1.
United States Air Force
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The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U. S. military to be formed, the U. S. Air Force is a military service organized within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who reports to the Secretary of Defense, the U. S. Air Force provides air support for surface forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2015, the service more than 5,137 military aircraft,406 ICBMs and 63 military satellites. It has a $161 billion budget with 313,242 active duty personnel,141,197 civilian employees,69,200 Air Force Reserve personnel, and 105,500 Air National Guard personnel. According to the National Security Act of 1947, which created the USAF and it shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The stated mission of the USAF today is to fly, fight, and win in air, space and we will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and it should be emphasized that the core functions, by themselves, are not doctrinal constructs. The purpose of Nuclear Deterrence Operations is to operate, maintain, in the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD, and the means to deliver them, moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are a nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. Nuclear strike is the ability of forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which the enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level, post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations, the Air Force, in conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements, adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Forces ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission, positive nuclear command, control, communications, effective nuclear weapons security, and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. OCA is the method of countering air and missile threats, since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source
2.
Ramstein Air Base
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Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa, Ramstein is located near the town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, in the rural district of Kaiserslautern. The Air Base is used to coordinate and execute most of the United States global drone program, the east gate of Ramstein Air Base is about 10 miles from Kaiserslautern. Other nearby civilian communities include Ramstein-Miesenbach, just outside the bases west gate, the host unit is the 86th Airlift Wing, commanded by Brigadier General Patrick X. Mordente. The 86th Airlift Wing is composed of six groups,27 squadrons and its mission is the operation and maintenance of airlift assets consisting of C-130Js, C-20s, C-21s, C-40B and C-37A Gulfstream aircraft throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Also at Ramstein is the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing, which focuses on base-support responsibilities within the KMC and it is composed of five groups and 20 squadrons. The wing provides rapid mobility and agile combat support for military operations, the commander of the 435th AGOW is Colonel Andra V. P. The new 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing stood up on 4 September 2008, the current commander of the 521st AMOW is Colonel Thomas Cooper. Ramsteins wings are assigned to the headquarters 3rd Air Force also based at Ramstein AB, Ramstein AB is part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community, where more than 54,000 American service members and more than 5,400 US civilian employees live and work. U. S. organizations in the KMC also employ the services of more than 6,200 German workers, Air Force units in the KMC alone employ almost 9,800 military members, bringing with them nearly 11,100 family members. There are more than 16,200 military, U. S. civilian, while the KMC remains the largest U. S. community overseas at 53,000 people, the defense drawdown continues to shape its future. Due to the departure of other main operating installations, more than 100 geographically separated units receive support from Ramstein, Ramstein Air Base also served as temporary housing for the United States mens national soccer team during the 2006 World Cup. There is often a Summer Camp to Ramstein from British CCF, the construction of the air base was a project designed and undertaken by the French Army and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1949 to 1952. The area was a swamp that had to be built up by two meters, trainloads of earth were moved over the line and spread over the bases current area to raise it to its current level. Once the ground was level, building construction began, Landstuhl Air Base on the south side and Ramstein Air Station on the north. From 1948 to the opening of the bases in 1953 it was the largest one spot construction site in Europe employing over 270,000 Europeans at one time. A part of the autobahn to the west of Mannheim. The airstrip was used by the advancing U. S. Army Air Forces during the final months of World War II
3.
Interceptor aircraft
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An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent successful missions by enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. For daytime operations, conventional fighters normally fill the interceptor role, few aircraft can be considered dedicated daytime interceptors. Night fighters and bomber destroyers are, by definition, interceptors of the heavy type, examples of classic interceptors of this era include the F-106 Delta Dart, Sukhoi Su-15 and English Electric Lightning. Dedicated interceptor designs became rare, with the widely used examples designed after the 1960s being the Tornado F3, Mikoyan MiG-25 Foxbat. The first dedicated interceptor squadrons were formed up during World War I in order to defend London against attacks by Zeppelins, early units generally used aircraft withdrawn from front-line service, notably the Sopwith Pup. They were told about their targets prior to take-off from a centralized command center in the Horse Guards building. The Pup proved to have too low performance to intercept the Gotha G. IV bombers. Before Second World War started, offensive bomber speeds had improved so much that it appeared that the mission would be effectively impossible. The visual and acoustic detection had a range on the order of a few miles. This could be addressed by a cover of aircraft. The conclusion at the time was that the bomber will always get through, the introduction of radar upset this equation. Radar was able to detect aircraft at long range, on the order of 100 miles even for early systems and this provided enough time for fighters to start up, climb to altitude and chase down their targets. The introduction of jet power increased speeds from perhaps 200 miles per hour to 600 miles per hour in a single step, although radars also improved in performance, the gap between offense and defense was dramatically reduced. Large attacks could so confuse the defenses ability to communicate information to the pilots that the method of manual ground controlled interception was increasingly seen as inadequate. In the United States, this led to the introduction of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment to computerize this task. In the 1950s, during the Cold War, an interceptor force was crucial for the great powers. Hence for a period of time they faced rapid development. Thus, the doctrine of mutually assured destruction replaced the trend of defense strengthening and their utility waned as the role became blurred into the role of the heavy air superiority fighters dominant in military thinking at the time
4.
Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
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The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft that was built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Forces air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its purpose was to intercept invading Soviet strategic bomber fleets during the Cold War. Designed and manufactured by Convair,1,000 F-102s were built, a member of the Century Series, the F-102 was the USAFs first operational supersonic interceptor and delta-wing fighter. It used an internal weapons bay to carry guided missiles and rockets. As originally designed, it could not achieve Mach 1 supersonic flight until redesigned with area ruling, the F-102 replaced subsonic fighter types such as the Northrop F-89 Scorpion, and by the 1960s, it saw limited service in the Vietnam War in bomber escort and ground-attack roles. It was supplemented by McDonnell F-101 Voodoos and, later, by McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs, the follow-on replacement was the Mach-2 Convair F-106 Delta Dart, which was an extensive redesign of the F-102. On 8 October 1948, the board of officers of the U. S. Four months later, on 4 February 1949, the USAF approved the recommendation, in November 1949, the Air Force decided that the new aircraft would be built around a fire-control system. The FCS was to be designed before the airframe to ensure compatibility, the airframe and FCS together were called the weapon system. In January 1950, the USAF Air Materiel Command issued request for proposals to 50 companies for the FCS, by May, the list was revised downward to 10. Following recommendations by the committee to the Saville Board, the proposals were further reduced to two competitors, Hughes Aircraft and North American Aviation. Although the Valley Committee thought it was best to award the contract to companies, Hughes was chosen by Saville and his team on 2 October 1950. Proposals for the airframe were issued on 18 June 1950, on 2 July 1954, three companies, Convair, Republic and Lockheed won the right to build a mockup. Until then, Convair had done research into delta-winged aircraft, experimenting with different designs, of the three, the best design was to win the production contract under the name Project MX-1554. In the end, Convair emerged as the victor with its design, designated XF-102, after Lockheed dropped out, the development of three different designs was too expensive and in November, only Convair was allowed to continue with its Model 8-80. To speed development, it was proposed to equip the prototypes, continued delays to the J67 and MA-1 FCS led to the decision to place an interim aircraft with the J40 and a simpler fire control system into production as the F-102A. The failure of the J40 led to the Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet with afterburner, rated with 10,000 pounds-force of thrust being substituted for the prototypes, the F-102B would later evolve to become the F-106A, dubbed the Ultimate Interceptor. The prototype YF-102 made its first flight on 23 October 1953, at Edwards AFB, the second aircraft flew on 11 January 1954, confirming a dismal performance
5.
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
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The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft which later became widely used as an attack aircraft. It was originally developed by Lockheed for the United States Air Force, but became used by US Allies around the world. One of the Century Series of fighter aircraft, it was operated by the air forces of more than a dozen nations from 1958 to 2004. Its design team was led by Kelly Johnson, who went on to lead or contribute to the development of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the F-104 set numerous world records, including both airspeed and altitude records. The poor safety record of the Starfighter also brought the aircraft into the public eye, Fighter ace Erich Hartmann was forced to retire from the Luftwaffe due to his outspoken opposition to selection of the F-104. The ultimate production version of the model was the F-104S, an all-weather interceptor designed by Aeritalia for the Italian Air Force. An advanced F-104 with a wing, known as the CL-1200 Lancer, was considered. In 2018 a privately owned Starfighter is scheduled to launch a group of small cubesat satellites into low orbit by carrying the rocket aloft. Clarence Kelly Johnson, the engineer at Lockheeds Skunk Works, visited Korea in December 1951. At the time, the U. S. pilots were confronting the MiG-15 with North American F-86 Sabres, the pilots requested a small and simple aircraft with excellent performance. Armed with this information, Johnson immediately started the design of such an aircraft on his return to the United States. In March, his team was assembled, they studied several designs, ranging from small designs at 8,000 lb. The engine chosen was the new General Electric J79, an engine of dramatically improved performance in comparison with contemporary designs, the small L-246 design powered by a single J79 remained essentially identical to the L-083 Starfighter as eventually delivered. The design was presented to the Air Force in November 1952, although all were interesting, Lockheed had an insurmountable lead, and was granted a development contract in March 1953 for two prototypes, these were given the designation XF-104. Work progressed quickly, with a ready for inspection at the end of April. Meanwhile, the J79 engine was not ready, both prototypes were designed to use the Wright J65 engine, a licensed-built version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire. The first prototype was completed by early 1954 and first flew on 4 March at Edwards AFB, the total time from contract to first flight was less than a year. When the USAF revealed the existence of the XF-104, they gave a vague description of it
6.
