Air Warfare

The use of airplanes, rockets, helicopters, or other aircraft to attack enemy forces. Modern air warfare has its roots in the mid-19th century. In 1859, the French army first used hot air balloons for surveillance of Italian ground troops, a tactic that was subsequently adopted by Union soldiers during the American Civil War (1860–1865). Balloons were useful for observation, but the introduction of the airplane into combat during World War I ushered in the use of aircraft as tactical weapons.

World War I

Early in the war, technical limitations still restricted airplanes to a reconnaissance role. Most military aircraft at [Page 8]this time were not designed for combat; many were even unarmed, although their pilots usually carried sidearms. Rapid improvements in aviation technology during the war enabled aircraft to carry machine guns that were synchronized to fire through the plane's spinning propeller. This breakthrough ushered in a new kind of combat: air-to-air warfare between opposing pilots. Flying aces such as Germany's notorious Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, captured the public imagination. Yet despite the romance associated with flying aces, plane-to-plane combat had a limited effect on the outcome of the war.

World War I also saw the first use of aircraft to conduct aerial bombardment. Early bombing missions were very crude and typically involved a pilot dropping a few small bombs by hand. Later in the war, both sides built larger aircraft that were specifically designed to drop heavier bomb loads. The Germans also conducted long-distance bombing raids using rigid airships known as zeppelins.

Developments between the Wars

The experiences of World War I showed that airpower had the potential to be a significant part of armed combat. This potential came closer to realization during the 1920s and 1930s as great strides were made in aircraft technology. The new planes flew faster and higher, had greater ranges, and were able to carry more (and more powerful) weapons than ever before. Some nations, such as Germany and Great Britain, recognized the importance of military airpower. Others, including the United States, were slower to do so. For example, Britain and Germany established their air forces as independent service branches during World War I. Although the United States had an aeronautical division of the Army Signal Corps as early as 1907, it would be another 40 years before the creation of a separate U.S. air force.

One American who did take a keen interest in military airpower after World War I was Edward “Eddie” Rickenbacker, the leading U.S. ace of the war. Rickenbacker lobbied for the establishment of a strong U.S. air force when he returned from the war. Another key figure in the development of early U.S. airpower was William “Billy” Mitchell, who organized and commanded the American expeditionary air force during World War I. By the end of the war, Mitchell had risen to the rank of general.

After the war, Mitchell was appointed assistant chief of the army air service, a position he used to champion a large and independent airborne fighting force. Mitchell became the center of controversy when he demonstrated the potential of airpower by sinking several battleships in a series of highly publicized tests during the early 1920s. He later faced court martial when he criticized his superiors for failing to recognize the potential of airpower.

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