A fascinating study of the changing military role of air power in the twentieth century, this book examines the sensational impact of the Great War, the pioneering work of air power theorists and visionaries in the interwar period, the air arms race, the SecondWorld War in Europe and the Far East, and finally, the post-war period.
Warfare in the first half of the 20th century was fundamentally and irrovocably altered by the birth and subsequent development of air power. This work assesses the role of air power in changing the face of battle on land and sea. Utilizing late-1990s research, the author demonstrates that the phenomenon of air power was both a cause and a crucial accelerating factor contributing to the theory and practice of total war. For instance, the expansion of warfare to the homefront was a direct result of bombing and indirectly due to the extent of national economic mobilization required to support fi... View More...
