Institutions can standardize their thinking as well as their equipment. Air Ministry bomber advocates sincerely believed heavy bombers offered Britain's best defence, but their dominance made other needs appear unnecessary. Fighter Command, Coastal Command, transport aviation, and dive-bomber development all struggled for attention. This narrowing was particularly striking because the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service had helped develop dive bombing, and aircraft such as the Hawker Hart kept aspects of the practice alive. A doctrine becomes dangerous when its supporters control the institution responsible for evaluating alternatives.
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How bomber doctrine captured the Air Ministry
Interwar faith that heavy bombers could defend Britain allowed one doctrine to dominate the Air Ministry and deprive fighters, coastal aviation, dive bombers, and transport of attention.