Published: 12 April 99
Air & Space Power Journal

Kenneth N. Walker: Airpower’s Untempered Crusader by Martha Byrd. Air University Press, 170 West Selfridge Street, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 36112-6610, 1997, 242 pages, $15.00.

Kenneth N. Walker is an intriguing look at the life and accomplishments of a man who had a direct and significant impact on the development of American airpower theory in the interwar period. As an instructor and key proponent of the theory of daylight precision bombing at the Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS) in the 1930s and as one of the drafters of the famous Air War Plans Division, Plan 1 (AWPD-1), Walker had an impact on Army Air Corps (and later Air Force) thinking that was out of proportion to his rank or position (first lieutenant at ACTS and lieutenant colonel while drafting AWPD-1). His story is one of a man on a mission—perhaps even a zealot—who believed so fiercely in his theories that he died in combat trying to prove their worth. It is also the story of a leader whose vision sometimes clouded his judgment (leading to his unauthorized participation in the bombing mission that cost him his life) but never his understanding of and sympathy for the men under his command.

The late Martha Byrd has written an engaging and highly readable account of this interesting and important man. She approaches her subject chronologically, beginning with Walker’s troubled childhood and ending with a discussion of the circumstances surrounding his death (neither the aircraft nor his body was ever recovered, and there is some question about whether he and other members of the crew might have survived the shootdown). The narrative, although interesting, is much too shallow. One is left wondering whether Ms. Byrd wrote this study as an extensive outline for the more in-depth book she planned to complete at a later date.

She touches on all the important aspects of Walker’s life and career: his troubled childhood and subsequent failed relationships as an adult, his disputes at ACTS with pursuit advocates such as Claire Chennault, the development of daylight precision bombing as the preeminent US airpower theory prior to World War II, his role in drafting AWPD-1, and his command in the South Pacific. But one is left with the feeling that there is more to be said. These events were tumultuous and had an enormous impact on both the course of US involvement in World War II and the postwar Air Force, but the book seems more of a sketch than a full-fledged discussion of Walker and his impact.

Despite these shortcomings, the work is worth the effort. Its brevity makes it an easy read, and the inclusion of two treatises on airpower written by Walker at ACTS gives readers excellent insight into the development of his thinking at the time. The bibliography is extensive, providing ample evidence of the primary and secondary sources Ms. Byrd used in her work.

Kenneth N. Walker provides an excellent glimpse into the life of an important thinker in the development of US airpower, but I can’t help wishing that Ms. Byrd had been able to open the window more and take a longer look at the man.

Capt Golda T. Eldridge Jr., USAF
Hickam AFB, Hawaii

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.