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Show GIRDS FOR PEACESpectacular PEACE PEACESpectacular i Spectacular Development of ofAAF ofAAF ofAAF AAF Recalledat Recalled at Anniversary Developed from a three man divl divi divislon ( slon without Wlthout an airplane In 1907 mtoI mtoa intoa into mto I I a destructive force unparalleled In InI Inh.lstory inhistory inhistory h.lstory hlstory history . army air all ' forces forccs celebratcd celebrated celebratedIts Its 39th anniversary Augjst Aug.lst Auglst Aug.ist Augist . . 1 with witha witha a new watchword Air Power Is IsPeace IsPeace IsPeace Peace Power PowerAt PowerAt PowerAt At its wartime peak in March March1944 1944 army air nIr forces had grown to to2 2 383 000 officers and men 64 591 591planes 591planes 591planes planes including lI1cludmg 41 848 combat combatplanes combatplanes combatplanes planes which flew 108 015 309 909 hours hoursdurmg hoursduring hoursduring durmg during four years of war and anddropped anddropped anddropped dropped more than 2 000 000 tons of ofbombs ofbombs ofbombs bombs In crushing cruslung the Axis war warmachine warmachine warmachine machine But the big planes of ofWorld ofWorld ofWorld World War II are on their way out outof outof outof of the air picture and the AAF rap rapIdly rapidly rapidly Idly Is converting to Jet let ] et propelled propelledaircraft propelledaircraft propelledaircraft aircraft to defend the security of ofAmerica ofAmerica ofAmerica America Guard Against AgalDst War WarAmericas WarAmericas WarAmcrkas Americas b best est ins insurance insuranceogamst insuranceagainst u ran c e eagarnst agarnst ogamst a future war is an adequatealert adequate adequatealert adequatealert alert air force Commanding Commandmg Gen General General General eral Carl Spaatz said solid in call ng on onthe onthe onthe the nearly 2 000 000 veterans of ofair ofair ofair air actions all over the world and andthe andthe andthe the 400 000 air force men to ob oh observe ohserve observe serve the anniversary occasion occasionSome occasIOnSome occasionSome Some interesting interestll1g and little kno vn vnfacts vnfacts vntacts facts about army air forces are arethat arethat arethat that used in m Europe EuropeprIor Europeprior Europeprior prIor to V E Day was designed in inthIS inthis inthis thIS country before Pearl HarborFrom Harbor HarborFrom HarborFrom From 1903 to 1940 the U S bUilt bUiltol builtonly builtonly ol only Y 40 000 planes but from 1940 1940through 1940through 1940through through V J Day 295 000 were con constructed constructed constructed structed For every sold er in the theair theair theair air force there was a clv civilian lan work worklng workhg worktag lng hg in an aircraft plantFIrst plantFirst plant plantFirst First Bomb in 1911 1911AAF 1911AAF 1911AAF AAF planes consumed 10 000 000 000000 000 gallons of gasoline gasolme during durmg the thewar thewar thewar war In all of 1944 not one aircraft aircraftwas aircraftwas aircraftwas was grounded for lack of fuelTotal fuelTotal fuel fuelTotal Total aIr lr power blitz of the theAAF theAAF theAAF AAF during durmg the war mcluded included mcludedmore includedmore includedmore more than 2 000 000 tons of ofbombs ofbombs ofbombs bombs and two atom bombs bombsdropped bombsdropped bombsdropped dropped and 459 ' 750 000 bullets bulletsfired bulletsfired bulletsfired fired First AAF AM ' bomb washeaved was washeaved washeaved heaved overboard by band hand In In1911 1911 It was an ISpoundblockbuster 18poundblockbuster 18-pound 18 pound IS-pound IS 18poundblockbuster - - blockbusterThe blockbuster The army s first airplane con contracts contracts contracts tracts specified that the flying ma machine machine machine chine had to be transportable on anarmy an anarmy anarmy army escort wagon to be pulled byty by bys I , ty tyi i y ( yPi -s s - P yl ; g - v s ' i ' 4 4r 4DIRECTS , r Vl VlV - -V V - - ' . 