ABSTRACT
The air forces should be concentrated along the main axis, where the command hopes to decide the action. After serving as an officer in the Red Army during the Civil War, A. N. Lapchinskiy was an instructor at both the Frunze Military Academy and the Air Force Academy. For a time he was chief of staff of the Soviet Air Forces. His first three-volume work, Aviation Tactics, was awarded the Frunze prize in 1931. His next major publication was The Air Forces in Battle and Operations, from which the following selection was taken. Other books were Air Battle, Bombardment Aviation, and Air Armies, published after his execution. Aircraft should be concentrated for maximum operational effectiveness. He took issue with General Douhet in that he believed absolute air supremacy is generally unattainable, but local air superiority is possible. Aviation has always been too small to handle the diverse missions assigned to it.
