The Command of the Air

Douhet’s classic work – first published in 1921 – echoes the thoughts and fears of the immediate-post WWI age. Though air power was in its infancy, Douhet considers future military expression, advocating for independent air forces (rather than as auxiliaries to land and maritime forces) as a vital element for military success. Drawing upon WWI practices (such as the use of poison gas against combatants), some aspects of Douhet’s work are problematic, or even controversial, for modern readers – arguments for ‘mass’ in aerial attacks, strategic bombing campaigns, and the legitimate targeting of civilian population centres, among them. Nonetheless, Command of the Air stands as a landmark work exploring air power principles at the dawn of military aviation.