Aerial warfare

Before the arrival of the airplane, warfare was conducted almost entirely by a country's infantry and navy. Up to this time in history, aerial warfare had played no significant role in military strategy. Balloons had been used for observation and propaganda distribution during the Napoleonic wars and the Franco-Prussian conflict of 1870-1871 (Balloons in the Military). The airplane had also been used in a limited role for bombardment missions during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911-1912 (Wilkin). World War One was the first time aerial warfare was used on an immense scale, demonstrating the significance of using aircraft in shaping the outcome of a war. The transformation of aerial warfare directly influenced the evolution of aircraft development, and the role aircraft would play in World War One. Towards the start of the war, the strategic value of air machines was met with a specific…

against the Nazi-Regime. Furthermore, their prophecies that air power alone could win a war; “the bomber will always get through” even without support of fighter escort; and that the bomber would be able to attack adversaries’ vital centers with high altitude precision bombing turned out to be false. Despite of excessive aerial bombing of vital centers, cities and industrial facilities,…

One of the greatest changes that occurred in the strategy of warfare took place during the 20th century. This was the development and deployment of the airplane. The strategic prowess that airplanes provided during times of war was unprecedented. It was very different than all the other types of weaponry that was used during conflicts, such as ground troops, tanks and ships. This was because “the access [an airplane] provides makes it a faster, more flexible, and more precise than any other…

Grainne Kieran Strategic bombing since its inception, has evoked a powerful and emotional response and has become a subject of much debate. Throughout history there has been a tendency to regard airpower, specifically strategic bombing , as a revolutionary advance in warfare and a weapon that would push the boundary and create new principles and policies of war. While some scholars see this advance as a positive and advocate strategic bombing for it reduction of cost, manpower and causalities,…

which was later incurred during the “Battle of Britain” ceased to be the primary danger.” Through this logistical overhaul, pilots now had the aircraft needed to wage war against the Germans and combat their advance through the air. The Battle of Britain was also the proving ground for many new innovations and tactics that were newly introduced to air warfare. This created a new dimension to the ever complex view of aerial combat and forced Allied and Axis leaders to adapt to the changing…

In modern air warfare without effective Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses U.S. air power is far less lethal. The Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) is a mission that came to be in the war in Vietnam. With the creation of modern Integrated Air Defense Systems (IAD), U.S. Air power could be loses its effectiveness while still maintaining Air Superiority. While enemy fighters may have not been a threat during most missions the possibility of being shot down by a Surface to Air Missile…

of Winged Defense from a 1919 lecture given by Captain Thomas Hart on the value of submarines in warfare. With his lack of evidence and knowledge exposed, Mitchell had no chance of exoneration by the court. While Mitchell’s court-martial proceeded into December, the Morrow Board submitted its report to President Coolidge regarding the possibility and predicted outcome of bolstering the Air Service. Unfortunately, their findings did not meet Mitchell’s expectations, as the report rejected the…

After the First World War and airpower’s contribution in dealing with the stalemate warfare, some people recognized its great potential, and started to envision its use in future conflicts. Those people, that can be called theorists, visionaries, or airpower prophets started to think how to further develop an airpower, and how it can be best used in the future warfare. Furthermore, they provided their theories and predictions of its tactical and strategic use in order to give military…

unique military capability only airpower can provide; among others, to attack directly enemy targets from the air regardless of their location, and to observe from the air.1 Thus, if there were no technology, there would be no airpower. Therefore, without a doubt we can say that technology had the most significant influence on creation and development of airpower, with its first foundation in Europe and the United States. To understand how technology influenced airpower development we must…

scenario. The application of air power in World War II is necessary to analyze each scenario from the perspective of the theorist. Giulio “Douhet argued that an early air attack on the enemy’s vital center could win a humane victory.” To illustrate, during World War I the stagnation in the trenches was something awful this remain in the memory of the combatants, Douhet prediction was “future war may yet prove to be more humane than war in the past, because they may in the long run shed less…