Strategic bombing

Strategic bombing is a military strategy used to destroy the enemies' economic ability to fight a war. It is an attack from the air. Strategic bombing missions usually attack targets such as factories, railroads, oil refineries and cities. Tactical bombing missions would attack targets such as military bases, command and control facilities, airfields, and ammunition dumps.

The United States Air Force (USAAF) over the years have used bombers as strategic bombers role. Strategic bombers are bombers used to bomb cities and camps used by the opposing force.

The early years

Strategic bombing was an idea first thought up in World War I. It was used by the German Air Force. They bombed London using Gotha bombers. Later Gothas could carry over a ton of bombs. The idea first came to the United States by Colonel Billy Mitchell. He had new ideas on the strategic, and tactical air war. The first USAAF strategic bomber was the B-17 Flying Fortress.e.

After World War II, the Strategic Air Command became located at Omaha, Nebraska, at Offutt Air Force Base. There was a full cadre of generals located there who participated in many of the missions of the "Looking Glass", a KC-135 air tanker which was gutted and refitted with state of the art electronics which would take over in case the president was killed in wartime. The plane had several generals on board to assume wartime duties. The "red telephone" was an instant connection to the president at the white house. The plane flew 24/7, three planes took off a day in overlapping flights to provide this level of coverage. Since the end of the cold war, the president/congress/senate decommissioned this flight, however, the Strategic Air Command still maintains the main facility at Offutt AFB (this is where President Bush flew to when the Twin Towers were bombed on 9-11-01 to set up his command center.)