steve on Nostr: “Air Power and Armies” by John Cotesworth Slessor ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Having ...
“Air Power and Armies” by John Cotesworth Slessor
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Having served during WWI in Britain’s Royal Air Force, Slessor developed his theories with the practical experience from the “Great War”. He departs from Douhet’s assertion that wars can be won with airplanes alone, instead stating that air power’s primary role is to support the army’s advance. Slessor’s thesis is built on the Clausewitzian assumptions that (A) war had to be won by decisive battle and (B) only the land forces could affect such decisive outcomes by occupying terrain. While his breakdown of how to integrate air and land forces was nearly spot-on, Slessor carries over many of the fallacies introduced by ol’ Dead Carl… namely the whole shtick about “decisive battle”. In contrast to Douhet, Slessor presents a more balanced and nuanced approach towards air power that is much more actionable than the Italian generals penchant for bombing civilians. This book builds on the previous theorists’ work so I recommend reading it in sequence.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Having served during WWI in Britain’s Royal Air Force, Slessor developed his theories with the practical experience from the “Great War”. He departs from Douhet’s assertion that wars can be won with airplanes alone, instead stating that air power’s primary role is to support the army’s advance. Slessor’s thesis is built on the Clausewitzian assumptions that (A) war had to be won by decisive battle and (B) only the land forces could affect such decisive outcomes by occupying terrain. While his breakdown of how to integrate air and land forces was nearly spot-on, Slessor carries over many of the fallacies introduced by ol’ Dead Carl… namely the whole shtick about “decisive battle”. In contrast to Douhet, Slessor presents a more balanced and nuanced approach towards air power that is much more actionable than the Italian generals penchant for bombing civilians. This book builds on the previous theorists’ work so I recommend reading it in sequence.