Eyes of Artillery: The Origins of Modern U.S. Army Aviation in World War II

Eyes of Artillery is the first archive-based in-depth study of the institutional origins of modern Army Aviation during World War II. The close-support technique of choice featured airborne eyes and ground artillery. In recounting the experiences of the men who flew observed fire missions in light aircraft, Edgar F. Raines Jr. takes care to delineate how these aircraft-"air observations posts" in War Department parlance, "Maytag Messerschmidts" or "biscuit bombers" to the ground troops-effectively interacted with each element of the combined arms team, thus becoming an integral team player. A valuable resource for students of institutional change, his volume makes a genuine and unique contribution to the literature of World War II.