The Air War, 1939-1945

"The Air War" by Richard Overy is a one-volume historical comparison of the Axis and Allied powers' planning and prosecution of the air campaign during World War II. The book compares the air power strategies of each major power; the application of air power on the different fronts; the economic strategy of each major power; and concludes with a comparative analysis of the continuing scientific development for aviation. The first section of the book outlines each nation's national aviation strategy, establishing the context for subsequent chapters. Overy addresses each of the major theaters of operation, and relates how the national aviation strategy and the doctrinal organizational structure developed. For example, readers are provided insight into Hitler and Goering's strategy, leaving little question as to why the Luftwaffe abandoned the Battle of Britain and transferred their forces to the Eastern Front. Readers may be surprised at the brevity of the battle descriptions, but the intent of this book is to establish the understanding of the strategic application of air power. The chapter on aircraft production contrasts how the national aerospace strategies set the production priorities for each nation. Venturing further, it details production issues still applicable to production today, such as lack of standardization and the currying of political favor for immature technology. The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy did not share aircraft designs with each other, leading to a lack of standardization. Political lackeys curried favor with Adolph Hitler and Herman Goering, leading to unnecessary breaks in production. As an example of the unexpected content, the book even covers how the American government permitted aircraft manufacturers to calculate profit margins. The final major section of the book comparatively analyzes scientific research & development, and the nascent field of air intelligence. This section intertwines the scientific advancements with the political environments of each nation, and relates this context back to the economic footing of each nation. In 1996, the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force recommended the officer corps read this book, along with "Winged Victory: The Army air Forces during WW II", and "Into the Wild Blue", both of which provide detailed perspectives on the allied efforts in the European Theater of Operations (with a heavy Army Air Corps flavor). "The Air War" complements these detailed accounts by providing perspectives into the Axis powers strategy. It further develops the readers understanding of how the national aviation priorities affected aircraft manufacturing and scientific development. With the plethora of books available detailing single aspects of World War II aviation, "The Air War" is unique in its single-volume summary of the issues.

Richard Overy became a major historian of WWII (see his magnum opus on Hitler & Stalin) and this one catches him early career. Bottom line is that its a treat to have someone of Overy's ability & stature tackle this subject. This is not the type of subject that would normally attract a historian like Overy, and every serious WWII student should have this in his or her library. The fact that Overy wrote on subjects like this contributes to the very wide range of knowledge he now brings to his books. I just like the fact that someone who later wrote 1000 pages on Hitler & Stalin also knows the pros & cons of B-17's vs. B-24's.