1916 - 1954 History of the = USAF = Aviation Films DVD s

1916 - 1954 History of  the = USAF =   Aviation Films DVD s

• THE BEGINNING Air Force born during Civil War Imagination of the Wright brothers fostered the future industry.  In 1916 the Lafayette Escadrille was formed. In 1918, The DH4's were used in the Big Push in Europe during World War I. 

• AFTER THE WAR - 1918 - 1923 After the war, airplanes were a mainstay for airmail service, forest fire patrol,   reconnaissance and, of course, the daredevils. First east to west non-stop flight made May 1923. 

• STRUGGLE FOR RECOGNITION - 1923 - 1930 In 1924, at Boston Harbor, the pilots from the first round the world trip landed. Falling Bomber was conceived in 1923 at a cost of $500,000 and was influence on  B17.  In 1928, Wright Field opened In 1929, the plane called the Question Mark initiated first plane-to-plane fueling. In winter of 1929, Air Corps went to the Arctic to train in subzero weather.  The planes used were Curtis hawks. 

•  BETWEEN TWO WARS - 1930 - 1935 In 1930, Randolph Field was dedicated and became Headquarters for Air Corp Training.In 1931, Japan was preparing for war and invaded Manchuria.  In 1932, the Navajo were starving in their snowbound villages. The Air Corp dropped food and supplies with 'mercy bombs' and kept them alive through that horrendous winter. In 1933, Hitler and the Nazis were coming to power.  The design of planes were changed into sleek metal bodies such as the B-9.  At the same time,  Boeing was developing the P26.  

• AIR POWER ADVANCES - 1935 - 1937 In 1935, Mauna Loa erupted and Hilo City was saved by the pinpoint accuracy of the pilots In 1935, a scientific-research balloon was launched by the Air Corps and National Geographic to enable the Air Corps to advanced their methodology in weather, radio, cosmic rays and land-mapping. There was devastating flooding in the northeast and the Air Corps performed an emergency rescue mission.  There were 30 B10 bombers which dropped clothing, food and medicine over Pennsylvania.  They were called "The Wings of Mercy". Japan had been testing planes as well as Italy Mussolini invaded Ethiopia. There was absolutely no resistance.  In 1934, Boeing started building and testing the XB17, with their own money because the government would not back them.  This would become the "Flying Fortress".   

• PRELUDE TO WAR - 1937- 1939 In February 1938, "The Great Expedition of Human Flight" was made to Argentina, Chile and Peru by the B17 - Flying Fortress. In 1938, Germany swallowed up Austria which was the prelude to World War II. In May of 1938, usingB18's and P26's,a night attack was simulated at Farmingdale and the Air Corps and the air field came through with flying colors. With the Munich Accord in 1939, Neville Chamberlain proclaimed "Peace in our Time."  In March of 1939, Czechoslovakia was gone. 

• THE AIR WAR STARTS  - 1939 T0 DEC. 1941 September 1939 - the Luftwaffe made surprise aerial strikes with their Stuka bombers.  Poland 'died by plane'. In 1939, U.S. expanded their air program one hundred fold.  The army became an army of specialist and skilled people. In 1940, civilian aircraft factories were taken over and helped to build the B25's,P38's, D26's, P39's, B24's and P40's. The Luftwaffe overran Europe from the air.  In the Battle of Britain, the RAF was ready but were outnumbered 2-1.  However, they chased the Luftwaffe away with their Spitfires and Hurricanes.  Then Hitler decided to do night raids On December 7, 1941, the Japanese hit Pearl Harbor.  The B17's, flying to the Philippines, had no armaments, only fuel so that they could make the non-stop flight.  At this point, the United States became a nation at war. 

