The Age of Airpower

by Van Creveld, Martin

• ISBN13: 9781610391085
• ISBN10: 161039108X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-08
• Publisher: PublicAffairs

Summary

Airpower, more than any other factor, has shaped war in the twentieth century. In this fascinating narrative history, Martin van Creveld vividly portrays the rise of the plane as a tool of war and the evolution of both technology and strategy. He documents seminal battles and turning points, and relates stories of individual daring and collective mastery of the skies. However, the end of airpower's glorious age is drawing near. The conventional wisdom to the contrary, modern precision guided munitions have not made fighter bombers more effective against many kinds of targets than their predecessors in World War II. U.S. ground troops calling for air support in Iraq in 2003 did not receive it any faster than Allied forces did in France in 1944. And from its origins on, airpower has never been very effective against terrorists, guerrillas, and insurgents. As the warfare waged by these kinds of people grow in importance, and as ballistic missiles, satellites, cruise missiles and drones increasingly take the place of quarter-billion-dollar manned combat aircraft and their multi-million-dollar pilots, airpower is losing utility almost day by day.

Author Biography

Martin van Creveld is an internationally recognized authority on military history and strategy. The author of twenty-two books which were translated into twenty languages, he has lectured or taught at virtually every strategic institute, military or civilian, in the Western world. He lives near Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Into the Blue, 1900-1939
Antecedents and Beginnings	p. 3
Test Passed	p. 25
Visions, Organizations, and Machines	p. 51
From War to War	p. 79
The Greatest War of All, 1939-1945
From Triumph to Stalemate	p. 93
War of Factories, War of Wits	p. 113
Closing the Ring	p. 131
From Carrier War to Grande Finale	p. 153
The War that Never Was 1945-1991
The Dominant Factor	p. 173
The Jet and the Helicopter	p. 191
Missiles, Satellites, and Drones	p. 215
Paper Wars	p. 235
Little Wars, 1945-2010
The Twilight of Naval Aviation	p. 257
From Korea to the Sinai	p. 277
From the Sinai to Tehran	p. 297
Spurious Victories?	p. 317
War Amongst the People, 1898-2010
The First Four Decades	p. 339
Lose and Leave	p. 359
A War Too Far	p. 379
After Vietnam	p. 401
Conclusions: Going Down, 1945-?	p. 423
Notes	p. 443
Index	p. 485
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