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The RAF and Tribal Control - Airpower and Irregular Warfare between the World Wars (Hardcover)
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The RAF and Tribal Control - Airpower and Irregular Warfare between the World Wars (Hardcover)
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In light of technological advances and multiplying irregular
conflicts, conventional wisdom suggests airpower as the ideal,
low-cost means of conducting modern warfare—and the air control
method adopted by the British between the two world wars seems to
back this up. Swift and precise targeting from above was considered
more humane, after all, sparing civilians as well as British
soldiers during punitive expeditions in unruly colonial regions.
But what conventional wisdom misses, and this book makes clear, is
how the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) innovative approach actually
worked—relying on British airmen on the ground at least as much
as on airborne technology to control restive tribes and villages.
The RAF and Tribal Control tells the story of these forgotten
airmen, the RAF special service officers who, embedded among local
populations and indigenous tribes, collected vital intelligence,
developed targets, directed air strikes when necessary, and,
perhaps most important, provided personal assessments of
airpower’s qualitative effects against primarily guerrilla
forces. Airpower is a highly technological endeavor. But in wars
where the human dimension takes primacy, Richard Newton reminds us
that measuring the effectiveness of air actions requires a
qualitative approach that is nearly impossible via overhead
sensors. And this is where the RAF special service officers came
in—airmen who understood the local cultures and peoples, they
served as conduits for information and communication between the
colonial administration and the tribes and villages. It was their
ground-level contributions that made the integration of airpower
into the civilian administration of colonies and mandates possible.
This first in-depth account of the RAF special service officers’
role brings to light previously unpublished insights. The RAF and
Tribal Control fills a significant gap in the history of air
warfare. In doing so, the book dispels the notion that airpower
alone is effective in small wars and irregular conflicts—and
reveals the importance of the “boots-on-the-ground” human
component in waging unconventional air warfare, both in the days of
the RAF’s vaunted air control and in our own time.
General
Imprint: |
University Press of Kansas
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2019 |
Authors: |
Richard D. Newton
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Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 28mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
240 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-7006-2871-1 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-7006-2871-1 |
Barcode: |
9780700628711 |
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