Transcript
Kristen Bell (0:00)
Hi, I'm Kristen Bell and if you know my husband Dax, then you also know he loves shopping for a car. Selling a car, not so much.
Greg Jackson (0:07)
We're really doing this, huh?
Kristen Bell (0:08)
Thankfully, Carvana makes it easy. Answer a few questions, put in your VIN or license and done. We sold ours in minutes this morning and they'll come pick it up and pay us this afternoon.
Greg Jackson (0:19)
Bye bye Truckee.
Kristen Bell (0:20)
Of course, we kept the favorite.
Greg Jackson (0:24)
Hello other Truckee.
Kristen Bell (0:25)
Sell your car with Carvana today. Terms and conditions apply. I've never felt like this before. It's like you just get me. I feel like my true self with you. Does that sound crazy? And it doesn't hurt that you're gorgeous. Okay, that's it. I'm taking you home with me. I mean, you can't find shoes this good just anywhere. Find a shoe for every you from brands you love like Birkenstock, Nike, Adidas and more at your DSW store or dsw.com welcome to history that doesn't suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson and as in the classroom, my goal here is to make rigorously researched history come to life. As your storyteller, each episode is the result of laborious research with no agenda other than making the past come to life as you learn. If you'd like to help support this work, receive ad free episodes, bonus content and other exclusive perks. I invite you to join the HTDS membership program. Sign up for a 7 day free trial today at or click the link in the episode notes. It's early in the morning, a bit past 9am Wednesday, October 30, 1935. Poyer P. Hill, or Pete. As everyone knows, this 41 year old mustachioed Great War vet, recently promoted to Major, is doing his pre flight check at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. But he's not alone in his cockpit. Pete's working with his crew of three fellow right field employees and Boeing's chief test pilot, Leslie or Les Tower. Les will be Pete's co pilot once the five men take off inside this still experimental aircraft, Boeing's enormous 103 foot wingspan 15 ton bomber, model 299. Or as it will later be designated by the air Corps, the B17. But you know what? Pete and his crew have their hands full. Let's leave them be while I catch you up on all that's led to this upcoming test flight. First you might notice that I said Army Air Corps, not Army Air Service as it was known in the Great War. So what's going on there? Well, the best Way to understand that is to reacquaint ourselves with great War aviation commander, hero and well known thorn in the side of his superiors, Colonel Billy Mitchell. We first met Billy at the Battle of Saint Mihiel in episode 137 and saw him clash with his superiors in episode 140. After the great War, he was promoted to a Brigadier general and had his planes at the ready to suppress a Union uprising against mine owners in West Virginia in 1921, which we saw back in episode 153. Yes, you remember Billy Mitchell. And the important thing here is that he's a staunch supporter of aviation and the armed forces and has long felt that they needed more independence. The Army Air Service's leaders, like Billy, retreated the same as tank or artillery commanders. Yet the fiery flyboy argued that planes occupied a unique military function that was different from the army or Navy. He proved his point on July 21, 1921, when his pilots dropped seven bombs on the captured German battleship turned test target, the Osfriesland. They sunk it to the bottom of the ocean. To Billy, this demonstrated that the air Service needed to be its own military branch. Ah, but cost cutting press President Silent Cal Coolidge said no cutting government spending across the board. He justified his policy of further reducing the military's already massively reduced spending that we learned about following the Great war in episode 150 with a simple who's going to fight us? But Billy was tenacious. Actually, he was downright belligerent, getting himself demoted and court martialed despite many in Congress and the military being on his side. Sometimes it pays to know when to shut up, Billy. That said, the head of the Air Service, General Mason Patrick, met Silent Cow's budgetary concerns with a compromise that created the army air Corps in 1926 as a separate division of the army rather than a separate branch. This meant they would now share a budget with the army but get their own leadership and operations. Kind of like how the Marines are a part of the Navy but operate entirely separately. This also meant that the Army Air Corps could carry out operations separately from ground troops. Operations like bombing raids. And that's what brings us to the Model 299 or XB17 or YB17 to use this experimental Boeing aircraft's many designations through its pre production development. Building on Billy Mitchell's proven bombing precision back in 1921. The idea is to make an aircraft that can fly long distances with a lot of bombs, say 2,000 miles with 2,000 pounds of bombs at 200 miles per hour. Boeing took on the assignment last year in September 1934. And after 153,000 man hours and $400,000, they were ready for a public reveal by July 1935. While Boeing calls it an aerial battle cruiser, the public prefers the newspaper's nickname, the flying fortress. On August 20, 1935, Boeing's chief test pilot, Leslie Tower, yes, one of the crew that we met at the start of this story successfully flew the enormous armored and armed plane 2,100 miles from Seattle, Washington, to the Air Corps Training center at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. That went well. And today, October 30, 1935, Les is with Air Corps test pilot Pete Hill, checking the whole experimental craft over, prepping for the next test flight. And things look good. So, hey, let's get this fortress in the air. It's now 9:30 in the morning. Seated and ready for takeoff, Major Pete Hill pushes forward on the throttle. Just as he has so many times before, the enormous flying fortress rumbles down the Runway at right field. Inside, the crew feel the