United States Army Air Corps

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United States Army Air Corps
- USAAC -

Army Air Corps cockade
active July 2, 1926 - June 20, 1941
Country United StatesUnited States United States
Branch of service United States Army
Strength 14,650 soldiers, 1,646 aircraft (1932)
16,863 soldiers, 855 aircraft (1936)
152,125 soldiers, 6,777 aircraft (1941)
commander
Important
commanders

Maj. Gen. Henry H. Arnold

The United States Army Air Corps ( USAAC ) was a forerunner of today's United States Air Force . It was founded on July 2, 1926 as part of the United States Army and is the direct predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), which emerged in 1941. Before the Air Corps, the United States Army Air Service existed from 1918 to 1926. Even if it was abolished as an organization in 1942, the Air Corps (AC) remained a subdivision of the US Army until 1947.

The Air Corps was founded by the United States Congress as a compromise solution between the advocates of an organizationally independent air force and senior US Army commanders. The latter saw the main task in the support of the ground troops rather than in an independently operating force. Between 1926 and 1941 its members tried again and again to emphasize the importance of an independent branch of the Army (similar to the Signal Corps or the Quartermaster Corps ), since the main task of the USAAC at that time was to support the ground troops rather than independent operations .

While there was still an argument about a separate air branch in the management level, the US Army switched on the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ Air Force) on October 1, 1935 . This command unit, which was founded in 1924 but was inactive until 1933, was supposed to take over central control of military aviation within the United States. Until November 19, 1940, the GHQ Air Force was under the command of the Chief of Staff of the Army , after which it was subordinated to the Army General Headquarters (Army GHQ). Since the Air Corps had no direct control over its own combat units (this task was carried out by the GHQ Air Force), there were often problems with the assignment of orders, which only increased with the preparations for the Second World War and the associated increase in troops. These problems were resolved on June 20, 1941, with the formation of the Army Air Forces, as the Air Corps and GHQ Air Force (now renamed Air Force Combat Command ) were subordinated to a higher level of command.

The AC remained an administrative organization until March 9, 1942 and a branch of the Army until 1947. Most of the personnel who later signed up for the US Army Air Forces were members of the US Army Air Corps.

Historical overview

The establishment of the Air Corps

In 1923 the Lassiter Panel, consisting of a group of staff officers, recommended to the United States War Department that the Air Service should be replaced by a group of units capable of flying independent missions during wartime and under the command of the Army General Headquarters . The United States House of Representatives went much further with its demands in its December 1925 report. After an eleven month period of hearings, the committee proposed a unified air force, independent of the Army and United States Navy , including a Department of Defense, to coordinate these three branches.

Another committee, with Dwight Morrow as chairman, had to present a contrary result after only two and a half months. In September 1925, he was supposedly appointed by President Calvin Coolidge to investigate "the best means of developing and using the Air Force in national defense." His actual task, however, was to keep the political effects of the upcoming military trial of Billy Mitchell as low as possible, as well as to come ahead of the findings of the Lampert Committee. The latter also succeeded, and the Morrow Panel's report appeared two weeks before that of the Lampert Committee. The Morrow Report, in line with the President's views, rejected the idea of ​​separate Defense and Air Force departments, but advocated several minor reforms. These should include, for example, changing the name of Air Service to Air Corps (to increase prestige), increasing his (the AC's) representation at the General Staff, and appointing an Assistant Secretary of War for Aviation . In addition, the Air Corps was to keep its " Prop and Wings " insignia , which it ultimately did until its dissolution in 1947.

Congress accepted the proposals of the Morrow Panel and passed the Air Corps Act (44 Stat. 780) on July 2, 1926. The name was changed from Air Service to Air Corps to reflect the "conception of effective, military aviation, less than Support force to strengthen. " The law created the additional post of Assistant Secretary of War for Aviation in support of the military pilots and created a separate Air Force division in each division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the next three years. Other stipulations were that the flight units should be commanded by trained personnel and that the pilots should continue to be paid. Two additional brigadier generals were to serve as assistants to the head of the air corps, who became General Mason Patrick , former head of the air service.

