Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority

by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III, U.S. Air Force, United States Air Force

Book Overview

Writing in 1978, General William W. Momyer, former Commander of the Tactical Air Command and a distinguished veteran fighter pilot, stated that: The contest for air superiority is the most important contest of all, for no other operations can be sustained if this battle is lost. To win it, we must have the best equipment, the best tactics, the freedom to use them, and the best pilots. Certainly, the wide-ranging case studies examined in this book...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1410224791
• ISBN13: 9781410224798
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: University Press of the Pacific
• Length: 700 Pages
• Weight: 2.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Importance of Air Superiority

This single volume is perhaps the definitive collection of essays on Air Superiority currently available. Written primarily for the serious student of Air Power, whether they are a military operator, government decision-maker, or academician, this work provides a broad historical perspective spanning from pre-World War I to the Israeli experiences of the mid-1960's and early 1970's. It is meant to not only illustrate the "enduring importance of air superiority" (Pg. iv), but to also impart invaluable lessons on air combat through a historical study of a multitude of different conflicts, conditions, environments, and weapon systems, and to trace the evolution of air superiority. Of equal importance, and also equally emphasized, are the origins and evolutions of doctrine which both guided these developments in air warfare and also resulted from it. Edited by Benjamin F. Cooling, with the foreword by Richard P. Hallion, the twelve chapters are each written by a notable historian. This serves to make the reading more palatable (for it is not light reading!) and somewhat more interesting as each chapter presents the reader with a different perspective and writing style - some better than others, but all informative. Tying it all together is the final chapter titled "Some Concluding Insights," which serves to draw conclusions from the preceding case studies. Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority, provides an informed and balanced appraisal of Air Superiority throughout its development in the twentieth century (for information on recent aerial campaigns - after 1975 - another source must be sought). For a similar work on Close Air Support, see Case Studies in the Development of Close Air Support, also edited by Benjamin F. Cooling. JPW