entire aircraft vibrate. Their ears ring from the growl of its 4,700 horsepower engines and the roaring whirr of the propellers. Pete pulls up and lifts the sleek aluminum bird into the skies. Boeing's XB17 has been nothing but a success thus far, so Pete and the flight crew have every reason to relax. But just then, the plane lurches left as the wing dips toward the ground, swinging the aircraft a full 180 degrees right back to where they took off from. And then it plummets straight toward the earth. On the ground, Lieutenants Leonard Harmon and Robert Giovannoli race as fast as they can as the metal fortress plummets. It crashes and crumples right in front of them. Oh, God, they've got to act fast. Two crewmen leap out of the aircraft on impact. But as Leonard and Robert arrive at the contorted plane, the gasoline in the punctured wings ignites. Within seconds, the XB is engulfed in flames. Leonard and Robert throw their coats over their heads and and race into the wreckage. Coughing and hacking as they choke on smoke, the two officers manage to pull the rest of the crew out the metallic inferno. Despite severe burns, three of the men, remarkably, will recover. But while Les Tower holds on for three more weeks, he ultimately passes. As for Pete Hill, he succumbs to his injuries in a matter of hours. A few years from now, in July 1939, Utah's Hill Air Force Base will be named in Major Hill's memory. Meanwhile, both Boeing and the army are sure that this crash means the end of the XB17. Indeed, some are calling it too much airplane for one man to handle. But a post crash investigation finds no structural issues or malfunction with the engines. The rudder and elevator controls were locked, causing the bomber to stall. And this. This loss of aerodynamic lift sent the mighty Metal Fortress careening back to the earth. Thus, despite this tragic event, the army feels safe moving forward. It's a good thing too. Soon, growing tensions in Europe and Asia will provide a stern answer to Silent Cal's question of who's going to fight us. Boeing will crank out B17s by the thousands. And in turn, these Flying Fortresses will take their bomb dropping fight to the skies in the most total war humanity has ever waged. Welcome to history that doesn't suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story as this episode comes out in June 2025. It does so shortly after the 250th birthday of the United States army, which was established in June 1775 by the Second Continental Congress. Since its founding in the American Revolution, until today, the Army's motto has been this will defend. And if you'd like to hear the full origin story from 250 years ago, just scroll down to HTDS episode 6. We won't rehash that birth today, but it's worth briefly noting as we come to today's topic, which is the evolution of the U.S. army in the interwar period of the 1930s. Think of this special episode as a prologue to where HTDS storytelling is headed. World War II. In the late 1930s, the US army is totally unprepared for what Winston Churchill will later call the Gathering Storm. When Nazi Germany invades Poland in 1939, the US army is ranked a lowly 17th in the world, behind much smaller nations like Portugal. But within just a few remarkable years, the army will echo its overnight overhaul during the Great War, undergoing an awesome transformation. A transformation that was possible in no small part thanks to a mighty citizenry corps of industry and science. That last part is key, because even as the country is still reeling from the financial gut punch of the Great Depression, US businesses are still building and innovating. You just heard one story of the Boeing Company's investment in developing the B17 bomber, and remember those huge engineering projects we just finished exploring in recent episodes, including the government sponsored Hoover dam, built by six companies? Well, we're going to see how the 1930s innovation and industrial production foreshadowed what American industry could and would do when Uncle Sam calls on it during World War II. In fact, keep six companies in mind, because that wasn't the last you'll hear about certain members of that conglomerate of builders. War is coming, and it's not only the army that will have to transform, it's the American home front, too. The most consequential event in the 20th century is upon us. To understand this historical moment better and to get us into the mindset of what generals from the period, like Army Chief of Staff George Marshall and others must have been thinking, I thought it'd be fun to have a discussion with a current U.S. army general. And my friends, you're in for a treat because I'm pleased to have someone who is specifically charged with continuous transformation and preparation for the next major war, even as we hope that, God willing, that war never comes. My guest today is General James E. Rainey, who leads the U.S. army Futures Command. Yes, he's got four stars on his shoulder straps. The mission of the Army Futures Command is to ensure war winning future readiness. As its name suggests, the General has commanded at every level from platoon to division and has served in numerous combat deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan during his nearly four decades of service. His full bio is in the episode Notes. As you'll hear, General Rainey and I not only discussed the US Army's founding and transformation and interwar periods, but we also discuss why it's important for military leaders to study history. And so, with no further ado, I'm pleased to welcome General Jim Rainey to history that doesn't suck. 4th of July Savings are here at the Home Depot so it's time to get your grilling on. Pick up The Traeger Pro Series 22 pellet grill and smoker now on special buy for $389 was $5.49. Smoke a rack of ribs or bake an apple pie. This grill is versatile enough to do it all this summer. No matter how you like your steaks, your barbecues are guaranteed to be well done. Celebrate 4th of July with fast free delivery on select grills right now at the Home Depot. It's up to availability.