The Dream of Civilized Warfare

World War I Flying Aces and the American Imagination

By: Linda R. Robertson

Narrated by: Jim Woods

Linda R. Robertson argues that the development of the United States as a global military power arose from the influence of an image of air combat carefully constructed during World War I to mask the sordid realities of modern ground warfare. The Dream of Civilized Warfare carries this trajectory to its logical end, tracing the long history of the American desire to exert the nation's will throughout the world without having to risk the lives of ground soldiers - a theme that continues to reverberate in public discussions, media portrayals, and policy decisions today.

In The Dream of Civilized Warfare, Robertson presents the compelling story of the creation of the first American air force-and how, through the propaganda of the flying ace, a vision of "clean" or civilized combat was sold to politicians and the public.

During World War I, air combat came to epitomize American ingenuity, technological superiority, adventure, leadership, and teamwork. Robertson reveals how the romantic and chivalric imagery associated with flying aces was a product of intentional propaganda and popular culture.

©2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota (P)2015 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"In this extraordinary study, Robertson traces the American air service from its inception during World War I through the second Gulf conflict... A highly controversial yet stimulating book that demands to be read." ( Library Journal)

" The Dream of Civilized Warfare fills a crying need for an approach to the history of military aviation that acknowledges the forces of social and cultural history." ( Military History)

"Robertson's work is the rare examination of air power and its history and impact before World War II. Her portraits of either completely or partly forgotten heroes of the war, such as Rickenbacker, are very effective and original." ( In Flight USA)

ORIGINS OF AIRPOWER & ITS IMPACT ON AMERICA

"The Dream of Civilized Warfare: World War I Flying Aces and the American Imagination" explains how the development of air warfare during World War I - along with the lionization of the fighter ace as a modern knight of the air in the various warring nations, coupled with the promotion of tactical and strategic bombing by bomber aircraft as weapons that had the potential to shorten and win wars in the future - excited the public imagination in the United States about aviation, which helped contribute to the development of military aviation in the United States and the country's emergence from World War II as the premiere air power among nations - a position it continues to hold today.