In the years since the end of World War II, American airmen have justified their independence largely by emphasizing the mission of strategic bombardment. They argued that only the resources and flexibility inherent in an independent service could mass the requisite force to defeat an enemy without recourse to ground troops. Unfortunately, this zealous advocation of Douhet- style airpower has caused a misunderstanding among many Air Force professionals as to the true nature of aerial strategy. We have truncated the definition of strategic airpower to such a degree that to many people it now equates to strategic bombardment, whether that concept implies the mass destruction of German and Japanese cities in World War II, or the more recent surgical at tacks on Iraq during the Gulf War. In either case, limiting our definition of strategic airpower to bombardment missions prevents us from fully exploiting the vast range of alternatives available in aerial combat. To take advantage of these opportunities, we must redefine strategic airpower in terms of what an air force contributes to the overall war effort. The Luftwaffe and the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) of early World War II each offer an example of an air force which accepted and appreciated this broader context. Few airmen or historians have recognized the strategic nature of the Luftwaffe's World War II doctrine. Fewer still have allowed that contemporary USAAC officers appreciated this doctrine. Instead, most postwar historians noted the conspicuous absence of a heavy bomber fleet in the Luftwaffe's inventory and concluded that it had been equipped primarily for use in a tactical and close air support role. In a similar vein, independence-minded American airmen pointed to their own successes with aerial bombardment and condemned Luftwaffe officers for their lack of vision.


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    Titel :

    Handmaid of the Army. The American Perception of German Bombardment Doctrine prior to the Battle of Britain


    Beteiligte:

    Erscheinungsdatum :

    1997


    Format / Umfang :

    13 pages


    Medientyp :

    Report


    Format :

    Keine Angabe


    Sprache :

    Englisch





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