The position of the air force branch within the War Department remained basically the same as before - the flight units were not under the direct operational control of the Air Corps, but under that of the ground units. The task of the AC was to provide for the procurement and stocking of aircraft, to maintain the bases and to take care of training. Even the new post of Assistant Secretary of War for Aviationr , which was occupied from 1926 to 1932 by F. Trubee Davison , did little to promote the autonomy of the Air Force arm.

A five-year expansion program was initiated under the Air Corps Act. However, due to funding problems, this could not begin before July 1, 1927. The goal was a troop size of 1,800 aircraft, 1,650 officers and 15,000 soldiers, which should be achieved with gradual increases over the next five years. But even this relatively modest increase in troops was not to be achieved. The reasons for this were the unapproved funds, as well as the beginning of the global economic crisis , which, in addition to wage cuts, also brought about failures in modernization. In spite of everything, the Air Corps has grown from seven (in Air Service) to 15 groups .

Air Corps added groups (1927-1937)
group Stationed in Date of establishment Aircraft type
18th Pursuit Group Wheeler Field , Hawaii January 20, 1927 PW-9
7th Bombardment Group Rockwell Field , California June 1, 1928 LB-7 , B-3A
12th Observation Group ¹ Brooks Field , Texas October 1, 1930 O-19
20th Pursuit Group Mather Field , California November 15, 1930 P-12
8th Pursuit Group Langley Field , Virginia April 1, 1931 P-6
17th Pursuit Group² March Field , California July 1, 1931 P-12
19th Bomb Group Rockwell Field , California June 24, 1932 B-10
16th Pursuit Group Albrook Air Force Base , Panama December 1, 1932 P-12
10th Transport Group Patterson Field , Ohio May 20, 1937 C-27 C-33
¹Dissolved on May 20, 1937
²Renamed 17th Attack Group (1935), 17th Bomb Group (1939)

The larger the Air Corps became, the higher the level of command they had to report to. The 2nd Squadron ( 2nd Wing ) was established in 1922 switched as part of the Air Service and (in the 2nd Bombardment Squadron 1929 2nd Bombardment Wing renamed). In the same year the 1st Bombardment Wing was also upgraded. A third squadron, initially called the 3rd Bombardment Wing , was established in 1932. At that time, the first bomber squadron (was 1st Bomb Wing ) in the first pursuer Squadron ( 1st Pursuit Wing ) renamed. Until its inception in 1935, these three squadrons were the base of the GHQ Air Force.

A B-6A of the 1st Bomber Squadron, 1935

Before 1935, the most common models of fighter aircraft were the Curtiss P-1 (1926-1930) and Boeing P-12 (1929-1935) families. For the bombers operating at the front, before the introduction of the completely metal monoplane , it was mainly star-engine variants of the Keystone LB-6 (60 LB-5A, LB-6 and LB-7 aircraft) and Keystone B-3 - Designs (127 B-3A, B4A, B-5 ​​and B-6A aircraft). Between 1927 and 1934, the O-1 / A-3 Falcons in particular fulfilled the tasks that the General Staff saw as the Air Corps' priority missions: reconnaissance and close support.

In the first ten years of the Air Corps, the transport aircraft mostly had a trimotor , i.e. a unit powered by three piston engines. For example the Atlantic-Fokker C-2 and the Forc C-3 , which were only represented in such small numbers in the Air Corps (66 in total) that there was often only one aircraft per base. As their number and usability continued to decline, they were replaced by a series of 50 single and twin-engine machines, which were then mainly used for smaller transports and tasks for the workforce. The flight exercises and pilot training took place between 1927 and 1937 in the Consolidated PT-3 and later in a Stearman PT-13 .

In 1933 the Air Corps increased to 50 squadrons : 21 fighter, 13 reconnaissance, 12 bombardment and four attack squadrons. In the same year, the last aircraft with an open cockpit went into service: the Boeing P-26 . It closed the gap between biplanes and more modern aircraft.

In the wake of the Air Mail Scandal , in which the United States Postmaster General and the chiefs of the major airlines were involved, the Air Corps was commissioned to deliver mail in February 1934. Due to a disastrous record, which included a number of crashes and deaths, the commission of inquiry that followed these events recommended changes to the organization of the corps and its modernization. This brought the Air Corps a step further towards autonomy and possible separation from the Army. The commission then proposed an armed force of 2,320 aircraft, which was approved by Congress in June 1936. However, funding for this expansion was not granted until 1939, when the likelihood of war grew. Instead, the size of the Air Corps was even reduced in 1936, to a total of 855 aircraft. That was a year after even the responsible GHQ Air Force recommended a size of 980 aircraft.