North American F-86D Sabre
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The North American F-86D Sabre was a transonic jet all-weather interceptor of the United States Air Force and others. Based on North Americans F-86 Sabre day fighter, the F-86D had only 25 percent commonality with other Sabre variants, with a fuselage, larger afterburner engine. The YF-95 was a development of the F-86 Sabre, the first aircraft designed around the new 2. 75-inch Mighty Mouse Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket, a second prototype, 50-578, was also built, but the YF-95 nomenclature was short-lived as the design was subsequently redesignated YF-86D. Later models of the F-86D received an uprated J-47-GE-33 engine rated at 5,550 lbf, a total of 2,504 D-models were built. On 18 November 1952, F-86D, 51-2945, set a record of 698.505 mph. Captain J. Slade Nash flew over a three km course at the Salton Sea in southern California at a height of only 125 ft. Another F-86D broke this record on 16 July 1953, when Lieutenant Colonel William F. Barns, flying F-86D 51-6145, in the same path of the previous flight. YF-95A prototype all-weather interceptor, two built, designation changed to YF-86D YF-86D originally designated YF-95A, F-86D Production interceptor originally designated F-95A,2,504 built. F-86G Provisional designation for F-86D variant with uprated engine and equipment changes,406 built as F-86Ds, yF-86K Basic version of F-86D intended for export with rocket tray replaced by four 20 mm cannon and simplified fire control system, two conversions. F-86K NATO version of F-86D, MG-4 fire control system, four 20 mm M24A1 cannon with 132 rounds per gun,120 were built by North American,221 were assembled by Fiat. F-86L Upgrade conversion of F-86D with new electronics, extended wingtips and wing leading edges, revised cockpit layout, source, Dorr Denmark Royal Danish Air Force Received 59 ex-USAF F-86Ds 1958-1960, assigned to 723,726 and 728 Squadrons. France French Air Force Fiat built 62 F-86Ks for France, assigned to EC 1/13 Artois, EC 2/13 Alpes, serials were 55-4814/4844, 55-4846/4865, 55-4872/4874, 55-4876/4879. Germany German Air Force Acquired 88 U. S. F-86Ks 22 July 1957–23 June 1958, the Ks were assigned to Jagdgeschwader 75/renamed 74. Greece Greek Air Force Acquired some U. S. F-86Ds were received in 1961, honduras Honduran Air Force Acquired Six Venezuelan F-86Ks in 1970. Italy Italian Air Force Fiat produced 121 F-86Ks for Italy, 1955-1958, also,120 U. S. F-86Ks were acquired. F-86s were assigned to the AMI air groups,6 Gruppo COT/1 Stormo,17 Gruppo/1 Stormo,23 Gruppo/1 Stormo,21 Gruppo/51 Aerobrigata,22 Gruppo/51 Aerobrigata and 12 Gruppo/4 Aerobrigata. Japan Japanese Air Self-Defense Force Acquired 122 US F-86Ds, 1958–1961, assigned to four all-weather interceptor Hikōtai, Netherlands Royal Netherlands Air Force Acquired 57 U. S. -built and six Fiat-built F-86K Sabres, 1955–1956, and assigned to three squadrons, No. Norway Royal Norwegian Air Force Acquired 60 U. S. -built F-86K Sabres, 1955–1956, philippines Philippine Air Force Acquired 20 F-86Ds, assigned to 8th Fighter Interceptor Squadron Vampires beginning 1960, part of the U. S. military assistance package
7.
86th Airlift Wing
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The 86th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force wing, currently assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The 86th AW is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the wings primary mission is to conduct airlift, airdrop and aeromedical evacuation operations flying the C-21A, C-20H, C-37A, C-40B and C-130J aircraft. The 86th Airlift Wing commander also serves as the Kaiserslautern Military Community commander, originally the 86th Fighter Wing was established and activated on 1 July 1948 at Neubiberg AB, Germany. The exact reporting chain for the 779th EAF is not known, the 86th Fighter Wing was established and activated on 1 July 1948 at Neubiberg AB, Germany. Its initial mission was to air defense, primarily in West Germany with its operational component. Equipped with P Thunderbolts, the 86th was one of two active USAF fighter units in Germany during the postwar years. Over the next years, the 86th underwent several redesignations. In June 1948, the 86th Fighter Wing was stationed at Neubiberg Air Base, in February 1951, the United States and France signed an agreement in which USAF bases in their German occupation zone would be built and made available to USAFE. In late 1952, enough construction was completed at Landstuhl and the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing was reassigned to the new base, the 86th Wing has been assigned to Ramstein for almost 60 years, with a brief period being inactive or assigned to Zweibrücken Air Base. In March 1958 the 86th Fighter-Bomber Group was inactivated and its squadrons being assigned to the Wing. In May, the 406th FIW at RAF Manston, England was inactivated and its three F-86D squadrons, the 512th, 513th and 514th were reassigned to bases on the continent and were also assigned to the 86th. HQ USAFE decided to uprade the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing and centralize command of all the European Air Defense squadrons in USAFE to it, with this change, the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing was redesignated the 86th Air Division on 18 November 1960. On 1 November 1969, the Air Force reactivated the 86th Tactical Fighter Wing at Zweibrücken and it received its first flying unit, the 17th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, on 12 January 1970. The 17th TRS and its McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom IIs was reassigned to the 86th TFW from the inactivating 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at RAF Upper Heyford, Squadron tail code for the 17th TRS was initially ZS, then was recoded to ZR in 1971. For 18 months the 17th was the operational squadron on the base. The 81st TFS, however remained a part of the 50th TFW but was detached from the operational control. Squadron tail code for the 81st TFS was ZS, in 1972, tail codes for all 86th TFW aircraft at Zweibrücken were standardized as ZR, per AFM 66-1, when squadron tail codes were eliminated. However, with reconnaissance aircraft at Zweibrücken the 86th Tactical Fighter Wings designation did not coincide with the wings mission
8.
521st Air Mobility Operations Wing
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The 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing is part of Air Mobility Command and is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It coordinates logistical air movements into, out of, and through Europe, the 521st AMOW expedites warfighting and humanitarian efforts by the United States Air Force throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It provides all command and control, en route maintenance support and it operates Air Terminal Operations Centers, providing passenger and fleet services, cargo processing, special handling, ramp services, and load planning. The Wing is composed of two groups and these groups are assigned twelve squadrons and fourteen other geographically separated units. The wing was constituted as the 555th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion The unit served as an aircraft warning unit in defense of the continental United States from 1942 to 1943. The battalion moved to England in 1944 where it provided communications support until the day after the Normandy landings when it moved to support the forces in France. It moved frequently to support elements of Ninth Air Force, arriving in Belgium in September and it continued it mission during the occupation of Germany from 1945. At the end of 1945, the battalion was converted to an Air Corps unit, redesignated the 501st Tactical Control Group and its component companies replaced by Aircraft Control and it provided radar coverage and navigational aid to allied aircraft flying over the U. S. Zone of Occupied Germany in 1946 and 1947, the unit was reactivated as the 501st Aircraft Control and Warning Group in 1949 to replace the 7402d Aircraft Control and Warning Group. Between 1949 and 1960, it provided tactical control systems, including control and warning facilities, passive detection devices. In 1952, it became a control group again. In 1954, the moved to Landstuhl Air Base. It operated the Tactical Control System to exercise control of offensive and defensive units in Europe. In the 1960s, its mission, personnel, and equipment were combined with those of the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, Army Air Forces Stations, A Guide to the Stations Where U. S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II. Maxwell AFB, AL, Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, archived from the original on 4 March 2016. U. S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields D-Day to V-E Day, maxwell AFB, AL, Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016, Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History, craven, Wesley F, Cate, James L, eds
9.
