SUMMER 2011 - Volume 58, Number 2 WWW.AFHISTORICALFOUNDATION.ORG The Air Force Historical Foundation Founded on May 27, 1953 by Gen Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS and other air power pioneers, the Air Force Historical All members receive our exciting and informative Foundation (AFHF) is a nonprofi t tax exempt organization. Air Power History Journal, either electronically or It is dedicated to the preservation, perpetuation and on paper, covering: all aspects of aerospace history appropriate publication of the history and traditions of American aviation, with emphasis on the U.S. Air Force, its • Chronicles the great campaigns and predecessor organizations, and the men and women whose the great leaders lives and dreams were devoted to fl ight. The Foundation • Eyewitness accounts and historical articles serves all components of the United States Air Force— Active, Reserve and Air National Guard. • In depth resources to museums and activities, to keep members connected to the latest and AFHF strives to make available to the public and greatest events. today’s government planners and decision makers information that is relevant and informative about Preserve the legacy, stay connected: all aspects of air and space power. By doing so, the • Membership helps preserve the legacy of current Foundation hopes to assure the nation profi ts from past and future US air force personnel. experiences as it helps keep the U.S. Air Force the most modern and effective military force in the world. • Provides reliable and accurate accounts of historical events. The Foundation’s four primary activities include a quarterly journal Air Power History, a book program, a • Establish connections between generations. biennial symposium, and an awards program. Summer 2011 -Volume 58, Number 2 WWW.AFHISTORICALFOUNDATION.ORG Features Douhet’s Antagonist: Amedeo Mecozzi’s Alternative Vision of Air Power Rodolfo Sganga, Paulo G.Tripodi, & Wray R. Johnson 4 The N.A.C.A. and its Military Patrons during the Golden Age of Aviation, 1915-1939 Michael H. Gorn 16 Arnold at Potsdam Herman S.Wolk 28 Obama’s War Neil Sheehan 42 Book Reviews Every Day a Nightmare: American Pursuit Pilots in the Defense of Java, 1941-1942 By William H. Bartsch Review by Golda Eldridge 46 The Russian Military Air Fleet in World War I, Volume 1: A Chronology 1910-1917, and Volume 2: Victories, Losses, St. George Awards, Romanian and French Awards By August G. Blume Review by Carl J. Bobrow 46 Boeing 707, KC–135 and Their Civil and Military Derivatives,From the “Dash 80” to the E–8 JSTARS By Dominique Breffort Review by Willard H. Strandberg 47 Eyes in the Sky: Eisenhower, the CIA, and Cold War Aerial Espionage By Dino A. Brugioni Review by John F. O’Connell 47 Rockets and People,Vol. III, Hot Days of the Cold War By Boris Chertok Review by Al Mongeon 48 Allied Strafing in World War II, A Cockpit View of Air to Ground Battle By William B. Colgan Review by John F. O’Connell 49 Wings over the Waves: Fleet Air Arm Strike Leader against Tirpitz:The Biography of Lt Cdr Roy Baker-Falkner By Graham Roy Drucker Review by Golda Eldridge 49 Sunderland over Far Eastern Seas: An RAF Flying Boat Navigator’s Story By Derek E. Empson Review by Golda Eldridge 50 Fortress Rabaul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific,January 1942-April 1943 By Bruce Gamble Review by Steven D. Ellis 50 Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption By Laura Hillenbrand Review by Scott A. Willey 50 303 (Polish) Squadron: Battle of Britain Diary By Richard King Review by Michael A. Peszke 51 Predator:The Remote-Control Air War over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot’s Story By Matt J. Martin and Charles W. Sasser Review by Chris M. Mayse 51 Secrets of the Cold War: US Army Europe’s Intelligence and Counterintelligence Activities Against the Soviets During the Cold