This course will consider the evolution of military aviation from the time of the Wright brothers to the end of World War II. We will use charts and video to trace the emergence across four periods: 1909-1919, 1920-1931, 1932-1943 and 1943-1945.

Military aviation’s development marked a profound change in the history of warfare, but the path has seldom been linear. There was no “natural” route; rather, countries made incremental decisions to meet anticipated needs. We will look at developments in the U.S., both in the Army and Navy, as well as parallel advances in the UK, France, Germany, Russia and Japan. The tension between aviation doctrine (what nations want aviation to do and how they procure assets to do it) versus experience in actual combat (how those assets perform, and if they do not, how nations change their approach).

The course will emphasize both the aircraft selection decisions made by these countries and the personalities who advocated for or against them. What experiences drove Billy Mitchell’s advocacy of an independent air arm? Who was Giulio Douhet and how was his concept of command of the air interpreted across countries? What eventually caused U.S. doctrine on strategic bombing to change late in World War II? Aviation technology in each period is the basis for decisions, but the role of non-military aviation in each period will also be addressed.

This is a wide-ranging course with room for discussion among those interested. After the last class, the instructor will offer a tour of the National Air and Space Museum.