Mission with LeMay - My Story
Author: Curtis LeMay & MacKinlay Lantor
Publisher: Doubleday NY
Edition: First ``
Cover: Hardcover
Published: 1965
Bio
Synopsis: Curtis LeMay and MacKinlay Kantor's collaborative autobiography provides LeMay's personal account of his military career and strategic thinking, offering insights into the development of American air power doctrine from World War II through the Cold War. Written with the assistance of Kantor, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, the book presents LeMay's perspective on the major military decisions and strategic developments in which he played central roles. The narrative follows LeMay's career progression from bomber pilot to strategic commander, revealing his analytical approach to military problems and his willingness to challenge conventional thinking when circumstances demanded innovative solutions. Through personal anecdotes and professional reflections, LeMay explains his philosophy of warfare, which emphasized the importance of overwhelming force, technological superiority, and efficient organization in achieving military objectives with minimum American casualties. The autobiography details LeMay's role in developing effective bombing tactics against both European and Pacific targets, including his controversial decision to abandon precision bombing in favor of area incendiary attacks against Japanese cities. The work provides LeMay's perspective on major military operations, including the strategic bombing campaigns of World War II, the Berlin Airlift, and the development of America's nuclear deterrent capabilities during the early Cold War period. LeMay's account reveals his relationships with other military leaders and political figures, showing how strategic decisions emerged from complex interactions between military requirements and political constraints. The autobiography includes LeMay's reflections on the moral dimensions of warfare, defending his decisions about strategic bombing while acknowledging the human costs of military operations designed to achieve broader strategic objectives. The narrative demonstrates LeMay's belief in the importance of military preparedness as a means of preventing war, showing how his development of Strategic Air Command capabilities contributed to nuclear deterrence during the most dangerous periods of the Cold War. The work provides insights into LeMay's leadership methods and organizational philosophy, revealing how he transformed military units through demanding training standards and attention to operational details. The autobiography serves as both personal memoir and strategic analysis, offering LeMay's perspective on the evolution of military technology and doctrine during a period of rapid change in warfare capabilities. The collaboration with Kantor ensures readable prose while preserving LeMay's distinctive voice and analytical approach to complex military and political questions.
Mission with LeMay - My Story, is one of the many primary source materials in the Army Air Corps Museum collection.
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