This chapter endeavors to analyze the creation of the Regia Aeronautica in 1923, with a special focus on Italian military education and the Air Force academy, the Accademia Aeronautica. The creation of a third military service did not happen in a vacuum, but was heralded by important air power theorists. Among these, Giulio Douhet stands out as the most controversial. His book, The Command of the Air, heralded the study of airpower theory by underscoring the potentially revolutionary effect of heavier-than-air aircraft for military purposes, namely for strategic bombing. Contrary to popular belief Douhet's theories were critically debated during the 1920s and 1930s but were not universally endorsed in the Italian military community. In particular, his overarching view of the air force as an independent service ruffled more than a few feathers even in the newly-created Accademia Aeronautica.
