SummerCover1&4.qxp 4/24/2008 7:43 PM Page 1 SUMMER 2008 - Volume 55, Number 2 WWW.AFHISTORICALFOUNDATION.ORG SUMMER 2008 - Volume 55, Number 2 WWW.AFHISTORICALFOUNDATION.ORG Features A Visionary Ahead of His Time: Howard Hughes and the U.S. Air Force —Part III: The Falcon Missile and Airborne Fire Control Thomas Wildenberg 4 The Sacred Cow and the Creation of the United States Air Force Jeffery S. Underwood 14 Air Power in the Global War on Terror: The Perspective from the Ground Randy G. Bergeron 20 Korean War Diary William Y. Smith 28 Book Reviews Rattlesnake Bomber Base: Pyote Army Airfield in World War II By Thomas E. Alexander Reviewed by Joseph L. Mason 46 History of Rocketry and Astronautics: AAS Ser. Vol 27- IAA Sym Vol 18: By Kerrie Dougherty & Donald Elders Reviewed by Rick W. Sturdevant 46 Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 By Francis French & Colin Burgess Reviewed by Rick W. Sturdevant 47 The Son Tay Raid: American POWs in Vietnam Were Not Forgotten By Jon Gargus Reviewed by Joshua Pope 47 Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft: A Military Compendium By T.F.J. Leversedge Reviewed by David F. Crosby 48 Gauntlet: Five Friends, 20,000 Enemy Troops and the Secret that Could Have Changed the Course of the Cold War By Barbara Masin Reviewed by Curtis H. O’Sullivan 48 Striking First: Preemptive and Preventive Attack in U.S. National Security Policy By Karl P. Mueller, et al Reviewed by John L. Cirafici 48 8th Air Force: American Heavy Bomber Groups in England, 1942-1945 By Gregory Pons. Reviewed by Herman Reinhold 49 Ungoverned Territories: Understanding and Reducing Terrorism Risks By Angel Rabasa, et al. Reviewed by David F. Crosby 50 Canadair CF–104 Starfighter By Anthony Stachiw & Andrew Tattersall Reviewed by Tom Telizcan 50 Replacing France: The Origins of American Intervention in Vietnam By Kathryn C. Statler Reviewed by John F. O’Connell 51 Winged Crusade: The Quest for American Air and Space Power By Michael R. Terry, Ed. Reviewed by R. Ray Ortensie 52 Escape from Hitler’s Europe: An American Airman Behind Enemy Lines By George Watt Reviewed by Stetson M. Siler 52 Right Stuff, Wrong Sex: America’s First Women in Space Program By Margaret A. Weitekamp Reviewed by Joseph Romito 53 Combat Search and Rescue in Desert Storm By Darrel D. Whitcomb Reviewed by Dik Alan Daso 54 Propaganda Postcards of the Luftwaffe By James Wilson Reviewed by Jeffrey P. Joyce 54 Born to Fly By Gene Wink Reviewed by Robert J. Davis 54 Take Down: The Third Infantry Division’s Twenty-one Day Assault on Baghdad By Jim Lacey Reviewed by Curtis H. O’Sullivan 55 Departments Reader’s Note: Frank Trippi 44 Books Received 56 Letters, News, Reunions, & In Memoriam 59 History Mystery 64 COVER:The 20 Airmen from the 86th Contingency Response Group who airdropped onto Bashur Airfield, Iraq, and began aerial port operations for the 173d Airborne Brigade to stabilize northern Iraq. The Air Force Historical Foundation The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation Summer 2008 Volume 55 Number 2 Publisher Alfred F. Hurley Editor Jacob Neufeld Technical Editor Robert F. Dorr Air Force Historical Foundation Book Review Editor P.O. Box 790 Scott A. Willey Layout and Typesetting Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Richard I. Wolf (301) 736-1959 Fax (301) 981-3574 Advertising Tom Bradley E-mail: [email protected] Circulation On the Web at http://www.afhistoricalfoundation.org Tom Bradley Officers, 2007-2008 Board of Directors, 2007-2008 Col Kenneth J. Alnwick, USAF (Ret) President/Chairman of the Board and Lt Gen Richard E. Brown III, USAF (Ret) Air Power History (ISSN 1044-016X) Chair, Executive Committee Lt Gen Russell C. Davis, USAF (Ret) is produced in March, June, September, Lt Gen Michael A. Nelson, USAF (Ret) CMSgt Rick Dean, USAF (Ret) and December by the Air Force Historical 1st Vice Chairman Lt Gen Marvin R. Esmond, USAF (Ret) Foundation. Gen John A. Shaud, USAF (Ret) Gen Ronald R. Fogleman, USAF (Ret) 2nd Vice Chairman and Chair, Development Committee Brig Gen Alfred F. Hurley, USAF (Ret) Prospective contributors should consult the Maj Gen Silas R. Johnson, Jr., USAF (Ret) Maj Gen Silas R. Johnson, Jr., USAF (Ret) Treasurer and Chair, Finance Committee GUIDELINES FOR CONTRIBUTORS at Lt Gen Timothy A. Kinnan, USAF (Ret) the back of this journal. Unsolicited manu- Lt Gen Richard E. Brown III, USAF (Ret) Mr John F. Kreis scripts will be returned only on specific Chair, Membership Committee Maj Gen Charles D. Link, USAF (Ret) Maj Gen Charles D. Link, USAF (Ret) Lt Gen Michael A. Nelson, USAF (Ret) request. The Editor cannot accept responsi- Chair, Services Committee Mr Jacob Neufeld bility for any damage to or loss of the man- Maj Willard