--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What's somewhat puzzling is that…" description: "\"What's somewhat puzzling is that Churchill himself knew what the reaction would be to any sort of aerial attack on cities, because in 1938 he said that..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/nicholson-baker-3405_air_what-s-somewhat-puzzling-is-that-churchi_184840.jpg" --- # What's somewhat puzzling is that Churchill himself knew… ![“What's somewhat puzzling is that Churchill himself knew what the reaction would be to any sort of aerial attack on cities, because in 1938 he said that in a future war British cities would be attacked by bombing, and that the response would be that all men would want to join the fight because they…” quote by Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/nicholson-baker-3405_air_what-s-somewhat-puzzling-is-that-churchi_184840.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/nicholson-baker-3405_air_what-s-somewhat-puzzling-is-that-churchi_184840.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c1/nicholson-baker-3405_air_what-s-somewhat-puzzling-is-that-churchi_184840.jpg) > “What's somewhat puzzling is that Churchill himself knew what the reaction would be to any sort of aerial attack on cities, because in 1938 he said that in a future war British cities would be attacked by bombing, and that the response would be that all men would want to join the fight because they would be so incensed by this cowardly manner of attack. Which is a very natural response: when something drops on you from the air and blows up a bunch of buildings and kills people in their sleep, the reaction is going to be rage, confusion, and a search for something to destroy in retaliation.” [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anticipating civilian anger, Churchill predicted that bombing cities would provoke widespread fury and a desire for retaliation. **In simple terms:** Bombing cities triggers anger and a drive for revenge. Key Takeaway Expect strong emotional backlash to aerial attacks. Themes war civilians psychology reaction retaliation Mood tense determined reflective Type historical political psychological When to use this quote - urban defense planning - civilian morale - media messaging Key Concepts collective trauma anger propaganda defense strategy Questions to Reflect On - How does fear shape public support for war? - Can leadership channel anger into constructive action? A Different Perspective Assumes all civilians react uniformly; some may resist retaliation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aerial Attack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aerial-attack-1966946/) [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Attack Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attack-cities-1966945/) [Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blow/) [Bombing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombing/) [Bombing Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombing-response-1966942/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Bunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bunch/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Cities Attacked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities-attacked-1966944/) [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Cowardly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowardly/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Puzzling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzling/) [Puzzling Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzling-churchill-1966943/) [Rage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rage/) [Reactions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reactions/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Retaliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retaliation/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [“God damn the geraniums! ...It was like trying to screw during an aerial attack.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/god-damn-the-geraniums-it-was-like-trying-to-screw-during-an-aerial/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [The world is a puzzling place today. 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