The following article is drawn from our latest book The Bomber Offensive and discusses innovations in fighter tactics and technology that eventually brought about the defeat of the Luftwaffe. General James “Jimmy” Doolittle took command of the 8th Air Force at a critical time and implemented tactical and technological innovations such as phased-escort and drop tanks that turned the tide of the air war in Europe.

The following article is drawn from our latest book The Bomber Offensive and discusses innovations in British night bombing techniques in 1942. When the war first started, RAF Bomber Command initially encountered many challenges and setbacks. When Sir Arthur “Bomber” Harris took over Bomber Command in 1942, he implemented some key innovations to increase bombing effectiveness in the areas of targeting, survivability, accuracy and bomb damage.

The previous article on torpedo bomber tactics explained that victory in carrier tactics requires synchronizing the efforts of torpedo bombers, dive bombers and fighters so that their combined lethality is greater than it would be if each aircraft type were used in isolation. This article focuses on dive bomber tactics and explains why dive bombing was more effective than level bombing for anti-ship strikes. It also explains how dive bombers increased their survivability despite the risks presented by enemy anti-aircraft fire and fighter coverage.

The nature of carrier tactics involves unifying and synchronizing the efforts of dive bombers, torpedo bombers and fighters so that their combined lethality is greater than it would be if each type of aircraft were used in isolation. Before explaining how these various types of aircraft work in coordination, it is best to first examine each type individually. As we will see, two key concepts apply to both the tactics of individual aircraft types and the integration of all three types. These concepts are simultaneity and survivability. To explain these concepts, we will begin by examining a common torpedo bombing technique: the anvil attack.

Warfare Master Institute divides learning content into “case topics” and “case studies.” The larger case topic provide a general framework of background knowledge and thinking. This will allow deeper examination of specific case studies that can achieve the level of detail necessary for true mastery. In short, case topics provide the context for the case studies. This approach might seem obvious, but it is quite far from the way most military history books, learning materials and courses are organized.

This article discusses WMI’s new approach to military professional education founded on the principles of leveraging existing resources, creating “living” content that is ever-evolving, curating the collaborative authoring process and delivering knowledge in a cutting-edge, modular, multimedia format built around a social/community learning platform.