Air Warfare

The long-awaited release of Air Warfare finally has arrived. Since this study was published initially in 1926, designers, engineers, pilots, and students of aviation have had an opportunity to discern its merits and to analyze its shortcomings. Still, in that historic year, with the public reeling from the outcome of the Scopes Monkey Trial, Charles Lindbergh's solo transcontinental flight, and the Billy Mitchell trail and verdict, William C. Sherman advanced a need for aerial navigation and cogently told us of the merits of flying. Coming at a time when flying was in its infancy, the book ushered in a new era in airpower historiography. Sherman relied on an assortment of illustrations to buttress his contention that aerial navigation will play a large role in the future of air tactics. Readers may not be as pleased with the paucity of citations and the absence of a bibliography, but Sherman makes it clear that Air Warfare was based on his notes while he was an instructor at the Air Service Tactical School and at the Command and General Staff School. Shortcomings aside, Air Warfare advances our understanding of aerial navigation so much so that Sherman can take credit for some of the technology currently used in military operations.