US Air Force Military Training - Yearbook (Lackland, TX)

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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, l9ll, almosf fwo years lafer, fhaf Congress for fhe firsf fime specifically appropriafed money for aviafion . . . fo fhe fune of Sl25,000. By Sepfember, l9l3, 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 warfare was purely fhaf of observafion, fhe confrol of milifary aviafion was leff in fhe hands of fhe Signal Corps, and, indeed, aviafion remained in fhis branch unfil l9l8, when if was divorced from fhe Signal Corps and expanded info fwo deparfmenfs-fhe Bureau of Milifary Aeronaufics and fhe Bureau of Aircraff Producfion. Upon fhe fermina- fion of fhe war fhese fwo deparfmenfs were consolidafed info fhe Air bervice. The firsf acfual use of aircraff by fhe Army began in March, l9l6, when fhe Firsl' Aero Squadron, composed of I6 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 upon air power, was responsible for fhe rapid expansion of American aviafion. By fhe fime of our declara- fion of war upon Germany in April of l9l7, Army aviafion consisfed of 65 officers l35 of whom were flyersl, l,087 enlisfed men and 55 airplanes. No beffer commenfary can be made upon fhe changing role of air power af fhe begin- ning of fhe World War and of fhe presenf conflicf fhan fo compare fhis number wifh fhe lO,697 officers, l26,660 enlisfed men and 8,707 aviafion cadefs which we had on June 30, l94l, wifh fhe number consfanfly increasing under fhe impefus of fhe greafesf expansion program in hisfory. During fhe firsf eighf years of ifs exisfence, l909-l9l6- a fofal of l42 airplanes had been delivered fo Army Avia- fion. Congress, in July of l9l7, appropriafed S640,000,000 for Army Aviafion, fhe largesf appropriafion which had ever been made up unfil fhaf fime for any single purpose. Work- ing as rapidly as possible, fhe counfry began fhe giganfic fask of cafching up in producfion wifh counfries long af war. The firsf faslc was fo frain American flyers and for fhis pur- were sef up af a l5,000 flying cadefs I,800 in Europe. was II,000 pilofs, 48l ob- fhe fronf, and observers had Firsf Flighf, Orville Wrighf, Sepfember 5, l908. :' - ,. . f RUB ,. , . if 9 . f 91 x + ,Sans sifwtffx nw l ..,-59, sqm A ,, ,V mf, Wax-if us -sf ,PK 4,1 4 Q, Mm, :SEX ,M x f 1 wx 61-x as L 2 xi 29,9 , , -2, 51- ' . , A f fag-sswmw-M , X 'Q -1 7 ' . viii My f' ::.--1-:- X. an 'A-gvrggm-ifwwg gifs'-H M X is 3 1 , K, xy if we gi , , W as . . 'Wai 3 , if R343 ff- M fir? J. ., A . X 4 V T , f. ., g-amsgif 5.-3w',j.gc:'g-'kr -frw-,fy . ,, 3. ,o,,,.,1, ., ga., , if 1. X. hs. .W :gms up wwf? 2 f , M K r Q .ge Orville Wrighf in fllghf Maxwell Field, I9l0

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lUl Wifh fhe reorganizafion of fhe aviafion sefup of fhe Unifed Sfafes Army, on March 9, l942, has come fhe lafesf 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 fremend- ous imporfance as fhe Army Air Forces, co-equal in prom- inence 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, anfe- dafes l909, fhe official birfh year. Civilian aeronaufs made observafions from capfive balloons for fhe Army of fhe Pofomac during fhe American Civil War, and lafer 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, Lillienfhal, Bleriof, fhe Wrighfs and ofhers had focused affenfion on fhe possi- EVELIIPME T UF THE llllllll bilifies of heavier-fhan-air machines fhaf fhe Army consid- ered seriously fhis newesf milifary adiuncf. lf was noi' unfil 1-he Wrighfs had clemonsfrafed fhaf a heavier-fhan-air ma- chine was nof only feasible, buf pracfical fhal' fhe Army adverfised for bids for fhe consfrucfion of an airplane. An aeronaufical division of fhe Army was creafed in 'l'he Office of fhe Chief Signal Officer of fhe Army on July l, l907. The Wrighf brofhers produced an airplane which was delivered fo Forf Myer, Virginia, on Augusi' 28, l908. lf was a biplane wifh a wing spread of abouf 40 feef and a wing area of some 500 square feef weighing approximafely 800 pounds. The laferal confrols were affecfed by warping fhe wings. The double elevafor and fhe rudder were sup- porfed in fronf of fhe wings by an oufrigger. The landing gear consisfed of fwo runners, or slcids, 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 clafe is considered fhe birfhday of fhe Army Air Forces. While fhus inaugurafing

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While af fhe fime 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, principally of Brifish designed DeHavillands and Handley-Page's equipped wifh fhe American Liberfy mofor, fhe greafesf confribufion of American manufacfurers 'ro 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 con- clusion of fhe war, our air sfrengfh was allowed fo dwindle fo l,000 officers and l0,000 men. v The Army Reorganizafion Acf of l920 provided for l,5l6 g officers and l0,300 enlisfed men for fhe Air Service, and fhe Air Corps Aci' of l926 aufhorized a Five Year Pro- l - gram which confemplafed af ifs conclusion a personnel Malo' H' H' A 'Pld and M'1l0QT' D- Miliinssin Wiz' sfrengfhof L650 officers and l5,000 enlisfed men wifh 500 when Army err sfrengfh consssfed of fwo pianos. A cadefs, and equipmenf consisfing of 2,800 serviceable planes. On March I, l935, fhe famous GHQ Air Force was esfab- lished, embracing all 1-acfical Air Corps Unifs wifhin 1-he Confinenfal Unifed Sfafes. Prior fo ifs formafion combaf squadrons were 1-rained 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 'lo operafe fogefher as a feam. Anofher accomplishmenf was fhe lafer clevelopmenf of rhe combaf crew as a fighfing feam. ln pracfice, fhe same officers and men were assigned fo fhe same airplane, and each feam, fhrough consfanf cooperafion and pracfice, was able fo affain a high degree of efficiency. W Burgess Tracforg--l9lf4. V ,Q - ee if - '--A- A -- Y 2l3'lh Aero Squadron, Second Army-Enlisfed Men. ' '