Army Air Forces

Army Air Forces. The Army Air Forces was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army during and immediately after World War II. Created in June 1941, it provided critical air power across all theaters of the war, from the Pacific War to the European Theater of Operations. It was the direct organizational predecessor to the independent United States Air Force, which was established in 1947.

History

The roots of the organization lie in the earlier United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps. Its establishment on 20 June 1941, under War Department Circular 59-1, consolidated all Army air elements under a single command led by Henry H. Arnold. This reorganization, prompted by the expanding air war in Europe and growing tensions with Japan, granted it unprecedented autonomy within the War Department. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, it underwent massive expansion, mobilizing American industrial capacity to become the world's most powerful air armada, engaging in strategic campaigns against Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan.

Organization

The commanding general, Henry H. Arnold, also served as Deputy Army Chief of Staff for Air and reported directly to the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, George C. Marshall. Its major operational components were the numbered air forces, such as the Eighth Air Force in Europe and the Twentieth Air Force in the Pacific. These were subdivided into wings, groups, and squadrons. Key supporting commands included the Air Transport Command for global logistics, the Air Technical Service Command for maintenance and supply, and the Army Air Forces Training Command which operated facilities like Keesler Field and Sheppard Field.

Aircraft and equipment

It operated a vast array of aircraft that defined American air power. Iconic bombers included the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-29 Superfortress, and the B-25 Mitchell, famous for the Doolittle Raid. Primary fighters were the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-38 Lightning, and P-40 Warhawk. Transport and support aircraft were vital, such as the C-47 Skytrain and the C-54 Skymaster. It also deployed advanced technology like the Norden bombsight and early airborne radar systems, and was the only service to employ atomic weapons in combat, dropping Little Boy on Hiroshima and Fat Man on Nagasaki.

Major operations and campaigns

Its forces were engaged in all major theaters of World War II. In the European Theater of Operations, the Eighth Air Force and Fifteenth Air Force conducted the Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany, including critical raids on Schweinfurt and Ploesti. In the Pacific War, the Fifth Air Force under George Kenney supported campaigns in New Guinea and the Philippines, while the Twentieth Air Force executed the B-29 campaign against Japan, culminating in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Other significant efforts included the North African Campaign, the invasion of Normandy, and the China Burma India Theater.

Legacy and transition to the United States Air Force

The overwhelming demonstration of strategic air power during the war, particularly through operations like the bombing of Hamburg and the firebombing of Tokyo, solidified arguments for an independent air force. This advocacy, championed by leaders like Henry H. Arnold and Carl Spaatz, led to the passage of the National Security Act of 1947. On 18 September 1947, the Army Air Forces was disestablished, and its personnel, equipment, and infrastructure were transferred to the newly created, co-equal United States Air Force under the Department of the Air Force, with Stuart Symington as its first secretary and Carl Spaatz as its first chief of staff.

Category:United States Army Air Forces Category:Disestablished units and formations of the United States Army Category:Military units and formations established in 1941