Development and Battles

Strategic bombing

"The Marine Air Force will be stationed on the fleet and move with it as an important element in solving primary tasks facing the fleet. The Army Air Force will operate on a land basis and an essential element for the Army in its mission to defend domestic coasts and possessions overseas, his, which consequently gives her absolute freedom of action, without responsibility for coastal defense.
Gene. Douglas MacArthur, Adm. William V. Pratt, January 7, 1931.

Given the poor survivability of the Keystone LB-6 and Martin NBS-1 bombers , Lt. Col. Hugh J. Knerr, Commander of the 2nd Bombardment Squadron at Langley Field , Virginia , introduced two types of all-metal monoplane. According to Knerr, a daytime short-range bomber and a long-range bomber for night missions should be purchased. Instructors from the Air Corps Tactical School , and later also in Langley, went one step further with this concept and advocated light and heavy models, the latter should have a large assortment of bombs loaded.

From 1931, the need for technical improvements to their own equipment grew. Admiral William V. Pratt, at the time the Chief of Naval Operations , had the wish that the navy and the land-based air force would be merged into an aircraft-carrier-based force. Pratt then reached an agreement with the new Chief of Staff, Douglas MacArthur , on responsibilities in coastal defense. From then on, the Air Corps assumed responsibility for defense beyond the range of the coastal guns, which was previously the task of the Navy. Even if the Navy agrees with Adm. Pratt, after retiring in 1934, objected, the Air Corps stuck to its mission, slowly building a base for long-range bomber development and a new doctrine on how to use them.

Another push towards an independent air force was the formulation of theories relating to strategic bombing . These attacks, also known as long-range bombardments, were intended to destroy the industry and warfare potential of a hostile nation, something that only an independent armed force could do. Despite the so perceived "obstacles" on the part of the War Department (mainly in the form of a lack of money), the Air Corps made great strides in the 1930s. A new doctrine highlighting precision bombing of industrial targets by long-haul armed aircraft gave them wings.

This doctrine came about because of several factors. The Air Corps Tactical School moved to Maxwell Field , Alabama , in July 1931 , where it offered a 36-week course for officers that included military aviation theory. In the development and dissemination of the doctrine in the Air Corps, the Bombardment Section, headed by Major Harold L. George , exerted great influence. Nine of the instructors also became known outside the corps as the so-called "Bomber Mafia". Eight of them (including George) would later become generals in World War II. In return, the persecution tacticians, especially Capt. Claire Lee Chennault , head of the school's persecution section, in influence. This happened not least because of repeated mistakes in pursuit aviation. The doctrine, which stood for the aspiration of the Air Corps for autonomy from the General Staff, ultimately led to a further subordination of the Air Force arm, in that its tasks were further limited to the support of the ground forces and the defense of the national territory of the United States.

A Boeing Y1B-9 bomber on a test flight in 1932. At the time, the machine was faster than any fighter aircraft in existence at the time.

The new developments in bomber technology meant that bombers outstripped existing fighters in speed and height. In 1932 and 1933, in such maneuvers, it was impossible for the fighters to climb to the necessary heights fast enough to attack Y1B-9 and B-10 prototypes. This circumstance prompted Brig. Gen. Oscar Westover ended up getting rid of the hunters altogether.

The hegemony of the bombers within the Air Corps was consolidated mainly by the successful development of the Martin B-10 and the orders for over 150 units (including the B-12 variant) that followed in 1935. The B-10 had features that became state-of-the-art in the following decade: a monoplane made entirely of metal, locked cockpits, rotating gun turrets, an extendable landing gear, an internal bomb bay and a full engine fairing.

Thanks to the success of the bombers, a feasibility study was carried out in 1934 for a 35-ton, four-engine bomber (the Boeing XB-15 ). This led to the development of the Model 299, which later became the Boeing B-17 ("Flying Fortress") and which had its maiden flight in July 1935 , despite the unsuitability for combat due to the large engines . In June 1936, the Air Corps requested eleven B-15 and 50 B-17 bombers to support the domestic defense forces in Hawaii , Alaska and Panama . This request was rejected on the grounds that there was no strategic benefit for aircraft with such capabilities.

