Abstract
The subject of airpower and air warfare has been thoroughly researched by prominent scholars in the last 30 years or so. A new such contribution and valuable addition to the field is the historical analysis Air Warfare: History, Theory and Practice, written by Peter Gray (RAeS Senior Research Fellow, Air Power Studies, University of Birmingham). As stated in the title, the book discusses the history, theory and practice of air warfare, and offers an introductory, yet comprehensive, account of the topic. The book covers a century of air warfare. It is structured thematically along nine small chapters (including the introduction and the concluding comments) and discusses the theoretical and methodological issues of the subject – with some reference to the broader disciplines of military history and war studies – as well as practical matters on the application of airpower throughout history.
At the beginning of his book, the author provides a comprehensive discussion of theoretical challenges and methodological principles on studying (and writing) about air warfare. Then, he presents the theoretical and doctrinal evolution of air power, by analyzing the writings and the ideas of air warfare theorists and by putting them into the wider context of modern warfare theory. Hence, while the contribution of the most renowned ‘prophets’ and strategists (Douhet, Mitchell, De Seversky, Trenchard) to the development of air warfare thinking is discussed, the author seeks to shed light to their actual influence on the interwar evolution of airpower doctrines. He also argues that the impact of prominent military theorists such as Sir Basil Liddell Hart and John F.C. Fuller should not be overlooked. The work, impact and legacy of other, post-Second World War air warfare theorists and practitioners (such as John Boyd and John Warden) is also presented and assessed. Overall, to some extent Gray challenges conventional wisdom and misperceptions of the influence of the ‘prophets’ and theorists of air warfare as individuals, and emphasizes the need to place their contribution within the broader political, military and intellectual context of the periods under examination.
Then, Gray moves on from theory to practice, providing a general overview of the application of airpower during the last century. The origins and development of each particular role/use of air warfare is analysed. The main roles are defined as aerial reconnaissance, naval aviation, control of the air, air-land support, and strategic air power. Regarding the latter, the author correctly points out that it is not limited to (strategic) bombing; any aircraft may have an impact at the strategic level, especially the transport ones which enable the rapid deployment of troops and/or equipment. The substance of this argument might have been better validated if a reference had been made to the significance of the 1948–49 Berlin airlift, the US airlift to Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, or even the reinforcement of Saudi Arabia during the early stages of Operation Desert Shield in 1990, to name a few examples.
In the subsequent chapter, the author examines the issue of leadership, command and control of airpower – including political control – and seeks to illuminate the challenges pertaining to the study of those subjects. Definitions of relevant terms, a discussion on available literature and test cases are also provided. Another very interesting topic that is covered in this book is the legal and moral principles and dimensions of the application of air power. Indeed, the unprecedented scale of devastation inflicted by strategic air offensives against Nazi Germany, the firebombing of Japan, and, eventually, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, caused fierce debates on the morality of such campaigns and the need to regulate destruction in the post- Second World War period. This issue has assumed additional topicality and significance because of the extensive use of drones in modern warfare. Finally, the book’s last chapter offers a brief analysis of air warfare at three different levels – strategic, operational, and tactical. It discusses the interrelationship between them, especially as airpower is more able (due to its inherent flexibility and the fact that the air environment is very complex and global in scale) to cross these boundaries between the above mentioned levels.
Gray’s well-researched book is not only the product of the author’s practical experience in the RAF and his theoretical knowledge of the subject; but it has also been based on extensive research on relevant UK archives, as well as on US and, especially, UK and Commonwealth official publications (service regulations, manuals, guides, doctrines and so on), plus official histories relating to air power and air warfare. So, in essence, as the author himself admits, the book relied heavily on Anglo–American sources. Despite this, Gray has fully utilized existing academic literature on issues relating broadly to the subject and provides an updated and detailed bibliographical list.
Overall, Air Warfare: History, Theory and Practice is an introductory textbook of great value for officers and practitioners, military historians and experts, strategic and defense studies students and scholars. It is also a useful and very readable book for non-specialists wishing to gain knowledge at the development of airpower, at the strategy and tactics of aerial warfare, and at more controversial issues such as the legal, ethical and moral aspects of the application of air power.