Airpower Airpower Through WW I Through WW I

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OverviewOverview

• Define Air and Space Power

• Competencies

• Distinctive Capabilities

• Functions

• Air and Space Doctrine

• Principles of War

• Tenets of Air and Space Power

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OverviewOverview

• Lighter-than-air Vehicles

• Military Use of Balloons and Dirigibles

• Heavier-than-air Vehicles

• Early Uses of Airpower

• Airpower in WWI

• The Battle of Air Supremacy

• American Participation in WWI

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OverviewOverview

• Close Air Support and Interdiction in WWI

• Development of Tactics in WWI

• Strategic Bombing Theorists

• CFD Review

“The synergistic application of air, space, and information systems to project global strategic military power.”

~ AFDD 1

Air and Space PowerAir and Space Power

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Air and Space PowerAir and Space Power

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• Synergistic application

• Air, Space, and Information Systems

• To project global strategic military power

• Fundamental qualities that enable the Air Force to develop and deliver air and space power–Developing Airmen–Technology-to-war fighting–Integrating Operations

Core CompetenciesCore Competencies

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• Capabilities that the Air Force does better than any other service– Air and Space Superiority– Information Superiority– Global Attack– Precision Engagement– Rapid Global Mobility – Agile Combat Support

Distinctive Capabilities Distinctive Capabilities

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FunctionsFunctions

• Functions = Missions

• Broad, fundamental, and continuing activities of air and space power not unique to the Air Force

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DoctrineDoctrine

• A belief in the best way to implement/use air and space power

• Based on:– History– Technology– Future Threats– Leaders’ Experiences

• Provides guidance

• Must NOT stagnate

• WWI– Armies vs. machine gun

• WWII– Daylight, high altitude, unescorted precision

bombing

Doctrine ExamplesDoctrine Examples

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Time Period

DistinctiveCapabilities

Functions(missions)

Doctrinal Emphasis

Pre- WW I Information Superiority

Surveillance & Reconnaissance Artillery SpottingGathering MilitaryInfo to support landforces

CFD ModelCFD Model

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“…those aspects of warfare that are universally true and relevant.”

~ Joint Publication 1

Principles of WarPrinciples of War

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• Historically tested

• Apply equally to all US Armed Forces

• Unity of Command, Objective, Offense, Mass, Maneuver, Economy of Force, Security, Surprise, Simplicity

Principles of WarPrinciples of War

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• UNITY OF COMMAND: Ensures unity of effort for every objective under one responsible commander

• OBJECTIVE: Directs military operations toward a defined and attainable objective that contributes to strategic, operational, or tactical aims

• OFFENSIVE: States that we act rather than react and dictate the time, place, purpose, scope, intensity, and pace operations. The initiative must be seized, retained, and fully exploited

Principles of WarPrinciples of War

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• MASS: Concentrates combat power at the decisive time and place

• MANEUVER: Places the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power

Principles of WarPrinciples of War

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• ECONOMY OF FORCE: Creates usable mass by using minimum combat power on secondary objectives. Makes fullest use of forces available

• SECURITY: Protects friendly forces and their operations from enemy actions which could provide the enemy with unexpected advantage

Principles of WarPrinciples of War

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• SURPRISE: Strikes the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared

• SIMPLICITY: Avoids unnecessary complexity in preparing, planning, and conducting military operations

Principles of WarPrinciples of War

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• Restraint: Limits collateral damage and prevents unnecessary or unlawful use of force

• Perseverance: Ensures commitment necessary to attain desired end state

• Legitimacy: Develops and maintains the will necessary to attain desired end state

Other PrinciplesOther Principles

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• Fundamental truths that are unique to the air and space environment.– Centralized Control and Decentralized

Execution

– Flexibility/Versatility

– Synergistic Effects

– Persistence

– Concentration

– Priority

– Balance

TenetsTenets

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• Centralized Control/Decentralized Execution

– Air power must be controlled by Airmen (JFACC)

– Delegation of execution authority

• Flexibility and Versatility

– Exploit mass, maneuver simultaneously

– Parallel attacks at strategic, operational, and tactical levels

• Synergistic Effects

– Higher effectiveness than sum of individual contributions

TenetsTenets

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• Persistence– Continuous efforts– May need to hit targets more than once…do not need to remain in close

proximity to do so

• Concentration– At a point where it will be decisive– Avoid spreading air and space power to thin

• Priority– Prioritize applications to have greatest impacts– Must consider finite force structure

• Balance– Principles of war and Tenets– Offensive and defensive application of power– Strategic, operational, and tactical impacts

TenetsTenets

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Early Years of Flight—IntroductionEarly Years of Flight—Introduction

• Man first flew aloft in a balloon in 1783

• Airpower did not have an immediate impact

• Flying machines were not readily accepted by land oriented officers

• Airpower’s first major impact was not until World War I

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BalloonsBalloons

• Montgolfier Brothers flew first hot-air balloon in 1783

• Ben Franklin saw first balloon flight and immediately he saw military potential

• First used for military purposes by the French in 1794 at Maubege.

