Air Power

Development

Lt Col Khairron Anuar M Jamil

 Learning Outcomes

Analyze Air Power strategy in WW1.

Describe Air Power Thinking during WW 1.
Describe the innovation that take place
during WW 1.
Air Strategy
 Air Strategy Does Matter
France, 1940
Roughly even in quality and quantity
50% of the Luftwaffe
destroyed/damaged
Superior operational concept and air
strategy

Kosovo, 1999
Airpower-only coercive operation
Strategy debate (attack fielded forces or
strategic targets)
 Classical Airpower Theory

Military aviation opened up a completely

new and dominant dimension of warfare-
not just an adjunct to surface warfare-
which could produce quick and decisive
results in war if exploited through
offensive strikes directly at the critical
sources of enemy power
Carl H. Builder
The Icarus Syndrome
 In essence, Air Power is targeting, targeting is
intelligence, and intelligence is analyzing the effects
of air operations
Ten Propositions Regarding Air Power
Col Philip Meilinger, USAF, Ret

But the air strategy comes first!

Evolution of Air Power

INTRODUCTION

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 Contribution of AP to Total War
5000 yrs of 2 demensional war
Destructive zone of war limited to land of naval force
Little civ casualty near war zone

What AP did?
Added to 3rd dimension of war allowed direct attacked on enemy rear
zone, cities, economies and civ population.
Means to gather intel on enemy movement.
Use of AP to attack the enemy state, centre of populatiion and economy
directly this shape attitute of human civilization toward war (eg
Atomic Bombing, strat bombing of German).

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 Strategic Air Power & Total War

Use all method to procecute war. AP is just an improvement

Ethical vales to kill civillian no different than mongul
Strategic bombardment WW 2 ethics

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 Contribution of AP
Tactical and Operational
Aerial control reduce risk of land operations.
Ground support operation - Blitzkrieg
Aerial intel gathering.
Aerborn troop seize important ares or deny them to enemy
Clandestine ops deliver and resupply from the air to resistance group,
intel agents etc.
Maritime ops AP provide air cover, naval reconn and gunnery direction
by WW2 ship rerely able to operate without air cover Bismarck, Prince of
Wales, Yamato etc.
Island Hopping Operation.

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Evolution of Air Power
WW 1

Strategic Importance
of Air Power 11
 Learning Outcomes

Describe Air Power Thinking during WW 1.

Describe the innovation that take place
during WW 1.
Analyze the strategic importance of Air
Power during WW1.
 WHAT TO ANALYZE?

Context: Politics, Geography and History

War Strategy:
Air Power Thinking
Innovation
 New Developments in
Aviation During World War I
When Louis Blriot crossed the English Channel in 1909, some
thought his quick, 37-minute passage from one country to another
suggested the face of future wars.
If a friendly aircraft could travel that fast from Calais to Dover,
couldnt an enemy do the same? Many countries built small
armies of planes.
Once war broke out, the pace of invention picked up.
By 1918 three specialized types of aircraft had emerged: the
fighter, the observation aircraft, and the bomber.
Observation aircraft were in use from the start.
Most of them were dirigibles and balloons.
Some planes even had extra seats for photographers.

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 First Thought on Air Power
As early as 1909, these evolving flying were recognised to be not just toys, but
weapons:
The sky is about to become another battlefield no less important
than the battlefields on land and sea....In order to conquer the air,
it is necessary to deprive the enemy of all means of flying, by
striking at him in the air, at his bases of operation, or at his
production centers. We had better get accustomed to this idea,
and prepare ourselves.
Giulio Douhet (Italian staff officer), 1909[1]

In 1911, Captain Bertram Dickson, the first British military officer to fly and the
first to engage on an aerial reconnaissance mission in a fixed-wing aircraft during
army manoeuvres in 1910,

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 First Operational Use
1. The first operational use of aircraft in war took place
on 23 October 1911 in the Italo-Turkish War, when
Captain Carlo Piazza made history's first wartime
reconnaissance flight near Benghazi in a Blriot XI.