Western Europe
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Western Europe, or West Europe, is the region comprising the western part of Europe. Below, some different geographic and geopolitical definitions of the term are outlined, prior to the Roman conquest, a large part of Western Europe had adopted the newly developed La Tène culture. This cultural and linguistic division was reinforced by the later political east-west division of the Roman Empire. The division between these two was enhanced during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages by a number of events, the Western Roman Empire collapsed, starting the Early Middle Ages. By contrast, the Eastern Roman Empire, mostly known as the Greek or Byzantine Empire, survived, in East Asia, Western Europe was historically known as taixi in China and taisei in Japan, which literally translates as the Far West. The term Far West became synonymous with Western Europe in China during the Ming dynasty, the Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci was one of the first writers in China to use the Far West as an Asian counterpart to the European concept of the Far East. In his writings, Ricci referred to himself as Matteo of the Far West, the term was still in use in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Post-war Europe would be divided into two spheres, the West, influenced by the United States, and the Eastern Bloc. With the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain, behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Although some countries were neutral, they were classified according to the nature of their political. This division largely defined the popular perception and understanding of Western Europe, the world changed dramatically with the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. The Federal Republic of Germany peacefully absorbed the German Democratic Republic, COMECON and the Warsaw Pact were dissolved, and in 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Several countries which had part of the Soviet Union regained full independence. Although the term Western Europe was more prominent during the Cold War, it remains much in use, in 1948 the Treaty of Brussels was signed between Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It was further revisited in 1954 at the Paris Conference, when the Western European Union was established and it was declared defunct in 2011, after the Treaty of Lisbon, and the Treaty of Brussels was terminated. When the Western European Union was dissolved, it had 10 member countries, six member countries, five observer countries. The CIA divides Western Europe into two smaller subregions, regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from different regional groups. The European Union is an economic and political union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe, some Western and Northern European countries of Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are members of EFTA, though cooperating to varying degree with the European Union
10.
The Pentagon
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The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D. C. As a symbol of the U. S. military, The Pentagon is often used metonymically to refer to the U. S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon was designed by American architect George Bergstrom, and built by general contractor John McShain of Philadelphia. Ground was broken for construction on September 11,1941, General Brehon Somervell provided the major motive power behind the project, Colonel Leslie Groves was responsible for overseeing the project for the U. S. Army. The Pentagon is one of the worlds largest office buildings, with about 6,500,000 sq ft, approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel work in the Pentagon. It has five sides, five floors above ground, two basement levels, and five ring corridors per floor with a total of 17.5 mi of corridors. It was the first significant foreign attack on Washingtons governmental facilities since the city was burned by the British, when World War II broke out in Europe, the War Department rapidly expanded in anticipation that the United States would be drawn into the conflict. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson found the situation unacceptable, with the Munitions Building overcrowded, Stimson told U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in May 1941 that the War Department needed additional space. On July 17,1941, a hearing took place, organized by Virginia congressman Clifton Woodrum. Reybold agreed to back to the congressman within five days. The War Department called upon its construction chief, General Brehon Somervell, Government officials agreed that the War Department building, officially designated Federal Office Building No 1, should be constructed across the Potomac River, in Arlington County, Virginia. Requirements for the new building were that it be no more than four stories tall, the requirements meant that, instead of rising vertically, the building would be sprawling over a large area. Possible sites for the building included the Department of Agricultures Arlington Experimental Farm, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery, the site originally chosen was Arlington Farms which had a roughly pentagonal shape, so the building was planned accordingly as an irregular pentagon. Concerned that the new building could obstruct the view of Washington, D. C. from Arlington Cemetery, the building retained its pentagonal layout because a major redesign at that stage would have been costly, and Roosevelt liked the design. Freed of the constraints of the asymmetric Arlington Farms site, it was modified into a pentagon which resembled the star forts of the gunpowder age. While the project went through the process in late July 1941, Somervell selected the contractors, including John McShain, Inc. and Doyle and Russell. In addition to the Hoover Airport site and other government-owned land, construction of the Pentagon required an additional 287 acres, which were acquired at a cost of $2.2 million. The Hells Bottom neighborhood, a slum with numerous pawnshops, factories, approximately 150 homes, Later 300 acres of land were transferred to Arlington National Cemetery and to Fort Myer, leaving 280 acres for the Pentagon. Contracts totaling $31,100,000 were finalized with McShain and the contractors on September 11
11.
