| ID | 096544 |
| Title Proper | Aiming to break will |
| Other Title Information | America's world war II bombing of German morale and its ramifications |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Svendsen, Adam D M |
| Publication | 2010. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Current US Air Force doctrine emphasizes attacking an enemy's 'will to resist' without defining 'will'. Much of the Air Force's focus on will stems from prewar bombing doctrine and America's initial effort to break an enemy's morale with bombs - the aerial assault on Nazi Germany. That bombing revealed that a nation-state's will to resist actually consists of three distinctive elements - the will of its populace, government leaders, and the armed forces - which together form a collective desire to fight. The bombing also showed that the resilience of the individual components depends on the strength of the bonds that connect them and the war aims pursued by all belligerents. It further illustrated that the individual element most likely to break from air attack is the will of the armed forces. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Strategic Studies Vol. 33, No. 3; Jun 2010: p367-399 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Strategic Studies Vol. 33, No. 3; Jun 2010: p367-399 |
| Key Words | Airpower ; Bombing ; Morale ; Contemporary Conflict |