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The Command of the Air The Command of the Air by Giulio Douhet Translated by Dino Ferrari Air University Press Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama Director, Air University Press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lt Col Darin M. Gregg Names: Douhet, Giulio, 1869–1930, author | Ferrari, Dino, translator. Project Editor Title: The command of the air / by Giulio Douhet ; translated by Donna Budjenska Dino Ferrari. Other titles: Dominio dell’aria. English Editorial Assistant Description: 2019 Air University Press edition. | Maxwell AFB, Tammi Dacus Alabama : Air University Press, Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doc- trine Development and Education, 2019. | “This 2019 Air University Cover Art and Book Design Press edition is based on the Air Force Museum’s 1998 edition.”— L. Susan Fair Title page verso. | Summary: “Italian soldier and writer Giulio Douhet (1869–1930) lived during a time of great innovation and Composition and Prepress Production change in the conduct of war. He began formulating his theories on Vivian D. O’Neal air warfare as early as 1909 and commanded one of the world’s first air units as Italy entered World War I in 1915. His writings, though Print Preparation and Distribution controversial in his time, have so influenced air doctrine that they Diane Clark continue to be essential, fundamental reading for students and poli- cy makers worldwide. The Command of the Air actually is the title of Book I presented herein, the standalone book Douhet published AIR UNIVERSITY PRESS in 1921. Almost from the time of the first translations of Douhet’s writings, several other of his seminal pieces (“The Probable Aspects of the War of the Future,” “Recapitulation,” and “The War of 19–”) were assembled as a collection under the familiar title of his most famous work”— Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2019033023 | ISBN 9781585662968 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Air power. Classification: LCC UG630 .D6213 2019 | DDC 358.4/03—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019033023 Air University Press 600 Chennault Circle, Building 1405 Copyright 1942 by Coward-McCann Inc., New York Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6010 This 2019 Air University Press edition is based on the Air https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress/ Force Museums 1998 edition and includes: Introduction to the 1983 edition by Joseph Patrick Harahan Facebook: and Richard H. Kohn, 1983 https://www.facebook.com/AirUnivPress Preface to the second edition of The Command of the Air by Giulio Douhet, 1927 The Command of the Air by Giulio Douhet, 1921; translated by and Dino Ferrari “The Probable Aspects of the War of the Future” by Giulio Douhet, 1928 Twitter: https://twitter.com/aupress “Recapitulation” by Giulio Douhet, 1929 “The War of 19–” by Giulio Douhet, 1930 Published by Air University Press in September 2019 Disclaimer Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the authors and do not neces- sarily represent the official policy or position of the organiza- tions with which they are associated or the views of the Air University Press, LeMay Center, Air University, United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or any other US govern- ment agency. This publication is cleared for public release and unlimited distribution. Reproduction and printing is subject to the Copyright Act of Air University Press 1976 and applicable treaties of the United States. This docu- ment and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This publication is provided for noncommercial use only. The author has granted nonexclusive royalty-free license for distri- bution to Air University Press and retains all other rights grant- ed under 17 U.S.C. §106. Any reproduction of this document requires the permission of the author. This book and other Air University Press publications are available electronically at the AU Press website: https://www. airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress. Contents Foreword v Editor’s Preface vii Introduction to the 1983 Edition ix Preface to the 1927 Edition xiii Book One: The Command of the Air 1 PART I 3 Chapter I The New Form of War 3 II The Independent Air Force 31 III Aerial Warfare 45 IV The Organization of Aerial Warfare 63 PART II 85 Book Two: The Probable Aspects of the War of the Future 129 Book Three: Recapitulation 185 Introduction 187 Chapter I Auxiliary Aviation 191 II Aerial Defense 209 III The Aerial Battle 217 IV The Aerial Field as the Decisive Field 223 Book Four: The War of 19— 261 Introduction 263 PART I 265 Chapter I The Causes of the Conflict 265 II The Moral Preparation 267 III The Intellectual Preparation 269 IV The Material Preparation—France and Belgium 283 V The Material Preparation—Germany 307 PART II 319 VI The Allies’ Plan of Operation 319 VII Germany’s Plan of Operation 325 VIII The Battle of