Strategy for Victory: The Development of British Tactical Air Power, 1919-1943

Strategy for Victory: The Development of British Tactical Air Power, 1919-1943 examines the nature of the inter-Service crisis between the British Army and the RAF over the provision of effective air support for the army in the Second World War. Material for this book is drawn primarily from the rich collection of documents at the National Archives (UK) and other British archives. The author makes a highly original point that Britain's independent RAF was in fact a disguised blessing for the Army and that the air force's independence was in part a key reason why a successful solution to the army's air support problems was found. The analysis traces why the British army went to war in 1939 without adequate air support and how an effective system of support was organized by the RAF. As such, it is the first scholarly survey of the origins and development of British air support doctrine and practice during the early years of the Second World War.

David Ian Hall has a D.Phil. in modern British history from the University of Oxford. He is a Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department, King's College London, based at the Joint Services Command and Staff College and in 2001 he was appointed to the Higher Command and Staff Course as an Air Power Academic specialist. He is a founding editor ofDefence Studies: the Journal of the JSCSC.