Author Description

Here is a comprehensive history of the people and vehicles of the United States Air Force, from World War I through the start of the 21st Century. This Introduction to the United States Air Force is organized into two parts and five appendices. The first part is organized chronologically and groups significant operations and personalities together in several critical periods in the development of the US Air Force. The second part covers aerospace craft and is organized by type (fighters, bombers, missiles, etc.) in order to show the development of each type over time. Following Part II are appendices listing the senior leaders of the early air forces (before the creation of the US Air Force in 1947), the Air Force Chiefs of Staff, the Chief Master Sergeants of the Air Force, Fighter Aces, and Medal of Honor Winners. Contents: Part I - Major Operations and Personnel of the United States Air Force * Part II - Aerospace Craft of the United States Air Force WORLD WAR I AND THE INTERWAR YEARS: 1916-40 * Mexican Punitive Expedition (1916-17) * St Mihiel Offensive of World War I * Sinking of the Ostfriesland (1921) * Pan American Goodwill Flight * Question Mark Flight (1929) * Airmail Operation (1934) * "Hap" Arnold's B-10 Flights to Alaska * Foulois * Bullard * Mitchell * Rickenbacker * Luke * Patrick * Andrews * Doolittle Raid on Tokyo * Kasserine Pass * Battle of the Bismarck Sea * Ploesti Raid (August 1943) * Regensburg/Schweinfurt Raids (1943) * Operation Overlord (1944) * Bombing Tokyo * Hiroshima and Nagasaki * "Hap" Arnold * Chennault * Eaker * Spaatz * Gabreski * Kuter * Bong * "Jimmy" Doolittle * Kenney * Whitehead * McGuire * Tibbets * INDEPENDENT AIR FORCE, COLD WAR, AND KOREA: 1946-64 * X-1 Supersonic Flight * Berlin Airlift * Pusan Perimeter Defense * Corona * Strategic Air Command (1946-92) * Cuban Missile Crisis * Yeager * Vandenberg * Hess * Jabara * McConnell * Blesse * Risner * Twining * Tunner * LeMay * Schriever * Aldrin * Grissom * Slayton * Rolling T