The Hillsdale College Online Courses Podcast The Second World Wars: Air
Sep 27, 2023
Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow in classics and military history, delves into the pivotal role of air power during World War II. He discusses how early theories overestimated air power, overlooking the necessity of naval and ground forces. The conversation highlights the strategic advantages gained through Allied investments in bombers and the evolution of tactics that led to air superiority. Hanson also addresses Germany's technological responses and shares intriguing insights about kamikaze threats and the implications of the atomic bomb decision.
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Air Power's True Purpose
- Air power transformed dramatically between WWI and WWII and created prophets who overestimated its independent effect.
- Victor Davis Hanson argues purpose of air power was to secure air superiority so ground and naval operations could achieve decisive results.
Practical Production Beats Perfection
- The Allies prioritized practicality, durability, and mass production while Axis focused on technical superiority.
- That Allied emphasis on numbers, maintenance, and simpler designs proved decisive in sustained war.
Axis Lacked Strategic Reach
- Germany and other Axis powers never built an effective long-range four-engine bomber fleet early in the war.
- Hanson shows that limitation prevented sustained strategic bombing of Britain, the U.S., or the Soviet interior.
