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Ideas and Weapons: Exploitation of the Aerial Weapon By the United States During World War I; a Study in the Relationship of Technological Advance, Military Doctrine, and the Development of Weapons
used books
236 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
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March 10, 2025
An enjoyable book that examines some of the ideas and lessons of military aviation from WW1. Mr Holley has a few points he wants to make- this included:
- that in WWI the US did not come up with an effective doctrine on how to use these new weapons
- the US, for reasons including this lack of doctrine but also an inadequate data gathering organization failed to produce almost any aircraft and these were technologically always behind the latest European models
In general, the author presents a good case for most of his points, however I found some areas unconvincing. The author makes the claim that the US, because of its lack of doctrine, and lack of a responsiveness in its manufacturing capabilities, neglects the development of the bomber. While true, I think the author underplays the technological readiness- I am not sure even if the US did develop a well-defined doctrine and built thousands of bombers, very little would have been achieved- the technology in WW1 was just not advanced enough with a large bomber capable of carrying only one or two thousand pounds of bombs.
- that in WWI the US did not come up with an effective doctrine on how to use these new weapons
- the US, for reasons including this lack of doctrine but also an inadequate data gathering organization failed to produce almost any aircraft and these were technologically always behind the latest European models
In general, the author presents a good case for most of his points, however I found some areas unconvincing. The author makes the claim that the US, because of its lack of doctrine, and lack of a responsiveness in its manufacturing capabilities, neglects the development of the bomber. While true, I think the author underplays the technological readiness- I am not sure even if the US did develop a well-defined doctrine and built thousands of bombers, very little would have been achieved- the technology in WW1 was just not advanced enough with a large bomber capable of carrying only one or two thousand pounds of bombs.
Displaying 1 of 1 review