Claire Lee Chennault: Theorist and Campaign Planner

Abstract

This monograph examines Claire Lee Chennault as a military theorist and campaign planner. It determines that Chennault's evolution of a theory of war assisted his planning the China-Burma-India Campaign during World War II. The monograph is divided into four sections. The first section focuses the historical background of Chennault and the war in Southeast Asia, emphasizing the war in China. The second section explores Chennault's theory of war. The third sec tion analyzes how Chennault's theory met the Chinese and American ends (desired end state), means (application of the available resources), and ways (resource employment to achieve the ends). The fourth section concludes that Chennault's theory of war assisted him in planning the China-Burma-Indian Campaign during the Second World War. Chennault's theory of war clarified the past and the present; notably the Great War and airpower's technological evolution. Second, it assisted Chennault to foresee the future. The future was realized because Chennault transcended the theorist role to that of an operational commander.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 13, 1993
Accession Number
ADA274445

Entities

People

  • John M. Kelley

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Air Power
  • Aircrafts
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Instructors
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Personnel Management
  • Second World War
  • Students
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Warning Systems

Readers

  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Geochemistry
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies