America in the Air WarWhen the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Army Air Forces had only 1,100 combat-ready planes. No one could have imagined then that within the next four years the AAF would become the mighty weapon commemorated in the paintings reproduced on the following pages, or that it would have to scope to engage in what its commander, General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, described as a "global mission." Nevertheless, by 1944 the AAF had grown into 16 separate air forces stationed around the world, and its 1,100 planes had grown to nearly 80,000. |
Contents
The fall and rise of U S air power | 17 |
Target Europe | 53 |
Acme of destruction | 121 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
4th Fighter Group Air Force's aircraft airfields Allied altitude American antiaircraft Arnold attack August aviators base battle began Bombardment Group Bomber Command bombs Bong Brereton cadet Captain clouds coast Colonel combat D-Day damaged destroyed dive Doolittle Doolittle's dropped Eaker Eighth Air Force enemy planes engine England escort Europe exploded feet fields Fifteenth Air Force Fifth Air Force Fighter Group fighter-bombers fire flak flame flew flight flown Flying Fortresses Focke-Wulf 190 Focke-Wulfs formation Forts Gabreski German fighters ground Guinea gunners Hap Arnold heavy bombers invasion island Japan Japanese planes Kearby Kenney Kenney's landing LeMay Lieutenant Luftwaffe MacArthur Major Messerschmitt miles mission Mustangs navigator Ninth Air North P-38 Lightning P-51 Mustang Pacific Ploesti Port Moresby Rabaul radio raid refineries runway Schweinfurt sent ships shot squadron strafing tactical takeoff target Thirteenth Air Force Thunderbolts Tokyo troops turned twin-engined weather Wewak wing Zeros