You are on page 1of 2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Heise


(410) 295-1028, jheise@usni.org

THE BRIDGE TO AIRPOWER


LOGISTICS SUPPORT FOR ROYAL FLYING CORPS
OPERATIONS ON THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-18
by Peter Dye
Advance Praise
The Bridge to Airpower is a fascinating account of supply and
logistics in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in World War I. Dr.
Peter Dye takes a too-often overlooked topic and offers an
exciting and well-written account. He is able to breathe life
into the mundane but necessary ability of the RFC to supply
and resupply the high-attrition British air war. Based on indepth primary document research, this book is the
definitive account of the RFC organizational and industrial
capacity to conduct and sustain high-tempo operations in
the first air war.
S. MIKE PAVELEC, National Defense University, author of The
Jet Race and the Second World War
Considering its importance, logistics remains a remarkably
under-researched topic, and in The Bridge to Airpower Peter
Dye has produced a truly path-breaking study. Dye, a retired
Royal Air Force two-star officer, combines an operators grasp
of logistics with fine historical research and astute analysis.
The result is a book which no historian of air power or
World War I will be able to ignore.
GARY D. SHEFFIELD, author of A Short History of the First
World War
The First World War has often been described as the only real revolution in military affairs with the
coming together of mass infantry, industrial scale artillery, and, crucially, military airpower. None of this
could have been possible without the necessary logistics. In The Bridge to Airpower, Peter Dye has broken
new ground in detailing the logistics support to the Royal Flying Corps. His research is immaculate and
his synthesis impeccablean outstanding contribution to the historiography of the First World
War.
PETER GRAY, director, Centre for War Studies, University of Birmingham

n The Bridge to Airpower, Peter Dye describes how the development of the air weapon on the Western Front
during World War I required a radical and unprecedented change in the way national resources were employed
to exploit a technological opportunity. World War I has long been recognized as an industrial war that consumed
vast amounts of matriel and where logistical superiority gave the Allies an overwhelming advantage. The Bridge
to Air Power is the first study that demonstrates how logistical competence provided a war-winning strategy for
the Royal Flying Corps, the precursor to the Royal Air Force. In particular, this volume highlights how the Corps
logistical organization was able to maintain high levels of resilience and agility while sustaining military outputs
under widely different operational conditions.
The Royal Flying Corps logistics staffs, led by Brigadier General Robert Brooke-Popham, demonstrated
considerable agility in meeting the demands of three-dimensional warfare. Providing adequate numbers of
frontline aircraft to maintain air operations in support of the British Expeditionary Force required substantial
numbers of skilled personnel located largely beyond the battle zone. These men were tasked with continuously
operating at a fast tempo while coping with rapid technological changes. This overall mix of men and matriel
formed a dynamic and integrated network that balanced quantity, quality, resilience, and efficiency for maximum
military effect while responding to operational uncertainty and continuous tactical innovation.
The Royal Flying Corps logistics system was modern both in its needs and in the processes developed to
meet those needs. In creating the foundation for three-dimensional warfare, logistics became the bridge between
the nations economy and airpower. The principles developed on the Western Front to achieve air superiority
provided the foundation for Royal Air Force logistics and operational success in World War II, and also
anticipated the management practices that underpin todays global supply chain. The Bridge to Airpowers
detailed analysis, extensive use of contemporary sources, and unique data tables provide an unprecedented picture
of the functioning of a modern military organization during wartime.

PETER DYE is a graduate of Imperial College London and Birmingham University. He served
in the Royal Air Force for over thirty-five years and was awarded the Order of the British Empire
for service during the first Gulf War. He retired as an air vice-marshal and was appointed director
general of the Royal Air Force Museum in 2008.

THE BRIDGE TO AIRPOWER


Logistics Support for Royal Flying Corps Operations on the Western Front, 1914-18
by Peter Dye
Publication Date: 15 September 2015. 304 pp., 15 photos, 1 map., notes, bibliography index.
Hardcover list price: $44.95 | 29.68
ISBN: 978-1-61251-839-8 | History Aviation | eBook edition also available.
At bookstores,
online or direct:

In Canada:

International:

Customer Service
U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
800-233-8764/410-268-6110
www.nip.org

SCHOLARLY BOOK SERVICE


289 Bridgeland Ave., #105
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M6A 1Z6
800-847-9736
www.sbookscan.com

EUROSPAN GROUP
3 Henrietta Street
London
United Kingdom WC2E 8LU
Tele: 1767 604972
www.eurospanbookstore.com

You might also like