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Early in 1944 Lt.Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, who had recently taken over command of the 8th USAAF visited the RAE to ask for a series of hands-on tests on the three USAAF escort fighters, the P-38H Lightning, P-47C Thunderbolt and the P-51B Mustang. He was worried about the heavy losses suffered by the fighters on high cover over Flying Fortresses. Tests were required into the handling behaviour of the aircraft at high speeds up to their tactical (manoeuvring) and critical (loss of control) Mach numbers. The tests revealed that the Lightning and Thunderbolt fell well short of the tactical Mach numbers of the Me 109 and the Fw 190. As a result of the RAE report Doolittle asked to be supplied solely with P-51s which proved to be the finest fighters in the European war theatre.

This American air force had started to suffer worrying escort fighter losses when the fighters on high cover over the Flying Fortresses dived down to intercept German fighters attacking the bombers and lost control before they could engage the enemy in combat.

It must be remembered that in the Second World War, Machmeters were not fitted to any Allied or enemy operational aircraft, but only to a few research aircraft. We knew from tests at RAE on captured German fighters that the Me 109 and Fw 190 both had a tactical Mach number of 0.75, so that figure was the name of the combat game at 30,000 feet. The tests we conducted on the American fighters revealed that the Lightning and Thunderbolt fell well short of that figure, with tactical Mach numbers of 0.68 and 0.71 respectively. However, the Mustang with its laminar-flow wing achieved 0.78 tactically, and soon after receiving these results Doolittle asked that his Force be supplied with only P-51s. Subsequently the Merlin-engined Mustang proved to be the finest escort fighter in the European war theatre.

— Wings on My Sleeve by Captain Eric Brown (Page 71 - 72)

‘With books,’ he used to say, ‘even the poorest hovel in the world is transformed into a palace. They make everything seem so much more bearable.’

— The Lost Army Of Cambyses by Paul Sussman (Page 62)

Contact engenders more trust, more solidarity and more mutual kindness. It helps you see the world through other people’s eyes. Moreover, it changes you as a person, because individuals with a diverse group of friends are more tolerant towards strangers. And contact is contagious: when you see a neighbour getting along with others, it makes you rethink your own biases.

[..]

Mark Twain figured that out as early as 1867, observing that ‘travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness’. This is not to say we need to change who we are. Quite the opposite. Among the most notable findings to come out of contact science is that prejudices can be eliminated only if we retain our own identity. We need to realise it’s okay that we’re all different – there’s nothing wrong with that. We can build strong houses for our identities, with sturdy foundations. Then we can throw open the doors.

— Humankind by Rudger Bregman (Page 358 - 362)

In truth, it’s the cynic who’s out of touch. In truth, we’re living on Planet A, where people are deeply inclined to be good to one another. So be realistic. Be courageous. Be true to your nature and offer your trust. Do good in broad daylight, and don’t be ashamed of your generosity. You may be dismissed as gullible and naive at first. But remember, what’s naive today may be common sense tomorrow.

— Humankind by Rudger Bregman (Page 379)

Snipers much more often belong to the 1 to 2 per cent of soldiers who are psychopaths and have no natural aversion to killing. See Susan Neiman, Moral Clarity. A Guide for Grown-Up Idealists (Princeton, 2008), p. 372.

— Humankind by Rudger Bregman (Page 379)