• DRAWING THE BATTLE LINES -DECEMBER 8, 1941 TO APRIL 18, 1940 In 1941 The United States declared a state of war between itself and the Japanese Empire.  Japan was after Australia and the U.S. decided that they had to be stopped. The Flying Tiger planes were serviced by Chinese mechanics.  The Chinese were also spotters for the Air Corps planes.  There was a dogfight over Kun Ming.  60% of Japanese planes were destroyed. The secret strike on Tokyo was nearly compromised because a Japanese ship saw the 16 B25's.   The Japanese were expecting a strike but were surprised that it was ten hours earlier than anticipated.  The planes were launched from an aircraft carrier and Jimmy Doolittle led the charge.  They hit every planned target. 

• NORTH AFRICA - NOVEMBER 1942 - MAY 1943 North Africa invaded 11 months after Peal Harbor Carrier takeoffs to Morocco Supply planes turned into ambulances Rommel attached in February.  8 days later quit - El Alemain Germans escaped to Sicily P40's decimated Luftwaffe on way to Sicily May 6 - tactical air support swept into Tunis - resistance cracked 

• EXPANDING AIR POWER - JUNE 1943 Florida base - training for area of United Nations forces Operation Corkscrew - June 6 - round the clock assault for 5 days bombed island into submission - Pantacoria prepared for invasion of Sicily 

• THE AAF FIGHTS BACK - APRIL - JULY 1942 Spring 1942 - Axis was winning the war "Vertical Envelopment" - landed troops behind enemy lines. Commercial airlines were now under contract to the U.S. government Navy broke Japanese secret code before Midway attack - 3 day battle  

• THE TIDE TURNS - JUNE - DECEMBER 1942 1942 - U.S. troops landed in England.  Learned about air war from RAF Allied forces stages daytime operations RAF became the nighttime attacker New Guinea 

• ROAD TO ROME - SEPTEMBER 1943 TO JUNE 1944 61 days to go 8 miles up the boot of Italy to liberate Rome Ground and air were effective team Casino, Monastery Hill were observations posts for the enemy Abbey bombed because it was a military target Allied ground forces regroup and reestablished their stronghold.  Operation Strange choked off supplies, trains, roads, bridges with great success Cracked Gustav Line May 14

• TWO YEARS AT WAR - SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER 1943 1943 - Burma - ground supply route to China - Operation Saucy Air drops for medicine, food and supplies because of great distances, impossible terrain Paratroop drop at Nabzab - New Guinea November 2, 1943 - completely neutralized enemy - Japs 

• SCHWEINFURT AND REGENSBURG - AUGUST 17,1943 376 B17's attacked ball-bearing factories in Schweinfurt and Regensburg which were deep in Germany RAF blasted B2 rocket plant Luftwaffe tried to intercept and destroy the allied force 60 bombers and crews were lost.  

• MAXIMUM EFFORT - OCTOBER 9, 1943  150 P47's escorted Flying Fortress home from hits on Marienberg, Danzig, Anklem and Gadinia 150 enemy planes were destroyed.

• SUPERFORT - AUGUST 1943 TO JUNE 1944 Quebec Conference B29's brought in from China three-quarters of the planes promised in 1943 where delivered in January 1944 - 142 Superforts In China, laborers built a network of airbases Japanese, Manchurian and Korean combined forces were larger than Germany's

•  PRELUDE TO INVASION - JANUARY - JUNE 1944 Germany was producing one plane every 15 minutes February 20 was start of 6 days and nights of biggest air blitz. Mustangs led as decoys hit Berlin for first time 

• PLOESTI - MARCH TO AUGUST 1944 Italy - seven months after defeat, allied air forces took over Axis airbases 15th air force destroyed oil/synthetic oil industry Ploesti was third-best defended spot 250 enemy fighters attacked - allied force outnumbered 3-1 June 10 - P38 dive bombers damaged three refineries August 17 - 3 days of attacks started - 100 Mustangs were used as escorts - destroyed 90% of Romanian oil production 12 days later, first return of 1100 prisoners of war 

