Aerial Warfare

Aerial warfare has dominated war-making for over 100 years, and despite regular announcements of its demise, it shows no sign of becoming obsolete. In this Very Short Introduction Frank Ledwidge offers a sweeping look at the history of aerial warfare, introducing the major battles, crises, and controversies where air power has taken centre stage, and the changes in technology and air power capabilities over time. Highlighting the role played by air power in the First and Second World Wars, he also sheds light on the lesser-known theatres where the roles of air forces have been clearly decisive in conflicts, in Africa, South America, and Asia. Along the way, Ledwidge asks key questions about the roles air power can deliver, and whether it is conceptually different from other forms of combat. Considering whether bombing has ever been truly effective, he discusses whether wars can be won from the air, and concludes by analysing whether there is a future for manned air power, or if it is inevitable that drones will dominate 21st century war in the air. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. Previously published in hardback as Aerial Warfare: The Battle for the Skies.

Dr Frank Ledwidge is Senior Fellow in Air Power and International Security at the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell. Over the last 20 years, he has seen air power at work all over the world. After a 7 year career as a barrister, he was called up to serve as a reservist intelligence officer in the Balkan Wars of the 1990s with the mission to locate war criminals. In 2003 Frank served as commander of one of the intelligence teams sent to Iraq to hunt for WMD. One of few British officials to have served in all of the country's recent wars, he has also worked for the UK government in Helmand and Libya during the conflicts there. In his civilian life, he has worked as a human rights lawyer throughout the Balkans, the Former Soviet Union and Africa. Frank is the author of two acclaimed and bestselling books on British military performance in the 9/11 wars; Losing Small Wars (2011) and Investment in Blood (2013) both with Yale University Press, as well as several academic articles.

- Introduction - 1: Foundations - 2: Beginnings: The First World War 1914-1918 - 3: Theory and Practice: The interwar years 1919-1939 - 4: The Second World War: air operations in the West - 5: The Second World War: the air war in the Pacific - 6: Cold war 1945-1982 - 7: The apotheosis of air power 1983-2001 - 8: Aerostats to algorithms; 2001-2018 - 9: Per ardua ad astra? - References - Further Reading - Index