U.S. Strategic Air Operations in WWII Europe

A conceptual framework based on the principles of war is developed in this research as a basis for the analysis and assessment. Following the presentation of this framework, a background on the Second World War, and a discussion of the factors involved in the development of air strategy is provided as a further basis for the analysis and assessment of the strategic air operations strategy. In the analysis, the strategy is described, both the military and political objectives for which the strategy was developed and implemented are identified, the relationship between the military and political objectives is examined, and the strategy is analyzed and assessed.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSISAND ASSESSMENT

The essential principles of war are surprise, concentration of effort, cooperation of all arms, control, simplicity, speed of action, and maintaining the initiative.1 A protagonist in war is most effective when able to dictate the course of the battle, and is much less effective when forced to react to the actions of an opponent. Surprise and initiative, thus,

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o reach an accommodation with the British, which, even if it did not make Britain an ally, would at least neutralize them as an enemy. Second, the emphasis on Britain diverted attention away from German preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union.In lateJune 1940, Hitler stated that the British had lost the war, but that they were not yet aware of that fact. He proposed giving the British a month, to permit reason and common sense to prevail, after which, if the British did not yield, he promised them "unending suffering and misery."20When Germany finally abandoned the air assault on Britain in favor of an all out attack on the Soviet Union, Hitler said that he had left Britain "to wither on the vine."21 The Battle of Britain clearly demonstrated the limitations of both excessive reliance on bombers, and on the use of air power as a conquering force. As soon as the Battle of Britain was safely out of the way, however, the implications were soon assigned to the ash can of history. ANALYSIS OF THE AIRSTRATEGY Long before the entry of the British into the Second World War, the Royal Air Force, the Luftwaffe, and the American Army Air Corps had accepted Italian General Giulio Douhet's dictum that armies and navies were
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Approximate Word count = 5060
Approximate Pages = 20 (250 words per page)

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