The Psychological Impact of Airborne Warfare & the British Response to the Airborne Threat

Abstract

The military capabilities of airborne envelopment have been widely studied and extensively examined in the context of specific operations during The Second World War. However, the psychological impact of potential airborne operations from both the military and civilian perspective remains somewhat less documented by comparison. This article will examine the psychological impact relating to the development of airborne capabilities from the British perspective. It will utilise contemporary media reports to help contextualise the public perceptions of the new mode of warfare and examine the raising of the Home Guard in direct response to airborne invasion.