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social basis of resistance, and pressure citizens into asking their governments to surrender. The logic of this model is that exposing large portions of civilian populations to the terror of destruction or the shortage of consumer goods would damage civilian morale into submission. By smothering the enemy's civilian centers with bombs, Douhet argued the war would become so terrible that the common people would rise against their government, overthrow it with revolution, then sue for peace.
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315:. During the war, aircraft operated for the first time in reconnaissance, transport, artillery spotting and even limited bombing roles. Douhet wrote a report on the aviation lessons learned in which he suggested high altitude bombing should be the primary role of aircraft. In 1912, Douhet assumed command of the Italian aviation battalion at Turin and wrote a set of
398:". Targeting was central to this strategy and he believed that air commanders would prove themselves by their choice of targets. These would vary from situation to situation, but Douhet identified the five basic target types as: industry, transport infrastructure, communications, government and "the will of the people".
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he described a fictional war between
Germany and a Franco-Belgian alliance in which the Germans launched massive terror bombing raids on the populace, reducing their cities to ashes before their armies could mobilize. Because bombing would be so terrible, Douhet believed that wars would be short. As
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in 1915 Douhet was shocked by the army's incompetence and unpreparedness. He proposed a force of 500 bombers that could drop 125 tons of bombs daily to break the bloody stalemate with
Austria, but he was ignored. He corresponded with his superiors and government officials, criticising the conduct of
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he maintained such aviation was "useless, superfluous and harmful". He proposed an independent air force composed primarily of long-range load-carrying bombers. He believed interception of these bombers was unlikely, but allowed for a force of escort aircraft to ward off interceptors. Attacks would
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The chief strategy laid out in his writings, the Douhet model, is pivotal in debates regarding the use of air power and bombing campaigns. The Douhet model rests on the belief that in a conflict, the infliction of high costs from aerial bombing can shatter civilian morale. This would unravel the
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In his book Douhet argued that air power was revolutionary because it operated in the third dimension. Aircraft could fly over surface forces, relegating them to secondary importance. The vastness of the sky made defense almost impossible, so the essence of air power was the offensive. The only
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and then fixed-wing aircraft in Italy, he quickly recognized the military potential of the new technology. Douhet saw the pitfalls of allowing air power to be fettered by ground commanders and began to advocate the creation of a separate air arm commanded by airmen. He teamed up with the young
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was muted, the second edition generated virulent attacks from his military peers, particularly those in the navy and army. Douhet's was an apocalyptic vision that gripped the popular imagination. his theories were unproven and unchallengeable for another 20 years. In many cases, he had hugely
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effects of bombing. Air power could break a people's will by destroying a country's "vital centers". Armies became superfluous because aircraft could overfly them and attack these centers of the government, military and industry with impunity, a principle later called
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not require great accuracy. On a tactical level he advocated using three types of bombs in quick succession; explosives to destroy the target, incendiaries to ignite the damaged structures, and poison gas to keep firefighters and rescue crews away.
323:) — one of the first doctrine manuals of its kind. However, Douhet's preaching on air power marked him as a radical. After an incident in which he ordered construction of Caproni bombers without authorization, he was exiled to the infantry.
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Douhet continued to write about air power from his cell, finishing a novel on air power and proposing a massive Allied fleet of aircraft in communications to ministers. He was released and returned to duty shortly after the disastrous
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soon as one side lost command of the air it would capitulate rather than face the terrors of air attack. In other words, the enemy air force was the primary target. A decisive victory here would hasten the end of the war.
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defense was a good offense. The air force that could achieve command of the air by bombing the enemy air arm into extinction would doom its enemy to perpetual bombardment. Command of the air meant victory.
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began, Douhet began to call for Italy to launch a massive military build-up, particularly in aircraft. "To gain command of the air," he said, was to render an enemy "harmless". When
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the war and advocating an air power solution. Douhet was court-martialed and was imprisoned for one year for criticizing
Italian military leaders in a memorandum to the cabinet.
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exaggerated the effects of bombing. His calculations for the amount of bombs and poison gas required to destroy a city were ludicrously optimistic. In "
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This emphasis on the strategic offensive would blind Douhet to the possibilities of air defense or tactical support of armies. In his second edition of
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621:(Editors' Introduction), Coward McCann (1942), Office of Air Force History 1983 reprint, 1993 new imprint by Air Force History and Museums Program,
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Assigned to the
General Staff, after the beginning of the new century, Douhet published lectures on military mechanization. With the arrival of
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550:"Bombing to Win: Air Power and Coercion in War. By Robert A. Pape. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1996. 366p. 19.95 paper"
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He was exonerated in 1920 and promoted to general officer in 1921. The same year, he completed a hugely-influential treatise on
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The entire population was in the front line of an air war and they could be terrorized with urban bombing. In his book
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in 1917. Douhet was recalled to service in 1918 to serve as head of the
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Col. Phillip S. Meilinger, The Paths of Heaven: The
Evolution of Air Power Theory (Alabama, 1997), p.1.
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Air Power and
Unification: Douhet's Principles of Warfare and Their Application to the United States
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Bombing the People: Giulio Douhet and the
Foundations of Air-Power Strategy, 1884-1939
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Makers of Modern
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to extol the virtues of air power in the years ahead.
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The Paths Of Heaven: The Evolution Of Airpower Theory
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