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Introduction to the United States Air Force

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Introduction to the United States Air Force Introduction to the United States Air Force B. CHANCE SALTZMAN, Capt, USAF and THOMAS R. SEARLE Airpower Research Institute, College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education, and Air University Press Maxwell AFB, Alabama 2001 Disclaimer Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily rep- resent the views of Air University, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or any other US government agency. Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited. ii Foreword The initial concept of the Introduction to the United States Air Force was to facilitate the process of learning how the US Air Force became what it is today: The most powerful mil- itary force in the history of the world. And as our Air Force continues to grow, so will this “primer.” I wish to thank Tom Searle at CADRE for giving me the opportunity to help him update this introduction from an “end-user” point of view. This revised edition will take the student up to the twenty-first century by including some recent operations, aircraft, and sig- nificant personalities that were not included in the 1999 edition. Additionally, the 1999 edi- tion included separate sections on significant operations and personalities but in this revised edition operations and personalities have been merged and organized chronologically to better match the needs of AS200. The original organization of the section on aerospace craft has been retained to show the unique developments of each of the different types of plat- forms. For ROTC AS200 instructors: This book is intended to supplement The Concise History of the United States Air Force which is currently being used in the AS200 curriculum. Assigned reading from these books are highly encouraged to ensure the student has a firm grasp of the lessons prior to class. Eric M. Moody, Capt, USAF AFOATS Curriculum Development iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Authors’ Preface To lead the US Air Force into the future, it is necessary to understand the past and pres- ent nature of the force. With this in mind, Air Force leaders have always sought to arm members of the force with a basic knowledge and understanding of Air Force culture and history. This volume is a contribution to that ongoing educational process, but as the title states, this is only an introduction. The information provided here merely scratches the sur- face of the fascinating stories of the people, equipment, and operations of the Air Force. Topics that are covered here in only a few short paragraphs have been, and will continue to be the subject of entire books. We hope this volume will be a starting point and a reference work to facilitate your continuing study of aerospace power. The reader should keep in mind that all the people, operations, and aerospace craft included in this book have been important to the US Air Force, but they are not the only ones that have been important. The US Air Force has gained much from other nations, other US military services, and civilian organizations and these outside influences on the US Air Force are not included in this volume. This Introduction to the United States Air Force is organized into two parts and five appen- dices. The first part is organized chronologically and groups significant operations and per- sonalities together in several critical periods in the development of the US Air Force. The second part covers aerospace craft and is organized by type (fighters, bombers, missiles, etc.) in order to show the development of each type over time. Following Part II are appendices listing the senior leaders of the early air forces (before the creation of the US Air Force in 1947), the Air Force Chiefs of Staff, the Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force, Fighter Aces, and Medal of Honor Winners. While the biographical sketches and brief descriptions of operations are fairly self-explana- tory, the information provided on aerospace craft requires some explanation. The dates given for aircraft and missiles are the initial delivery of production models, so prototypes will typically have been available earlier, and it may have been some years later before large oper- ational units were fully trained and equipped with the new system. For satellites the date is the first successful launch of a satellite in the system. Aircraft types are continuously improved during their service lives so range, speed, and ceiling will vary widely between dif- ferent models of the type. The statistics listed in this book are typical for the aircraft but on a specific day, actual performance of any single aircraft may have been different. Aircraft range is particularly difficult to specify because it can be changed by using external fuel tanks of various sizes and aerial refueling can make range virtually infinite. Satellite systems pose problems of their own due partly to security classification. Additionally, satellite systems are listed by function rather than model and over a period of decades, continuous improvement in the satellites performing that function will result in changes in the size, shape, and weight of the satellites. Thus the pictures of satellites and the dimensions given for them represent v typical recent satellites performing that function, but may be quite different from past and future systems. For all these reasons, the statistics provided in Part I must be considered sim- plified and incomplete synopses of much more complicated stories. No work of this type could have been written without the invaluable assistance of many people and institutions. We would like to take this opportunity to thank a few of them. Dr. Daniel Mortensen and Col (Ret.) Phillip S. Meilinger are two outstanding airpower schol- ars who gave us enormous assistance and encouragement. At Air University Press, John Jordan, Peggy Smith, Daniel Armstrong, and Mary Ferguson provided the editing, layout, and photograph selection without which this volume would have been a mess. Any faults that remain are, of course, entirely our own. B. Chance Saltzman and Thomas R. Searle vi Contents Page FOREWORD . iii AUTHORS’ PREFACE . v Part I WORLD WAR I AND THE INTERWAR YEARS: 1916–40 . 3 The Mexican Punitive Expedition (1916–17) . 5 St. Mihiel Offensive of World War I (September 1918) . 6 The Sinking of the Ostfriesland (1921) . 8 The Pan American Goodwill Flight (1927) . 9 The Question Mark Flight (1929) . 10 The Airmail Operation (1934) . 11 “Hap” Arnold’s B-10 Flights to Alaska (1934) . 12 Maj Gen Benjamin D. “Benny” Foulois . 13 Eugene Jacques Bullard . 14 Brig Gen William “Billy” Mitchell . 15 Capt Edward V. “Eddie” Rickenbacker . 16 Lt Frank Luke Jr. 17 Maj Gen Mason M. Patrick . 18 Lt Gen Frank M. “Andy” Andrews . 19 WORLD WAR II: 1941–45 . 21 The Doolittle Raid on Tokyo (18 April 1942) . 23 Kasserine Pass (February 1943) . 25 Battle of the Bismarck Sea (1943) . 26 Ploesti Raid (August 1943) . 27 The Regensburg/Schweinfurt Raids (1943) . 28 “The Big Week” (February 1944) . 29 Operation Overlord (1944) . 30 Bombing Tokyo (9–10 March 1945) . 31 The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings (August 1945) . 32 General of the Army Henry H. “Hap” Arnold . 33 Lt Gen Claire L. Chennault . 34 Lt Gen Ira C. Eaker . 35 Gen Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz . 36 Col Francis S. “Gabby” Gabreski . 37 Capt Colin P. Kelly Jr. 37 Gen Laurence S. Kuter . 38 vii Page Maj Richard I. “Dick” Bong . 39 Lt Gen James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle . 40 Gen George C. Kenney . 41 Lt Gen Ennis C. Whitehead . 42 Lt Gen Benjamin O. Davis Jr. 43 Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran . 44 Gen Leon W. Johnson . 45 Maj Thomas B. “Mickey” McGuire Jr. 46 Brig Gen Paul W. Tibbets Jr. 47 INDEPENDENT AIR FORCE, COLD WAR, AND KOREA: 1946–64 . 49 X-1 Supersonic Flight (14 October 1947). 51 Berlin Airlift (1948–49) . 52 Pusan Perimeter Defense (1950) . 53 Corona (1960) . 54 Strategic Air Command (1946–92). 55 The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) . 56 Brig Gen Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager . 57 Gen Hoyt S. Vandenberg . 58 Col Dean Hess . 59 Col James Jabara . 60 Capt Joseph C. “Joe” McConnell Jr. 60 Maj Gen Frederick C. “Boots” Blesse . 61 Brig Gen Robinson “Robbie” Risner . 62 Gen Nathan F. Twining . 63 Lt Gen William H. Tunner . 64 Gen Curtis E. LeMay . 65 Gen Bernard A. “Bennie” Schriever . 66 Lt Col Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin . 67 Lt Col Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom . 67 Maj Donald K. “Deke” Slayton . 67 Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Paul W. Airey . ..
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