2. The first aerial bombardment followed shortly

thereafter, on 1 November, when Second Lieutenant
Giolio Gavotti dropped four bombs on two oases
held by the Turks.

3. The first aerial photography flight took place later in

March 1912, also flown by Captain Piazza.

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 ABOUT WW 1

1914 1918 In Europe

Allied Vs Central Power
Over 8 million combatants killed
Over 6 million civilians killed

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 1914 1918 In Europe
Allied Vs Central Power
Over 8 million combatants killed
Over 6 million civilians killed

AREA OF INTEREST
 WW 1 TIME LINE
1914 German attack French (static lines)
Late 1914: first to attempt a long-range raid. Targeted
hangars housing German aircraft.
1915 Mac use of acft for reconnaisance
1915 19 Jan - 2 German Zeppelins dropped 24 50-
kilogram (110 lb) high-explosive bombs on London.
1917 Gothta (1st bomber) bomb Britain
1917 stalemate
Late 1917 US enter the war
1918 sep - The Battle of Saint Mihiel - Allies bomb
German
Nov 1918 German surrendered
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TRENCH WARFARE
In traditional battles, troops dug trenches.
They tried to hold their own lines and break
through the enemys trench lines.
Assaults were from the front.

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 Trench Warfare
Airplanes now offered possibilities that
challenged age-old warfare strategies.
In traditional battles, troops dug trenches.
They tried to hold their own lines and break
through the enemys trench lines.
Assaults were from the front. But airplanes
changed that. Planes could fly over an
enemys trenches, bomb from overhead, &
strafe troops.
Can hit important targets behind enemy lines,
such as factories.
Provided the element of surprise. 21
 Solution to Trench Warfare

But airplanes changed that.

Planes could fly over an enemys trenches,
bomb from overhead, & strafe troops.
Airplanes now offered possibilities that
challenged age-old warfare strategies.
Can hit important targets behind enemy lines,
such as factories.
Provided the element of surprise.

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 ATTACK OVER BRITAIN

In 1915 German airships began the first strategic bombing campaign

over London.
The impact of massive bombing by these zeppelins had destructed and
jeopardise the morale of the British army as well as the civilian.
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1. The Germans flew hydrogen-filled zeppelins.
2. A zeppelin is a German Airship with a rigid frame used for
observation and bombing raids.
3. Zeppelins, invented by the German Count Ferdinand von
Zeppelin, had one major weakness: they easily burst into
flames when hit by antiaircraft fire.

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SEA POWER
27
Nieuport Fighter in Aisne, France 1917

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Machine Guns
AIR POWER
AREA OF INTEREST
Plaque commemorating an 8 September 1915 Zeppelin raid on 61 Farringdon Road,
London.

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 Observation balloons

1. A German observation balloon being bombed by an allied aircraft.

2. Manned observation balloons floating high above the trenches were used as stationary reconnaissance
points on the front lines, reporting enemy troop positions and directing artillery fire. Balloons commonly
had a crew of two equipped with parachutes: upon an enemy air attack on the flammable balloon, the
crew would parachute to safety.
3. Recognized for their value as observer platforms, observation balloons were important targets of enemy
aircraft.
4. To defend against air attack, they were heavily protected by large concentrations of antiaircraft guns and
patrolled by friendly aircraft.
5. Blimps and balloons helped contribute to the stalemate of the trench warfare of World War I, and
contributed to air to air combat for air superiority because of their significant reconnaissance value.

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The Innovation
 THE WW 1: 1914-1918

Flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903

The real Birth of Air Power
Rapid advance in technology acft and weaponary
True fighter acft was born synchronize firing with
propeller.
First early bomber Gotha 15000 ft with 500 kg
bomb.
 INNOVATION
The Mashine Gun
Machine gun synchronisation

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The German Albatros D-II had two machine guns mounted toward
the front.

