly burned to determine how best to exploit Japan's "Achilles heel": its dense wooden architecture. War planners identified specific "incendiary zones" in cities like Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka that were highly susceptible to fire, providing LeMay with the data needed to transition from pinpoint strategic targets to mass urban destruction. 3/8
1943 LEMAY