The previous piece on air-mechanization looked at the potential for long-range artillery in an air-mechanized role. Airmobile artillery, positioned aggressively far forward and closely synchronized with a fast-paced ground offensive, could help create a breakthrough against a well-prepared defense. This scheme creates a fleeting window of opportunity in the critical opening stages of a campaign, using high tempo to mitigate the enormous risks to unsupported assets.
As a young infantry Sgt in the 101st my brigade went north of Cobra (Rakkasans). Although the Iraqi army was a mess and already in shambles I recall feeling very exposed being 80 some miles from the next infantry unit. As Dick Winters said to a Lieutenant in Band of Brothers...”we are the 101st Airborne Division, we’re supposed to be surrounded”.
It's hard to imagine the US attempting something like this without air superiority, honestly the biggest obstacle to its full adoption--hard to purposely forego your biggest strength.
As a young infantry Sgt in the 101st my brigade went north of Cobra (Rakkasans). Although the Iraqi army was a mess and already in shambles I recall feeling very exposed being 80 some miles from the next infantry unit. As Dick Winters said to a Lieutenant in Band of Brothers...”we are the 101st Airborne Division, we’re supposed to be surrounded”.
It's hard to imagine the US attempting something like this without air superiority, honestly the biggest obstacle to its full adoption--hard to purposely forego your biggest strength.
Would have been impossible. We couldn’t have done that against a near peer army.
Agreed, I think only now with the pivot to Asia has the DoD started seriously thinking about what a fight without air/missile superiority would mean.
I’ve heard it said many times...we’re always fighting our last war.
Air Assault!