History always has answers to contemporary questions. 100 years on, the use of Air Power was beautifully explained in a note from Air Ministry on the distribution & employment of Air Force in India in 1921. “Indivisibility”,”technicality”, “Moral effect”, “Cost” (1/5)
So beautifully has this one paragraph brought the dichotomy of a “small detachment” – its efficiency for the Army and its inefficiency for the Air Force. 2/
That the technical nature of the Air Force makes it “viable” or “efficient” when it is grouped in the “largest” possible unit rather than disperse them. 3/
Advantages and limitations of the utilization of an “aircraft”. Another aspect that is not well understood by other Military establishments leads to unreasonable demands on the end use of aircraft. 4/
Not to be forgotten – the impact on the “Moral of the enemy” of using Airpower. And how inefficient use of Air power can actually be detrimental to the use of this very potent weapon. 5/
Lastly, the economic cost of using Air Power, which is a magnitude of an order different from other forces and therefore begs the question of optimum use. 6/
The foresight of this note leaves one in awe of the planners, especially given the context that the Air Force itself was barely a few years old and only the “use case” of the Air Forces at that time was one of “Support to the Army” or “Army cooperation”. 7/7
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