War From Above the Clouds: B-52 Operations During the Second Indochina War and the Effects of the Air War on Theory and Doctrine
Abstract
This paper examines the B-52 Stratofortress operations in Vietnam and how the air war affected air power doctrine and theory. It also examines the evolution of this awesome-manned strategic weapon in Vietnam to see how the structure of the B-52's originally intended mission altered if at all the theories of air power first put forward by Giulio Douhet and William "Billy" Mitchell. This paper analyzes how this same operational alteration affected official United States Air Force (USAF) doctrine first formulated by Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces (AAF) leaders before and during World War II and later modified in the 1950s after the USAF became a separate service. In defining air power doctrine, Dr. Dennis M. Drew asserts that "doctrine has many functions, but it can adequately be defined as a 'framework for understanding how to apply military power. It is what history has taught us works in war, as well as what does not.'"
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA420735
Entities
People
- William P. Head
Organizations
- Air University Press