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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.
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