The Salesman Who Saved Western Civilization

Did you know that a salesman saved Western Civilization?  I know you may doubt that, but one persuasive salesman saved the West and has profoundly shaped your life and, I might add, made it better.  Lest you doubt, please allow me to explain.  During the golden age of aviation there was dramatic improvement in aircraft technology.  Every aspect of manned flight was growing exponentially.  Planes were getting bigger and heavier, they were flying faster and further and there seemed no challenge that was too tough to overcome.  But as engines became more powerful there began to develop a plateau of what could be done.  It seemed that the upper limits of aviation was about to be reached.   Larger and newer high compression engines developed knocks under strain and could experience catastrophic breakdowns.  It had to do with the octane of the fuel.  Most aircraft fuel at the time was 87-octane.  Shell Oil developed a solution.  They developed 100-octane aviation fuel.  It was more expensive and in lower compression engines was not needed.  What they needed was a salesman who could not only explain the advantages of high-octane fuel, but also the value of the higher performance engines that needed it. 

Enter the story James.  James was an aviation enthusiast and pilot who had been an army aviator, aircraft salesman, aircraft racer, and test/stunt pilot among other things.  During the years between the two World Wars, James worked for Shell explaining that not only would 100-octane fuel increase the power in any gasoline engine, but also engines designed for this higher grade of fuel would be dramatically better under all conditions than the engines designed for 87-octane.  It was a harder sell than you might expect.  At the time there was an approach called “One Fuel”.  This approach held that if a nation only needed and used one fuel it would simplify refining, distribution and transportation, and would be more efficient.  The gains made in efficiency would more than offset the disadvantage of lower power.  The National Socialists in Germany used this standardized approach.  One of the audiences that did listen to and took James’ advice was the Royal Air Force.  The engines designed to fit on the British bombers and fighters were high compression engines that required this 100-octane fuel. 

Not everyone believed James, but the day would come when all had to admit he was right.  After the Nazi’s had swept all resistance from the European mainland all that remained was the invasion of Great Britain.  Operation Sea Lion would carry the German army across the English Channel and would destroy the British Empire on their home ground.  There was little doubt that if the German Army reached shore they would eventually win.  Dunkirk was a victory of sorts, but the British Army was no match for Germany.  The British Navy could not stop the invasion.  German U-Boats at the two ends of the channel would sink any ship that tried to hinder the invasion.  All that stood in the way was the RAF; any invasion force would be destroyed from the air if Germany did not have absolute air superiority. Thus began the Battle of Britain.  The German ME 109 fighter was every bit as agile as the British Spitfire and their pilots were more experienced and better trained.  But the Spitfire had one advantage; the higher compression engine running on high-octane fuel was faster.  The Spitfire pilot could pull away from and out-climb the ME 109.  If the dogfight was going badly a British pilot could get out and come back in a more advantageous position.  The German pilot could not get away from his attacker as easily. After the battle was over one RAF general said the difference in the Battle of Britain was 13 points of octane.

Few people realize that a salesman named James saved Western Civilization.  You may not have known he was a salesman at all.  Most people know him better as Gen. Jimmy Doolittle who led the first air raid on Tokyo.  But his greatest contribution to the war may have been to sell the RAF on the idea of high compression engines and 100-octane fuel.

Many times it is not the things we think of as important that have the greatest impact.   Our greatest contribution may be some little event or word that no one notices, but can change history or even eternity.