The Birth of British Airpower : Hugh Trenchard, World War I, and the Royal Air Force / Peter John Dye.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dye, Peter, author.

Series:

History of military aviation.

History of Military Aviation Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1914-1918--Aerial operations, British.

World War, 1914-1918.

Air power--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Air power.

Great Britain. Royal Flying Corps--Officers--Biography.

Great Britain.

Great Britain. Royal Air Force--Officers--Biography.

Trenchard, Hugh Montague, 1873-1956--Military leadership.

Trenchard, Hugh Montague.

Trenchard, Hugh Montague, 1873-1956--Friends and associates.

Baring, Maurice, 1874-1945.

Baring, Maurice.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (328 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Annapolis, MD : Naval Institute Press, [2024]

Summary:

"This book examines the formation of the British Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force through the lens of the relationship between Chief of the Air Service Hugh Trenchard and his close friend, confidant, and fellow leader Maurice Baring"-- Provided by publisher.

"This illuminating work explores the importance of senior leadership in the development of the British Royal Air Force, focusing on the role of friendship and the influence of personality and character in delivering effective leadership. The lessons have continuing relevance in the exercise of command functions and the role of senior leaders. More specifically, The Birth of British Airpower explains how Hugh Trenchard, a man with few obvious leadership skills, became a much-loved and inspirational commander who laid the foundations for British airpower on the Western Front in World War I and created the preconditions for the establishment of the world's first independent air service, the Royal Air Force. It examines how friendship can overcome significant personal and character deficiencies and, by assembling the right senior leadership team, achieve greatness. Trenchard was a poor public speaker who found it difficult to express himself either in speech or in writing. Fortunately for him, his close relationship with his personal assistant Maurice Baring, an accomplished poet, playwright, and author, provided the emotional and social support that he needed to succeed. This book also demonstrates that the development of airpower doctrine in World War I was a slow process that owed as much to accident as to careful planning and how air superiority was only achieved by a sustained effort, underpinned by an effective and responsive logistic system. Finally, it explains how the ethos of the post-war air force was built around these experiences, and the collective effort of all those involved in the air war."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

An Unlikely Soldier, An Unlikely Partnership

Leadership and Friendship

Ambition, Jealousy, and Division

Building a Leadership Team

Functioning as a Team

An Airpower Visionary

An Inspirational Leader

Followers as Leaders

Delivering Airpower

Transforming Warfare

Servant of the Statesman

Resignation

Regeneration

Reinstatement

Reconstruction.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-68247-863-7