Airpower And The Allied Victory Essay

Airpower And The Allied Victory Essay

Airpower's contribution to the Allied victory did not represent the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecies and predictions that were raised in the interwar period. Airpower theorists, on both sides of the Atlantic, advocated predictions and prophecies for the future of warfare. They strongly supported ideas and expectations that airpower and especially strategic bombardment was the best answer in the quest for decisive victory. Airpower was the end and the means to destroy the enemy's will to fight. However, the Trenchardian notion that decisive victory would come through the cumulative moral effect of aerial bombing proved false because German citizens showed a remarkable resilience to surrender. Moreover, the Allies' rhetoric that bombers "would always get through" was far from the reality and resulted in a tremendous number of aircraft losses and fatalities. Finally, the prediction that the airpower can win alone was an overestimated expectation albeit, airpower played a significant role, the decisive victory came as result of a larger joint effort by all the services. After the Great War experience, the idea of strategic bombardment strongly influenced British interwar airpower theorists and advocates. The Trenchardian notion that decisive victory would come through the moral effect of aerial bombing was driven by the faith and expectation that it could destroy the enemy's will to fight. During World War II, British more than Americans, felt it practical to adopt and

... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...