WWII Anglo-American Air Power Strategy This paper will discuss the Anglo-A

The Nazi threat began in the late 1930's when Germany, under the leadership of Adolph Hitler, started taking over neighboring nations by force. Attacks were later made on Great Britain in the Blitzkrieg and the Battle of Britain. In 1941, a coalition known as the Allies was forged between Great Britain and the United States to fight against the Axis forces of Germany, Italy and Japan. The Anglo-American strategy for the use of air power was the key element in defeating the Axis in Europe.

This paper will analyze the air power strategies of both sides to determine why the Allies succeeded and the Axis failed. The strategies of each side and the rationale that led to their selection will be compared and contrasted. By following a strategy of offensive bombing, the Allies were able to meet their objective of undermining the ability of the German people to make war. By contrast, the Nazi air strategy failed because it was based on misconceptions regarding the importance of strategic targets in modern warfare. This particular conflict was chosen because it provides a clear example of the importance of offensi

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destroy the German economy, it at least "undermined it and prepared for its collapse" (Leckie, 1987, p. 647). Thus, although air power was not the only factor in the Allied victory, it contributed very strongly to the overall success of the Anglo-American stategy. Strategy Comparison Various factors influenced the selection of strategy on both sides of the war. For example, the strategy of the Anglo-American coalition was influenced by the objective of stopping Germany as quickly as possible by destroying its economy and its morale. Because of this objective, the Allied strategy focused on the use of an offensive bombing campaign. Germany's objective, on the other hand, was to quickly overwhelm its neighboring countries into submission. As a result, the German strategy emphasized the use of "Blitzkrieg" tactics. Later in the war, the Germans were forced to take a defensive position. Despite this fact, Hitler resisted the idea of using the Luftwaffe as a defensive rather than offensive weapon (Stokesbury, 1980, p. 282). Even as an offensive tool, Hitler insisted upon using the Luftwaffe for tactical rather than strategic operations. As a result, Germany failed to make effective use of air power in its strategy for war
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Approximate Word count = 5688
Approximate Pages = 23 (250 words per page)