Wings and Boots

"The mistake in this war was the notion that we could win it through air power alone,” Ben-Eliezer said. “Halutz is the greatest Air Force commander we have ever had, but he made a mistake in this war and he is awful." Arutz Sheva, 8/28/06


Now this is a lesson that evidently has to be repeated painfully time and time again, military by military. First, it was the dream that artillary would win the day. This was the dream at the Battle of the Somme, but it proved fleeting, as the men they sent over the top were massacred. In WWII and in Vietnam we used huge amounts of air delivered munitions, and still they could only weaken an enemy, but not destroy him. In fact, the experience in London and in various places in Vietnam should tell us that bombing often steels a population's desire to resist even more.

The only thing that wins a war is people on the ground...tanks and infantry. America had to learn this lesson, as much as they keep wishing it were otherwise. But American style Shock and Awe only works as a softening up. Boots on the ground are still needed to win.

Nations that let their air force generals convince themselves otherwise will always have a hard lesson to learn in the follow up. Wings prepare. Boots bring victory.