This study attempts to show the misapplication of tactical airpower by the Luftwaffe in support of German ground forces during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. The analysis is based on the investigation of historical references and provides...
The Battle of Stalingrad was a disaster. The German Sixth Army consisted of over 300,000 men when it approached Stalingrad in August 1942. On 2 February 1943, 91,000 remained; only some 5,000 survived Soviet captivity. Largely due to the success of...
This monograph examines a concept considered an abomination to some airmen - operational air reserves. The study is exploratory in nature: searching applicable theory, historical examples, and contemporary developments for insights on air reserves....
Through its history, the United States Air Force has struggled with the most efficient and effective way to provide for its own air base ground defense. This monograph submits a solution intended to end the debate. In an effort to provide the most...
Germany reestablished its air force during the last half of the interwar period of 1919 to 1939, a period in which airpower theorists attempted to merge the new technology of aviation with traditional roles of the military. The Royal Air Force...
This monograph examines the implications for modern contingency operations of the World War II German assault on the island of Crete. Emerging United States security strategy places increasing reliance on crisis response capabilities. Evolving...
Avid readers of WWII air combat will find the Eighth AAF’s strategic bombing mission #84 (the Schweinfurt-Regensburg raid on August 17th, 1943) and mission #115 (the Schweinfurt raid on October 14th, 1943) to be tremendous setbacks to the...
Immediately following Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, all the services were quick to point out how well they had conducted joint operations throughout the crises. Upon closer examination, it has become evident that Army and Air Force...
This monograph examines under what circumstances, if at all, an air campaign can achieve decisive results independent of other forces. The recent war in the Persian Gulf has given the research question its immediate significance. Given the...
As the military continues transformation and focuses on capabilities-based organizations to meet guidance provided in the National Security Strategy and The Quadrennial Defense Review, the Army is in position to redefine operational maneuver. Army...
In response to today’s dynamic nonlinear operating environment, the United States Air Force Security Forces is executing a dramatic transformation of its Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, Personnel, and Facilities. These...
This monograph addresses the concept that air power can win a war alone. It reviews key air power theorists who have had a significant impact on U.S. air power thought in order to understand the theoretical basis for the idea that air power can win...
On 20 May 1941, Generaloberst Kurt Student’s Luftwaffe XI Fliegerkorps conducted the first operational airborne invasion in history to seize Crete. Major-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg VC, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, commanded the...
Department of Military Art and Engineering, United States Military Academy
This account of the operations in Eastern Europe details the German invasion of Russia, the Stalingrad campaigns, the campaigns in Western Russia, and the liberation of Eastern Europe.
Education has been the foundational cornerstone to every profession and continues to be so in the 21st Century. As a profession, the military is obligated to conduct not only training but also education of the keepers of the profession, the officer...
As Adolf Hitler conquered most of the European continent in 1939-1941, the small island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea became vital to future operations in the Mediterranean region for both the Axis and Allied powers. If the Allies controlled...
This study attempts to analyze the decisions made by Field Marshal Albert Kesselring prior to and during the battle of Anzio in February 1944. The focus of the investigation is on Kesselring's decision to shift Army Group reserves from the Rome...
This study examines the main effort concept to determine if it is a necessary element for the design of a campaign plan. Current joint operational doctrine fails to address the main effort concept. This study examines service tactical doctrine,...
This monograph examines the nature of Allied strategic bombing on The Netherlands in the Second World War. It discusses the endless controversy on strategic bombing and classifies its discourse into six different narratives. It adds the policy of...
A compilation of documents containing original unedited statements made by German officers and officials relating their estimates of the impact of air power on the German war machine.