Percy Groves
Percy Groves | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Percy Robert Clifford Groves |
| Born | 26 May 1878 Rai Bareli, India |
| Died | 12 August 1959 (aged 81) Mombasa, Kenya |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army (1899–1918) Royal Air Force (1918–1946) |
| Years of service | 1899–1922 1939–1946 |
| Rank | Brigadier-General |
| Battles / wars | Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order Order of the White Eagle, 3rd Class with Swords (Serbia) Commander of the Legion of Honour (France) |
Brigadier-General Percy Robert Clifford Groves, CB, CMG, DSO (26 May 1878 – 12 August 1959) was a senior British air strategist who served in the British Army and the Royal Air Force (RAF). He campaigned for substantial reform of Britain's approach to air strategy following the First World War, in particular for an immediate expansion of the RAF to parity with the largest European force within striking distance. He was an advocate of the aerial "knock out blow": the possibility of ending a war in its early stages by launching a massive attack on the enemy's centres of gravity.