The Command of the Air
E77054
The Command of the Air is a foundational 1921 military treatise by Italian general Giulio Douhet that argues air power and strategic bombing would dominate future warfare.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Il dominio dell’aria | 2 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
book
ⓘ
military treatise ⓘ |
| advocates |
concentrated initial air attack to achieve air superiority
ⓘ
offensive use of air power ⓘ |
| argues |
air forces should target industrial and population centers
ⓘ
air power would dominate future warfare ⓘ independent air forces should be created ⓘ strategic bombing of enemy cities can break civilian morale ⓘ |
| author | Giulio Douhet ⓘ |
| circulation | widely read in military circles during the interwar years ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Italy ⓘ |
| criticizes | traditional land and naval strategies as insufficient in modern war ⓘ |
| describes |
psychological impact of bombing on civilian populations
ⓘ
use of bombers to bypass ground defenses ⓘ |
| field |
aeronautics and warfare
ⓘ
military science ⓘ |
| form | prose ⓘ |
| genre |
military theory
ⓘ
strategic studies ⓘ |
| hasEdition | 1927 revised edition ⓘ |
| hasEnglishTitle | The Command of the Air self-link ⓘ |
| hasInfluenced | later air power theorists ⓘ |
| hasPart |
policy recommendations for air forces
ⓘ
theoretical analysis of air warfare ⓘ |
| historicalContext | interwar period ⓘ |
| influenced |
Italian air force doctrine
ⓘ
Royal Air Force strategic bombing concepts ⓘ United States Army Air Corps doctrine ⓘ interwar air power doctrine ⓘ strategic bombing theory in World War II ⓘ |
| influencedBy | World War I ⓘ |
| keyConcept |
civilian population as a center of gravity in war
ⓘ
strategic paralysis of the enemy through air attack ⓘ |
| mainSubject |
air power
ⓘ
future warfare ⓘ strategic bombing ⓘ |
| notableIdea |
command of the air as prerequisite for victory
ⓘ
independent strategic air force ⓘ terror bombing to break enemy morale ⓘ |
| originalLanguage | Italian ⓘ |
| originalTitle |
The Command of the Air
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
Il dominio dell’aria
|
| proposes |
destroying enemy air capabilities at the outset of war
ⓘ
preemptive air strikes to gain command of the air ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1921 ⓘ |
| significance |
foundational work of air power theory
ⓘ
one of the earliest systematic arguments for strategic bombing ⓘ |
| timePeriodDescribed | future wars after World War I ⓘ |
| writtenBy | Italian general ⓘ |
Referenced by (5)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Giulio Douhet
this entity surface form:
Il dominio dell’aria
this entity surface form:
Il dominio dell’aria