Airpower, more than any other factor, has shaped war in the twentieth
century. In this fascinating narrative history, Martin van Creveld
vividly portrays the rise of the plane as a tool of war and the evolution
of both technology and strategy. He documents seminal battles and turning
points, and relates stories of individual daring and collective mastery
of the skies. However, the end of airpower's glorious age is drawing near.
The conventional wisdom to the contrary, modern precision guided munitions
have not made fighter bombers more effective against many kinds of targets
than their predecessors in World War II. U.S. ground troops calling for
air support in Iraq in 2003 did not receive it any faster than Allied
forces did in France in 1944. And from its origins on, airpower has never
been very effective against terrorists, guerrillas, and insurgents.
As the warfare waged by these kinds of people grow in importance, and as
ballistic missiles, satellites, cruise missiles and drones increasingly
take the place of quarter-billion-dollar manned combat aircraft and their
multi-million-dollar pilots, airpower is losing utility almost day by day.

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