Air Warfare and Air Base Air Defense 1914-1973: Sweeping Study of Air Force Defenses of Air Bases Around the World, World War I and II, Blitzkrieg, Korea, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Six Day War

Professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction, this is an Air Force study of the experiences of various nations' air forces in defending air bases against attacks from the air. Maj. John Kreis, an experienced air security officer who spent much of his career providing protection for U. S. Air Force bases, accomplished this task by adopting a case study approach that highlights the interplay of the factors affecting air base defense over half a century. In these pages he has presented examples of the earliest attempts to defend airfields and troops in World War I from aerial assault. He chronicles the development of radar and command organizations that influenced so heavily the Royal Air Force's performance in the Battle of Britain, the ability to marshal defenses and repair crews on the island of Malta, and evolving command arrangements in North Africa that made for success against a capable enemy whose own command arrangements were deficient. Cases were also chosen to investigate failures from which sound lessons could be drawn. Limited conflict in the cold war world has imposed its own logic on base defense and attacks on installations, and the examples of base destruction in the Middle East wars between 1948 and 1973 are also instructive.

This volume has wide application in staff planning for developing base structures, establishing command and security arrangements, positioning of defensive emplacements, providing repair and support services, and training base personnel to react in a host of contingencies. For the Air Force generally, it offers new insights into matters not usually treated in doctrinal literature. The cases elaborated upon here will also have an appeal to a wider public audience interested in military aviation in all of its aspects.
Introduction * Part One - The Early Development of Air Base Air Defense * Chapter I - Air Base Defense in World War I * Protecting the Flying Birdcages * The Americans Arrive * Chapter II - Interwar Doctrine and Technology Changes * American Defense Development * Germany Prepares * Japanese Defense * The Soviet Union * Great Britain and the Commonwealth * Part Two - World War II * Chapter III - Blitzkrieg and the Battle of Britain * The Attack on Poland * Fighting in the West * The Battle of Britain * Summary * Chapter IV - Malaya and Malta: 1941-1942 * Malaya and Singapore: A Study in Failure * The Siege of Malta, 1941-1942 * Comparison of the Campaigns * Chapter V - Campaigns in Africa * War of Movement in the Western Desert * The Desert Luftwaffe * TORCH and the Drive to Tunis * The Axis Defense of Tunisia * Summary * Chapter VI - The Eastern Front: 1941-1944 * Operation Barbarossa * The Russians Regroup * German Air Base Defense * The Struggle on the Steppe: 1942-1943 * The Battle for Kursk * The Attack on Poltava Air Base, June 21, 1944 * Summary * Chapter VII - The Solomons and New Guinea: 1942-1944 * Guadalcanal and Munda * The Fifth Air Force: Port Moresby to Hollandia * The Japanese Respond * Summary * Part Three - Postwar Changes * Chapter VII - Two Limited Wars: Korea and Southeast Asia * Dominating the Air in Korea * Success and Frustration in Vietnam * Comparison of the Campaigns * Chapter IX - The Middle East: 1948-1973 * The Six Day War: 1967 * War of Attrition: 1967-1970 * The October War: 1973 * Mid-East Air Warfare in Perspective * Chapter X - Conclusion * Appendices * Glossary * Notes