NATO
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party, three NATO members are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and are officially nuclear-weapon states. NATOs headquarters are located in Haren, Brussels, Belgium, while the headquarters of Allied Command Operations is near Mons. NATO is an Alliance that consists of 28 independent member countries across North America and Europe, an additional 22 countries participate in NATOs Partnership for Peace program, with 15 other countries involved in institutionalized dialogue programmes. The combined military spending of all NATO members constitutes over 70% of the global total, Members defence spending is supposed to amount to 2% of GDP. The course of the Cold War led to a rivalry with nations of the Warsaw Pact, politically, the organization sought better relations with former Warsaw Pact countries, several of which joined the alliance in 1999 and 2004. N. The Treaty of Brussels, signed on 17 March 1948 by Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, the treaty and the Soviet Berlin Blockade led to the creation of the Western European Unions Defence Organization in September 1948. However, participation of the United States was thought necessary both to counter the power of the USSR and to prevent the revival of nationalist militarism. He got a hearing, especially considering American anxiety over Italy. In 1948 European leaders met with U. S. defense, military and diplomatic officials at the Pentagon, marshalls orders, exploring a framework for a new and unprecedented association. Talks for a new military alliance resulted in the North Atlantic Treaty and it included the five Treaty of Brussels states plus the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. The first NATO Secretary General, Lord Ismay, stated in 1949 that the goal was to keep the Russians out, the Americans in. Popular support for the Treaty was not unanimous, and some Icelanders participated in a pro-neutrality, the creation of NATO can be seen as the primary institutional consequence of a school of thought called Atlanticism which stressed the importance of trans-Atlantic cooperation. The members agreed that an attack against any one of them in Europe or North America would be considered an attack against them all. The treaty does not require members to respond with military action against an aggressor, although obliged to respond, they maintain the freedom to choose the method by which they do so. This differs from Article IV of the Treaty of Brussels, which states that the response will be military in nature. It is nonetheless assumed that NATO members will aid the attacked member militarily, the treaty was later clarified to include both the members territory and their vessels, forces or aircraft above the Tropic of Cancer, including some Overseas departments of France. The creation of NATO brought about some standardization of allied military terminology, procedures, and technology, the roughly 1300 Standardization Agreements codified many of the common practices that NATO has achieved
12.
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
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Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations Allied Command Operations. Since 1967 it has been located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons, from 1951 to 2003, SHAPE was the headquarters of Allied Command Europe, ACE. Since 2003 it has been the headquarters of Allied Command Operations, SHAPE retained its traditional name with reference to Europe for legal reasons although the geographical scope of its activities was extended in 2003. At that time, NATOs command in Lisbon, historically part of the Atlantic command, was reassigned to ACO, an integrated military structure for NATO was first established after the Korean War raised questions over the strength of Europes defences against a Soviet attack. The first choice for commander in Europe was American General of the Army Dwight D, on December 19,1950, the North Atlantic Council announced the appointment of General Eisenhower as the first SACEUR. British Field Marshal Sir Bernard L, montgomery moved over from the predecessor Western Union Defence Organization to become the first Deputy SACEUR, who would serve until 1958. In establishing the command, the first NATO planners drew extensively on WUDO plans, General Eisenhower arrived in Paris on January 1,1951, and quickly set to work with a small group of planners to devise a structure for the new European command. The Planning Group worked in the Hotel Astoria in central Paris while construction of a permanent facility began at Rocquencourt, just west of the city, devising command arrangements in the Central Region, which contained the bulk of NATO’s forces, proved to be much more complicated. Drawing upon his World War II experience, General Eisenhower decided to retain overall control himself, instead there would be three separate C-in-Cs. In December 1950 it was announced that the forces initially to come under General Eisenhowers command were to be the U. S, on April 2,1951, General Eisenhower signed the activation order for Allied Command Europe and its headquarters at SHAPE. Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe was activated in Fontainebleau, France in 1953, on the same day, ACEs subordinate headquarters in Northern and Central Europe were activated, with the Southern Region following in June. By 1954 ACEs forces consisted of Allied Forces Northern Europe, at Oslo, Allied Forces Central Europe, Allied Forces Southern Europe, hodes, United States Army Allied Forces Southern Europe – Admiral R. P. M. Two 1952 central region exercises involved air-ground combined forces, equinox was a major air-ground exercise involving French-American tactical air units and a French airborne infantry unit under the command of Général dArmée Alphonse Juin, French Army. They maneuvered east of the Rhine River in the British Zone under the command of Lt. General Sir Richard Nelson Gale. Finally, Rosebud involved ground maneuvers by the U. S, seventh Army in the American Zone of Occupation of Allied-occupied Germany. The initial plans saw the defence of Western Europe from a Soviet invasion resting heavily on nuclear weapons, the conventional forces would attempt to hold this line while the allied strategic air forces defeated the Soviets and their allies by destroying their economy and infrastructure. What this strategy meant for the battle in the central region was described for publicity purposes in January 1954 by then-Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alfred Gruenther as. An air-ground shield which, although still not strong enough, would force an enemy to concentrate prior to attack, in doing so, the concentrating force would be extremely vulnerable to losses from atomic weapon attacks
13.
