http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/478448323

The Air Expeditionary Force in Perspective

The military has conducted expeditionary operations for centuries; airmen began to participate in expeditions from the very early days of flight. Descriptions of expeditions, with and without air components, evoke suggestive lessons for current expeditionary operations. Frequently the identification of lessons from past events provides planners and commanders the background, wisdom, and the equally important element of context that facilitate better judgment in the imperfect decision-making process. This collection begins with a short description of Air Force leadership promoting the idea of expeditionary air operations. This is followed by a review of the 1995-1996 Aerospace Expeditionary Force I-III deployments to the Middle East. The anthology then continues in reverse chronological order to describe various expeditionary operations throughout history, beginning with examples from World War II. The latter include the British and German expeditions to Norway; the pre-war American buildup in the Philippines; the first American operation in the Pacific--Guadalcanal; Rommel in North Africa; Japan's venture in the Aleutians; the first major European campaign for the United States--the Twelfth Air Force's invasion of Northwest Africa; and finally, the buildup of the Eighth Air Force in England for the Strategic Bombing Campaign. The interwar years are marked by the Italian-Ethiopian War and the Spanish Civil War, described here from the Italian, German, and Soviet perspectives. The World War I era includes the American expedition against Pancho Villa and four British expeditions in Africa and the Middle East. Finally, a number of famous campaigns illustrate the timelessness of expeditionary campaigns, particularly the campaigns of the Romans and Napoleon. In addition, parts of the American Civil War depict expeditionary efforts, as do American operations in China at the turn of the 20th century--the Boxer Rebellion. (30 figures).

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