Page 231 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

2008 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

hundred years ago—a continual battle for the air, insights into the nature and role of warfare in world his-
through height and speed, to supply reconnaissance and tory.When we compare multiple, similar episodes of war-
support to ground forces. fare in world history, patterns emerge to aid in our
understanding of the “how” and even the “why” of mod-
Mauriel P. Joslyn
ern warfare.
See also Airplane The comparative approach is yielding insights into the
role of culture in determining the outcome of conflicts
between First World and Third World countries; refuta-
Further Reading tion of technological and cultural determinism (single
Boyne, W. J. (1994). Clash of wings: World War II in the air. New York: explanations of complex phenomenon) in warfare; and
Touchstone Books.
Budiansky, S. (2003). Air power:The men, machines, and ideas that rev- the process of First World development of arms technol-
olutionized war, from Kitty Hawk to Gulf War II. New York: Viking. ogy that becomes obsolete in conventional battles, only
Collier, B. (1974). A history of air power. New York: McMillan Publish-
ing Company. to be adopted by Third World forces and turned against
Corum, J. S., & Johnson,W. R. (2003). Airpower in small wars: Fighting its developers. It also yields insights into why over-
insurgents and terrorists. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. whelmingly superior technology, military forces, and pro-
Crouch, T. D., & Hayden, F. S. (2000). Military ballooning during the
early Civil War. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. fessional leadership do not guarantee victory today unless
Fredett, R. H. (1966). The sky on fire:The first battle of Britain. New York: economic, social, and cultural factors are addressed in
Hold, Rinehart & Winston.
Goddard, S. B. (2003). Race to the sky: The Wright Brothers versus the peacetime occupations and how sea and air power differ
United States government. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. from conventional battlegrounds to guerrilla and insur-
Johnson, J. E. (1964). Full circle:The story of air fighting. London: Cassell. gent environments.
Kennett, L. (1991). The first air war 1914–1918. New York: Free Press.
Lambeth, B. S. (2000). The transformation of American air power. New Standard beliefs and axioms about warfare can be
York: Cornell University Press. examined and strengthened or challenged using the com-
Morrow, J. H., Jr. (1993). The Great War in the air: Military aviation from
1909 to 1921. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. parative approach. Gaps in our understanding of the past
Niellands, R. (2001). The bomber war:The allied air offensive against Nazi can also be shaded in.
Germany. New York: Overlook Press.
Smith, J. R. (2003). On special missions: The Luftwaffe’s research and
experimental squadrons 1923-1945. Hersham, UK: Classic Professional versus
Publications. Unprofessional Forces
Warden, J. A., III. (1989). The air campaign: Planning for combat. Wash-
ington, DC: Brassey’s. The assumption that professional forces with advanced
training and military technology will defeat unprofes-
sional and lesser-armed forces has been shown to be inac-
curate in world history. Small forces of guerrillas and
terrorists have defeated the most advanced technological
Warfare, armies and states repeatedly in world history.

For instance, during World War II the German Nazi
Comparative leader Adolf Hitler commanded the German Wehrmacht
(army) and Luftwaffe (air force) to invade Yugoslavia in
arfare continues to be a major influence in world 1941. The German forces had just scored stunning vic-
Whistory and perhaps one of the most studied top- tories over France and Western Europe using the
ics as well. Unfortunately, most studies focus on modern Blitzkrieg (lightning war). They were the best-trained,
and Western warfare. However, a new approach has best-equipped, and most successful military force in
emerged to analyze warfare.The comparative approach, Europe when they took on the Yugoslav partisans.Yet, by
transferred from the field of anthropology, is yielding the end of the war, all Yugoslav territory had yet to be