Allied Air Forces Central Europe
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Allied Air Forces Central Europe was the NATO command tasked with air and air defense operations in NATOs Allied Forces Central Europe area of command. Allied Air Forces Central Europe was activated on 2 April 1951 at Fontainebleau in France through General Dwight D. Eisenhowers General Order No.1. The first commanding officer of AAFCE was U. S. Air Force general Lauris Norstad, commanding general of US Air Forces in Europe, Wiesbaden. AAFCE reported to Allied Forces Central Europe at Fontainebleau, which in turn reported to Allied Command Europe, the task of AAFCE was to control and command allied air assets in the NATO Central Region in wartime. 2 Group RAF, Belgian-Dutch 69 Group, and British-Belgian No.83 Group RAF, fourth Allied Tactical Air Force, under General Dean C. Strother, comprised the Twelfth Air Force, French 1er Air Division, and its task was to provide central direction and control for NATO air forces in the European Central Region. Second Allied Tactical Air Force had been formed in 1958 to direct NATO air units in the Netherlands, Belgium, commander of 2ATAF was the commanding general of RAF Germany. The peacetime headquarters of 2 ATAF was at RAF Rheindahlen, the center in case of war for 2 ATAF and NORTHAG was in the Netherlands. In 1983 NATO began with the construction of Static War Headquarters Castlegate in Linnich, fourth Allied Tactical Air Force had been formed in 1958 to direct NATO air units in the southern part of Germany in support of Central Army Group. Commander of 4ATAF was the general of US Seventeenth Air Force. In 1985 NATO began with the construction of a new command bunker for CENTAG and 4 ATAF in Ruppertsweiler, during the early 1990s, following the relaxation of the tensions between East and West, a major reorganization of the NATO command and control structure was undertaken. The new command was inaugurated on 1 June 1993 retaining the name of Allied Air Forces Central Europe, the command was redesignated Component Command-Air Headquarters Ramstein in 2004, Allied Air Command, Ramstein in 2010 and Allied Air Command in 2013
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Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum
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The Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum is a NATO command at Brunssum, the Netherlands. Originally the command was known as Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe when it was activated in August 1953 in Fontainebleau, outside Paris, drawing upon his Second World War experience, Eisenhower decided to retain overall control himself and did not appoint a CINC for the Central Region. Instead there would be three separate commanders-in-chief (for Allied Air Forces Central Europe, Allied Land Forces Central Europe and Flag Officer Central Europe, vice Admiral Robert Jaujard of the French Navy was appointed as Flag Officer Central Europe, and served from 2 April 51 until 20 August 1953. On 20 August 1953 General Ridgeway, Eisenhowers successor, established a single Commander-in-Chief for the region with subordinate land, air, one of the commands exercises in the 1950s was Operation Counter Punch. Counter Punch was a September 1957 AFCENT air-ground military exercise that also tested NATOs integrated air-defense system in its central European front, Operation Counter Punch revealed deficiencies in the Integrated NATO Air Defense System as well as air force responsiveness to theoretical Soviet and Warsaw Pact ground advances. After July 1962 and the establishment of Commander Allied Forces Baltic Approaches, AFCENT remained in France under French command until 1967, when France removed itself from the military command structure. The headquarters was moved to Brunssum in 1967 and activated under German command, in 2000, the deactivation of Headquarters, Allied Forces Northern Europe in Kolsås, Norway led to the redesignation of AFCENT as Regional Headquarters, Allied Forces Northern Europe. The headquarters operated as RHQ AFNORTH until 2004, when it was renamed Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum to add flexibility to the command structure by removing regional restrictions. Circa 2010, JFC Brussum appears to be responsible for Contingency Plan Eagle Guardian, NATOs Article 5 plan to defend Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, hendrik van Nassau-Ouwerkerk Camp is the headquarters and main base area of JFC Brunssum. Hendrik van Nassau-Ouwerkerk Camp also boasts an all ranks club called Club 13, a small department store called the B&S Store, a film theatre, a swimming pool, tennis courts. Additional services are provided by the AAFES on US Army Garrison Schinnen, static War Headquarters Castlegate is a NATO command and communications bunker located approximately 2 km north-east of the town of Linnich, Germany. SWHQ Castlegate is operated in caretaker status by a German military contingent, on activation, it would have deployed to Europe from bases in the United States. A forward element, 3rd Brigade, US 2nd Armored Division, was located at Garlstedt, US III Corps also maintained a forward headquarters at Tapijn Kazerne, Maastricht, Netherlands. The commander of JFC-B is known as Commander, Joint Force Command Brunssum, the position was formerly known as Commander-in-Chief North and Commander-in-Chief Central. JFC-B is normally commanded by a German General but now is commanded by an Italian four-star general for the contribution of the Italian armed forces to NATO. The current commander is General Salvatore Farina of the Italian Army, official JFC-B Website Allied Land Forces Central Europe
15.
65th Air Division
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The 65th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe, assigned to Seventeenth Air Force, being stationed at Lindsey Air Station and it was inactivated on 30 June 1991. Established as the 4 Air Defense Wing, the unit was not activated or manned, redesignated as the 65th Fighter Wing, the wing and its subordinate units transferred to England and was assigned to VIII Fighter Command in June 1943 and began flying combat missions. Subordinate units escorted bombers, flew air patrols, and dive bombing missions. They attacked airdromes, marshaling yards, missile sites, industrial areas, ordnance depots, oil refineries, trains, during Big Week February 1944, the 65th participated in the assaults against the German Air Force and the German aircraft industry. As an Air Division, it carried out air operations in Iceland from 1952 to 1954. Activated three years later it transferred to Spain, where it cooperated with Spanish Air Force units in the Air Defense Direction Centers, the 65th Air Division directed base construction, and the establishment of off base housing and radar sites. Its fighter squadrons flew air defense interceptions over Spanish airspace, the 65th also controlled the operations of attached tactical fighter squadrons deployed to Spain for temporary duty. Assigned or attached units of the participated in numerous exercises with the Spanish Air Defense Command. In June 1985, the 65th assumed responsibility for integrating USAFEs electronic combat systems to maximize overall warfighting potential, the division was inactivated in June 1991 as the Air Force eliminated air divisions to shorten the chain of command. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Air Force Combat Units of World War II, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History
16.
