Author Description

This is the milestone official comprehensive history of the United States Air Force with compelling stories about America's airmen and their aircraft. This document, Volume I, contains the first 12 chapters and begins with balloons and the earliest heavier-than-air machines. It carries the story through World War II to the establishment of the United States Air Force as a service separate from, but equal to, the Army and the Navy. Contents: Part I: The Early and Interwar Years, 1907-1939 * Part II: World War II, 1939-1945 * Part III: Building the Air Force, 1945-1950 * Chapter 1 - The Roots of U.S. Military Aviation * Chapter 2 - The Air Service in the Great War * Chapter 3 - From Air Service to Air Corps: The Era of Billy Mitchell * Chapter 4 - The Coming of the GHQ Air Force, 1925-1935 * Chapter 5 - The Heyday of the GHQ Air Force, 1935-1939 * Chapter 6 - Reaction to the War in Europe * Chapter 7 - The Army Air Forces in Desperate Battle, 1941-1942 * Chapter 8 - Building Air Power * Chapter 9 - The Defeat of Italy and Germany * Chapter 10 - Victory over Japan * Chapter 11 - The Quest for Independence * Chapter 12 - Framing Air Force Missions History is therefore important to the Air Force; the recorded past is a foundation for doctrine, policy, strategy, tactics, equipment development, organization, force structure, and virtually every other element of air power. This volume, published in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Air Force as an independent service, is especially valuable. Not only should it both inspire and enlighten the members of the Air Force, it should also serve as a convenient source of information for those outside the service who are interested in the origin, growth, evolution and application of American air power. Throughout its first century, military aviation helped advance the interests of the United States. From a curiosity, fragile and of uncertain value, the warplane has become a devastating weapon. Moreover, ballistic missi