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

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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 These included fhe Headquarfers, Army Air Forcesg fhe Air Force Combaf Command jwhich superceded fhe GHO Air Forcej, fhe Air Corps and all ofher air unifs.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.

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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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zafion, designed fo simplify and speed up fhe chain of command, and fo provide fhe flexibilify and efficiency of operafion necessary fo accomplish fhe enormous fask fhal' lies ahead, designafes General H. H. Arnold as Command- ing General, Army Air Forces, and also as Depufy Chief of Sfaff for Air on fhe Army General Sfaff. By fhe same reorganizafion, Lieufenanf General Joseph T. McNarney, one of fhe ablesf American air sfrafegisfs, was made Depufy Chief of Sfaff. In addifion fo fhese fwo officers, however, fhe Air Forces have a far greafer represenfafion fhan ever on 'Ihe General Sfaff. As a maffer of facf, fhe General Sfaff, as now consfifufed, is abouf one-half composed of officers from fhe Air Sfaff. The Air Sfaff, which is rafher like a Sfaff wifhin a Sfaff, and which is purely Air Forces organizafion, is similar in general oufline fo fhe General Sfaff, buf on a slighfly smaller scale. The complexify and exfension of Army aviafion from ifs simple Signal Corps days unfil fhe presenf is no beffer illusfrafed fhan by a brief review of fhe various branches of fhe Air Forces. The overall picfure of fhe Army Air Forces organizafion may be summed up under fhree key words: Policy, Commands, and Forces. The Policy funcfion has already been discussed af 'rhe sfarf of fhis arficle. If is handled by fhe Commanding General of fhe Army Air Forces and fhe Air Sfaff, plus fhe Air Forces' parficipafion in fhe Army General Sfaff. In addifion fo fhe Assisfanf Chiefs of fhe Air Sfaff 'rhere is an Air lnspecfor, Air Surgeon' efc. Operafing direcfly under fhe Commanding General of fhe Army Air Forces, eighf greaf commands compose fhe lasf sfages of Air Forces preparafion for combaf unifs. II' may be of greaf inferesf fo oufline fhe funcfions of fhese various Commands. I. The TRAINING COMMAND. 2. The TROOP TRANSPORT COMMAND. 3. The AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND. 4. The MATERIEL COMMAND. 5. The AIR SERVICE COMMAND. 6. The PROVING GROUND COMMAND. 7. The ANTI-SUBMARINE COMMAND. 8. The FLIGHT CONTROL COMMAND. I. The TRAINING COMMAND. While fhe Headquarfers of fhe Air Corps Training Cenfer began fo funcfion af Duncan Field, San Anfonio, Texas, in I936, flying Iraining in fhe Army has been confinuous almosf since 'Ihe purchase of fhe firsf Wrighf airplane in I909. The firsf Army flying school was esfablished af College Park, Maryland, in Oc- fober, I909. Lieufenanf Frank P. Lahm and Frederick E. Humphreys were 'rhe firsf sfudenfs of 'rhe Wrighf brofhers. Lieufenanf Lahm lafer became a Brigadier General and commanded fhe Training Cenfer from ifs incepfion in Sepfember, I926, unfil Augusf 3I, I930. Among fhe firsf five Army aviafors was Lieufenanf H. H. Arnold, now a four-sfar General. Among fhem also was Lieufenanf Ben- jamin D. Foulois, now Major General, refired. General Foulois became a Brigadier General af fhe age of 38 as Chief of fhe Air Service of fhe Firsf Army, American Expedifionary Force. He became a Major General and Chief of fhe Air Corps on December 20, I93I.