ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is the evolution of strategic air power in the first half of the twentieth century. Although the theory was not put into practice until the Second World War, the origin of strategic air power is rooted in the First World War. It was during the First World War that the idea that aircraft could be used for something other than aerial reconnaissance began to take hold. During the interwar period, Giulio Douhet articulated a new air strategy—strategic air power. His theory was so influential that countries like Britain and the United States adopted and implemented it in the Second World War. The evolution of these and other air forces—of strategic air power—is a story about the development of the theory behind the new power projections that air fleets promoted. The crucial period in the development of strategic air power was the interwar years during which three men—Giulio Douhet, Billy Mitchell and Hugh Trenchard—emerged as influential developers of strategic air power theory—theories that evolved because of their applications during the Second World War.
