'Attacked by the Furred Furies of Hell'

 

I once had a cat like that.  The furry little bastard was fond of jumping down the stairwell from the landing bannisters to land on the back of anybody going down the stairs.  He'd come down with the claws of all four paws extended.  Little bastard.  This Man's Life cover from May 1959 falls into the 'animal attacks' sub-genre of men's magazine literature, most famously typified ny the 'Weasels Ripped My Flesh' cover story.  Wild cats are at least more convincingly vicious wilderness threats than some of the others utilised, like snapping turtles or otters.  As usual, the unfortunate woman victim is busily falling out of her clothes, even as she is being menaced by these 'furred furies of Hell'.  The other cover stories are, in the main, the usual mix of titillation and World War Two heroics.  I've no idea which particular 'Most Spectacular Bluff of World War two' they are highlighting - several come to mind, including the fake D-Day invasion army in Kent, the similar fake forces deployed by Montgomery at El Alamein in order to divert enemy resources, 'The Man Who Never Was' or a whole host of others - or whether, more likely, they've simply made up a new one.

The most intriguing headline lies in the header: 'Kill the Air Force Now!', which could refer to the 1947 'Revolt of the Admirals', when the US Navy, fearing the loss of their air assets and strategic role, opposed the establishment of the USAF as a separate arm of service.  (It had previously been part of the US Army).  But, with the publication date being 1959 it could equally refer to the argument in some quarters at the time that the role of the Air Force's manned aircraft could be given over entirely to ballistic missiles.  Surface-to-air missiles could intercept enemy fighters, while strategic missiles could replace long range bombers, it was contended, while air support for US forces operating overseas could be provided by the Navy's carrier force.  Similar arguments were being made in the UK around the same time, (resulting in something of a run down of fighter forces and development programmes for future aircraft).  On both sides of the Atlantic, such plans were eventually defeated, the main problem being the lack of flexibility of unmanned missiles in providing appropriate responses to many situations.  Interestingly, though, with the rise of sophisticate military drones, there is again a growing argument for the increased use of unmanned air assets to fight wars.  Which is probably just as well as, apparently, the American maile is in danger of becoming a 'Momma's Boy', (well, in 1959, at least).