West Berlin
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West Berlin was an enclave which comprised the western part of the city of Berlin during the Cold War. It was formally controlled by the Western Allies and formed a de facto part of West Germany, and was entirely surrounded by the Soviet-controlled East Berlin and East Germany. West Berlin had great significance during the Cold War, as it was widely considered by westerners as an island of freedom. A wealthy city, West Berlin was noted for its liberal and cosmopolitan character. With about two million inhabitants, West Berlin had the biggest population of any city in Cold War Germany and it was 100 miles east of the Inner German border and only accessible by land from West Germany by narrow rail and highway corridors. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945 and was de facto part of West Germany and it had a special and unique legal status because its administration was formally conducted by the Western Allies. East Berlin, de jure occupied and administered by the Soviet Union, was the de facto capital of East Germany, the Berlin Wall, built in 1961, physically divided West Berlin from its East German surroundings until it fell in 1989. The Potsdam Agreement established the framework for the occupation of Germany in the wake of World War II. The territory of Germany, as it existed in 1937, would be reduced by most of Eastern Germany thus creating the former territories of Germany. The remaining territory would be divided into four zones, each administered by one of the allied countries, according to the agreement, the occupation of Berlin would end only as a result of a quadripartite agreement. The Western Allies were guaranteed three air corridors to their sectors of Berlin, and the Soviets also informally allowed road, at first, this arrangement was intended to be only a temporary administrative structure, with all parties declaring that Germany and Berlin would soon be reunited. However, as the relations between the allies and the Soviet Union soured and the Cold War began, the joint administration of Germany. Soon, Soviet-occupied Berlin and western-occupied Berlin had separate city administrations, in 1948, the Soviets tried to force the Western Allies out of Berlin by imposing a land blockade on the western sectors—the Berlin Blockade. The West responded by using its air corridors for supplying their part of the city with food, in May 1949, the Soviets lifted the blockade, and West Berlin as a separate city with its own jurisdiction was maintained. Following the Berlin Blockade, normal contacts between East and West Berlin resumed, however, in cases this proved only temporary. In 1952, the East German government began sealing its borders, as a direct result the electrical grids were separated and phone lines were cut. However, the culmination of the schism did not occur until 1961 with the construction of the Berlin Wall. From the legal theory followed by the Western Allies, the occupation of most of Germany ended in 1949 with the declaration of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic
17.
Berlin Tempelhof Airport
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Berlin Tempelhof Airport was one of the airports in Berlin, Germany. Tempelhof was designated as an airport by the Ministry of Transport on 8 October 1923, the old terminal was originally constructed in 1927. In anticipation of increasing air traffic, the Nazi government began a reconstruction in the mid-1930s. While it was cited as the worlds oldest operating commercial airport, the title was disputed by several other airports. Tempelhof was one of Europes three iconic pre-World War II airports, the others being Londons now defunct Croydon Airport and the old Paris – Le Bourget Airport and it acquired a further iconic status as the centre of the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49. Tempelhof Airports main building was once among the top 20 largest buildings on earth, in contrast, Tempelhof Airport closed all operations on 30 October 2008, despite the efforts of some protesters to prevent the closure. A non-binding referendum was held on 27 April 2008 against the impending closure, the former airfield has subsequently been used as a recreational space known as Tempelhofer Feld. In September 2015 it was announced that Tempelhof would also become a refugee camp. Tempelhof was often called the City Airport and these events respectively marked the debut at Tempelhof of the largest aircraft in commercial airline service at the time and the then-largest aircraft overall. Runway 09L/27R was 2,094 metres long and runway 09R/27L was 1,840 m, the taxiway was in the shape of an oval around these two runways, with a single terminal on the northwest side of the airport. Other possible uses for Tempelhof have been discussed, and many people are trying to keep the buildings preserved. The site of the airport was originally Knights Templar land in medieval Berlin, later, the site was used as a parade field by Prussian forces, and by unified German forces from 1720 to the start of World War I. In 1909, Frenchman Armand Zipfel made the first flight demonstration in Tempelhof, Tempelhof was first officially designated as an airport on 8 October 1923. Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded in Tempelhof on 6 January 1926, the old terminal, originally constructed in 1927, became the worlds first with an underground railway. As part of Albert Speers plan for the reconstruction of Berlin during the Nazi era, ernst Sagebiel was ordered to replace the old terminal with a new terminal building in 1934. With its façades of shell limestone, the building, built between 1936 and 1941, forms a 1.2 kilometre long quadrant. Arriving passengers walked through customs controls to the reception hall, Tempelhof was served by the U6 U-Bahn line along Mehringdamm and up Friedrichstraße. Zentralflughafen Tempelhof-Berlin had the advantage of a location just minutes from the Berlin city centre
18.
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
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The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force. It was established in 1954 and was the first independent Air Force decoration created, the Air Force Longevity Service Award would follow in 1957 with most of the standard Air Force awards established in the early to mid 1960s. The Outstanding Unit Award is awarded to any unit of the U. S, multiple awards of the Outstanding Unit Award are denoted by oak leaf clusters on the ribbon. Until 2004, the Outstanding Unit Award was the senior most unit award in the U. S. Air Force and it is awarded to personnel who were assigned or attached to the unit receiving the award during the period it was awarded for. Non-USAF personnel personnel assigned to USAF units awarded the Outstanding Unit Award are also eligible to wear the ribbon on their uniforms, however, the ribbon does not come in the larger size of unit awards common to the U. S. Army
19.
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
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It first entered service in 1960 with the U. S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was adopted by the U. S. Marine Corps and the U. S. Air Force. The Phantom is a fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds of weapons on nine hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon, later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for performance, including an absolute speed record. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U. S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century. The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U. S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the aircraft used by both U. S. flight demonstration teams, the USAF Thunderbirds and the US Navy Blue Angels. The F-4 was also operated by the forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its fleet of Phantoms in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with five countries, Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft. The F-4 is currently used by Greece, Iran, Japan, South Korea and it has been recently used in combat against the Islamic State. In 1952, McDonnells Chief of Aerodynamics, Dave Lewis, was appointed by CEO Jim McDonnell to be the preliminary design manager. With no new aircraft competitions on the horizon, internal studies concluded the Navy had the greatest need for a new and different aircraft type, in 1953, McDonnell Aircraft began work on revising its F3H Demon naval fighter, seeking expanded capabilities and better performance. The company developed several projects including a variant powered by a Wright J67 engine, the J79-powered version promised a top speed of Mach 1.97. On 19 September 1953, McDonnell approached the United States Navy with a proposal for the Super Demon, the Navy was sufficiently interested to order a full-scale mock-up of the F3H-G/H, but felt that the upcoming Grumman XF9F-9 and Vought XF8U-1 already satisfied the need for a supersonic fighter. On 26 May 1955, four Navy officers arrived at the McDonnell offices and, within an hour, because the Navy already had the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for ground attack and F-8 Crusader for dogfighting, the project now had to fulfill the need for an all-weather fleet defense interceptor
20.
