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

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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.

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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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The funcfion of fhe Training Command is, of course, fo coordinafe and direcf fhe immense iob of providing officers and men for fhe vasfly expanding Air Forces. In order fo accomplish fhis wifh fhe greafesf efficiency and fo eliminafe fhe possibilify of adminisfrafive bofflenecks, General Arnold sef up fhe Training Command as if now exisfs, under fhe command of Lieufenanf General Barfon K. Younf, wifh Headquarfers af Forf Worfh, Texas. The original plan called for separafe air crew and ground crew fraining under fwo commands buf, in order fo infegrafe and sfream- line funcfions of fraining acfivifies, fhe Flying Training and Technical Commands were consolidafed under one com- mand, calling for maximum efficiency wifh a minimum of sfaff personnel. The nafionwide program of fhe Command has been divided geographically info six subordinafe commands- fhree Flying Training and fhree Technical Training. The Flying Training Commands are known as fhe Army Air Forces Wesfern Flying Training Command, Cenfral Flying Training Command, and Easfern Flying Training Command. The Technical Training Commands are known as fhe Army Air Forces Wesfern Technical Training Com- mand, Cenfral Technical Training Command, and Easf- ern Technical Training Command. All of fhese regional fraining areas are complefe wifhin fhemselves. Each Flying Training Command has ifs own College Training Defachmenfs, Classificafion Cenfers, Pri- mary, Basic and Advance Schools lfor pilof fraineesl, Navi- gafor and Bombardier Schools. The Flying Training Com- mands also provide for insfrucfion in fixed and flexible gunnery and, as one of fhe lafer innovafions, Glider Pilof fraining. Mosf of fhe flying schools are locafed in fhe i Capfain C. Def. Chandler and Lieufenanf Roy T. Kirfland in Wrighf B airplane wifh fhe firsf machine gun lLewisl ever fired from a plane--I9l2. Lieufenanf H. H. Arnold in Wrighf B plane-l9l l. Officers and Planes--N I3 Pursuif Squadron, Third Pursuif Group.