The Army and Navy were both aware of the Air Corps' independence aspirations - and agreed to work against them. On September 11, 1935, the Joint Board announced , at the behest of the Navy and with the assistance of Gen. MacArthur, a "Joint Action Statement" which reiterated the limited role of the Air Corps in supporting the ground forces and all of their tasks, including coastal defense. The edict was intended to put an aspiring Air Corps back in place. Meanwhile, the message was taken by bomber proponents to mean that the Air Corps would be able to carry out long-range reconnaissance, attack approaching fleets, support distant bases and attack enemy air bases, all in the sense of repelling an air strike on America. The lack of cooperation in coastal defense, which was promoted by the Joint Board's decree, continued and ultimately culminated in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor .

In 1937 the War Ministry decided, which wanted to prevent the acquisition of B-17 bombers as much as possible, that only twin-engine, medium-weight bombers should be produced in 1939 and 1940. With this decision, funds for the development of a very long range bomber were also denied. The long-range bomber program was also stopped in June 1938 by an ordinance of the Joint Board in cooperation with the Navy. The reason was that one would see no use for such machines in future conflicts. Since this contradicted not only the technological trends of the time, but also the geopolitical reality of the approaching war, the ordinance was repealed after a year.

Between 1930 and 1938 the Air Corps was commissioned to defend the coast, which justified the creation of a powerful task force and the development of four-engine bombers. At the same time promoted one for another mission - strategic bombing - with the settled discuss compelling for independence from the Army.

General Headquarters Air Force

The next big step towards a separate Air Force came on March 1, 1935 with the establishment of a centralized, operational air force under the command of a pilot and the Chief of Staff of the Army as the level of command. This command apparatus, called General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force , had been planned by the Army since 1924 as a subordinate element of an Army General Headquarters, which would have command over all army units in the event of war. In anticipation of a military intervention in Cuba in 1933, it was founded on October 1, 1924, but not occupied. According to the findings of the Baker Committee, which was set up after the emergence of the Air Mail Scandal , the GHQ Air Force received the status of a permanent, tactical organization operating in peacetime. On the one hand, this should increase the pressure in the direction of a separate air force, as well as exploit the newly emerging possibilities in flight technology. In the absence of a General Headquarters (for example, in peacetime), the GHQ Air Force reported to the General Staff.

In the United States, the GHQ Air Force withdrew the Corps area commanders from control of all air combat units they had held since 1920 and reorganized them into an operational, powerful force with three squadrons. Administratively, the corps was divided into four geographical areas, which would later also become the first four numbered parts of the Air Force. The General Staff saw this creation as a reduction in the autonomy of the Air Corps. However, the GHQ Air Force, along with the Air Corps, was a "coordinating component" rather than an object of its control. Even so, all of its members (those of GHQ AF) were part of the Air Corps. This dual status, as well as the division of authority, would rather hamper the Air Corps for the next six years, just as it did the Air Service during World War I. This hurdle was only overcome as the Second World War drew closer and with it the need for an expanding air force.

Compared to the European Air Force, the size of the GHQ Air Force remained manageable. On the first day of its existence, it consisted of 60 bombers, 42 attack aircraft, 146 fighters and 24 transport aircraft. The hierarchy of command was also far from clear, as the GHQAF was in command only of aerial combat units within the United States and the Air Corps was responsible for training, development, doctrine and supplies. At the same time, the area commanders of the ground troops were responsible for their facilities and the respective personnel. Adding to these difficulties was the fact that the commanders of the GHQ Air Force and the Air Corps, Major General Frank Maxwell Andrews and Oscar Westover , had a philosophical argument about the direction of the Air Force arm. Andrews was more in favor of autonomy, while Westover emphasized subordination to the army's chain of command. They also wanted to make strategic bombardment the main task of the Luftwaffe, but only a few models of the new, four-engine B-17 Flying Fortress could be afforded, so that until 1938 only 13 units could be purchased and inquiries about further machines were rejected.

Shot of the Italian Rex during the B-17 incident. The mission's navigator was 1st Lt. Curtis LeMay .

