SUMMARY - ESTONIAN MILITARY THOUGHT 1920–1940. AERIAL WARFARE
SUMMARY - ESTONIAN MILITARY THOUGHT 1920–1940. AERIAL WARFARE

Summary/Abstract: Deliberations regarding aviation as a novel military capability became increasingly topical in the first four decades of the 20th century. From the first flight in 1903 to World War II, the aviation industry went through a significant advancement; the greatest military minds of that period such as Douhet, Trenchard, Mitchell, Fuller, and Tukhachevsky opted to keep up. They envisioned ways for optimising the use of aerial power, starting with the idea that the air forces should support other services, up to relying on the air forces as a “silver bullet” for winning a war. These theoretical discussions as well as an imminent threat from the Soviet Union all had an impact on the development of Estonian military aviation. Air commanders Colonel August Steinberg and General Richard Tomberg were the most renowned military aviation thinkers who contributed into this development in practical terms and by participating in public debates. They were supported by other air force commanding officers whose work helped to shape Estonian military thought. Besides the aerial warfare specialists, Estonian higher military commanders also participated in discussions about a better usage of air power. The three main topics of interest of these discussions included understanding the opponent, the basis of winning strategies, and the principles of establishing air forces.

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