Category: United States Army Air Forces

Categories: United States Armed Forces

The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the aerial warfare service of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II (1939/41–1945), successor to the previous United States Army Air Corps and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force of today, one of the five uniformed military services.(Source: United States Army Air Forces, Wikipedia.org, accessed September 8, 2018.)

Preceeded by: Category: United States Army Air Corps Succeeded by: Category: United States Air Force

History:

• 1926- The Air Corps became the branch for Army aviation.
• 1935, General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force was created for operational aviation units.
• June 20, 1941- The Army Air Forces (AAF) came into being six months before Pearl Harbor.
• March 1942 Army Air Forces attained quasi autonomy. A few months after entering the war Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces were made co-equal commands.
• The Army Air Forces replaced the Air Corps as the Army aviation arm and for practical purposes became an autonomous service. All World War II Army aviation training and combat units were in the Army Air Forces.
• About 2.4 million men and women served in the Army Air Forces. Around 600,000 of these were members of other branches.
• Many WW II servicemen still proudly identify themselves as veterans of the Air Corps. Although the Air Corps was their branch they actually served and fought in the Army Air Forces!
• In honoring Army aviation in WW II, the most appropriate and inclusive identification is Army Air Forces.
• The Army Air Forces existed until Congress established the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1947. The new U.S. Air Force absorbed personnel from the Air Corps and from other Army branches who had been serving in the Army Air Forces.

Conflict/War Periods: For conflict/war periods see :

• World War II

See:

• The Army Air Forces in World War II, seven volume official history, edited by Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., New Imprint 1983.
• The Army Air Forces in World War II, Geoffrey Perret, Random House, New York, 1993.
• Army Air Forces Historical Association
• The Birth of the United States Air Force, Air Force Historical Research Agency Web Site, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, October 12, 2001. Maxwell.af.mil

This category is managed by the Military and War Project in association with the Categorization Project. For assistance with this or related categories ask in G2G making sure to tag your question with both categorization and Military_And_War.

A

Martin Adams 23 Dec 1919 Peason, Sabine, Louisiana, United States - 29 Sep 1980

Thomas Adams 30 Mar 1917 - 26 Dec 2004

Thomas Allen 20 Feb 1923 - 10 Sep 2012

B

Travis Bagwell 26 Feb 1923 Brushy Prairie, Trinity County, Texas - 27 Oct 2007

James Barbeau 30 Jan 1920 North Dakota, United States - 24 Dec 2005

Charles Bohrer 28 Aug 1921 West Plains, Howell, Missouri, United States - 21 Feb 2007

David Buchta 06 Feb 1922 Kearney, Clay, Missouri, United States - 21 Aug 2013

C

Clare Cater 29 May 1922 Minnesota, United States - 28 Jul 2008

Terry Clark 21 Jul 1950 Guilford County, North Carolina, United States - 22 Feb 2022

D

Sidney DeLoach 1920s - 1990s

Owen Dickey 28 May 1927 Decatur, Macon, Illinois, United States - 09 Nov 1956

Edward Dobie 20 Jul 1918 Alpine, Brewster, Texas, United States - 13 Jan 1995

Arthur Dodd 09 Jan 1924 Swarthmore, Delaware, Pennsylvania, USA - 12 Oct 2004

H

Lewis Hammond 22 Jul 1918 Bellingham, Whatcom, Washington, USA - 22 May 2013

Letis Heritage 23 Jun 1908 Anderson, Madison, Indiana, United States - 05 Jul 1943

H cont.

Robert Hochstedler 04 Nov 1919 Johnson County, Iowa, USA - 08 Feb 2006

Wilburn Holt 19 Oct 1920 Arkansas, United States - 27 Apr 1944

Robert Hubley 1930 York, Pennsylvania, United States - 16 Jul 2016

James Huff 04 Jul 1921 Uhrichsville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States - 24 Aug 1944

J

Clinton Jerde 22 Jul 1926 - 25 Mar 2008

L

James Leggett 17 Dec 1922 Texas - 13 Oct 1974

Edward Lugar 15 Mar 1928 - 01 Mar 2008

Ralph Lysne 01 Mar 1918 - 25 Aug 2004

M

Donald Marshall 31 Mar 1918 Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, United States - 02 Oct 1944

Curtis Masserant 08 Oct 1923 Newport, Monroe, Michigan, United States - 16 Feb 2006

Lynn McCreight 11 May 1919 - 30 May 2007

Raymond Mehus 18 Nov 1907 Gladys, Williams, North Dakota, United States - 15 Jan 1967

Theodore Merkle 29 Oct 1920 Washington, District of Columbia, United States - 20 Feb 1999

Donald Miers 05 Jul 1905 Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, United States - 26 Sep 1948

M cont.

John Moss 30 Aug 1918 Athens, Clarke, Georgia, United States - 17 Sep 1971

P

Clarence Phillips 08 Jun 1912 Council, Adams, Idaho, USA - 22 Mar 1967

R

Harold Rickard 01 Oct 1920 Howes Cave, Cobleskill, Schoharie, New York, United States - 01 Jun 1979

S

Glover Sanders 22 Jan 1923 Neviles Prairie, Houston County, Texas - 07 Jun 2019

Dana Sarver 13 Oct 1924 Marysville, Union, Ohio, United States - 13 Mar 1998

Howell Smith 12 Mar 1921 Texas - 23 Dec 1946

Samuel Stringfield 17 May 1915 Haywood, North Carolina, United States - 24 Jan 2004

T

Joe Thompson 30 Mar 1912 Friday, Trinity County, Texas - 10 Jun 1974

Eugene Truax 16 Feb 1920 - 02 Feb 2005

Thomas Tryon 07 May 1911 Bay City, Bay, Michigan, United States - 23 Apr 1998

Robert Turner 12 Mar 1925 Minnesota, USA - 08 Mar 2011

Z

Albert Zupan 19 Nov 1914 - 28 Oct 1943

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