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    Battlefield Air Interdiction By The Luftwaffe At The Battle Of Kursk - 1943
    Battlefield Air Interdiction By The Luftwaffe At The Battle Of Kursk - 1943
    Battlefield Air Interdiction By The Luftwaffe At The Battle Of Kursk - 1943
    Ebook72 pages1 hour

    Battlefield Air Interdiction By The Luftwaffe At The Battle Of Kursk - 1943

    By Major William J. Dalecky

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    About this ebook

    This study attempts to show the misapplication of tactical airpower by the Luftwaffe in support of German ground forces during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. The analysis is based on an investigation of historical references and provides lessons learned which might be applied in future conflicts.
    The study shows that the Luftwaffe concentrated its efforts at Kursk on Close Air Support and neglected Battlefield Air Interdiction. This was primarily because Close Air Support had proven itself so successful in German experience prior to Kursk. However, the failure of the Luftwaffe to interdict Russian reinforcements at Kursk proved to be critical and contributed to the German defeat.
    Air planners must realize that a correct balance between Close Air Support and Battlefield Air Interdiction is essential to the efficient use of airpower during any tactical application in support of ground forces. Neither Close Air Support nor Battlefield Air Interdiction should gain primacy in doctrine, rather, a mix of the two should be applied on a situational basis.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherVerdun Press
    Release dateAug 15, 2014
    ISBN9781782896142
    Battlefield Air Interdiction By The Luftwaffe At The Battle Of Kursk - 1943

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      Book preview

      Battlefield Air Interdiction By The Luftwaffe At The Battle Of Kursk - 1943 - Major William J. Dalecky

       This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

      To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – picklepublishing@gmail.com

      Or on Facebook

      Text originally published in 1980 under the same title.

      © Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      Publisher’s Note

      Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

      We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Contents

      TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

      ABSTRACT 4

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5

      CHAPTER I — INTRODUCTION 6

      CHAPTER II — BACKGROUND DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF THE LUFTWAFFE FROM WORLD WAR I UNTIL 1943 9

      CHAPTER III — THE BATTLE OF KURSK 18

      CHAPTER IV — ANALYSIS OF THE LUFTWAFFE'S EFFORT 26

      CHAPTER V — SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 31

      REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 35

      APPENDIX 1 — GERMAN-RUSSIAN FRONT – 4 JULY, 1943 36

      APPENDIX 2 — KURSK AND OREL SALIENTS/AIR FLEET BOUNDARY 37

      APPENDIX 3 — LUFTWAFFE INTERDICTION CAMPAIGN 38

      APPENDIX 4 — FOURTH AIR FLEET AND SIXTH AIR FLEET AIR ORDER OF BATTLE-JULY 1943 39

      SIXTH AIR FLEET 39

      Fighters 39

      Bombers 39

      FOURTH AIR FLEET 39

      Fighters 39

      Bombers 39

      SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 42

      ABSTRACT

      BATTLEFIELD AIR INTERDICTION BY THE LUFTWAFFE AT THE BATTLE OF KURSK-1943, by Major William J. Dalecky, USAF.

      This study attempts to show the misapplication of tactical airpower by the Luftwaffe in support of German ground forces during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. The analysis is based on an investigation of historical references and provides lessons learned which might be applied in future conflicts.

      The study shows that the Luftwaffe concentrated its efforts at Kursk on Close Air Support and neglected Battlefield Air Interdiction. This was primarily because Close Air Support had proven itself so successful in German experience prior to Kursk. However, the failure of the Luftwaffe to interdict Russian reinforcements at Kursk proved to be critical and contributed to the German defeat.

      Air planners must realize that a correct balance between Close Air Support and Battlefield Air Interdiction is essential to the efficient use of airpower during any tactical application in support of ground forces. Neither Close Air Support nor Battlefield Air Interdiction should gain primacy in doctrine, rather, a mix of the two should be applied on a situational basis.

      ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      The author would like to express his sincere gratitude to Dr. Roger J. Spiller and the other members of the thesis committee for their genuine interest and guidance in this effort.

      The author's wife, Elisabeth, was indispensible for her encouragement and patience throughout a sometimes frustrating process. To her go special thanks.

      CHAPTER I — INTRODUCTION

      Modern mechanized warfare is characterized by a high level of mobility and lethality. Recent conflicts like the 1973 Yom Kippur War prove this to be true. Future conflicts will also be characterized by high levels of mobility and firepower accompanied by high loss rates on both sides. The three major armed forces of the world today, the Soviet Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America, have all made significant investments in upgrading the power and speed of their armored and mechanized forces. The overall impact of this fact is that major land battles will continue to be characterized by intense combat and a critical requirement by opposing armies to replace losses with reserve forces and rush them into action.

      Battlefield Air Interdiction is that portion of direct air support to the land battle intended to cut off this critical re supply of forces to the main battle. The United States Air Force's doctrine of Battlefield Air Interdiction is not yet fully developed. This is true for several

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