Page 3 - Desert Lightning News, So. AZ Edition, Sept. 1 2017

Desert Lightning News September 2017 www.aerotechnews.com/davis-monthanafb
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National Security Act births AF
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AF celebrates 70 years of airpower
Throughout the pages of the September 2017 edition, snippets of U. S. Air Force history are scattered. They are identified by the AF Anniversary logo you see on Page 1 and compiled by Stuart Ibberson, Aerotech News & Review editor.
With the stroke of a pen, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 on Sept. 18, 1947. The Act created the National Military Establishment – later renamed the Department of Defense – and created the U.S. Air Force as a separate branch of the U.S. military. The signing began a three-year transition period in which soldiers became airmen and army air fields became
air force bases.
Before that, the responsibility for military aviation was divided between the U.S. Army for land-based operations and the U.S. Navy for sea-based operations.
And while we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 18, the history of U.S. military aviation can be traced back to 1907, when the U.S. Army created the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps.
World War I and between wars
In 1917, upon the United States’ entry into World War I, the first major U.S. aviation combat force was created when an Air Service was formed as part of the American Expeditionary Force. Maj. Gen. Mason Patrick com- manded the Air Service of the AEF; his deputy was Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell.
These aviation units, some of which were trained in France, pro- vided tactical support for the U.S. Army, especially during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse- Argonne offensives.
Concurrent with the creation of this combat force, the U.S. Army’s aviation establishment in the United States was removed from control of the Sig-
nal Corps and placed directly under the United States Secretary of War. An assistant secretary was created to direct the Army Air Service, which had dual responsibilities for develop- ment and procurement of aircraft, and raising and training of air units. With the end of the First World War, the AEF’s Air Service was dissolved and the Army Air Service in the United States largely demobilized.
In 1920, the Air Service became a branch of the Army and in 1926 was renamed the Army Air Corps. Dur- ing this period, the Air Corps began experimenting with new techniques, including air-to-air refueling and the development of the B-9 and the
Martin B-10, the first all-metal mono- plane bombers, and new fighters.
Technology
During World War I, aviation tech- nology developed rapidly; however, the Army’s reluctance to use the new technology began to make airmen think that as long as the Army con- trolled aviation, development would be stunted and a potentially valuable force neglected.
Air Corps senior officer Billy Mitch- ell began to campaign for Air Corps independence. But his campaign of- fended many and resulted in a court martial in 1925 that effectively ended his career. His followers, including future aviation leaders “Hap” Arnold
Courtesy photograph
With the stroke of a pen, President Harry S. Truman signed the Na- tional Security Act of 1947 on Sept. 18, 1947.
and Carl Spaatz, saw the lack of public, congressional, and military support that Mitchell received and decided that America was not ready for an independent air force. Under the leadership of its chief of staff Ma- son Patrick and, later, Arnold, the Air Corps waited until the time to fight for independence arose again.
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Staff
Publisher ..............................................................Paul Kinison Business manager ...............................................Lisa Kinison Editor .......................................................... Deborah Leuthold Advertising representative ................................Sandi Bueltel Designer ............................................................... Emma Uribe
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Air Force celebrates 70 years
From the time that the U.S. military purchased its first aircraft in 1909 up to 1947, the U.S. Air Force did not exist as a separate and independent military service organization. It went through a series of designations:
· Aeronautical Section, Signal Corps, 1909
· Aviation Section, Signal Corps, 1914
· U.S. Army Air Service, 1918 · U.S. Army Air Corps, 1926
· U.S. Army Air Forces, 1941 · U.S. Air Force, 1947
70 YEARS OF AIRPOWER