In January 1936, the Army Air Corps signed a contract with Boeing for 13 Y1b-17 prototypes. This was enough for a squadron responsible for operational tests, as well as another aircraft for stress tests, which were carried out from January to August 1937. Army Secretary Harry Hines Woodring , who declined requests for further purchases, was concerned with the costs of the aircraft, as well as Army Chief of Staff Malin Craig , who in 1938 failed to make plans for the purchase of five squadrons of B-17's (67 aircraft) over residual amounts. The Air Corps was exposed to hostility from the Navy on May 12, 1938, when it made public the interception of the Italian liner Rex . The steamer was stopped by three B-17s about 980 km off the coast of New York City . As a result, Craig imposed a 100 mile (160 km) restriction on all offshore flights. A joint report was also published, which once again emphasized the role of the Air Corps in supporting the ground forces and the Navy.

Despite the prioritized doctrine of strategic bombing, there have also been modernizations of tactical combat forces under the GHQ Air Force. The Northrop A-17 and the Douglas B-18 were introduced in 1936, the Seversky P-35 in 1937 and the Curtiss P-36 in 1938 . However, these models were already considered technically obsolete when they were introduced, which is why work continued on the development of modern aircraft. By October 1940, after more than a year in the war, every single-engine, piston-powered aircraft in the Air Corps was tested in the air, with the exception of the P-47. Despite the enormous tasks of the Air Corps and the predominant doctrine of strategic bombing, it was only the loss of several bombers that led to the further development of the long-range potential of the aircraft.

Problems placing an order

By the end of 1940 the aim was to double the size of the Air Corps from 15 to 30 groups. This extension should Gen. Arnold, following an order given by President D. Roosevelt in January 1939, oversee and direct. The separation of the combat organization (GHQ Air Force) from the logistic organization (Air Corps) caused severe coordination problems. When in March 1939 Gen. Delos C. Emmons Gen. Andrews took over as commander of the GHQ Air Force, Andrews was given the task of "overseeing" the tactical forces without, however, completely eliminating the division. On October 5, 1940, Andrews made a proposal to form an air force staff, which should unite the air force arm under one commander and thus give him autonomy from the ground and support forces. This plan, which was only to be implemented in March 1942, was passed on to the Chief of Staff George C. Marshall and ultimately met with rejection from the General Staff on all points.

Due to a directive issued by Marshall, the two organizations were split off from each other on November 19, 1940. After more than five years of founding the GHQ Air Force, the GHQ Army was switched on, now with command over the GHQ AF. Logistics and training remained under the direct control of the Chief of Staffs, and the airfields under that of the Corps commanders. Nevertheless, Gen. Arnold joined the General Staff on November 11, 1940 with the position of "Deputy Chief of Staff for Air". In this he had the opportunity to coordinate both sections of the air force arm until the organizational problems were resolved. In his absence, Maj. Gen. George Brett described his plan as "disastrous in wartime".

The order-placement problems were only made worse with the division of the GHQ Air Force into the GHQ Army. General Emmos was promoted to lieutenant general in order to put him on a par with the commanders of the field armies, which were also controlled by the GHQ Army. This forced him to act under and report to a subordinate, since Arnold and Brett were both major generals. On June 20, 1941, Army Regulation 95-5 was repealed by the War Department, thus ending the internal division. Then the United States Army Air Forces was founded, which had the Air Corps and the GHQ Air Force as central components, as well as an authorized Air Force staff, which was responsible for planning and executing the expansion of the Air Force arm. Arnold then became head of the Army Air Forces.

During the Second World War , the role of the Air Corps changed again. With Circular 59 issued by the War Department on June 20, 1941, the Air Corps was subordinated to the USAAF as a combat arm and the office of the Chief of the Air Corps was abolished. On July 26, 1947, under the National Security Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 502), the Army Air Corps was dissolved by Congress.

Yet most of the Army Air Forces remained members of the Army Air Corps. In May 1945, 88% of the officers serving in the Air Force were also serving in the Air Corps.

