Essay on The Role of the Royal Air Force in World War II

Following the devastation of trench warfare during World War I, early airpower theorist believed strategic bombing could be the new way to win wars and reduced the number of lives lost. Theorist like, Guilio Douhet, Hugh Trenchard, and William â€Å"Billy† Mitchel became pioneers and advocates of strategic bombing. They believed striking the enemy’s troops, war-marking industry, and vital centers would produce a decisive victory. The airpower theory would be a key element to the Allies strategy in Second World War (WW2). Leaders in Britain and the United States believed Germany was a greater threat than Japan. Thus, the airpower strategy of the European theater of operation became the primary focus. Allied airpower was decisive in the European†¦show more content†¦The first priority was to attain air superiority by destroying the Germany aircraft industry and operational fighters. The second priority was to destroy the German electrical power grid, transportat ion networks, and oil industry. The third priority was to provide tactical support for the ground invasion of Europe. The Allied success in the European theater depended on achieving air superiority. They wanted their air forces to have the ability to operate anywhere without opposition. During the early stages of WW2, the air domain was contested space. Neither side had won sufficient control of the air to operate freely. The Allies primary theory was air superiority was a necessity to ensure victory. The air battles of North Africa in early 1943 provided testing, refining, and critical adaptation to reach the superiority objective. The combination of strategic and tactical air forces brought a heavy dose of airpower to bear on German and Italian forces. North Africa became the live fire-training center for AAF air doctrine. In the early stages of North Africa, â€Å"the air arm was woefully ill-prepared to fight a desert war† . However, the willingness of leadership to qui ckly adapt to new environments and enemy strategy allowed the now coalition air force to radically change the war in the Mediterranean. The air war in North Africa highlighted the gap in US air doctrine’s emphasis on exclusive strategic bombing. Tactical airpowerShow MoreRelatedAustralia s Involvement During The Second World War1100 Words   |  5 PagesSecond World War commenced in 1939 to 1945. Australia’s involvement in the Second World War was announced by Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies on the 3rd of September 1939. Roughly one million Australian men and women served the World War passionately guarding its allies. Australia took part in many campaigns during the Second World War in Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, South-East Asia and the Pacific regions. 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