June 16 339 IX Operations of June 17 355 Index 359 iii Foreword Giulio Douhet stands out among military theorists for his pre- scient insights into how the advent of airpower would change modern warfare. Despite having very little actual flying experience, Douhet formed a theory of airpower that still deserves study today. He recog- nized that the development of the airplane would make “command of the air” the first objective in any campaign and the ultimate enabler of victory in war. While his insights into the importance of air superior- ity deserve study, it is his recognition of how the character of war would change in the airpower age that proved prophetic. In true Clausewitzian fashion, Douhet acknowledged that the na- ture of war was a contest of two opposing wills. What Douhet grasped, however, was that airpower had altered the character of war. Since there are no geographical boundaries in the air, airplanes could go everywhere and drop on any surface target. It meant, in his words, that the distinction between soldier and civilian had been removed. The Italian general rightly saw the beginning of total war. Since the population is now a target, Douhet’s theory relied on leveraging that target to end the war. Bombing the population, he theorized, will cause the citizens to petition their leader to end the war, bringing about peace. Readers of this edition will see the brilliance in Douhet’s ideas as he envisioned how this new target set and airpower could be used to bring about the end of war without the need of a land force. His ideas about population bombing would be tried in World War II with mixed results. Some will ignore Douhet’s writings because he incorrectly pre- dicted several aspects of airpower employment. They do so at their own peril. Douhet missed the mark on precision, hypothesizing that strategic bombing would never be as precise as artillery, which the precision revolution proved was possible. Furthermore, populations proved more resilient to bombing campaigns directed at them in World War II than Douhet, and other theorists like Hugh Trenchard, imagined. Yet, Douhet, with little actual airpower experience, did foresee several aspects of airpower employment in existence today. The need for an independent air arm that could achieve strategic effects still remains a requirement for airpower employment today. As previously stated, Douhet recognized the need to establish “com- mand of the air” as the first objective in any campaign. More impor- tantly, he advocated that airpower should “break the eggs in the nest,” v FOREWORD which meant attacking the enemy’s opposing forces while they are still on the ground. To accomplish this task, Douhet believed that a “battleplane” should be used, a plane capable of offense actions while still able to defend itself from enemy attack. The B-17 Flying Fortress, the F-15E Strike Eagle, and recently announced upgrades to the B-52 Stratofortress are all a testament to Douhet’s battleplane vision. Fur- thermore, in every major operation since Desert Storm, the United States has employed strategic bombers and battleplanes in an offen- sive counterair role to strike enemy air defenses at the initiation of conflict, adhering to Douhet’s theory. Finally, when readers criticize Douhet’s advocacy for the use of chemical weapons, they miss the larger picture. What Douhet really saw was the development of com- bined effects. Bombers, he argued, would break oil storage areas, in- cendiary munitions would light the spill on fire, and chemical weap- ons would prevent first responders from putting out the fire. The chain of events proposed by Douhet offered insight into the com- bined effects airpower would achieve in future conflicts. Douhet wrote one of the most comprehensive military theories in history. He provided a rationale for the use of force, a mechanism for achieving effects, an organizational construct, and a force structure. Readers will not only see his insights into airpower, they will also see a complete theory unfold before their eyes. Although written nearly a century ago, The Command of the Air remains a relevant part of to- day’s airpower theory discussions. Melvin G. Deaile, PhD Director of the School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies Air Command and Staff College vi Editor’s Preface This 2019 hardcover edition of The Command of the Air supports Air University, where softcover copies of this resource have been is- sued to so many generations of students that the bindings were liter- ally falling apart. The Command of the Air actually is the title of Book I presented herein, Il dominio dell’aria, first published in Italy in 1921. Almost from the time of the first translations of Douhet’s writings, several other of his seminal pieces (“The Probable Aspects of the War of the Future,” “Recapitulation,” and “The War of 19—”) were assembled as a collection under the familiar title of his most famous work.
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