Modernization and expansion

New planes

During its 15-year history, the Air Corps tested a variety of chase, reconnaissance, and bomber aircraft. In the mid to late 1930s, the advent of all-metal monoplane, closed cockpits, retractable landing gears, closed bomb bays, as well as the emergence of a doctrine for strategic bombing, led to the development of many aircraft models that were still in use at the beginning of World War II. Above all, oxygen and pressure equalization systems, engine superchargers (which were essential for combat at high altitudes), improved radio communication systems such as ultra-short wave radios and the Norden bomb sighting device were among the key technologies in military aviation at the time.

As a further consequence of the Air Mail scandal, the Baker Panel reviewed the performance of Air Corps aircraft. It was found that civil aircraft were considerably better than the machines that were developed solely for the Air Corps. Following the panel's recommendations, the Air Corps purchased and tested the XC-32 version of the Douglas DC-2 , which immediately became Gen.'s airborne headquarters. Andrews was. As a result, 17 aircraft of the type were ordered to set up the first operational transport unit, the 10th Transport Group, which was launched in June 1937 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio . In 1939, when the Air Corps recognized the importance of modern air transport, they bought 35 DC-2 / DC-3 hybrids, which, known as the C-39, was the forerunner of the C-47 Skytrain, which was produced ten thousand times and used in World War II .

The development of fighter aircraft in the late 1930s and early 1940s was mainly characterized by the P-39 Airacobra (maiden flight April 1938), P-40 Tomahawk (October 1938), P-38 Lightning (January 1939), P-51 Mustang (October 1940) and P-47 Thunderbolt (May 1941). Bombers developed during this period were the A-20 Havoc (maiden flight October 1938), B-25 Mitchell (January 1939), B-24 Liberator (December 1939) and B-26 Marauder (November 1940). Except for the B-24, P-47, and P-51, all of these aircraft were delivered before June 1941. During this time, the development of three more long-range bombers began, even if only dummies were made of them before World War II: the B-29 Superfortress (development began in 1938), B-23 Dominator (June 1940) and B-36 Peacemaker (April 1941).

The expansion of the Air Corps

In a special communication dated January 12, 1939, President Roosevelt advised Congress that with the risk of a new war, the recommendations of the Baker Panel were inadequate for the defense of America. At the same time, he applied for approval to increase the Air Corps troops to 6,000 aircraft. On April 3, 1939, Congress approved $ 300 million, half of which was to be used to increase the number of aircraft from 2,500 to 5,500 and the other half for new personnel, training facilities and bases. In June, the Kilmer Commission recommended the purchase of various types of bombers with which tactical ranges of 3,000 and 2,000 miles (approx. 3220 and 4830 km) could be achieved. Chief of Staff Gen. Craig, who long hampered the Air Corps' ambitions, was on the verge of retirement and the General Staff changed their minds on the necessities, ending the moratorium on bomber production and paving the way for the development of the B-29.

In the winter of 1938/39 Gen. Arnold brought a group of experienced officers to his headquarters, who, as unofficial personnel, were to develop a plan to increase the force to 50,000 men by June 1941. The expansion program of the Air Corps was marked by a repeated increase in the goals regarding the number of combat units, aircraft production, training of new personnel and the establishment of new bases. New combat units were formed by withdrawing old cadres from existing groups, which acted as the core of the new units. These older groups thus formed the basis for an average of three new groups.

For the initial 25 groups program ( 25-Group Program ) of the air defense of the hemisphere , which was developed in April 1939, one needed 50,000 soldiers. With the beginning of the western campaign in May 1940, the 54-group program followed , which, however, due to financial problems, was replaced by the 41-group program . In March 1941, the implementation of the 84-group program began , including a target of 400,000 men by 1942, but this was not announced until October 23, 1941.

When the war broke out in September 1939, the fulfillment of the (personnel) plan was only half done, but only 800 aircraft that could be deployed at the front were available. The Air Corps had 17 large facilities, four depots, and most of its 76 airfields were adjacent to civil airports or smaller airfields on Army bases. The acceleration of the expansion program resulted in the Air Corps having 156 airfields and nearly 100,000 soldiers by the end of 1940. In addition, contracts were signed with 20 civil flight schools and eight technical training schools to offer additional training. On August 10, 1940, Pan American World Airways pledged to offer recruits in Coral Gables , Florida , navigation and meteorological training until military schools were established.