• RETREAT AND ADVANCE - JUNE 1944 TO MARCH 1945 East China - early 1944 - Flying Tigers fought the Japanese June 1944 - Japanese offensive grew - allied forces had to leave Philippine campaign - Island warfare Parachutes were used on bombs to allow for low-level bombing October 19 - Armada maneuvers in Pacific - Leyte and Lausanne were invaded Allied landings were a surprise to the Japanese - fighting in the hills Took two months to capture Leyte Lausanne - pounded the Japanese in the caves January 23, 1944 - blitz started February 27 - returned Philippines to Commonwealth Government 

• VICTORY IN EUROPE - JUNE 1944 - MAY 1945 For the landing in Normandy, land strips were an immediate necessity In march to St. Lo there was strong enemy resistance - Allied advance was halted 2400 planes demoralized the enemy with carpet bombing Patton led air/tank warfare - extremely successful on to Germany 19th Tactical Air Command - bombed oil and aircraft factories Luftwaffe, at the end of 1944, was more powerful that ever 8th Air Force bombers knocked out Luftwaffe Allied air superiority could be not surpassed. Luftwaffe was hammered into oblivion Berlin surrendered 

• AIR WAR AGAINST JAPAN - OCTOBER 1944 TO AUGUST 1945 Superforts flown from San Francisco to Saipan - 800 planes Saipan to Tokyo to Saipan was 3,000 miles. Once over Mount Fuji, went to low level nighttime raids 66 principal cities were bombed Truman made the grave decision to drop "The Gimmick" on Hiroshima Three days later, another A-Bomb was dropped on Nagasaki Surrender on the Missouri - the war in Japan was won by no land invasion and no loss of land to the Japanese. Control of air is essential to win - 'instrument of peace'.

• D-DAY - JUNE 6, 1944 Nazi radar system was highly sophisticated.  However, they were expecting the invasion to be in Calais which was heavily fortified. Omaha and Utah Beach - Normandy June 5, 1944, Eisenhower made the final decision for the invasion to start. "The tide has turned. Only full victory is acceptable." Two American and one British divisions dropped behind German lines Launched the liberation of Europe with gliders and 8,000 planes which isolated the enemy and grabbed a foothold in Europe 

• A NEW AIR FORCE - 1945 TO 1947 August 14, 1945 - V-J day - Japan surrenders Charter of United Nations - signed in San Francisco Hopeful new era of peace and goodwill to begin Aircraft demobilized - sold or broken down for parts and metal Hap Arnold of the Army Air Force said that there was an American need for aviation identity through an air transport system with trained personal to protect America against invasion.  Jet planes a necessity 1946 - Honolulu to Egypt - 10,000 miles in 39-1/2 hours with no refueling 1947 - Pentagon decides on reorganization of armed forces - creates Air Force as a separate service - USAF October 1947 - Chuck Yaeger was first man to fly faster than sound on the level for 2-1/2 minutes - 630 mph at 36,000 feet.Start of jet age and the F86 Sabre Jet 

• AIR FORCE GLOBAL OPERATIONS - 1943 January 1943 - Conference in Casablanca, Morocco with President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill to decide to build up airbases in UK against U-Boats as the UK was threatened. B24's - the Liberator - was radar equipped - anti-submarine division May 1943 - end of German dominance of North Atlantic 14th Air Force had to "Fly the Hump" over the Himalayans to supply the troops Aleutian Islands of Alaska - April - weather cleared and fighter squadron had success in driving out the Japanese Salomon Islands - B40 heavy bombers used 

• THE COLD WAR June 1948 - Berlin - Soviet blocked access to Western Allies section to force them to give up Operation Vittles -Air lifted food, fuel, etc from Tempel of Air Field - American, British and French Army, Navy and Air Force were involved. C-54's flew the air corridor which was narrow and dangerous. Landed every three minutes and did three roundtrips per day.  Volunteer crews unloaded the planes - lasted 15 months 2,250,000 tons of food was flown in in the 15 months In 1946, in Texas, the first intercontinental B36's were ready for their first test flight - 16 specialist crew - 6 piston engines - 4 jet engines - 10,000 miles without refueling with high altitude capacity - Strategic Air Command

