Aviation In Wwii

Aviation in WWII

Abstract

Since the end of the Second World War, a contentious debate has churned over which aircraft was the best overall fighter aircraft to emerge from the global conflict. There are various ideas and declarations on how the Allies achieved victory over the mighty Luftwaffe and destroyed the entirety of the Third Reich. Some experts believe that strategic and massive bombing campaigns were the key to dismembering the Luftwaffe and the Axis while, others believe that it was the eventual dominance of Allied bomber escorts that forced the Germans into submission. To this day the persistent argument shows no sign of abating, from the infantry soldiers of the 65th Infantry Division to the aviation scholars of the 1990’s. The case is argued as to who was most valuable and why. I believe that everyone involved contributed significantly to winning the war, from the grunts on the ground to the people funding war bonds here on the home front. Americans fought and Americans won the Second World War. This is a subject I shall never debate, but the tactical advantages of escort fighters, the P51 in particular, is a highly controversial topic that I shall dissect and explore. This is not to ignore the advantages of the P-51 in the Pacific theater but, for the purpose of focus I am limiting my comments and research to the European front. I believe that the evidence will prove the tactical fighter to be the sacrament of the war that led to the downfall of the Luftwaffe and victory for the Allies in WWII.

The research that has been gathered and explored in this paper focuses on the contributions of the P-51 Mustang to the unconditional victory, of the Allies in Europe during World War II. It was not until the North American P-51 Mustang fighter arrived in the theater of war that the Allies were able to penetrate the German interior and achieve air superiority, which was their backbone of combat in WWII. The debate among military historians is about which force was the most valuable in achieving victory in WWII. Many military historians believe that victory was achieved by one force over another. Others believe that Infantry units were the primary reason why the Allies won the War. Even further, some believe that the battle at sea and the destruction of the German Kriegsmarine , was the primary reason that the Allies were able to obtain the upper hand in the conflict. The research that I have gathered provides a much more vivid account of the reasons Allied powers rallied in WWII and was successful in stomping out German opposition. In order to present this case, I will describe the war scene in Europe before the North American P-51 Mustang fighter was introduced, the development of this new weapon, and the abilities it contributed to the Allies' arsenal. Furthermore, I plan to address the crushing affect the fighter escort had on German air superiority which ultimately lead to the destruction of the Luftwaffe . The emphasis of this research is on the debate regarding aerial combat policy and the advent of the P-51 Mustang that led to Allied air superiority. The debate regarding air strategy caused countless casualties in the War that could have been avoided, but the resolution of the debate has ingrained certain lessons from the War that has kept our great nation at the forefront of military aviation to this very day. My research is inspired largely by all of the veterans of World War II, Infantry, Seamen, Airmen and all that served to protect and defend the ideals and traditions of the modern day free world.

On September 1, 1939, German military forces invaded Poland, thus igniting the fire and beginning World War II. This invasion was successful due to its use of a new military strategic theory known as blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg is literally defined as a "lightning war," and it involved the fast and lethal combination of two distinct German forces, the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe. The Wehrmacht advanced on the ground, while the Luftwaffe destroyed the enemy air force, attacked enemy ground forces, and disrupted enemy communications and transportation systems. This lethal cocktail was directly responsible for the successful invasions of Poland, Norway, Western Europe, the Balkans and the Russian invasion. For many years the air war in Europe was dominated by the Luftwaffe; no other nation involved in the war had the experience, technology, or numbers to begin to challenge German air superiority. It was not until the United States joined the war effort, December 7th 1941, that Germany would realize such a powerful resistance. The advent of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter provided the Allies with decisive advantages over the Germans and provided a stronghold in the air war that eventually led to the downfall of the Third Reich.

The domination of European skies by the Luftwaffe was created by two factors: the first factor was the difference in military theory between the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Luftwaffe. The theories concerning the purpose and function of the Luftwaffe and RAF were exactly opposite and were a result of their experiences in WWI. During WWI, Germany attempted a strategic bombing effort directed against England using slow moving and inaccurate Gothas and Zeppelins which did not give much of a result. This, plus the fact that German military theory at the beginning of WWII was based more on fast quick results (Blitzkrieg), this precluded the development of a strategic air force. The Luftwaffe had experienced great success when they used tactical ground attack aircraft in battle so it was decided that their air force should consist of tactical ground attack aircraft. Germany decided to make the Luftwaffe a ground support force that was essentially an extension of the Army and functioned as a long range, aerial artillery. The RAF, on the other hand, had experimented with ground attack fighters during WWI, and had suffered grievous casualty rates. The fact that the British had been deeply offended and enraged by the German Gotha and Zeppelin attacks on their home soil, made them determined to develop a strategic air force that would be capable of bombing German soil in the future. The book, Clash of Wings states, “At the beginning of WWII, the RAF was mostly a strategic force that consisted of heavy bombers and backup fighters, and lacked any tactical dive bombers or ground attack fighters.” As the air war began to intensify, strategic bombing policy would stir up a debate about the effectiveness of contemporary bombing strategies. A great representation of different tactics used by