• Union and Confederate forces employed balloons during the American Civil War

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• Adolphus W. Greely, the grandfather of military aviation in the United States; revived interest in military capability of balloons in 1891–1898: Greely balloon used to direct artillery

fire during the Battle of San Juan Hill

• Interest in balloons dropped quickly with the development of heavier- than-air vehicles

BalloonsBalloons

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• Steerable balloons, often called “Airships”

• 1884: first successful flight in a dirigible

• Ferdinand Von Zeppelin—person most readily identified with dirigibles– Zeppelins first flown in 1900

– German dirigibles bombed England in WW I

– German dirigibles flew surface fleet observation in WW I

• Vulnerable to winds and ground fire

DirigiblesDirigibles

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The Early Years of FlightThe Early Years of Flight

• Uses of Balloons and Dirigibles– Reconnaissance

– Artillery spotting

– Bombing (extremely limited prior to WWI)

– Morale Booster/Escape Means

– Air transport of supplies

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Early Pioneers of FlightEarly Pioneers of Flight

• Otto Lilienthal—Studied gliders and first to explain the superiority of curved surfaces

• Percy Pilcher—Built airplane chassis

• Octave Chanute—Developed a double winged-glider/wrote history of flight to1900

• Samuel P. Langley—First to secure government support to develop an airplane– Failed twice to fly from houseboat in 1903

– Congress withdrew monetary support

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• First to fly a heavier-than-air, power-driven machine—17 December 1903– Flight traveled 120 feet and lasted 12 seconds

• Approached flying scientifically and systematically

• Used experience of Lilienthal, Pilcher, and Chanute

• Built a glider in Dayton in 1899– Moved to Kitty Hawk, N. Carolina in 1900

Orville & Wilbur WrightOrville & Wilbur Wright

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Wright Brothers VideoWright Brothers Video

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• US government was very skeptical at first– Not interested because of Langley’s failures

• Britain and France were very enthusiastic• President Roosevelt directed the Secretary

of War, W. H. Taft, to investigate the Wright brothers’ invention in 1906

• Dec.1907—Chief Signal Officer, BG James Allen, issued Specification #486 calling for bids to build the first military aircraft

Reaction to the AirplaneReaction to the Airplane

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• Established the requirements for the first military aircraft. Aircraft must be able to:– Carry two persons– Reach speed of 40 mph– Carry sufficient fuel for 125 mile nonstop flight– Be controllable in flight in any direction – Fly at least 1 hour– Land at take-off point, without damage– Be taken apart and reassembled in one hour– No military operational requirements specified

Signal Corp Spec. #486Signal Corp Spec. #486

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• 41 proposals were received, only 3 complied with specifications

• US Army signed contract with Wright brothers on 10 Feb 1908

• Wright brothers delivered the first military aircraft on 20 Aug 1908

• US Army accepted the first operational aircraft on 2 Aug 1909

Signal Corp Spec. #486 (Cont)Signal Corp Spec. #486 (Cont)

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The Early Years of FlightThe Early Years of Flight

• Until WWI balloons, dirigibles, and aircraft were primarily reconnaissance vehicles

• Early on, the flying machines were not seen as weapons of war

• Few believed the flying force was ready to separate air force

• The potential uses of the airplane would evolve considerably during WWI

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World War I—MissionsWorld War I—Missions

• Reconnaissance – Collecting visual and photographic information

• Counterair – Air-to-air combat

• Close Air Support – Support of ground forces

• Interdiction – Striking enemy resources close to the battlefield

• Strategic Bombing – Strikes deep into enemy territory to destroy war making capabilities

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WWI—Early Uses of AirpowerWWI—Early Uses of Airpower

• Reconnaissance and artillery spotting– Took away the element of surprise– Hampered by weather / unserviceable aircraft

• Pursuit Aviation (Air superiority)– Grew out of attempts to deny reconnaissance– 1st air-to-air kill occurred in Oct. 1914– Developed rapidly in WWI– Key to winning the air war

