AIR BOMBARDMENT

Beginning with Sindbad the Sailor's mythical story of how two giant roc birds sank a ship with stones, man's mind has focussed on the possibility of aerial bombardment. This volume tells the story of that awesome dream, how it came into reality in the early Twentieth Century, and how terribly rapid has been the development of the bombing plane. Although the author was a high-ranking officer in the RAF, he tells the histories of other air forces fairly and well. Some of the most interesting chapters deal with the early trials and failures of the bombing plane, through World War I Then come sections on the geo-political importance of the new weapon---General Mitchell's tra use of it against sea power---and finally the overpowering role the bomber played against Germany, Italy, and Japan in World War II. The author, who writes with , briskness, and precision, ends with considerations of today's bombers pockets. Invaluable appendix added.