Why are the categorization people changing United States Army Air Corps to United States Army Air Force?

Question

That is totally erroneous. It was formally the United States Army Air Corps until 1947 when it changed to the United States Air Force.

Comments

In my opinion (although maybe not correct) it should be " United States Army Air Corps ". Ref: http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Duesler-28

Answer 1

the United States Army Air Service became the United States Army Air Corps on 2 Jul 1926.

On 1 March 1935, still struggling with the issue of a separate air arm, the Army activated the General Headquarters Air Force for centralized control of aviation combat units within the continental United States, separate from but coordinate with the Air Corps. The separation of the Air Corps from control of its combat units caused problems of unity of command that became more acute as the Air Corps enlarged in preparation for World War II. This was resolved by the creation of the Army Air Forces (AAF), making both organizations subordinate to the new higher echelon.

The United States Army Air Forces was created in June 1941 from both the Air Corps and General Headquarters Air Force.

The Air Corps ceased to have an administrative structure after 9 March 1942, but as "the permanent statutory organization of the air arm, and the principal component of the Army Air Forces," the overwhelming majority of personnel assigned to the AAF were members of the Air Corps.

To avoid the headache of calling some people Air Corps, other Army Air Forces, Units Army Air Forces, etc, we decided to go with calling them all Army Air Forces after June 1941 until they became the Air Force on 18 Sep 1947.  note in the above paragraph that it states the Air Corps is the principal component of the Army Air Forces, so it makes sense to call them by the parent, not the sub ordinate unit.....

 

Comments

My father, who joined the Army in 1942 and was put into the Air Corps, always kidded Air Force people because he had been in the Air Corps, later the Army Air Force. His rank was Staff Sgt, in the Air Corps/Force. He got out before 1947 when the official Air force was established.

He should be categorized as both Air Corps AND Army Air Force....

rsl

Answer 2

The Army Air Corps was not the organization, but the Corps for aviators and their support personnel.  The United States Army Air Forces was established before WW-II on June 20, 1941 as described in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Forces which as you will note is heavily documented.

On 20 June 1941, to grant additional autonomy to the air forces and to avoid binding legislation from Congress, the War Department revised the army regulation governing the organization of Army aviation, AR 95–5.^[10] Arnold assumed the title of Chief of the Army Air Forces, creating an echelon of command over all military aviation components for the first time and ending the dual status of the Air Corps and GHQ Air Force, which was renamed Air Force Combat Command (AFCC) in the new organization. The AAF gained the formal "Air Staff" long opposed by the General Staff,^{[n 3]} and a single air commander,^[10] but still did not have equal status with the Army ground forces, and air units continued to report through two chains of command.^[11] The commanding general of AFCC gained control of his stations and court martial authority over his personnel,^[12] but under the new field manual FM-5 the Army General Headquarters had the power to detach units from AFCC at will by creating task forces, the WDGS still controlled the AAF budget and finances, and the AAF had no jurisdiction over units of the Army Service Forces providing "housekeeping services" as support^{[n 4]} nor of air units, bases, and personnel located outside the continental United States.^[13][14]

Arnold and Marshall agreed that the AAF would enjoy a general autonomy within the War Department (similar to that of the Marine Corps within the Department of the Navy)^[12] until the end of the war, while its commanders would cease lobbying for independence.^{[n 5]} Marshall, a strong proponent of airpower, left understood that the Air Force would likely achieve its independence following the war. 

The Army Air Corps remained the branch whose insignia was worn on the collar until the US Air Force was formed on 18 September 1947.