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• Roland Garros (French): Developed metal strips for propellers so machine gun bullets would not shatter the props

• Anthony Fokker (Dutch): Designed synchronizing gear so bullets would pass through the spinning propeller blades

Technological DevelopmentsTechnological Developments

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• Nieuports and Spads (French): Most reliable and flexible aircraft in 1916

• Fokker Triplanes: German aircraft that put the Germans back on top in 1917

Technological DevelopmentsTechnological Developments

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Rickenbacker VideoRickenbacker Video

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American Participation in WWIAmerican Participation in WWI

• When United States. entered the war in April 1917, US Air Service was totally unprepared – Aviation Section had 56 pilots and less than 250

airplanes; none ready for combat

• Congress approved $640 million in July 1917 to raise 354 combat squadrons

• At the end of WWI, Air Service had 183,000 personnel and 185 squadrons

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Mitchell VideoMitchell Video

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Strategic Bombing in WWIStrategic Bombing in WWI

• Limited in scope and intensity

• Had a negligible outcome on the war

• Laid the foundation for future thought

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Bombing of BritainBombing of Britain

• Germans conducted daylight bombing raids against Britain using Zeppelins—1915-16– Stopped because of poor results

• Germans reinitiated daylight raids using Gotha bombers in 1917 – ineffective

• Germans begin night bombing using Zeppelins and Reisen bombers—1917-18—Primarily terror raids

• Strengthened British morale; destroyed little war making capacity

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• Began in 1914; generally ineffective

• British bombed German cities and airfields in retaliation for German strikes

• Allies created the Inter-Allied Independent Air Force (IAIAF) in 1919 for the purpose of bombing Germany.– War ended before the IAIAF

was used

British Handley Page Bomber

Allied Bombing of GermanyAllied Bombing of Germany

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Strategic Bombing TheoristsStrategic Bombing Theorists

• Sir Hugh Trenchard

• Giulio Douhet

• Lt Col Edgar Gorrell

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• Commander of the Royal Air Force

• Primary target should be civilian morale

• Believed allies should attack German homeland

• Attack around the clock

Sir Hugh TrenchardSir Hugh Trenchard

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• General in the Italian Army• Believed airpower was supreme after

WWI• Believed bombers would win all

wars• Air weapon would be used against

ports, railroads and economic structures

• Best way to gain air superiority was to destroy the enemy’s ground organization

Giulio DouhetGiulio Douhet

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• Once air superiority was achieved, bombers would concentrate on cities to destroy industry and morale

• Influenced by Italian geography where there was little threat of a ground invasion

• His doctrine led to a total war concept—war on the nation as a whole, not just military forces

Giulio Douhet (cont’d)Giulio Douhet (cont’d)

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• Theories mirrored Trenchard, but felt bombing should concentrate on one city at a time until destroyed

• Ignored during war, ideas recognized in 1930s

• Believed best way to stop Germans was to destroy production

• Stressed continuous day/night bombings to deprive Germans of rest and repair time

• Proposed attacks of single to target to complete destruction

Lt Col Edgar S. GorrellLt Col Edgar S. Gorrell

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Review of CFD ModelReview of CFD Model

• Distinctive Capabilities: Air and space expertise, capabilities, and technological know-how that produces superior military capabilities

• Functions: Broad, fundamental and continuing activities of air and space power

• Doctrine: Fundamental principles which military forces guide their actions in support of national objectives

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Time Time PeriodPeriod

DistinctiveDistinctiveCapabilitiesCapabilities

FunctionsFunctions(missions)(missions)

Doctrinal Doctrinal EmphasisEmphasis

Pre- WW I Information Superiority

Surveillance & Reconnaissance Artillery SpottingGathering MilitaryInfo to support landforces

Post WW I Information SuperiorityPrecision Engagement

Surveillance & ReconnaissanceCounter AirStrategic attack

Strategic attack, of military targets

Review of CFD ModelReview of CFD Model

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SummarySummary

• Define Air and Space Power

• Competencies

• Distinctive Capabilities

• Functions

• Air and Space Doctrine

• Principles of War

• Tenets of Air and Space Power

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SummarySummary

• Lighter-than-air vehicles

• Military Use of Balloons and Dirigibles

• Heavier-than-air vehicles

• Early Uses of Airpower

• Airpower in WWI

• The Battle of Air Supremacy

• American Participation in WWI

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SummarySummary

• Close Air Support and Interdiction in WWI

• Development of Tactics in WWI

• Strategic Bombing Theorists

• CFD Review