Fighter Combat

Fighter MissionsTo use a fighter as a fighter-bomber when the strength of the fighter arm isinadequate to achieve air superiority is putting the cart before the horse.Lt. General Adolph Galland, LuftwaffeThe primary mission of fighters is air superiority; that is, ensuring useby friendly aircraft of the airspace over critical surface areas, and denyinguse of that airspace to the enemy. Control of the high ground has alwaysbeen one of the fundamentals of warfare. Airspace control allows strategicand tactical bombing, close air support of troops and armor, airborne orsurface reinforcement and supply, reconnaissance, and other missionsvital to the success of any military operation. Although no war so far hasbeen won solely on the basis of air power, the advent of nuclear weaponscertainly lends credence to this possibility for future conflicts.The value of air power became evident in World War I, when airplaneswere in their infancy. The airplane did not play a pivotal role in theoutcome of that conflict, but by the early days of World War II it wasinconceivable that any major military operation could succeed withoutfirst achieving air superiority. This evolution was brought about primarilyby the quantum increases in firepower and destructive capabilities of theaircraft that were developed between the wars.The most important branch of aviation is pursuit, which fights for and gainscontrol of the air.Brig. General William "Billy" Mitchell, USASDuring World War II, the devastating tactical bombing and close airsupport by the German Luftwaffe during the blitzkrieg attacks on Poland,the Low Countries, and France provided early evidence of the effectivenessof air power. The importance placed on air superiority is obvious in theGerman decision to cancel the invasion of England after the RAF could notbe defeated during the Battle of Britain. The value of air superiority wasshown again by the ability of the American bombers to prosecute daylightstrategic bombardment of Germany and Japan late in the war. Since that