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

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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. ' '

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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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-- if 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, Major General Frank M. Andrews, lafer Lieu- fenanf General, whose unfimely deafh over fhe barren wasfes of Iceland broughf a major loss fo fhe Army Air Forces. 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 func- fion of Bombardmenf. The GHQ Air Force was divided info fhree Wings. The Firsf Wing, wifh headquarfers af March Field, California, comprised fwo Bombardmenf Groups, one Affack Group, and fwo Reconnaissance Squadrons. The Second Wing, wifh headquarfers af Langley Field, Virginia, comprised fwo Bombardmenf and fwo Pursuif Groups, and fwo Reconnaissance Squadrons. The Third Wing, af Barks- dale 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 expansion of our Army Aviafion. On June 23, l94I, fhe Army Air Forces was esfablished. These included fhe Headquarfers, Army Air Forcesg fhe Air Force Combaf Command jwhich superceded fhe GHO Air Forcej, fhe Air Corps and all ofher air unifs. A+ fhe same fime an Air Council was creafed fo review and co- ordinafe major Army aviafion projecfs. The Air Council included Assisfanf Secrefary of War for Air, Roberf A. Loveff jex officioj, General H. H. Arnold, presidenf of 'the council, Lieufenanf General Delos C. Emmons, Lieufenanf General George A. Breff, and fhe Chief of fhe War Plans Division of fhe War Deparfmenf General Sfaff. ln addifion fo his dufies as Depufy Chief of Sfaff jAirj, General Arnold -YS L35 Ag'--.,,,5:,I-j Q3 .W 'W iwyvww became Chief of fhe Army Air Forces. General Emmons was made Chief of fhe Air Force Combaf Command, and General Breff, Chief of fhe Air Corps. A+ fhe end of May, I94I, fhe Ferrying Command was organized fo speed up fhe process of geffing bombers fo our English allies. Originally under fhe command of Colonel Roberf Olds jlafer a Brigadier General in command of fhe Second Air Force af Spokane, Washingfon, now deceasedj, if is now commanded by Major General Harold L. George, and designafed Air Transporf Command. Since Pearl Har- bor ifs acfivifies have been vasfly expanded info a huge world-wide organizafion engaged in fhe fransporf of all fypes of aircraff, plus supplies, equipmenf, and personnel fo all fhe fighfing fronfs. By fhe final reorganizafion, or s+reamlining, which fook place lasf March, fhe Air Corps ceased fo exisf, even as a purely adminisfrafive organizafion, and fhe Combaf Com- mand was eliminafed, as well. The various combaf Air Forces, which are complefe unifs, of fhemselves, are now direcfly under fhe command of overall field commanders such as General MacArfhur, anofher sfep forward in unified command. H' is inferesfing fo nofe fhaf many of fhese field commanders, whose commands comprise all arms of fhe service, are 'rhemselves air officers, such as General Breff, in fhe Caribbean. Each Air Force is, of course, commanded by an Air Force Officer, of general grade, whefher wifhin fhe confinenfal Unifed Sfafes or overseas. These combaf forces include all unifs of milifary aviafion such as bombard- menf, infercepfion jfighfer squadronsj, observafion, and ground-air supporf, fogefher wifh fhe necessary mainfenance service. As a resulf of fhe March 9 change, fhe Air Forces are recognized as one of fhe fhree elemenfs of fhe Army, fogefher wifh Ground Forces and Supply. This new organi- wfwfartf S H . -- .... ,,..., . 1.5,-Qi.:.:,,:,5:,?,-ii. I. gg E2. -' :,,:,:'-:, 1: g:jig..gf'.E?i?2s.i2-iii , aa.