4u u " . & DIRECTS RESERVES RrSERVES : Lt LtGen LtGen LtGen Gen George B Stratemeyer com corn commandlng cornmanding cornmandinf mandlng manding ccneral general of air defense defensecommand defensecommand defensecommand command one of AAF a s three threepeuetime threepeacetime threepeacetime peuetime peacetime major operational operatlon.1 operatlon1 ; ! . - - , a ' ff , a a aty ty tyax ax 7/ 7 73 / 3 1 : ii t th h / f { BAZ HEADS AAF Commandmg Commanding CommandmggeIl Commandinggeireral Commandinggeneral geIl geireral ' ral of o ( army air forces Is Gen GenCarl GenCarl GenCarl Carl Spaatz Spaat2 who directed ar arrangements arrangements arrane'ements arraneements rangements ' as 400 000 AAF AAr mem members memhers members bers hers and nearly 2 000 000 veterans veteransof of air actions on worldwide battlefronts battle battletronts battlefronts tronts fronts noted 39th anniversary aDDlversary of ofurnt ofunit ofunit urnt unit s founding foundmg two or lour four mules They would have havea a difficult task with the AAF s newsuper new newsuper newsuper super heavy bomber the B 36 36WhICh 36which 36which WhICh has a wmgspan wll1gspan wingspan almost tW1ce twice tW1cethe twicethe twicethe the distance flown flovn , by the WrIght WrIghtBrothers WnghtBrothers WrightBrothers Brothers at Kittyhawk N Cr"pand CExpand C CEpand : E\pand E pand r"pand rpand Expand \ " Rapidly RapidlyOn Rapidlyon RapidlyOn On August 23 28 1939 three daysbefore days daysbefore daysbefore before Germany set off World War WarII WarII WaiII II by invading invadmg Poland the AAF AAFwas AAFwas AAFwas was regularly us ng 69 bases F Fifty Fiftymonths Fiftymonths ty tymonths months later in m January 1944 It Ithad ithad lhad ) had 1 400 bases of which 800 were wereoverseas wereoverseas wertoverseas overseas Almost 20 000 000 tons of ofAAF ofAAF olAAF AAF supplies were sent out of the thecountry thecountry tb tbcountry < country during durmg the war-enough war enough war - enough to tofill tofill tfill ( fill a warehouse 75 feet wide Wlde with withthe withthe wittthe the front door in Washington D C Cand Cand Cand and the back door in m Philadelphia PhIladelprua PhiladelphiaNew PhIladelpruaNew PhiladelphiaNew New AAF developments now nowpermIt nowpermit nowpermit permIt test pilots to check Jet let Jetplanes letplanes jetplanes planes safely The plane is put putthrough putthrough putthrough through its paces while the pi pilot pilot pilot lot stays on the ground The Thesecret Thesecret Thesecret secret is remote control andtelevision and andtelevISion andtelevision televISion The U S spent spentmore spentmore spentmore more money developme developmg developing radar radarthan radarthan radarthan than was spent on the atom atombomb atombomb atombomb atombombMore bomb bombMore More than 42000 42 000 WACs servedthe served m mthe uthe the AAF 7 000 of whom were over overseas overseas overseas seas in ID 21 different countries countnes 1 600 600chaplaIns 600chaplains 60'chaplains 60chaplains ' chaplaIns were on duty in m the AAF AAFat AAFat AAIat at all times Of the 282 Congressional Congresslonal Congresslon Congression al Medals of Honor awarded dur durmg during dming mg ing the war 34 were won by mem members memhers meanbers bers hers of the AAFCompare AAFCompare AAF AAFCompare Compare Records RecordsThe RecordsThe RecordsThe The World War I air force had ha hai35 d 35 pilots 1 1087 087 enlisted enl1sted men 55 55traInmg 5 5training 5training 5 5s traInmg training planes 7 tactical squadron squadrons squadronsWlth squadronwith squadronwith s -Wlth Wlth -with with - with a balloon school at FoiOmaha Fort For FortOmaha ForOmaha Omaha Neb Eight World War Waraces Waraces I Iaces aces are credited with downing 10 10or 1 1or 1or 0 or more enemy planes or balloons balloons29 29 World War II aces shot down 18 18or 1 1or 1or 8 or more planes no noballoonsFirst no-balloons no balloons noballoonsFirst - ' balloons balloonsFll'st 8n First Fll'st Fllst ' round the world trip by an anarmy a aarmy aarmy n army plane took 174 days in 1924 1924It 1924It 192'iIt 192iIt ' It took an air all ' transport command commandplane comman commanplane commanplane d plane 151 hours In 1945 It s a small smallworld sma smallworld : world with Wlth the men and planes of ofthe o othe ( the army air forces a strong bul bulwark bulwark buw wark rk m ID making malang it a world of peace peaceand peac peacand peacand e and guarding America s future |