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A British Sopwith Triplane was one of the aircraft
designed during the war to engage in dogfights.
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The First Bomber
Gotha G.V German bomber, 1917

The Gotha IV went on bombing raids

over many British cities in 1917.
The First Independent Flying Force
Royal Air Force
1. In response to German air raids on English cities
and factories, the British formed their own
bombing unit.
2. Although the British were the first to conduct a
long-range raid, they hadnt established a new
arm of their military to do so.
3. But in 1917 the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC)
founded its first bombing wing.
4. Unlike American and other Allied aviation units,
the RFC did not answer to an infantry officer.
5. It was independent. In 1918 the RFC merged with
the Royal Naval Air Service and became todays
Royal Air Force.
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The AP Thought
 First Thought on Air Power

As early as 1909, these evolving flying were recognised to

be not just toys, but weapons:
The sky is about to become another battlefield no
less important than the battlefields on land and
sea....In order to conquer the air, it is necessary
to deprive the enemy of all means of flying, by
striking at him in the air, at his bases of
operation, or at his production centers. We had
better get accustomed to this idea, and prepare
ourselves.
Giulio Douhet (Italian staff officer), 1909[1]

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 LEGACY OF WW1
Innovation acft technology.
Battle of Saint Mihiel established the role of mass
movements of air power during wartime.
Independent Air Force
War Strategy - Assaults were from the front. But
airplanes changed that. Planes could fly over an
enemys trenches, bomb from overhead & strafe
troops.
By 1918 three specialized types of aircraft emerged:
the fighter, the observation aircraft, and the
bomber.
AP thinking: If you control the air, you cannot be
beaten; if you lose the air, you cannot win. 45
46
 How Air Power Expanded During
World War I
Airplanes flew a whopping 64 mph when the first shots of the
Great War rang out to about 130 mph by early 1918.
Most European nations had a few hundred planes. America had
only about 20.
But no one had aircraft that were combat worthy.
Over the next four years, the technology of the Allied and Central
Powers air power would continually leapfrog one over the other.
Speeds picked up.
Aircraft became stronger and sturdier. Maximum altitudes
climbed from 10,000 feet to 24,000 feet.
As the saying goes, Necessity is the mother of invention.
Bomber evolved from delivering from a small bomb up to 30 X
260 pounds bomb by end of war.

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 The Battle of Saint Mihiel

In September 1918 the Battle of Saint

Mihiel in France finally turned the tide in
favor of the Allies.
Air power played a tremendous role in this
offensive.
Brig Gen Billy Mitchell commanded nearly
1,500 Allied airplanesAmerican, French,
British, Italian, and Portugueseto drive
the Germans out of France.
This was the largest assembly of aircraft
ever gathered for a single mission. 48
 The Battle of Saint Mihiel
The Allied pilots had two goals. The first was to destroy German
planes in the air.
The second was to destroy German aircraft in hangars on the
ground.
Mitchell committed 1,000 planes to this portion of the mission.
The rest of the planes protected the Allied ground troops.
They scouted out enemy positions. Mitchell wrote that the Allied
planes were to be put into a central mass and hurled at the
enemys aviation, no matter where he might be found, until
complete ascendancy had been obtained over him in the air.
The four-day Battle of Saint Mihiel established the role of mass
movements of air power during wartime.
It weakened the Central Powers and destroyed enemy supply
lines.
This offensive helped lead to Allied victory two months later.
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The AP Thought
 First Thought on Air Power
As early as 1909, these evolving flying were recognised to be not just toys, but
weapons:
The sky is about to become another battlefield no less important
than the battlefields on land and sea....In order to conquer the air,
it is necessary to deprive the enemy of all means of flying, by
striking at him in the air, at his bases of operation, or at his
production centers. We had better get accustomed to this idea,
and prepare ourselves.
Giulio Douhet (Italian staff officer), 1909[1]

