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Chapters 1 - 3

• Before the war, America's military was only prepared for "light duty", focusing on highly mobile and lightly armed forces.

• Most Americans expected that the war would be won after a short series of victories, Pearl Harbor was viewed as an aberration.

• Precision bombing was expected to win the war by destroying enemy industry, but this proved unworkable due to casualties, anti-aircraft measures, German resiliency and inaccuracy of bombs.

• Blunders are relatively common in war due to its scale, fluidity and violence. Blunders range from the small to the large, and from the inconsequential to the catastrophic.

• Recognition error is a blunder wherein one force misidentifies another. This is very common, and especially so when dealing with forces from different nations.

• The frequency and seriousness of military blunders were consistently under reported.

Chapters 4 - 6

• Rumors were spread to ease boredom and provide entertainment, but their primary function...

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