History+of+the+U.S.+Air+Force

History AF = Air Force

 They have been defending America since the “dawn of flight”.

 On August 1st, 1907 the Army Corps created an Aeronautical Division (the very beginning of the Air Force). The Army was more interested in balloons and dirigibles instead of heavy powered air planes or “ships”. A balloon is close to a blimp, it relies on the wind direction. But a dirigible is an airship that is steerable. Anyway, this Aeronautical division was created only three and a half years after the Wright brothers assembled the worlds first powered airplane in North Carolina. The truth was that they’ve used man powered balloons in the Civil War and the Spanish - American War in the 19th century, but they never tried using the heavy man powered air plane until the Army corps accepted the delivery of one from the very own Wright bros. in 1909. Captain Benjamin D. Foulois tested this experimentation to eventually form the 1st Aero Squandron, in December 1913.  That was only the beginning of this very long, “adventure”, created by the United States Army. They kept improving their designs to make the Air Force more powerful, so to say. One of the struggles was that the U.S. was far behind in technology, compared to the major allies of WWI. We were unable to catch up with the European technology at the time.

 The Army Air Service was created by President Woodrow Wilson, he then placed it under the War Department on May 24th, 1918. By the time of November 1918 the Air Service enlisted 178,000 men and grew to have 19,000 officers until they lost most of their men during the tragic war. The Air Service had great significance in the war, the United Kingdom recognized the importance and to prove it they created they’re very own Royal Air Force. The Air Corps Act of 1926 changed it’s name to the Air Corps on July 2nd of that year. Germany, Italy, and Japan were growing rapidly leaving the American Air Corps with limited funds and the least of it's modernization.

After Adolf Hitler created WWII, the Air Corps started growing in personnel (26,000) and planes (2,000). On June 20th, 1941 the Department of War created the Army Air Forces (AAF) as a main element in the Army’s infra structure. The AAF shot up in personnel when Japan surprised Hawaii with their attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The leader of the Air Force’s part in the war was General Henry H. Arnold. The main aircraft used was the C - 47 Skytrain, the P - 51 Mustang, and the dangerous B - 17 Flying Fortress, and B - 29 Superfortress. The U.S. Air Force reached it’s peak at the time of 80,000 aircrafts and 2.4 million personnel. The AAF’s air operations were very wide spread over the course of the world. The U.S. Air Force was demobilized for the time being after WWII based on not risking any future potential. The Air Force was such a big help they became official partners of the U.S. Army and Navy on September 18th, 1947. Stuart Symington became the Air Force’s first Secretary with Carl A. Spaatz being the first Chief of Staff. Within a month of it’s time Chuck Yeager took the Bell XS - 1 for a test to fly to the speed of sound and landed the Air Force into it’s supersonic era. The threat by the Soviet Union determined all forces to strengthen it’s amount of staff throughout the military and especially air power. The role of the U.S. Air Forces knocking down the Berlin blockade in 1948 determined the air capabilities during the Cold War. The atomic bomb settled the importance of long range bombers such as the B - 36 Peacemaker in the Air Force’s possession. The technology and science was expanded in these, “new”, planes with the R & D program which stands for Research and Development. The Soviets invasion on South Korea based on communism of North Korea drew the Air Force into a major conflict. They used jet fighters such as the F - 86 Sabre just to establish superiority over the Koreans. The war ended in 1953 with the Chinese and the Koreans making an agreement, but the AAF still kept a fair amount of units in the Pacific to contain the communism. That lead up to the build up of the United States Air Force in Europe. The Air Force also took place in a huge part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to fight against the Soviet led Warsaw pact for the next 40 years. Together the Navy missile provided submarines and the Strategic Air Commands (SAC) bomber arsenal planes were enough to watch out for an eruption of the Cold War. The Air Force’s mission was also expanded into space with the development of orbital satellites and launch vehicles. In 1964 forces descended into South Vietnam, and the Air Force launched operation  Rolling Thunder on the targets from North Vietnam. Tactical aircraft such as the F 4 Phantom II played huge roles in aerial combat and support. The F - 105 Thunderchief specialized in bombing raids in North Vietnam. The AF dominated and eventually compelled the enemy to sign a peace treaty on January 1973. The U.S. AF was not of assistance when North Vietnam landed a successful attack on South Vietnam in 1975. While the Soviets were improving their weapons at a faster, stronger pace, the AF was improving their weapons too. But mostly their mission up into space. In the 1970’s the AF developed new weapon systems such as A - 10 Thunderbolt II, F - 15 Eagle, F - 16 Fighting Falcon, E - 3 Sentry, and M - X Peacekeeper. It’s improvements on their space mission included satellite - based communication, warnings, weather, and navigation systems. With aerial refueling tankers and long range transports. The United States Air Force successfully expanded their worldwide capabilities demonstrated on October 1973 during the Arab - Israeli War. Using C 141 Starlifters and giant C - 5 Galaxies, they formed a airborne bride to Israel (Named operation Nickel Glass). The only difficulty was that the AF did not receive adequate resources to obtain full readiness. The military defense started to fall back during 1979. It was proved by the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan and the disappointment of American hostages in Iran. America’s military needed major improvement. The American defense build up of the 1980’s ensued the gain of new weapons, and an improvement to expand their structure. The F 117A stealth fighter is and example of the Air Force’s development. The AF had several operations to prove their capabilities with success. At the time the United States Air Force was progressing, and the Soviet’s economy could no longer afford to compete in the Cold War. The destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the final days of the Warsaw Pact which led to the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Part Four of the Air Force’s journey brings us to modern times. The Force was letting up on alerts now that the Cold War was over. Operation Dessert Shield was put into play when the Air Force helped win one of the most oddly numbered battles in military history. The F 117 Nighthawk mainly delivered this arsenal strike after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Charles A. Horner the AF was able to defeat Iraq with very few U.S. deaths in their 6 week mission. No longer needing all their personnel without the soviet threat they deleted 5 major commands and went from 600,000 personnel in the 1980’s to 388,000 personnel in 1996. Conducted by NATO for the first time, using sophisticated technology, the AF tried to maintain peace in Bosnia during their civil war. They then continued to keep their units placed in spots that would always have them be ready for action such as the Korean Peninsula. Today the Air Force’s technology changes and progresses faster and faster while they also stay alert in the world to protect. Being the only true air and space force in the world, they still look back in their past memories honoring the people that made monumental sacrifices and achievements. The United States Air Force will always be looking to succeed their next challenge.

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