Evening star., 1943-04-21
The War in the Air


In the armory of Mars? That ques-
ton has been hotly debated ever
since the Italian General Douhet
launched his provocative thesis a
generation ago that a nation could be
blasted into quick submission by air
power alone. The German general
staff did not fully accept Douhet's
theory, but the airplane was the key
factor in their "blitzkrieg" equation,
and in the early stages of the present
war the Luftwaffe seemed to prove
the German case. The LuftWaffe's
failure to knock out Britain in the
gigantic aerial assault during the
autumn of 1910 caused a reaction in
military thinking, though a minority
still adhered to what may be termed
the Douhet school. It's claims are
reviving, in modified form, since the
stepplng-up of the Allied air cam
paign against Axis Europe and
spectacular triumphs of air power
over the warship in the Pacific, from
Midway to the Bismarck Sea.
The problem is extremely complex,
one of the main reasons being that
the airplane itself is developing so
rapidly. A striking example of this
is the rise and fall of the dive bomber.
The German Stuka, used as flying
artillery and operating in close CO.
ordination with the tank, was the
chief cause of the rapid collapse Of
French resistance in the summer Of
1910. But that formidable team did
not work so we'll in the invasion OF
Russia a year later, the Soviet general
staff having evolved an adequate
defense. This year, Stukas operating
in North Africa have been shot down
like ducks, and are rapidly being
withdrawn from circulation by the
Luftwaffe itself. Yet some improved
substitute for the dive bomber is
considered necessary by military
students if the well-rounded syn
thesis of the offensive is to be main
tanned.
This is especially important for the
United Nations, now that every
effort is being made to breach the
walls of the Axis European fortress.
The costly commando raid expert
ment at Dieppe showed the immense
difficulty of the task And this, In
turn, raises the question as to how
far Fortress Europe is being softened
up by the Allied bombing campaign
which is spreading to the most re-
mote corners Of the continent. Will
Axis resistance be undermined and
disrupted in advance Of an actual
invasion? Many military students
believe this will be accomplished by
the combined effects Of blasted in
dustrial centers, shattered communi-
cations and intolerable strain on ci-
william morale. Other qualified ex-
perts doubt this, either because they
deem 1t physically impossible or be-
cause. even though theoretically
practicable, the magnitude of the
effort plus drain of losses will prevent
the keeping of the necessary
schedule.
Almost all military commentators
are agreed that, before an invasion
can be successfully made, virtually
complete domination of the air by
the Allies must be attained, not
merely at the precise landing points,
but over the adjacent areas. Such
domination is extremely hard to gain
and to retain. While Allied air power
is gaining on that of the Axis, the
LuftWaffe is still formidable and is
shifting it's output from bomber to
fighter types. thus increasing it's de-
fensive strength. The latest Allied
raids over Germany have encounter
ed much sitter resistance and have
been extremely costly.
All this indicates that the general
air situation is fluid and unstable,
with new trends continually appear
ing to confound predictions and COM
pei revision of calculations. The
overall picture looks favorable for
the United Nations. But much re-
mains to be accomplished before
definite and lasting air supremacy
has been attained.