Para-demolition bombs being dropped on supply warehouses and dock facilities at a port in Wonsan, North Korea by the Fifth Air Force s B-26 Invader light bombers (ca. 1951). From USAF (photo 306-PS-51(10303)), public holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration, cataloged under the National Archives Identifier (NAID) 541959., Public Domain, Link.
Tim Beal is a retired New Zealand academic who has written extensively on Asia with a special focus on the Korean peninsula. His most recent work is the entry on Korea for
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism (Springer Publishing, 2019).
Bombing is perhaps the epitome of modern military power and imperial might, both in symbolism and significance. Consider the medieval knight resplendent in his armor that protected against the enemy, most of whom were poorly equipped peasants. The richer he was, the better the armor, giving a sense of invulnerability and wealth, expressed in ornateness. It is not