"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 21:23:23 -0700, "Leadfoot"
wrote:

What are some of the greatest strategic air missions?

Some candidates

Yamamoto shootdown

A tactical mission with strategic implications.

Hiroshima

Most assuredly strategic and resoundingly decisive. Changed the view
of airpower and war forever.

I have a theory that Hiroshima and Nagasaki actually prevented future
nuclear attacks by being examples of how horrible nuclear weapons are and
therefore saved many lives during the cold war.



Paul Doumer bridge LGB

The Doumer LGB mission in May of '72 was only one of a long series of
Doumer Bridge missions dating back to Jan. '67. Immortalized in a
great Keith Ferris painting!

Clearly, in terms of "strategic" mission the North Vietnam war doesn't
offer many good examples. One could suggest that the 29-30 June '66
Hanoi oil raids were strategic, with significant destruction of POL
supplies and crippling of POL infrastructure.

Arguably the introduction of technological advances rather than
specific missions could be the strategic milestones. Anti-radiation
missiles, Wild Weasels, airborne command/control systems, ECM
self-protection, non-cooperative target ID, and precision guided
munition introductions to name a few.

Biggest strategic campaign, of course, would be Linebacker II.

Doolittle raid

Tactical mission, but politically strategic.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
"Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights"
Both from Smithsonian Books
***www.thunderchief.org