• MEETING THE RED CHALLENGE - JUNE-AUGUST 1950 Soviet and US over 38th parallel - Soviet turned this into the Iron Curtain 1947 - free elections in all of Korea declared by United Nations. Soviets had no intention of allowing this to happen.  Wanted a Communist regime. 1949 - All American troops were removed from South Korea - small army of Republic of Korea took over. 1950 - North Korea was fully equipped for an invasion of South Korea South Korea fought for two days but were being overwhelmed by the Soviets.  Soviets did not believe US would intervene.  However, Truman dispatched planes from Guam and Japan after two days F80's hit their supply lines and F51's helped ground troops to allow for buildup. North Korean air force was destroyed at start of war so there was practically no opposition from North Korea after that. June 30 - US Army was brought into the action B54 and C47 made the greatest combat airlift in history By United Nations decree, 15 other countries entered the conflict in South Korea August 1950 - Pusan perimeter established 

• OVER THE YALU - 1950 Huge quantities of supplies were flown over the Pacific daily - commercial airliners were pressed into service to transport troops MacArthur masterminded the Inchon invasion - now it was the Allied forces turn to advance. Not much interference - retook Seoul C47's and C119's dropped paratroopers and equipment on march to Yalu November 1, 1950 - MIG's introduced into the conflict F80's and F86's held their own against the MIG's Chinese entered the war - became an "entirely new war" in December 1950 

• KOREA - FINAL PHASE - 1950 - 1953 November 1950 -  Yalu which is the border of Manchuria was the destination but no further When China entered the war, the enemy strength increased by 300%.  United Nations forces were forced to retreat to Seoul. 38th parallel was established MIG Alley - F86's had advantage because they handled better than the MIG's January 1951 - United Nations forces attacked on the ground June 1952 - Reds ready for ceasefire at Quasong During the two years of talks, the air attacks continued April 1953 - Operation Little Switch at Panmunjam for prisoners of war Operation Big Switch took place later for the remainder of the prisoners of war June 27, 1953 - "Cease Fire" 

• OUR WORLD WIDE AIR FORCE - 1953 - 1959 American air power is the reason for the victory in Korea. Cold War continued - Soviet building military strength American answer - greatly expanded air force with global range and instant response B47 - medium range jet bomber became the workhorse of the Strategic Air Command - replaced the B29 Soviets were developing formidable air power with bombers and MIG's 1949 - NATO was established with England, Germany, France and Turkey 1953 - B52 Stratofortress - 6,000 miles without refueling - could carry nuclear weapons and air-to-ground missiles U.S. developed the Atlas intercontinental missile U.S. Air Force became a World Wide Air Force - developed to keep the U.S. all powerful and keep the peace. 

• AIR FORCE AND THE ATOM BOMB - 1946 - 1954  In WWII, world got proof for U.S. air power 1944 - 'A' Bomb was developed 1945 - became a reality - changed the character of warfare 1946 - Bikini, Einiwetok and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands were picked for A-bomb testing because they were unpopulated C54's with men, supplies, technical equipment, armed services and civilians, air rescue teams, photography teams, teams to take samplings of clouds were ready for 'Able Day' "Dave's Dream" dropped the bomb- B17 drones were sent up to do radioactivity testing and C54 and B29 were the photography planes 'Baker Day' - submarines were bombed Planes were washed down upon return to base 1947 - Atomic Energy Commission was formed - Operation Crossroads 1948 - Operation Sandstone and in 1951 - Operation Greenhouse Nevada - light from bombs tested on properly equipped aircraft crews - no permanent eyesight damage January 1950 - Truman directed the AEC to work on H-bomb 1951 - H-bomb dropped in Einiwetek 

• AIR FORCE TACTICAL FIRE POWER Born in WWI - was immediately effective Massed under one air commander  - all Axis elements surrender three months after amalgamation of forces Air support necessary to support ground troops From 1943, air power was greatest cause of enemy destruction Pacific  - centrally controlled air forces. Korean  War - speed essential in air power - imperative and central to Communists wanting cease fire RF101 - Reconnaissance planes best defense

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