At the time, public support for military aviation had reached unprecedented heights. Nevertheless, Gen. Arnold opposed to taking advantage of the situation and promoting independence from the Army. Even if the US Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall gave him a free hand, Arnold assumed that it would be "a serious mistake to change the existing line-up" in the course of this important increase in the corps.

organization

Army Air Corps, March 1, 1935

Source: Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units of World War II

General Headquarters Air Force

A P-26A of the 34th Fighter Squadron, 1934-1936

(Maj. Gen. Frank Maxwell Andrews , Langley Field , Virginia )

1st Squadron ( 1st Wing ) (Brig. Gen. Henry H. Arnold , March Field , California )
7. Bomb Group ( 7th Bombardment Group ), Hamilton Field , California
9th, 11th and 31st bomber squadron ( Bombardment Squadrons )
17 attack group ( 17th Attack Group ), March Field, California
34th, 73rd and 95th attack relay ( Attack Squadrons )
19th Group of Bombs, March Field, California
23rd, 30th, 32nd and 72nd Squadrons (the 23rd and 72nd BS were based in Hawaii )
2nd Squadron (Brig. Gen. H. Conger Pratt, Langley Field, Virginia)
1. Hunting Group ( 1st Pursuit Group ), Selfridge Field , Michigan
17th, 27th and 94th hunting squadrons ( Pursuit Squadrons )
2nd Bomb Group, Flangley Field, Virginia
20th, 49th, 54th and 96th Squadrons (the 54th BS was part of the Air Corps Tactical School)
8. Hunt group ( 8th Pursuit Group ), Langley Field, Virginia
33rd, 35th and 36th hunting season (additionally the 37th hunting season)
9th Bomber Group, Mitchel Field , New York
1st, 5th, 14th and 99th bomber squadron
37th attack season (also the 8th hunting season)
3rd Squadron (Col. Gerald C. Brant, Barksdale Field , Louisiana )
3rd Assault Group, Barksdale Field, Louisiana
8th, 13th and 19th attack seasons
20. Hunting Party, Barksdale Field, Louisiana
55th, 77th and 79th squadrons
21 Airship Group ( 21st Airship Group ), Scott Field , Illinois
9th Airship Squadron, Scott Field
19th Airship Squadron, Langley Field

Other units

Advanced Flying School, Kelly Field , Texas
40th attack, 42nd bomber and 43rd fighter squadron
39. School-season ( 39th School Squadron )
Air Corps Technical School, Chanute Field , Illinois
48th squadron
Air Corps Tactical School (Col. John F. Curry , Maxwell Field , Alabama )
54th bomber and 86th reconnaissance squadron
Rockwell Air Depot, Rockwell Field , California
4th Transport Squadron (from July 8, 1935)
Second Corps Area, US Army, Mitchel Field, New York
97. reconnaissance squadron ( 97th Observation Squadron )
Sixth Corps Area, US Army, Scott Field, Illinois
15. Reconnaissance Squadron (added)
Eighth Corps Area, US Army, Fort Sam Houston , Texas
12th Reconnaissance Group, Brooks Field , Texas
12. Awareness squadron
22. Reconnaissance Squadron
88th Reconnaissance Squadron
Ninth Corps Area, US Army, Crissy Field , California
91st Reconnaissance Squadron

Units overseas

18 composite Squadron ( 18th Composite Wing ) (Lt. Col. Delos Carleton Emmons , Fort Shafter , Hawaii )
5. composite group ( 5th Composite Group ), Luke Field , Hawaii
26th attack, 40th and 50th reconnaissance squadron (also 23rd and 72nd bomber squadron)
18th Squadron, Wheeler Field , Hawaii
6th and 19th hunting seasons
19th Verbund Squadron Lt. Col. William C. McCord, Albrook Field , Panama Canal Zone
6. Verbund Group, Albrook Field, Canal Zone
25th bomber, 7th and 44th reconnaissance squadron
16. Hunting Party, Albrook Field, Canal Zone
24th, 29th, 74th and 78th hunting seasons
4. Verbund Group, Clark Field , Luzon
2nd reconnaissance, 3rd fighter and 28th bomber squadron

Annual strength

Measured on June 30th each year:

year Strength year Strength year Strength
1927 9.979 1932 14,650 1937 18,572
1928 10,518 1933 14.817 1938 20.196
1929 12,080 1934 15.621 1939 22.387
1930 13.305 1935 15.945 1940 51.185
1931 14,485 1936 16.863 1941 152.125
Generals Benjamin D. Foulois (left), James Fechet (center) and H. Conger Pratt.

