World War II Close Air Support Tactics

Dr Richard P. Hallion, Adam Tooby

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Osprey Publishing
24 February 2026

History; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Second World War; Air forces & warfare; Defence strategy, planning & research

Series: Elite

In this illustrated study, an acknowledged expert charts the development of close air support and battlefield air interdiction in theory and practice during World War II.

In World War I the use of aircraft to support ground operations was in its infancy, and it was only after the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 that close air support (CAS) and battlefield air interdiction (BAI) began to evolve towards a recognizably modern form. Using innovative all-new artwork from renowned illustrator Adam Tooby, Richard P. Hallion shows how the Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939–41 saw the highly effective deployment of German dive-bombers, while the British, French and Soviet air forces strove to counter the Luftwaffe’s CAS measures with variable degrees of success.

The British and Americans developed their own CAS doctrine in the Mediterranean during 1941–43, further refining it during the campaigns in Western Europe in 1944–45. Meanwhile during the fighting in Asia and the Pacific, the Japanese and their Allied opponents employed CAS techniques.

Full-colour tactical diagrams, carefully chosen archive photographs and insightful analysis reveal how by 1945, Allied CAS doctrine had reached new levels of sophistication, boosted by the growing availability of dedicated aircraft, ordnance and communications technology.

By: Dr Richard P. Hallion
Illustrated by: Adam Tooby
Imprint: Osprey Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Volume: 254
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 184mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781472858580
ISBN 10: 1472858581
Series: Elite
Pages: 64
Publication Date: 24 February 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

[subject to confirmation] Introduction Origins 1916–39 Blitzkrieg 1939–40 The Mediterranean 1941–43 The Eastern Front 1941–45 Asia and the Pacific 1941–45 North West Europe 1944–45 Bibliography Index

Richard P. Hallion, formerly Historian of the US Air Force, is an internationally recognized authority on close air support and battlefield air power in the 1911–45 period. He is the author of Rolling Thunder 1965–68, Desert Storm 1991, and The Wright Flyers 1899–1916. Adam Tooby is an internationally renowned digital artist and illustrator.