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Hard Cover: Belkan Air Power (Second Edition)
Genre: Hardcover (Published in Belka, July 18th 2005)



The Background of Belkan Air Power
It is difficult to briefly explain this unequaled military organization known as the legendary Belkan Air Force, which has produced numerous ace pilots through the history of warfare. However, this nation - the Principality of Belka - had, although far from a great power, been keeping the leading position in the world's air forces until the end of the 20th century and had become a role model for various nations' air forces and aeronautical technology. That a great number of military analysts and pundits have been studying this history proves the history to be right ipso facto.



The establishment of the Belkan Air Force dates back to the middle of the Osean War (1905-1910), during which aircraft were perceived as having war potential for the first time in the history of mankind. It is impossible to discuss the background of the birth of the Belkan Air Force without mentioning the efforts made by Special Services Minister Franklin Goernitz of the Air Force, who later contributed greatly to laying the founation of the air force organization. It is assumed that Goernitz was the first person to find aerial bombardment potential in aircraft which were deployed mainly for reconnaissance missions in the early stage of the Osean War. When this revolutionary changeover of the usage of aircraft resulted in the Belkan forces' landslide victory, all military organizations learned to follow this example in a blink of en eye. In those days, air squadrons were called 'Rangers of the Sky', and the phrase of Goernitz "Those who rule the sky will rule the ground." (although it is in question whether this phrase was properly comprehended) became a slogan for every nation to establish flight squadrons.

As stated above, Belka organized the Air Force and realized the deployment of it on the battlefield earlier than any other nation, but the initial deployment of the Air Force was limited to bombing missions. And it was when Belka had taken notice of the importance of anti-aircraft combat mission over that of bombing mission that the Belkan Air Force proved proved its real worth. Having perceived the importance of having the advantage in air to air combat to gain air superiority, the Belkan Air Force started putting efforts to the production of aircraft with extreme midair maneuverability. In this regard, Belka was undoubtedly fortunate. In the early day of the 20th century, Belka had already started down the road for an excellent industrial nation. And Belka's industrial technology later produced a lot of famous aircraft with excellent acceleration and mobility. Although those aicraft did not make it and thus were not deployed in the Osean War, but, considering that it wasn't even 10 years since the establishment of the Air Force, it is evident that the speed of development was extraordinary. Be that as it may, Belkan Air Force's unique policies, placing superiority on air to air combat over bombing and defeating the outnumbering enemy with corps d'elite, became the reason for the light and shadow of the future of the Belkan Air Force. Those who know the history will not be able to help becoming interested in the twisted fate of this organization yet to come.

The Belkan Air Force is said to be managed by two wheels. One is the education system, and the other is the military industrial background. The industrial might, as mentioned earlier, was the backbone of the establishment of the Belkan Air Force. What needes to be fully described is the other wheel, that is, the education system. The Belkan Air Force recognized the lives of pilots as valuable assets early on. Being an industrial nation, it was indeed an easy job for Belka to repair damaged aircraft and resupply new ones. On the other hand, they keenly understood that it was not easy to resupply above average pilots. Concerning the able minority policy of the Belkan Air Force, it is often thought of as the influence of the old Belkan knighthood, but it is more plausible to attribute it to the ideology of attaching importance to the rareness of excellent pilots. In addition to education curricula that can be divided into minute stages and courses, there were connections with worldwide air force organizations, which was said to give students of the Air Force Academy opportunities to fly the skies of warfare all over the world. Those cadets were thoroughly taught wide and profound knowledge and practical skills to survive, and were forged into tough pilots. It is undeniably obvious that this education principle of Belka's, placing top priority on how to survive in battle and get back alive, became the fundamental basis for giving birth to Belkan Aces during the numerous wars that took place later.

However, it was during the Belkan War that broke out in 1995 that the Belkan Air Force's limitations were revealed. Their ideology of defeating the outnumbering enemy with able minority forces did give birth to amazing ace pilots. But when the developed countries realized the importance of promoting efficiency of cooperation inside the military organizations and started to systematically and synthesizedly deploy the ground, naval, and air forces,the Belkan military was still obsessed with the old-fashioned thinking, which gradually began to cast a shadow on Belka's military advantage. This describes the rapid rise of the Belkan Air Force that was evolutionized as a tactical air force as well as the rapid fall of it that failed to grow as a strategic air force and was stolen the leading position as such by the other nations' Air Forces. It is well known that from the end of the 20th century through the start of the 21st century, the Belkan military was disbanded due to the defeat in the Belkan War, and the high industrial strength they took pride in was also lost.



The Belkan Air Force, although not excellent in systematic deployment, still attracts a lot of people. Behind it are numerous ace pilots who devoted their lives to make a name for themselves in the skies and the ideology that might probably be inherited from the good old Belkan knighthood. No matter how obsolete it sounds, who won't be able to feel excited, thrilled, and spellbound when he/she hears a story where a minority force goes into battle against a large number of enemy and finally emerges victorious?



Source:
PROJECT ACES: ACZ WEBSITE

Accreditation:
yellow26 for new translation