1942 Aug: Rapid forward airfields with Marston matting multiply sortie rates. (AI Study Guide)
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1942 Aug: Rapid forward airfields with Marston matting multiply sortie rates. (AI Study Guide)
Overview
By mid-1942 Allied forces increasingly relied on improvised forward airfields constructed with Marston (Pierced Steel) Matting to expand operational reach and intensify air activity in contested theatres. As shown in Olsen’s A History of Air Warfare, rapidly built forward strips enabled aircraft to operate closer to the front, significantly increasing sortie rates. O’Brien’s How the War Was Won emphasises that controlling mobility through such infrastructure accelerated the tempo of air–sea operations, while doctrine in the Air Power Manual highlights air bases as critical enablers of persistent combat power.
Glossary of terms
• Marston matting refers to interlocking steel panels used to create all-weather expeditionary runways.
• Expeditionary airfield denotes a rapidly constructed forward operating location for combat aircraft.
• Sortie generation is the rate at which a unit can launch and recover aircraft for missions.
• Forward operating base is an advanced position enabling increased operational reach.
• Airfield engineering refers to constructing aviation facilities under austere conditions.
• Operational tempo describes the speed and frequency of military activity.
• All-weather surface means a runway usable despite rain, mud, or soft ground.
• Air mobility footprint refers to the infrastructure enabling sustained air operations.
• Theatre sustainment denotes logistical support enabling continuous combat activity.
• Dispersed basing involves spreading aircraft across multiple small forward locations.
Key points
• Forward airfields as force multipliers: O’Brien, How the War Was Won, stresses that control of mobility shapes outcomes. Marston matting allowed rapid airfield creation close to the front, expanding mobility and permitting air forces to maintain pressure on Japanese positions by shortening transit times and enabling higher sortie rates.
• Increased operational reach and persistence: Olsen’s A History of Air Warfare records that in the Pacific, forward strips built on newly secured islands allowed Allied fighters and bombers to operate deeper into contested space. This enhanced persistence, enabling sustained air pressure during sequential island operations.
• Engineering innovation under combat conditions: According to Gray, Airpower for Strategic Effect, technological and engineering adaptation is central to maintaining air superiority. Marston matting provided reliable surfaces on coral, mud, or jungle terrain, ensuring aircraft availability despite environmental challenges.
• Acceleration of the Allied offensive cycle: O’Brien, How the War Was Won, notes that reducing flight distance increased sortie density, enabling faster operational cycles. This allowed the Allies to maintain continuous pressure in the Solomons and New Guinea, eroding Japanese defensive capacity.
• Dispersed basing enhances survivability: Olsen’s A History of Air Warfare highlights the vulnerability of fixed air bases. Rapidly constructed forward strips enabled dispersal, reducing risk from Japanese air attack and improving operational resilience.
• Support to air-sea integration: O’Brien, How the War Was Won, emphasises the air–sea system’s interdependence. Forward airfields enabled aircraft to support naval operations, anti-shipping strikes, and maritime patrols with shorter response times, reinforcing the Allies’ evolving air–sea dominance.
• Sustained logistics through improvised infrastructure: Gray, Airpower for Strategic Effect, underscores that bases are strategic assets. Forward strips made with Marston matting reduced reliance on major airfields farther to the rear, easing logistical strain and enabling continuous tactical operations.
• Enabling rapid reinforcement of land campaigns: Olsen’s A History of Air Warfare shows that air power’s responsiveness often determined ground success. Forward airfields enabled close support and interdiction aircraft to fly multiple missions daily, directly shaping battlefield outcomes.
• Environmental adaptation in the Pacific theatre: Winton, Air Power at Sea, notes the difficulty of operating aircraft from undeveloped island terrain. Marston matting transformed unsuitable ground into dependable runways, ensuring Allied air forces could exploit newly captured islands immediately.
• Foundation for later large-scale Pacific advances: O’Brien, How the War Was Won, demonstrates that the cumulative effect of enhanced sortie rates contributed to the gradual attrition of Japanese strength, enabling the Allies to maintain momentum through late-war offensives.
Official Sources and Records
• US Naval History and Heritage Command: https://www.history.navy.mil
• US Air Force Historical Studies Office: https://www.afhistory.af.mil
• Australian War Memorial Official Histories: https://www.awm.gov.au
• NARA Pacific War Records: https://www.archives.gov
• UK National Archives Air Ministry Files: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
• JACAR Japanese wartime records: https://www.jacar.go.jp
• US Marine Corps History Division: https://www.usmcu.edu
Further reading
• Olsen, J.A. (ed.) A History of Air Warfare. Potomac Books, 2010.
• O’Brien, P.P. How the War Was Won. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
• Gray, C.S. Airpower for Strategic Effect. Air University Press, 2012.
• Winton, J. Air Power at Sea 1939–45. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1976.
• Van Creveld, M. The Age of Airpower. PublicAffairs, 2011.