"World War II. Europe. 1944-45. Across the continental skies, the airmen of America's 416th Bomb Group find themselves dodging death in the midst of the greatest conflict the world has yet known. But how and why did these brave Americans come to battle? Darwin's War interweaves the complex interactions of pre-war economic, scientific and political history with the daily lives of the men who courageously served in the 416th. The narrative implicates eugenics in establishing wrong-minded private and public policies that helped direct governments into the conflict, and reveals the role such science played in the assault on religion and race - on both sides of the battlefield. Through policies of a scientifically based society, national leaders around the world galvanized their citizens into becoming Darwinian-Malthusian warriors. By showing these influences on the men who were forced to put their lives in danger, this account exposes the true cost. Yet, after all the sacrifices that Americans and many others have made, the same eugenics-driven agendas continue covertly and threaten us as much as ever."--Page 4 of cover.