The idea that the bomber would always get through drew force from First World War air raids and wider theories of strategic bombing. Giulio Douhet provided its most developed written version, including an expectation that mass biological bombing could devastate cities. Radar changed the calculation by warning defenders in time to launch fighters and use other air defenses. Political interest in bombers focused the Air Ministry on multi-engine aircraft and weakened investment in powerful single-engine designs. That imbalance mattered to the Fleet Air Arm because carrier aircraft needed extra structural weight for deck landings and therefore demanded especially powerful engines.
Chapter · 33:06-39:45
The bomber theory that distorted British air priorities
Interwar faith that bombers could not be stopped encouraged emphasis on strategic bombing, while radar and fighter defenses exposed the limits of that assumption.