Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers

by Johnson, David E.

• ISBN13: 9780801434587
• ISBN10: 0801434580
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-12-01
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr

Summary

The U.S. Army entered World War II unprepared. In addition, lacking Germany's blitzkrieg approach of coordinated armor and air power, the army was organized to fight two wars: on the ground and one in the air. Previous commentators have blamed Congressional funding and public apathy for the army's unprepared state. David E. Johnson believes instead that the principal causes were internal: army culture and bureaucracy, and their combined impact on the development of weapons and doctrine. Johnson examines the U.S. Army's innovations for both armor and aviation between the world wars, arguing that the tank became a captive of the conservative infantry and cavalry branches, while the airplane's development was channeled by air power insurgents bent on creating an independent air force. He maintains that as a consequence, the tank's potential was hindered by the traditional arms, while air power advocates focused mainly on proving the decisiveness of strategic bombing, neglecting the mission of tactical support for ground troops. Minimal interaction between ground and air officers resulted in insufficient cooperation between armored forces and air forces.

Table of Contents

Tables	ix	(2)
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(18)
PART I. SOLDIERS AND MACHINES: 1917-1920	19	(44)
1. America, the Army, and the Great War	19	(11)
2. The Tank Corps	30	(10)
3. The Air Service	40	(14)
4. The Army in the Aftermath of the Great War	54	(9)
PART II. INERTIA AND INSURGENCY: 1921-1930	63	(44)
5. Peace and Quiet	63	(9)
6. Infantry Tanks	72	(9)
7. The Failed Revolution and the Evolution of Air Force	81	(14)
8. The War Department	95	(12)
PART III. ALTERNATIVES AND AUTONOMY: 1931-1942	107	(80)
9. From Domestic Depression to International Crusade	107	(9)
10. Alternatives for Armor	116	(37)
11. Autonomous Air Power	153	(23)
12. A Crisis in the War Department	176	(11)
PART IV. DYING FOR CHANGE: 1942-1945	187	(31)
13. The Arsenal of Attrition	187	(2)
14. Armored Bludgeon	189	(13)
15. Air Force Triumphant	202	(10)
16. Coequal Land Power and Air Power	212	(6)
Conclusion	218	(13)
Notes	231	(46)
Primary Sources	277	(8)
Index	285