United States Army Air Forces
The
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the
U.S. Army during
World War II. The direct precursor to the
U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947.
Prior to the United States's entrance into World War II, the USAAF was known as the
U.S. Army Air Corps, or USAAC. The USAAC was a
corps-level, subsidiary organization within the
U.S. Army, and had limited autonomy. Due to the efforts of several key USAAC officers, the threat of war, and the re-organization of the Army along functional lines, the Air Corps obtained greater organizational autonomy as the Army Air Force on
June 20,
1941. Renamed the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) on
March 9,
1942, and considered a separate arm of the Army, the new USAAF had an equal "voice" with the Army and
Navy.
The sixteen Air Forces
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USAAF recruitment poster. |
By the end of World War II, the USAAF was divided into sixteen numbered air forces (
First through
Fifteenth and the
Twentieth) distributed across all theaters of war, plus the
Zone of the Interior general air force stationed in the continental United States. To these were attached an additional eight air divisions which were sometimes detached and served as independent units when the need arose. Several of these air forces and divisions grew out of earlier Air Corps commandsâ€"for example, the
Eighth Air Force was originally called
VIII Bomber Commandâ€"as the service expanded in size and organization with multiple lower tiers added and yet higher echelons such as
U.S. Strategic Air Forces created to control the whole. Several air forces were created
de novo as the service expanded during the war. The air forces and divisions were divided into a total of 91 wings, called
Bombardment,
Tactical Reconnaissance,
Training or
Composite depending on whether their primary intended role was
strategic bombing, pursuit, air support, et cetera. The air forces also had jurisdiction over a number of logistical units like the
Air Transport Command, successor to the pre-war
Air Corps Ferrying Command.
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USAAF recruitment poster. |
After the war, the
Eighth Air Force was merged with several other units to become the
United States Air Forces in Europe (
USAFE). In
1947, the USAFE became a component of the newly-created
United States Air Force. From 1948â€"49, the unit was responsible for the
Berlin Airlift.
The official name for the organization was the
United States Army Air Forces. In colloquial speech, the old
Air Corps name persisted among veteran soldiers; in addition, the singular "Air Force" often crept into popular use, possibly by analogy to the
Allied Royal Air Force. This misnomer even crept onto official recruiting posters (see image on right).
List of air forces
*
First Air Force*
Second Air Force*
Third Air Force*
Fourth Air Force*
Fifth Air Force*
Sixth Air Force*
Seventh Air Force*
Eighth Air Force*
Ninth Air Force*
Tenth Air Force*
Eleventh Air Force*
Twelfth Air Force*
Thirteenth Air Force*
Fourteenth Air Force*
Fifteenth Air Force*
Twentieth Air ForceAir Force independence
Following the immense buildup in aviation infrastructure and personnel during the war, and in recognition of the tremendous new importance and strength of airpower, then-
President Harry S. Truman created the
United States Department of the Air Force in
1947. This legislation renamed the aviation military group again to the United States Air Force, elevating it to a truly separate branch of the U.S. military. The
Key West Agreement outlined the air assets that each service would be permitted to maintain, with the Air Force getting the bulk of strategic, tactical and transport aircraft. The Army was permitted light aircraft for reconnaissance, the transport of general officers and other miscellaneous duties, under the auspices of
Army Aviation. This state-of-affairs lasted until the 1960's, when the advent of the jet-turbine helicopter and the concept of air-mobile brigades increased the size and scope of Army Aviation once again.
*
Carl Albert,
U.S. representative from
Oklahoma and
Speaker of the House from
1971 to
1977*
Henry H. Arnold, commanding general of the USAAF
*
Lloyd Bentsen,
U.S. Senator, Democratic
Vice Presidential Candidate in 1988, and
Bill Clinton's
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury*
Clyde Cowan, discovered existence of the
neutrino *
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., the first African-American general in the USAAF and commander of the 332nd Fighter Group.
*
Nathan Bedford Forrest III,
brigadier general in the USAAF and great-grandson of
Confederate general
Nathan Bedford Forrest.
*
Clark Gable,
film actor *
William Wister Haines, author, screenwriter, and playwright
*
Charlton Heston, film actor and President of the
National Rifle Association.
*
Arthur Harvey, oil pioneer, author, World War I veteran.
*
John Hope, television
meteorologist and
hurricane forecaster
*
DeForest Kelley, actor
*
George McGovern,
U.S. Senator and
1972 Democratic Presidential candidate*
Glenn Miller, popular musician and director of the Band of the USAAF Training Command
*
Walter M. Miller, Jr.,
science fiction author*
William Rehnquist, jurist and former
Chief Justice of the United States*
Gene Roddenberry. American television producer,
Star Trek creator
*
Carl Spaatz, commanding general of the USAAF and later first Chief of Staff of the Air Force
*
Aaron Spelling, film and
television producer*
Jimmy Stewart, film actor - Officer in 8th Air Force.
*
Joseph A. Walker, military
test pilot*
Harris Wofford, U.S. Senator from
Pennsylvania*
Kenneth N. Walker Brig. Gen.,
Medal of Honor recipient, airpower visionary, co-author of the Air War Plan (AWPD-I)
*
George Wallace, Governor of Alabama and Presidential Candidate
*
Ted Williams, famous baseball player
*
Coleman Young, Mayor of Detroit, 1974-1994.
*
Norman Lear, Television and motion picture producer
*
Curtis LeMay,Helped form the Strategic Air Command
To denote the special training and qualifications required for membership in the USAAF, the following
military badges were authorized for wear by members of the Army Air Forces during
World War II:
*
Aircrew Badge*
Aircraft Observer Badge*
Auxiliary Pilot Badge*
Aviator Badge*
Balloon Observer Badge*
Balloon Pilot Badge*
Bombardier Badge*
Command Pilot Badge*
Flight Engineer Badge*
Flight Instructor Badge*
Flight Nurse Badge*
Flight Surgeon Badge*
Glider Pilot Badge*
Gunner Badge*
Liaison Pilot Badge*
Navigator Badge*
Observer Badge*
Pilot Badge*
Senior Balloon Pilot Badge*
Senior Pilot Badge*
Service Pilot Badge*
Technical Observer Badge*
Technician Badge*
Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) BadgeThese aviation qualification badges were often displayed formally on uniforms as a sterling silver wing ornament whose span was 3 inches long. Various forms of this wing badge featured clutch and pin backs. Some of the badges are now
obsolete.
*
ArmyAirForces.com — comprehensive look at the USAAF. Includes searchable databases, histories, dictionary, and forum.
**
USAAF air force/division/wing histories History of all USAAF subdivisions.
**
USAAF jargon dictionary — contains 526 words and abbreviations.
**
USAAF unit search — searchable database of groups, squadrons, squadron codes, stations, and commanders.
**
USAAF missing air crew report search — searchable database of missing air crew reports (MACRs) by MACR number, date, serial number, and group.
*
United States Army Center of Military History "Green Book" Chief of Staff: Prewar Plans and Preparations. Chap. IX: The Movement Toward Air Autonomy*
USSAAF.net — "Published accounts of the Army Air Forces in World War II available in the public domain."
*
USSAF in WWII — Combat chronology. Available for ZIP download.
* Maurer, Maurer.
Air Force Combat Units of World War II. 1986.
*
Allied Fighter Combat Footage - Watch combat footage from Allied fighters
*
http://www.usaf.net/ USAAF 1941-1945
