Crane

 1. TITLE AND BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INFO: ''American Airpower Strategy in Korea: 1950-1953. ''Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2000.



 2. AUTHOR : Conrad C. Crane                          3. AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND: Director of the US Army Military

                                                                                    History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, PA.



 4. SCOPE: Covers airpower as applied during the Korean War by the Air Force. Focuses specifically on AF strategic bombing assets. Excludes other missions and services since there are so many other books written on those topics.



 Thesis: “The primary purpose of this book is to examine the image and reality of American airpower as it struggled to meet  high expectations  with  limited resources  and apply its  destructive power  in acceptable and effective ways in a  limited war .” (6)



      EVIDENCE: Archival sources, personal accounts from participants



 5. CENTRAL PROPOSITIONS:

 ·           Analysis of the Korean War can provide valuable insights into Airpower’s capabilities and limitations

 ·           Too many ground commanders and political leaders expected “miracles” from airpower (6).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Inflated expectations of the capabilities of AP influenced key choices by decision makers (183).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           Nuclear ability exerted a powerful implicit constraint on the scale and nature of the war

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o        Nuclear option   often came up in Washington when actions on the battlefield or at the peace talks took a bad turn (8)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           Although air power could not bring about victory in Korea, it helped bring about an acceptable political outcome.

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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto">''' Notes: '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·            Context  : At the end of WWII, the Korean peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel upon Japan’s surrender (Japan was the imperial power there since 1910)-Soviet Union exercised authority over the North, US over the South. Tensions between communism and democracy ultimately kept the nationwide elections from ever occurring (Olsen book, 85).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       ''' N. Korea launched the initial attacks against the South on June 25, 1950. '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       22 Nations led by the US formed the United Nations Command (UNC), which fought together for the next 3 years.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       After a year, war on the ground reached a geographic stalemate. Airpower however, demonstrated its innate flexibility of maneuver.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       *The main reason US went to war in Korea: IDEOLOGICAL, less about the defense of Korea, and more about concern for what might happen in the world. It was for the perceived need to oppose communism at every turn. (Olsen book, pg. 87)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           FEAF: Far East Air Forces-the senior USAF entity in North Asia

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Commanders: Gen Stratemeyer, Gen Weyland (174)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           UNC Commander in Chief: Gen MacArthur, Gen Ridgway

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       MacArthur’s success during WWII in his island hopping campaign had helped him acquire an exaggerated notion of what “strategic” air power could do…he tried a similar approach in Korea against a different enemy w/ different vulnerabilities (Olsen book, pg. 95)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       He ordered operations which threatened expansion of the war (bringing in the Chinese & Soviets)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Out of desperation, he entertained use of nuclear weapons. When Truman declined, MacArthur publicly criticized him…resulted in his removal and replacement by Ridgway.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·            Lessons learned in WWII had to be re-learned

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Inter-service tensions…roles & missions (CAS) (8)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Command and control

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Night flying operations

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·            Lessons learned from Korean War

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Air Force looked back at its first war w/ a great sense of pride & accomplishment (171)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Weyland: argued the AF missions were more decisive than land force missions. “Any failure to win the war was a result of political decisions and restraints placed on all commanders” (173)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Hard to do all of the following effectively while operating in a dynamic strategic environment where national objectives may be changing: combined air superiority, strategic attack, interdiction, airlift & CAS.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Airpower alone is not enough, inflated expectations led to disillusionment as war dragged on

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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·            Lessons that should have been learned from Korean War

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Differences b/w general and limited war (175). Focus went back to general nuclear war.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Command and control of air assets in joint operations

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       “The SAC experience in Korea shows the possible drawbacks of trying to use aircraft in too many different roles” (182)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       “Must select  airpower targets that are vulnerable and important  enough so that threatening their destruction will have the desired political impact on enemy decision makers “(184).''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       If the goal is to affect the enemy’s war making capacity, ideally you have the ability to strike the sources of it.

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<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto">''' Themes: '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           How do Airmen respond to the challenges of a conflict where their options are severely curtailed? (vii)''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Even today, we sometimes face unclear threats and resource constraints which prove challenging''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-pagination: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           Airpower played a leading role in the Korean War:''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-pagination: none; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Strategic strike, Control of the air, Interdiction, Close attack, Reconnaissance, Airlift ''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·            Airpower application  :''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       AF leaders entered the conflict hoping to: 1. Quickly achieve air superiority, 2. Launch a bombing campaign against economic & military targets, 3. Such action would result in elimination of enemy’s capacity & will to fight (7)''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Instead, MiG-15s proved extremely difficult to neutralize & unable to strike enemy sources of war-making resources.''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       US was then forced to seek alternative methods to achieve decisive results in a limited, non-nuclear war.''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           ''' Airpower application in a limited war: '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Limitations placed upon air power (on targets, weaponry, publicity, resources, boundaries)''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Limitations of airpower (accuracy, lack of joint doctrine, role of wx, C2, airfields, acft capabilities, night capabilities, destructive nature, airfield availability)''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o        Smart’s air pressure strategy was one of the many alternative efforts by airmen to find most efficient and effective method of employing airpower  (132).''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Search included: tactics, techniques, technology''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings"> §    Technology: Air Force and other services sought improved guidance systems and better bombs (133)…led to many improvisations and experimentation''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           Inter-service rivalry from the past remained an issue''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Navy-AF relations had been poisoned by the “Revolt of the Admirals” (7)''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       Effective joint air ops were impacted by leadership personalities''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       “Doctrine is not as important as personalities in maximizing performance” (183)''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"> ·           Morale-psychology-personnel management:''' '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"> o       “Fear of Flying”…LeMay’s response on pg. 93. 

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