Document created: 1 June 06
Air & Space Power Journal - Summer 2006

Desde el Dogfight hasta los UCAVs: Evolución del Poder Aéreo by Revista de la Escuela Superior de Guerra Aérea (RESGA). Editoria Gráfica Independencia Argentina S. R. L, Maipú 231, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2002, 158 pages. (Not sold commercially.)

Written as a class project by officers of the Fuerza Aérea Argentina’s (Argentine air force) Escuela Superior de Guerra Aérea (Air Command and Staff College) and designed for academic use at that school, Desde el Dogfight hasta los UCAVs analyzes air operations from World War I through Operation Allied Force.^* Campaigns covered in the book’s 13 chapters, all written in Spanish, include the customary ones—those that took place in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War of 1991—but the authors also examine the operations of less frequently studied campaigns: the Six-Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973, the Falklands/Malvinas War of 1982, the Bekaa Valley operation of 1982, and the Peru-Ecuador conflict of 1995. Because combat action dominates the discussion, readers will not find a chapter devoted to the Berlin airlift, arguably one of the most successful air operations on record. Not a history per se, the book critically analyzes each campaign, primarily from doctrinal and operational perspectives. Individuals unfamiliar with this particular selection of air operations may want to consult a basic history text prior to reading this study.

Generally sympathetic to the value of airpower, Desde el Dogfight hasta los UCAVs heavily emphasizes doctrine, especially basic concepts such as centralized control of airpower and the importance of air superiority. Readers will note sympathy for the basic ideas of airpower pioneers like Giulio Douhet; however, the book criticizes the overly optimistic post–Allied Force assessments of analysts regarding airpower’s ability to operate independently of surface forces. Throughout, the authors exhort their audience to think broadly and flexibly about airpower’s ever-evolving nature and relation to surface forces.

For the most part, one finds the factual information highly accurate, although a few scattered errors intrude themselves. For example, the chapter on World War II lists the wrong dates for the Battle of Midway and discusses that battle before examining the Battle of the Coral Sea, which actually preceded Midway (pp. 47–48). Furthermore, the chapter devoted to the Vietnam War refers to Ho Chi Minh during the Linebacker II operation against North Vietnam in 1972 although Ho had actually died three years earlier (p. 88). These flaws, however, amount to little more than minor detractions.

In any critical analysis of this sort, some readers will take issue with the views and perspectives presented. For example, American readers may wince at comments such as “The Vietcong guerrilla was happy to get a daily ration of rice he carried in his pack, but the American soldier wasn’t happy unless he had a cold Budweiser in his hands every day” (p. 92). Similarly, the treatment of the Falklands/Malvinas War reveals that Argentineans still have strong feelings regarding that unfortunate conflict. Although the chapter extols the bravery of Argentinean aircrews, it still manages to conduct a clear-eyed assessment of a painful episode in the history of Argentina’s armed forces.

Several aspects of the book’s layout could stand refinement. Printed in an extremely small font, the text will challenge some readers’ eyesight. Fortunately, a number of black-and-white photos provide some relief. Although a separate bibliography is available from RESGA, readers who wish to delve more deeply into the campaigns will regret the absence of endnotes. Lastly, in some chapters, the lengthy listings of different aircraft types flown by opposing sides become tedious to read.

Despite its title, the book says little about unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) until the last chapter, which describes recent developments in unmanned flight and speculates about future trends. Although UAVs have a long history, they began to enjoy particular prominence in 2002, just as the book appeared following the early months of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Overall, this study offers a good examination of twentieth-century air operations. Despite its fairly recent publication, the inexorable march of events threatens to render it outdated. One hopes that a more recent edition will address air operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, perhaps incorporating more background information about UAVs in past wars to set the stage for discussion of today’s unmanned aircraft. In any event, students in Spanish-speaking military academies or staff colleges may find Desde el Dogfight hasta los UCAVs especially useful. Although readers cannot obtain it commercially, they might consider requesting a few copies from the Argentine air force.

Lt Col Paul D. Berg, USAF
Maxwell AFB, Alabama

*The following faculty and students of Escuela Superior de Guerra Aérea’s classes of 2000 and 2001 contributed to the book: Brig Gen Ricardo José Ciaschini, retired; Brig Gen Alberto Catalá, retired; Col Luis Augusto Demierre; Col José Cándido D’Odorico, retired; Col Jorge Alberto López, retired; Lt Col Percy Ryberg; Maj Walter Daniel Amaral; Maj Eduardo Mingorance; Maj Mario Collaizo; Maj Pedro Girardi; Maj Xavier Isaac; Maj Pablo Andrés Farías; Maj Ángel Rojo; Maj César Cunietti; and Maj Claudio Daniel Salaberry.

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.

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