Title

The Road to Total War: Escalation in World War II

Creator

Sallagar, F. M.

Date

1969

Identifier

AD0688212

AD0688212

Abstract

An examination is made of the circumstances that led to escalation from controlled to indiscriminate air warfare in World War 2, with implications for the waging of future major conflicts. Escalation in World War 2 resulted from various factors that impelled leaders on both sides to respond to immediate problems with actions resulting in effects that were often neither planned nor foreseen. Although the specific events that contributed to World War 2 escalation are unique, the pressures and the manner in which decisionmakers responded could recur. In a controlled general war fought on the periphery of the Soviet Union, the outcome could depend on whether U.S. decision makers understand the process of escalation well enough to avoid mistakes provoked by the unfamiliar problems of a controlled general war.

Date Issued

1969-04

Extent

283

Corporate Author

RAND Corporation

Corporate Report Number

R-465-PR

Contract

F44620-67-C-0045

DoD Project

Project RAND

Distribution Conflict

No

Access Rights

THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE AND SALE; ITS DISTRIBUTION IS UNLIMITED.

Photo Quality

Not Needed

Distribution Classification

1

DTIC Record Exists

Yes

Report Availability

Full text available by request

Provenance

Borg-Warner

Type

report