A Short History of Air Power

This is a smoothly written account of the development of air power from pioneering days to its global manifestation in the era of nuclear weapons, jet propulsion and guided missiles. Stokesbury (A Short History of World War II explains the theories and influence of three early prophets of air power, Hugh Trenchard, Guilio Douhet and Billy Mitchell, and also presents the views of those who claim that the accomplishments of the air arm have never been all they are claimed to be. Tracing the principal developments from the tactical to the strategical, Stokesbury provides examples of the testing and refinement of equipment in major and minor wars of the century. This is a Big Picture survey, enabling lay readers to understand for instance that the war in the Pacific was essentially an affair of aircraft carriers and fire-bombs, and that the commitment of the British to strategic air campaigns as opposed to that of the Germans was as decisive as any other factor in the Allied victory in Europe. (March 21)