A comparison of the USAF projected A-10 employment in Europe and the Luftwaffe Schlachtgeschwader experience on the eastern front in World War Two.
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Authors
Ratley, Lonnie Otis
Subjects
Advisors
Stolfi, R.H.S.
Date of Issue
1977-03
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
This study was conducted to analyze the methods, successes, failures, and operational performance of the German Luftwaffe anti-tank aircraft and units in World War Two on the Eastern Front, and the possible application of the Luftwaffe experience to the current NATO air forces. The research involved interviews with former Luftwaffe officers who participated in the German Eastern campaign from 1941-45, a trip to the Bundesarchiv -Militararchiv in Freiburg, West Germany, a trip to the Air University Library, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, in addition to participation in an anti-tank seminar held in Washington, D. C., on 14-15 October 1976.
The results of the study indicate considerable applicability of the Luftwaffe experience in World War Two on the Eastern Front in anti-tank operations, to the current military situation in Europe. The USAF A-10 aircraft, based on the cited historical example, appears to have considerable potential for use as an airborne anti-tank platform in combating the massive Warsaw Pact armored strength.
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Thesis
Description
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Identifiers
NPS Report Number
NPS-56SK77011