Merced Army Flying School - Yearbook (Merced, CA)

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I Wifh fhe reorganizafion of lhe aviafion sefup of fhe Unifed Sfafes Army, on March 9, I942, has come fhe Iafesf phase of fhe developmenf of fhe nafion's milifary aviafion from ifs groping, experimenfal days fo ifs presenf sfafus as an aufonomous unif wifhin fhe sfrucfure of fhe Army. The sfory of fhe rapid growfh of our nafion's milifary aviafion, from an unimporfanf subdivision of fhe Signal Corps before fhe firsf World War, fhrough fhe period when if was a corps of ifs own, fhe Air Corps, and now fo a degree of fremendous imporfance as fhe Army Air Forces, co-equal in prominence wifh all fhe ofher Army combaf arms combined, is a sfirring saga of courage and inspirafion, of indomifable will and far-sighfed genius, all wifhin fhe shorf space of 33 years. The ufilizafion of aviafion by fhe Army, however, anfedafes I909, fhe official birfh year. Civilian aeronaufs made observafions from cap- five balloons for fhe Army of fhe Pofomac during fhe American Civil War, and Iafer fhe Army purchased a balloon in France which was used in Cuba during fhe Spanish-American War. lf was nof, however, unfil fhe experimenfs of Langley, Maxim, Lillien- fhal, Bleriof, fhe Wrighfs and ofhers had 'Focused affenfion on fhe possibilifies of heavier-fhan-air machines fhaf fhe Army considered seri- ously fhis newesf milifary adiuncf. If was nof unfil fhe Wrighfs had demonsfrafed fhaf a heavier-fhan-air machine was nof only feasible, buf pracfical fhaf fhe Army adverfised for bids for fhe consfrucfion of an airplane. An aeronaufical division of fhe Army was creafed in fhe Office of fhe Chief Signal Officer of fhe Army on July I, I907. The Wrighf brofhers produced an airplane which was delivered fo Forf Myer, Virginia, on Augusf 28, I908. If was a biplane wifh a wing spread of abouf 40 feef and a wing area of some 500 square Wilbur Wrighf af Forf Myer, July 27, I909. y,V, ..,..,-.,, H. . ,... . . . X ' , .M 5 I I Q ll, y I iff - J Eval? 5 1 ' ,, ' QQ. 2 f IRA . , 5 3, 'k E Orville Wrighf i I H U 3 Firsf flighf Sepfember 5, I908. 5 feef weighing approximafely 800 pounds. The laferal confrols were affecfed by warping fhe wings. The double elevafor and fhe rudder were supporfed in fronf of fhe wings by an oufrigger. The landing gear consisfed of fwo runners, or skids, and fhe plane was launched from a monorail. Affer a series of disappoinfing accidenfs and many fesfs, fhe Board of Officers appoinfed fo examine fhe plane made a favorable recommendafion on Augusf 2, I909, and fhe Chief Signal Officer approved fhe recommendafion fhe same day. This dafe is considered fhe birfhday of fhe Army Air Forces. While fhus inaugurafing fhe air arm of fhe service on fhis dafe. fhe value of aircraff in a milifary way was nof immediafely apparenf, parficularly fo a nafion af peace, and if was nof unfil March, I9II, almosf fwo years Iafer, fhef Congress for fhe firsf fime specifically appropriafed money for aviafion. . .fo fhe fune of SI25,000, By Sepfember, I9I3, Army aviafion had grown slowly unfil if had I7 planes, wifh a personnel of 23 officers and 9I enlisfed men. Inasmuch as fhe original concepfion of fhe role of aircraff in war' fare was purely fhaf of observafion, fhe confrol of milifary aviafion was Ieff in fhe hands of fhe Signal Corps, and, indeed, aviafion remained in fhis branch unfil I9I8, when if was divorced from fhe Signal Corps and expanded info fwo deparfmenfs--fhe Bureau of Milifary Aero- naufics and fhe Bureau of Aircraff Producfion. Upon fhe ferminafion of fhe war fhese fwo deparfmenfs were consolidafed info fhe Air Service. The firsf acfual use of aircraff by fha Army began in March, l9I6, when fhe Firsf Aero Squadron, composed of Ib officers, 77 enlisfed men and eighf airplanes began operafions wifh fhe Punifive Expedifion in Mexico. The World War, of course, wifh ifs consfanfly accelerafing emphasis Orville Wrighf in flighf, Maxwell Field, l9l0. H, va- ..,, W., . W ,, iuff'::lllllIl '?' ,M .. f QW

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-l-------,--.-Qt, eff if! Capfaln Beck. Lleulenanf Arnold. Capfai H Chandler, Lieufenanl- Milling, Lieufenanf Kirf- land. ,4- 41 f .1 .lu 4-' ..r M' 4' fqtfwdfff df' W- Af ,riff A ,f- Ar W: garf' '- , ,ff W ff' fl' 1 J' ,ff M. ,uv ff ,f .y ,,-' ,ff ,J ,GJ .w'lyg! ,Q ya ff N K 4, J' I - .- ,Af 4Q- K, l lMf'Q'ijf 'f ' f 1- f,f 'd,f'f ,z ff fn-' ,f l .f ffl f ff' f f w -9 , 4 4, Y., J v ,, . A , A, 'XVI-'fy .ff K of pffd A. -inf' ,df ,+'ff ' E '11 A.-f'4,f,ij,ff' 1 5 X X X' X -l+fl+ x X lx l'4'J ,,.-f'NKjf'f..Af v' l 'jf' ff' .J .. rt, I! f fff ,mf gf .. l-1- P 4, fl' ' ,ff 'M Mr' - ,ft if 'iflfy' J'

