Major General Walther Wever was an early theorist of air power in Germany. As the de facto chief of staff of the fledgling Luftwaffe, he advocated for establishing the air force as an independent branch of the military. Wever emphasized the importance of strategic bombing and prioritized developing long-range bombers to conduct strategic attacks that could influence the outcome of a war. However, Wever died in 1936 before his strategic vision for the Luftwaffe could be fully realized.