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CHAPTER IV. The Aerial Field As the Decisive Field
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CHAPTER IV The Aerial Field As the Decisive Field LET US COME NOW to the decisive field of action, concerning which the debate has so far developed brilliantly. I have maintained, and continue to do so, that in the wars to come the decisive field of action .will be the aerial field; and therefore it is necessary to base the preparation for and direction of the war on the principle: resist on the ground in order to mass your strength in the air. My worthy opponents are united against me on this point, but I am secure and confident in the strength of my position. The debate is on, but its outcome is still undecided. Nevertheless, I am more than satisfied with the way it is going; because I have noticed, as everyone else must have too, that all my opponents, in spite of every effort, have been forced to agree that the aerial field may become the decisive one in wars of the future. General Bastico has agreed to it, although cautiously. He writes: ... nevertheless, as may happen with any other arm, it [the aerochemical arm] may become decisive under some especially favorable circumstances. General Bollati also shows agreement when he writes: So the aerial field of action may also become [decisive] if it succeeds in effecting so ,strong an offensive that it will result in a paralysis not only of the enemy's forces on the ground and on the sea, but also of the moral and material strength of the nation attacked, leaving it powerless to retaliate. Similarly, Engineer Attal writes: I concede that the Air Force may be the decisive factor, but only relatively. Captain Fioravanzo also agrees when he writes: 251 The Command of The Air To conclude, it can be said that the massing of strength in the air will constitute the decisive action of the war; but only if the attacker has left after attaining command of the air an aerial force large enough to completely subdue the enemy, so that he cannot succeed in invading the territory of the attacker on land. It is evident from the quotations above, taken from the writings of military, naval, and civilian experts, that they admit the air may become the decisive field. I will say more. Both General Bollati and Captain Fioravanzo have in effect qualified their agreement thus: The aerial field becomes decisive if and when the Air Force can defeat the enemy. By these admissions my opponents have clearly surrendered already. When they take the position that the aerial field becomes decisive only when the aerial action defeats the enemy, they completely agree with me. Otherwise their contention would be absurd, as though they were saying, "The aerial field is decisivewhen it is decisive." Someone more modest than I would be satisfied with these admissions . As a matter of fact, who could have hoped two years ago, even a year ago, that the time would come when the stalwart writers of the army and navy would agree that the aerial forceup to yesterday considered simply an auxiliary arm-could be the decisive factor in a future war? But when it comes to the aerial force and strategy, I am not modest at all. The admissions I have already forced from them spur me on to exact more and more from them. Some of my opponents equivocate. They think I am trying to give out a recipe for victory when I voice my ideas. In other word~, they think I am contending: "To be victorious, Italy must resist on the ground and mass all her strength in the air." That is not correct. Naturally, my first thought is of our own' situation and the eventuality of a possible conflict between Italy and some one of her possible enemies. I admit that the theories I expound have that in the background, and therefore should not be considered applicable to all countries. In all probability, if I were specifically considering a conflict between Japan and the United States, I would not arrive at the same conclusions. To offer a general Recapitulation 253 recipe for victory, applicable to all nations, would be downright presumption on my part. My intention is simply to point out the best and most efficient way for our country to prepare for a probable future war. When I say, "The aerial field will be decisive," I do not mean, "In order to win, we must make the aerial field the decisive one." I...