The heads of the Air Corps

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ According to Col. John F. Shiner (1997). "The Heyday of the GHQ Air Force, 1935-1939," Winged Shield, Winged Sword: A History of the United States Air Force , Vol. 1 1907-1950. USAF. Page 136, 120 for the number regarding the GHQAF. ISBN 0-16-049009-X
  2. ^ Tate, page 78.
  3. ↑ Dr. James P. Tate (1998). The Army and its Air Corps: Army Policy Toward Aviation 1919–1941 , Air University Press. Page 161
  4. ^ Shiner, "The Coming of the GHQ Air Force," 116.
  5. ↑ Martin W. Bowman, USAFF Handbook 1939–1945 . Page 7. ISBN 0-8117-1822-0 .
  6. ↑ James L. Cate (1945). USAF Historical Study 112: The History of the Twentieth Air Force: Genesis . Air Force Historical Research Agency, page 17.
  7. ^ Cate, page 15
  8. ^ Cate, page 16
  9. ↑ a b Cate, page 17.
  10. ^ Shiner, Winged Shield, Winged Sword , 133.
  11. ↑ John T. Correll. "GHQ Air Force", AIR FORCE Magazine , September 2008, Vol. 91 No. 9. Page 63.
  12. ↑ Maurer Maurer (1987). Aviation in the US Army, 1919-1939 , Officer of Air Force History, Washington, DC page 298. ISBN 1-4102-1391-9 .
  13. ↑ Correl, "GHQ Air Force", pages 63-64.
  14. ^ Shiner, "The Heyday of the GHQ Air Force, 1935-1939," 146.
  15. ^ John T. Correll, "Rendezvous With the REex ", AIR FORCE Magazine December 2008, Vol 91. No. 12. Page 56.
  16. ^ A b William A. Goss, "Origins of the Army Air Forces", The Army Air Forces in World War II Vol. Six: Men and Planes. (Editors: Wesley F. Craven and James L. Cate, 1945, 1984). University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-912799-03-X , p. 18.
  17. ^ Correll, "GHQ Air Force," 66.
  18. ^ John T. Correll (July 2009). "But What About the Air Corps?" Air Force Magazine, Journal of the Air Force Association. Pages 64-65.
  19. ^ Message from President Roosevelt to Congress, January 12, 1939.
  20. ↑ Edwin L. Williams Jr. (1953). USAF Historical Study No. 84: Legislative History of the AAF and the USAF, 1941-1951 Air Force Historical research Agency, 12. Public Law 18, 76th Congress, 1st session.
  21. ^ Cate, page 18.
  22. ↑ Jerry White, USAF Historical Study 61: Combat Crew and Training Units in the AAF, 1939-45. Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  23. ^ Robert Futrell, USAF Historical Study No. 69 : Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States, 1939-1945, pp . 23-24 .
  24. ↑ The actual goals of the final "Hemispheric Defense Program" included 84 combat units, 7,799 tactical aircraft, 30,000 new pilots per year and 100,000 new technical personnel per year.
  25. ^ Wesley F. Crave and James L. Cate (editors, 1945, 1984). The Army Air Forces in World War II Vol. One: Plans & Early Operations, January 1939 to August 1942. Pages 105-106.
  26. ^ Futrell, Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States, 1939-1945 , pp. 2-7. The 21 largest bases were Langley , Mitchel , March , Scott , Selfridge , Barksdale , Hamilton , Moffett , Bolling , McChord , Kelly , Brooks , Randolph , Chanute , Lowry , Maxwell , Wright Fields , San Antonio (Middletown) Fairfield and Sacramento Air Depots.
  27. ^ Futrell, "Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States, 1939-1945" . Page 26.
Reconnaissance aircraft of the US Army Air Corps and the US Army Air Force (1930 to 1947)

F-1  • F-2  • F-3  • F-4  • F-5  • F-6  • F-7  • F-8  • F-9  • F-10  • XF-11  • XF-12  • F- 13  • XF-14  • F-15