The Development of Early RAF Doctrine

The Royal Air Force (RAF) is generally considered to have had a monolithic approach to its early doctrine, driven by the beliefs of its first leader, Lord Trenchard, with regard to the strategic use of air power. However, a careful examination of the actual content of initial RAF doctrine reveals a far more complicated picture, with a nuanced approach that balanced the need to justify the maintenance of an independent air force with the more prosaic requirement to instruct its officers in the “bread and butter” activity of air policing. This essay explores the complexity of RAF doctrine during the first five years of its existence, 1918–1923.