The Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) in Perspective: World War II, Norway, Guadalcanal, Rommel, Soviets in Spain, World War I, Gallipoli, Egyptian Force, Iraq Kut Disaster, Napoleon, Boxer Rebellion

This important report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. The military has conducted expeditionary operations for centuries; airmen began to participate in expeditions from the very early days of flight. Descriptions of expeditions, with and without air components, evoke suggestive lessons for current expeditionary operations. Lessons are seldom a perfect fit. Serious students of military operations know that history does not repeat itself, but some insist that if history does not repeat itself it often rhymes. Frequently the identification of lessons from past events provides planners and commanders the background, wisdom, and the equally important element of context that facilitate better judgment in the imperfect decisions-making process.
The reader will be amazed at the broad range of historical operations, even those without an air element, that offer useful lessons for airmen seeking to better understand the challenges of employing expeditionary air forces at the turn of the 21st century. Even in cases where the air element is lacking, a host of significant factors relevant to contemporary airmen is readily apparent. One will find examples of issues involving intelligence, logistics, force mix, force protection, serial tasking, operational innovation, and many other factors. There are ideas that will reflect planning for the current Air Force Task Forces, particularly Global Strike Task Force, Global Response Task Force, Homeland Security Task Force, and Global Mobility Task Force. The United States has a history of technological advantages, but the products must be understood and applied as regularized operational practices. Military leaders must likewise understand that human nature is quite predictable that lessons identified from the past are likely to be operating in future air operations.
This collection begins with a short description of our Air Force leadership promoting the idea of expeditionary air operations. This is followed by a review of the 1995-6 Aerospace Expeditionary Force I-III deployments to the Middle East. This anthology continues in reverse chronological order to describe various expeditionary operations beginning with examples from World War II, including the British and German expeditions to Norway; The American buildup in the Philippines; the first American operation in the Pacific, Guadalcanal; Rommel in North Africa; Japan's venture in the Aleutians; the first major European campaign for Americans with the invasion of Northwest Africa; and finally the force buildup in England for the Strategic Bombing Campaign.
Finally, a number of famous campaigns through history illustrate the timelessness of expeditionary campaigns. The Roman legends were invented for expeditions, and Napoleon conducted a number of campaigns in Europe and the Middle East—a favorite place for historical expeditions. Parts of the American Civil War depict expeditionary efforts, as does American operations in China at the turn of the 20th century.
Chapter 1 - Air Force Leaders Promote AEFs * Chapter 2 - First AEFs: 1995-96 * Chapter 3 - British Expedition to Norway: A Study in Failure * Chapter 4 - German Expedition to Norway: Military Success but Political Failure * Chapter 5 - Philippine Force Buildup Before the war * Chapter 6 - Guadalcanal: Success, Just Barely * Chapter 7 - Rommel in North Africa: The Campaign from a German Point-of-View * Chapter 8 - Expeditions to Nowhere: The Aleutians * Chapter 9 - TORCH: Twelfth Air Force to Africa * Chapter 10 - BOLERO: Eighth Air Force Expedition to England * Chapter 11 - The Italo-Ethiopian War * Chapter 12 - Intervention of a Soviet Expeditionary Aerial Force in Spain * Chapter 13 - German Airpower in the Spanish Civil War: Maximum Impact, Minimum Cost * Chapter 14 - Italian Forces in the Spanish Civil War: High Price for Limited Gain * Chapter 15 - The Mexican Punitive Expedition