United States Army Air Force facts for kids
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. It was the direct precursor to the United States Air Force, established in 1947. At its peak strength in 1944, the USAAF had over 2.4 million men and women in service, nearly 80,000 aircraft and 783 permanent bases, and operated from more than 2,000 airfields worldwide.
The Air Corps became the Army Air Forces in June 1941 to provide the air arm a greater autonomy in which to expand more efficiently, and to provide a structure for the additional command echelons required by a vastly increased force. Although other nations already had separate air forces independent of the army or navy (such as the British Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe), the USAAF remained a part of the United States Army.
Images for kids
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General of the Army Henry H. ("Hap") Arnold
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USAAF recruitment poster
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Tuskegee Airmen War bonds poster
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1943 portrait of WAC air controller
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AAF Training Command patch
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USAAF recruiting poster
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B-17G Fortresses of the 306th Bomb Group
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P-51 Mustang of 361st Fighter Group, 1944
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Taylorcraft L-2
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C-47 of the 438th Troop Carrier Group
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USAAF AT-6Cs near Luke Field, 1943
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UC-64 Norseman
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Medal of Honor recipient Major Richard Bong in Officer's Service Dress
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Awards ceremony at RAF Debden, April 1944, illustrating varying shades of olive drab and the M-1944 "Ike jacket". Light shade 33 on left, dark shade 51 on right. Trousers are shade 33, khaki shade 1, and drab shade 54. The three combinations at right are "pinks and greens".
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Female service dress in OD shade 33 at Randolph Field, 1944
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USAAF flight crew
See also
In Spanish: Fuerzas Aéreas del Ejército de Estados Unidos para niños
