Building an air force : the Air Corps and the formation of US airpower / Phillip S Meilinger, Independent Scholar.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meilinger, Phillip S., 1948- Author.

Series:

Cambridge military histories.

Cambridge military histories

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army. Air Corps.

United States.

Air power--United States--History.

Air power.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 288 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Summary:

Until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, America did not want war, with the 1930s marked by strong isolationism and an emphasis on defense. However, in December 1941, it wasn't defensive aircraft the Army Air Corps had been steadily procuring, but offensive long-range heavy bombers, whilst US pursuit planes were decidedly inferior to their European counterparts. In this new history of the development of American air power, Phillip Meilinger dispels the notion that young air zealots pushed for a bomber-heavy force, revealing instead the technological, economic and bureaucratic forces which shaped the air force. He examines the role of scientists and engineers, developments in commercial aviation, and conflicting priorities of the Army and Air Corps, as well as how these were in turn influenced by America's political leaders. Building an Air Force is essential for understanding a conflict in which whoever controlled the skies controlled the land and seas beneath.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 30 Apr 2026).

ISBN:

1-009-72842-3