A History of Air Defense Artillery
A one of a kind look into the ADA!
Frank Caravella first wrote First to Fire as a LTC for the United States Army Air Defense Artillery School. One of the main driving factors for the creation of First to Fire was the utter lack of ADA historical publication. Making this publication both unique and rare in it's own right. No other read takes such an in-depth analysis into the historical trends of ADA. First to fire, however, is more than a historical investigation. It goes farther to give personal accounts and tactical analysis of battles from WW I to the Gulf War. Compelling and informative, First to Fire is a essential read for those serving in ADA units and military history enthusiasts alike.
Introduction to First to Fire by Frank J Caravella:
As a young second lieutenant wanting to learn everything I could
concerning Army Air Defense Artillery (ADA), I found little in the way
of direct reading material. The modern Air Defense Artillery branch,
having been born in the late 1960s from Field Artillery, possessed a
relatively short history, so little reading material was available. However,
my career experiences and military research have shown me that,
in reality, the branch owns a rarely recorded history of many heroic and
proud wartime accomplishments.
Historically, air defense soldiers were bright, tough and innovative.
Time and again they performed multiple missions and maintained
above-average soldier skills in support of their fighting brethren.
Today's air defense soldiers are just as skilled and motivated, but
yesterday's air defense soldiers gave birth to a proud but unrecognized
legacy. Portions of this book provide the reader with examples (Corregidor,
Battle of the Bulge, and Ie Shima) of Air Defense Artillery's
contributions during World War II that accentuate a proud legacy
rarely told in other publications.
Contemporary military professionals analyze history as a means
to study their craft and perhaps to learn lessons from former combat
leaders before they, themselves, are required to engage an enemy.
History also provides a path to the present, and that path assists today's
leaders in anticipating future wartime requirements. Thousands of
books have been written on military operations from the strategic to the
tactical level. However, where in the ADA library can one find a
publication that analyzes historical ADA contributions to the warfight
and garners the lessons from that fight? What publication discusses
the ADA lessons learned from history and extrapolates them into
anticipated future warfare? Frankly, I could find no one publication
that directly addresses these questions. This fact provided added
motivation for me to write this book.
First To Fire is my attempt to briefly address the above
questions. Chapter One lays the groundwork by discussing the growing
influence of third dimension threats on warfare. This chapter takes
a broad brush to the subject by providing historical examples that
illustrate the major third dimension influences over time (Hannibal
to pre-Desert Storm). Chapters Two and Four illustrate two completely
different Pacific Theater battles that contrast the ADA lessons from the
beginning to the end of World War II. Chapter Three documents one
of the most stressing campaigns in the history of air defense - the
Battle of the Bulge.
From my military studies, I've concluded that the 1973 Yom
Kippur War (Chapter Five) IS the most important conflict for the
ADA military professional to study. The combatants were armed with
the latest in third~dimension technology and the subsequent effects of
denying maneuver on the battlefield were far reaching. This war
provided the impetus that changed U.S. Anny warfighting doctrine.
The lessons of the 1973 war arguably set the stage for Operation
Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. However, the Gulf War
required new missions not anticipated from the 1973 war. In the early
1980s, forward-thinking air defense professionals anticipated the need
to address the growing ballistic missile threat. It's fortunate U.S. Anny
air defense leaders were able to convince the Anny community to
finance improvements to the deployed Patriot missile system just in
time to counter Iraq's arsenal of ballistic missiles. Chapter Six addresses
U.S. Anny Air Defense Artillery's contribution to the Gulf War.
Lastly, Chapter Seven provides one vision of Air Defense
Artillery's contribution to the next conflict. Specifically, it addresses
how the third-dimension threats are changing and the new challenges
Air Defense Artillery faces. Not everyone will agree with my assertions
in this chapter. However, my conclusions are based on historical trends
relating to both technology and warfighting doctrine.
—Frank Caravella
Author: Frank J. Caravella
Digital PDF: 144 pages