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ilrrlurllcrixi uzl7'.iguv: pug ll' . , 57 We - TT U llllllllfllll -lHl Hlllll lllll lll upon air power, was responsible for fhe rapid expansion of Ameri- can aviafion. By fhe fime of our declarafion of war upon Germany in April of l9l7, Army aviafion consisfed of 65 officers l35 of whom were flyersl, I,087 enlisfed men and 55 airplanes. No beffer com- menfary can be made upon fhe changing role of air power af fhe beginning of fhe World War and of fhe presenf conflicf fhan fo compare fhis number wifh fhe lO,697 officers, l26,66O enlisfed men and 8,707 aviafion cadefs which we had on June 30, l94l, wifh fhe number consfanfly increasing under fhe impefus of 'rhe greafesf ex- pansion program in hisfory. During fhe firsf eighf years of ifs exisfence, I'-709-l9l6-a fofal of l42 airplanes had been delivered fo Army Aviafion. Congress, July of l9I7, appropriafed S640,000,000 for Army Aviafion, fhe largesf appropriafion which had ever been made up unfil fhaf fime for any single purpose. Working as rapidly as possible, fhe counfry began fhe giganfic fask of cafching up in producfion wifh counfries long af war. The firsf faslr was fo frain American flyers and for fhis purpose flying schools and ground schools were sef up af a number of schools and colleges. Nearly I5,000 flying cadefs received fraining in fhis counfry, and abouf l,B00 in Europe. By March, l9l8, our Army Aviafion sfrengfh was II,000 officers and I20,000 enlisfed men. Af fhe fime of fhe Armisfice we had 757 pilofs, 48l observers, with 740 planes and 77 balloons af fhe fronf, and I,402 pilofs, 769 air- planes and 252 balloon observers had enfered fhe Zone of Advance. While af fhe 'lime of fhe Armisfice less fhan 25 per cenf of fhe planes flown by American pilofs were of American manufacfure, we were already beginning fo swing info large scale producfion, prin- cipally of Brifish designed DeHavilIands and Handley-Page's equipped wifh fhe American Liberfy mofor, fhe greafesf confribufion of Ameri- can manufacfurers fo fhe war efforf. American aviafors were officially credifed wifh fhe desfrucfion of 49l enemy airplanes, of which 462 were accounfed for by 63 aviafors. We had 43 squadrons af fhe fronf af fhe fime of fhe Armisfice. Following fhe conclusion of fhe war, our air sfrengfh was allowed fo dwindle fo l,000 officers and l0,000 men. The Army Reorganizafion Acf of l920 provided for l,5I6 officers and I0,30O enlisfed men for fhe Air Service, and fhe Air Corps Acf of l926 aufhorized a Five Year Program which confemplafed af ifs They Flew Them When-Maior H. H. Arnold, Maier Thomas Dewiff Milling, pioneer military aviafors, and Army planes of 30 years ago-faken in I9l2 when Army air sfrangfh consisfed of fwo planes. conclusion a personnel sfrengfh of l,650 officers and l5,000 enlisfed rnen wifh 500 cadefs, and aquipmenf consisfing of I,800 serviceable planes. On March I, I935, fha famous GHQ Air Force was esfablished, embracing all facfical Air Corps Unifs wifhin fhe Confinenfal Unifed Sfafes. Prior fo ifs formefion combaf squadrons were frained under widely differenf mefhods, depending upon fhe concepfion of fhe Group -Commanders. The purpose, which was accomplished, of fhe GHQ Air Force, was fo co-ordinafe fhe sysfems of fraining so as fo produce uniformify and fhe abilify to operafe fogefher as a feam. Anofher accomplishmenf was fhe lafer developmenf of fhe combaf crew as a fighfing feam. In pracfice, fhe same officers and men were assigned fo fhe same airplane, and each feam, fhrough consfanf co-operafion and pracfice, was able fo affain a high degree of effi- ciency. Even more imporfanf fhan all fhese innovafions, however, was fhe facf fhaf fhe Air Corps, as if was known fhen, was, for fhe firsf fime, under a unified command, and under an air officer, Maior General Frank M. Andrews lnow a Lieufenanf General in command of fhe Caribbean Defense Commandl. Here was anofher nofable sfep foward fhe fullesf developmenf of our Army Air arm as an independenfly- funcfioning enfify, complefe wifhin ifself. This organizafion of air power info a highly mobile sfriking force of greaf unified power had, as ifs backbone, fhe funcfion of Bombard- menf, The GHQ Air Force was divided info fhree Wings. The Firsf Wing, wifh headquarfers af March Field, California, com- prised fwo Bombardmenf Groups, one Affack Group, and fwo Recon- naissance Squadrons. The Second Wing, wifh headquarfers af Langley Field, Virginia, com- prised fwo Bombardmenf and fwo Pursuif Groups, and fwo Reconnais- sance Squadrons. The Third Wing, af Barksdale Field, Louisiana, was composed of one Affack and one Pursuif Group. Buf even fhis organizafion was fo be changed soon by fhe pressure of ever-increasing expanison of our Army Aviafion. On June 23, l94I, fhe Army Air Forces was esfablished. These included fhe Head- quarfers, Army Air Forces: fhe Air Force Combaf Command iwhich superceded fhe GHQ Air Forcel, fhe Air 'Corps and all ofher air Burgess Tracfor- l 9 I 4. Tr, -ll V f -bi! 3 P'