Air Power, Insurgency and the “War on Terror” - Prof. Joel Hayward's ...

Chapter 3
<strong>the</strong> first two days among <strong>the</strong> rocks shooting hopefully at <strong>the</strong> aircraft
<strong>and</strong> delighting in <strong>the</strong> noise <strong>and</strong> sight of falling bombs. As <strong>the</strong> main
objective of <strong>the</strong> bombers was to blockade <strong>the</strong> valley, <strong>the</strong>y did not try
to destroy houses o<strong>the</strong>r than those of <strong>the</strong> guilty leaders. This puzzled
tribesmen sometimes, <strong>and</strong> on one occasion led to <strong>the</strong> Quteibi
tribe writing a stiff note to <strong>the</strong> Government after a week’s sporadic
bombardment of <strong>the</strong>ir territory, complaining of <strong>the</strong> inaccuracy of <strong>the</strong>
bombing <strong>and</strong> saying that it was destroying public confidence in <strong>the</strong>
ability of <strong>the</strong> British to protect <strong>the</strong>m. 91
As <strong>the</strong> Second World War approached, it would be no exaggeration to claim that air
control in Aden had proved a remarkable success. After years of neglect, a degree of peace
<strong>and</strong> stability had been brought to <strong>the</strong> Western Aden Protectorates while British influence
had started to be felt in <strong>the</strong> Eastern Aden Protectorates, particularly <strong>the</strong> Hadhramaut. This
had been achieved by constructing more than thirty l<strong>and</strong>ing grounds <strong>and</strong> exploiting <strong>the</strong>
increased access <strong>the</strong>y offered to engage directly with <strong>the</strong> more remote tribes. In turn, <strong>the</strong>
number of political officers had risen from just two in 1934 to twelve in 1941. 92 <strong>Air</strong> control
had given <strong>the</strong> Government both credibility <strong>and</strong> substance. As <strong>the</strong> Resident noted, “<strong>the</strong>
advent of <strong>the</strong> RAF has produced a considerable change in <strong>the</strong> relations of Aden to <strong>the</strong>
Protectorate tribes. The shadowy protection whose obligations could often not be fulfilled
has been converted into reality.” 93
In Humanity’s Name?
Despite <strong>the</strong> low casualties caused by air control, <strong>the</strong> policy attracted controversy beyond
<strong>the</strong> Army’s well rehearsed hostility. In 1937, <strong>Air</strong> Commodore Leslie Howard-Williams,
writing under <strong>the</strong> pseudonym “HW,” published a spirited defence of air control under <strong>the</strong>
title “In Humanity’s Name”. 94 He argued that air action was essential in allowing Britain to
discharge her responsibilities across <strong>the</strong> Middle East, adding that “<strong>Air</strong> control is humane
because it pleads <strong>the</strong> cause of humanity more strongly than h<strong>and</strong>-to-h<strong>and</strong> fighting.”
In <strong>the</strong> same year, <strong>Air</strong> Commodore Peter Portal, in describing <strong>the</strong> RAF’s role in policing <strong>the</strong>
Empire, was at some pains to correct what he saw as misunderst<strong>and</strong>ings <strong>and</strong> ill-informed
criticism. 95 Recently returned from comm<strong>and</strong> in Aden, he insisted that <strong>the</strong> aim of air
control was about creating a change of heart on <strong>the</strong> part of <strong>the</strong> tribesmen while employing
<strong>the</strong> minimum amount of force. It was not a case of “bomb <strong>and</strong> scuttle” which would have
increased bitterness towards <strong>the</strong> Government ra<strong>the</strong>r than creating a lasting peace.
In truth, <strong>the</strong> RAF’s operations in Aden <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Protectorates could not be separated from
<strong>the</strong> wider political debate about British rule in <strong>the</strong> Middle East. A number of Labour
<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror” 55