Q&A ยท 1:35:54-1:36:47

British and American sustained air operations converge

Late-war American methods combined Pacific experience with British knowledge of maintaining continuous carrier air operations.

Question

Did late-war American carrier doctrine copy British practice?

Short answer

It incorporated British experience with continuous air operations, but combined it with American Pacific lessons and organization.

Notes

Britain and the United States independently pursued sustained fighter and strike cycles. When their fleets operated together, each navy could compare how the other maintained continuous air operations. The American method combined its own Pacific experience with British practice and suited American organization and scale. British aircraft maintenance and management required a different implementation of the same general aim.