In 1911, Captain Bertram Dickson, the first British military officer to fly and the
first to engage on an aerial reconnaissance mission in a fixed-wing aircraft during
army manoeuvres in 1910,

51
 The day has assed when armies
on the ground or navies on the
sea can be the arbiter of a
nation's destiny in war. The
main power of defense and the
power of initiative against an
enemy has passed to the air.
Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, November 1918[20]

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Mitchell: devised a three-pronged theory
to fight wars from the sky:

1. Air superiority over the battlefield must

be completely assured.
2. Air power may then be employed offensively
against the enemys ground troops.
3. Finally, aerial bombardment may be
directed against the enemys supplies,
railroads, communications, and airdromes.

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 Summary
A notion emerged
by wars end:

If you control the air, you

cannot be beaten; if you lose
the air, you cannot win.

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 Strategic
Importance
of Air Power during
WW 1

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 Before the War
Growth of air mindedness thru air travel,
conflict and media.

France, Germany, Britain, USA, Austria-

Hungary,Italy Russia

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 Strategic Importance of Air
Power during WW 1
Reconnaisance and aerial obsevation
Emergence of air combat and the search for air
superiority
Ground support operation
Maritime aviation
The birth of strategic bombing

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 The Birth of Strategic
Bombing
Start with Zeppelin fleet of Germany not successful
Early bombers little damage but psychological impack
was high
Day time bombing shifted to night time to reduce risk at
reduced accuracy.

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 Learning Outcomes

Describe Air Power Thinking during WW 1.

Describe the innovation that take place
during WW 1.
Analyze the strategic importance of Air
Power during WW1.
 A Lesson From History

New technologies
often meet with
resistance before
they are finally
accepted, especially
when they conflict
with the established
technologies.

Collision of an aeroplane, an automobile, and a horse!

Dr. R. P. Hallion. Courtesy Rosebuds Early Aviation Image Archive,
http://204.83.160.230/archive/images9/Plane.Horse.Car.Crash.jpg
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 Questions...
Questions ?

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 More Lessons From History

1903 Without vigorous S&T and

associated infrastructure it
is all too easy to fall behind,
even with a head start
courtesy Dr. R. P. Hallion

1912 USA 1912 France

Wright D Speed Scout Deperdussin Monocoque

Top Speed 67 mph Top Speed 108 mph
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1. Analyze the effectiveness of air and space power
in military operations.

2. Analyze the role space operations play in warfare.

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 Project Paper 2
Brief
DIS 3043
Development of Air Power

Lt Col Khairron Anuar B M Jamil

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Evolution of Air
Power

Lt Col Khairron Anuar M Jamil

 AIM

To analyze air the evolution of Air Power in

the context of Air strategy, Air power
thinking and Innovation
and their influence toward the outcome of the
war.

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 MOTIVATION

This project will provide you with an

opportunity to apply the knowledge
developed during the lectures and assigned
reading material.
It will also allow students to develop
teamwork and improve writing skill.

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 PROJECT INSTRUCTION
Each Group (of no more that three students) is required to :

1. Choose any war or battle that involve air power.

2. Write an essay of no more than 10 pages, font 12 double
spacing.
3. Use essay format covering Introduction, aim of the
paper, scope, main points, supporting points and the
conclusion. Must cover the Air Power strategic thought
of parties involved, strategy and implementation, and
technology.
4. Prepare and deliver a presentation on the project paper.

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 RULES

1. The content must relate to Air power theory and

application. Always relate to the control of the air.
2. Obtain topic approval by the lecturer before proceeding
with the research.
3. Obtain approval for the framework before start writing.
4. Progress will be checked by lecturer on weekly basis
during tutorial hours.
5. Your presentation must not exceed 7 minutes and must
use Powerpoint.

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 PROJECT TIME LINE
Topics approval: Week 9.
Framework approval: Week 10.
Submission: Week 11.
Group Presentation: Week 12

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