Strandberg, Jr., USAF (Ret) Gen John A. Shaud, USAF (Ret) uscript. The Editor reserves the right to Chair, Technology Committee Lt Col Lawrence Spinetta, USAF edit manuscripts and letters. Vacant Maj Willard Strandberg, Jr., USAF (Ret) Publisher Col Jere Wallace, USAF (Ret) Address Letters to the Editor to: Brig Gen Alfred F. Hurley, USAF (Ret) Col Darrel Whitcomb, USAF (Ret) Secretary and Executive Director Air Power History Col Tom Bradley, USAF (Ret) 11908 Gainsborough Rd. Potomac, MD 20854 Contributing Members, 2007 CORPORATE SPONSORS, 2007 e-mail: [email protected] The individuals and companies listed are contributing members of the Air Force Historical Foundation. The Platinum Level ($20,000 or more) Correspondence regarding missed issues Foundation Directors and members are grateful for Lockheed Martin Corporation or changes of address should be addressed their support and contributions to preserving, perpetu- to the Circulation Office: Gold Level ($10,000 or more) ating, and publishing the history and traditions of Air Power History American aviation. EADS North America Defense P.O. Box 790 The Boeing Company Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Lt Col (Dr) Robert S. Barmettler, USAF (Ret) Mr and Mrs Lawrence Benson Silver Level ($5,000 or more) Telephone: (301) 736-1959 Lt Col and Mrs Maynard Y. Binge, USAF (Ret) None Fax: (301) 981-3574 Maj Gen and Mrs Richard T. Boverie, USAF (Ret) e-mail: [email protected] Mr Joel K. Caulton Bronze Level ($1,500 or more) Gen and Mrs John T. Chain, Jr, USAF (Ret) Air Force Association Advertising Mr and Mrs James L. Colwell Rolls-Royce North America Lt Gen John B. Conaway, USAF (Ret) Tom Bradley Brig Gen and Mrs James L. Crouch, USAF (Ret) Contributing Members (continued) P.O. Box 790 Brig Gen and Mrs Alfred F. Hurley, USAF (Ret) Clinton, MD 20735-0790 Col Joseph A. Marston, USAF (Ret) Col and Mrs Darrel D. Whitcomb, USAFR (Ret) (301) 736-1959; fax (301) 981-3574 Maj Gen and Mrs David V. Miller, USAF (Ret) 43-E Association (Aviation Cadet Class 43-E) e-mail: [email protected] Col and Mrs Kenneth L. Moll, USAF (Ret) Gen James P. Mullins, USAF (Ret) Copyright © 2008 by the Air Force Lt Gen and Mrs Michael A. Nelson, USAF (Ret) Historical Foundation. All rights reserved. Lt Gen William R. Nelson, USAF (Ret) Periodicals postage paid at Hanover, PA Mr and Mrs Jacob Neufeld Col Helen E. O’Day, USAF (Ret) 17331 and additional mailing offices. Col J. C. Shahbaz, USAF (Ret) Postmaster: Please send change of Gen John A. Shaud, USAF (Ret) address to the Circulation Office. Mr William L. Shields Col and Mrs Charles B. van Pelt, USAF (Ret) Col and Mrs Jere T. Wallace, USAF (Ret) 2 AIR POWER History / SUMMER 2008 From the Editor Thomas Wildenberg’s series on Howard Hughes’s involvement with the Air Force has gotten con- siderable acclaim from readers. In this issue Wildenberg completes the third and final installment of his three part series on the life of the extraordinary Hughes. The article centers on the development of guided missiles and airborne fire control systems. The later involvement of Hughes Company engi- neers who worked on the Falcon missile—Simon Ramo and Dean Wooldridge, the R-W of TRW— presages the connection of these individuals to the USAF ballistic missiles program. Following on to Jeff Duford’s fascinating piece on the enduring value of artifacts [Air Power History, Vol. 55, No. 1 (Spring 2008), pp. 4-15] is Jeffery Underwood’s article “The Sacred Cow and the Creation of the United States Air Force.” If you have never been to the National Museum of the United States Air Force or have not visited the Sacred Cow, this article should inspire you to do both. Nine years ago, Gen. William Y. Smith, the former president of the Air Force Historical Foundation, penned a brief memoir of his Air Force service in Greenland during the Korean War. [“I Remember….,” Air Power History, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Spring 1999), pp. 26-27.] In this issue General Smith picks up the story of his subsequent duty assignment to the Far East. In his article, “Korean War Diary,” General Smith describes the life of a typical fighter pilot during the war. Highlighted on the front cover are The Twenty Airmen from the 86th Contingency Response Group, who air-dropped onto Bashur Airfield, Iraq in March 2003, and began aerial port operations for the 173d Airborne Brigade. While many of our readers are familiar with air power’s role in the Global War on Terror, fewer readers know much about the contributions of the airmen on the ground. Randy Bergeron, who served as the historian for the Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component Command, provides “The Perspective from the Ground.” The Readers’ Note story, by Col. Frank T.