War By Leland C. McCaslin Review by Steven D. Ellis 52 The Berlin Raids: The Bomber Battle,Winter 1943-1944 By Martin Middlebrook Review by Andrew Wackerfuss 52 Hitler’s Secret Weapons, 1933-1945: The Essential Facts and Figures for Germany’s Secret Weapons Programme By David Porter Review by Jerry Hoblit 53 Stalking The U-Boat: U.S. Naval Aviation In Europe During World War I By Geoffrey L. Rossano Review by Sherman N. Mullin 54 Kept in the Dark: The Denial to Bomber Command of Vital ULTRA and Other Intelligence Information during World War II By John Stubbington Review by R. Ray Ortensie 54 Dangerous Games: Faces, Incidents and Casualties of the Cold War By James E. Wise Jr. and Scott Baron Review by Gary Lester 55 Cataclysm: General Hap Arnold and the Defeat of Japan By Herman S.Wolk Review by R. Ray Ortensie 55 Robert Taylor’s Battle of Britain, Commemorative Collection By Robert Taylor Review by Rodney L. Wright 56 Departments Books Received 57 2011 Symposium 58 Letters, News, Reunions, In Memoriam, and History Mystery 60 COVER: Staff Sgt. Christopher Bankston watches from a C–17 Globemaster III Mar. 3, 2011, as air deliv- ery cargo drops to a remote operating base in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz) The Air Force Historical Foundation The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation Summer 2011 Volume 58 Number 2 Publisher Alfred F. Hurley Editor Jacob Neufeld Technical Editor Robert F. Dorr Air Force Historical Foundation Book Review Editor P.O. Box 790 Scott A. Willey Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Layout and Typesetting (301) 736-1959 Richard I. Wolf Advertising E-mail: [email protected] Jim Vertenten On the Web at http://www.afhistoricalfoundation.org Circulation Officers, 2011 Board of Directors, 2011 Angela J. Bear President/Chairman of the Board and Col Kenneth J. Alnwick, USAF (Ret) Chair, Executive Committee Lt Gen Russell C. Davis, USAF (Ret) Air Power History (ISSN 1044-016X) Maj Gen Dale W. Meyerrose, USAF (Ret) CMSgt Rick Dean, USAF (Ret) is produced for Spring, Summer,Fall, and 1st Vice Chairman Maj Gen Kenneth M. DeCuir, USAF (Ret) Winter by the Air Force Historical Foun- Gen John A. Shaud, USAF (Ret) Gen Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF (Ret) dation. 2nd Vice Chairman and Chair, Col Charles J. Gross, USAFR (Ret) Development Committee Col Richard G. 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All rights reserved. Vincent J. Scannelli Periodicals postage paid at Clinton, MD 20735 and additional mailing offices. Patron Member Dr. Rebecca Grant Postmaster: Please send change of address to the Circulation Office. Benefactor Member Mr.John Phelps 2 AIR POWER History / SUMMER 2011 From the Editor Guilio Douhet, the celebrated Italian air power theorist and his principal work, The Command of the Air, are well known. But few air power enthusiasts have heard of Douhet’s antagonist, Amedeo Mecozzi, an Italian air force officer. In our first article, authors Rodolfo Sganga, Paulo Tripodi, and Wray Johnson rem- edy that deficiency.They discuss Mecozzi’s career, his writing, and the basic points of disagreement between the two theorists. The authors note that while Douhet’s reputation rests on his vision, Mecozzi’s rests on his pragmatism. Thus, Mecozzi opposed Douhet’s views on targeting civilians and on establishing an inde- pendent air force. But Mecozzi’s views rested on effectiveness, not humanitarian concern. In the second article, Michael Gorn examines the relationship between the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (N.A.C.A.) and the U.S. Army during the so-called “Golden Age of Aviation.” Having written official history for both the Air Force and NASA, Gorn is very well-equipped to tackle this subject. In this first part of a two-part series, Gorn demonstrates that under Brig. Gen. George P. Scriven the Army-N.A.C.A.