Alaskan Air Command
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Alaskan Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command originally established in 1942 under the United States Army Air Forces. Its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise control of all active measures. In addition, the also supported Strategic Air Command elements operating through. It was redesignated Eleventh Air Force on 9 August 1990 and, concurrently, established on 18 December 1945 the end of World War II, assuming jurisdiction of former Eleventh Air Force, assets in the Alaska Territory. Headquartered at Davis Army Airfield on Adak, the mission of AAC was the consolidation of wartime Army Air Forces in Alaska. Its headquarters was moved back to Anchorage, and was re-established at Elmendorf Field on 1 October 1946. The 57th FG was equipped with 3 squadrons of very-long range P-51H Mustangs, originally designed for missions of B-29 Superfortresses during the war from the Mariana Islands to Japan. Two of its squadrons the 64th and 66th were located at Shemya, the 449th Fighter Squadron was activated at Davis AFB on 1 September 1947. It was equipped with P-61 Black Widows and assigned directly to Headquarters, the only other flying unit was the 54th Troop Carrier Squadron at Elmendorf Field. It was believed that Alaska was threatened more by Soviet bomber attacks across the polar regions, shortly after the Japanese Capitulation, most airfields in the Aleutians were placed in a standby status. Headquarters, Alaskan Air Command was moved to Elmendorf Field on 1 October 1946, the Aleutian Sector was inactivated on 1 July 1947. Following the National Security Act of 1947, the United States Air Force assumed control of the original Army Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Field, Elmendorf officially became an Air Force base 28 March. With tight Air Force budgets in the late 1940s, Amchatka AFB was placed in caretaker status in February 1949, Cape and Thornborough AFB were inactivated in January 1950, avis AFB was transferred to the Department of the Navy. With the exception of Shemya AFB, the Air Force had no bases in the Aleutian Islands. Following the Armistice in Korea, Shimeya was declared surplus and inactivated on 1 July 1954, see also, Kee Bird, Boeing RC-135 Strategic Air Command established a significant presence in Alaska in the late 1940s, initially as a result of its strategic reconnaissance mission. The first efforts were in photo-reconnaissance and mapping, with very long-range B-29 Superfortress reconnaissance aircraft based at Ladd AFB, with growing tensions in US-Soviet relations, SAC explored the possibility of attacking Soviet targets via great circle routes over the North Pole as part of Project Nanook. Ladd AFB, however, due to the geography of its location, was unsuitable for SACs postwar B-36 Peacemaker bomber as well as the new jet B-47 Stratojet. Ladd, being sited next to the Chena River, could not have its runway expanded to meet the requirements for new aircraft
21.
525th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 525th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 3d Operations Group and stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, the 525th FS trains in the fighter missions of strategic attack, interdiction, offensive counterair, suppression of enemy air defenses, as well as offensive and defensive counterair. The 525th Fighter Squadron originally activated during World War II as the 309th Bombardment Squadron on 10 February 1942, the squadron began training for operations at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, and was assigned to the 86th Bombardment Group. In August 1942, the transferred to Key Field, Mississippi. A month later, the squadron was redesignated the 309th Bombardment Squadron, by years end, the squadron started the transition to two new combat aircraft types, the Vultee A-31 Vengeance and the North American A-36 Apache. The squadron achieved combat ready status on 19 March 1943, Ready to support the war effort, the 309th Bombardment Squadron boarded the SS John Erickson in April 1943. Twelve days after its departure from the United States, the squadron landed at La Senia, Algeria. The 309th moved to Mediouna, French Morocco, on 15 May 1943, Marnia, French Morocco, on 3 June 1943 and this is where the squadron acquired its first combat experience on 6 July 1943. On the squadrons first day of combat, it struck enemy entrenchments in Sicily, the 309th Bombardment Squadron was redesignated as the 525th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 23 August 1943. While in Italy, the 525th moved several times while participating in the Rome-Arno campaign. Bases for the 525th included Italian airfields at Sele, Serretella, during 1944, the squadron operated from Marcianise, Ciampino, Orbetello, Grosseto, Italy and Poretta, Corsica. Two of the famous battles during the Italian campaigns were Salerno and Cassino. The 525th Fighter-Bomber Squadron figured prominently in these battles, providing air support to Allied ground forces, in 1944, the 525th transitioned to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Along with the new aircraft the 525th was redesignated the 525th Fighter Squadron on 30 May 1944, in February 1945, the squadron moved to Tantonville, France, to fly missions against Germany. Two months later it moved into Germany, establishing its headquarters at Braunschardt on 18 April 1945, the 525th flew its last combat mission on 8 May 1945, and postwar the headquarters moved to Schweinfurt on 23 October 1945. The 525 FS was administratively moved to Bolling Field, Washington D. C. on 23 October 1945, Forces under the Status of Forces Agreements at the end of World War II. The 525th FS was temporarily inactivated on 31 March 1946 and it was reactivated on 20 August 1946, at Nordholz Airbase, Germany, again flying the P-47 Thunderbolt. On 20 January 1950, the 525th Fighter Squadron was redesignated the 525th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, in October 1950, the squadron transitioned to its first jet aircraft, the Republic F-84E Thunderjet and operated under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program
22.
Bitburg Airport
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Bitburg Airport is a commercial airport serving Bitburg, a city in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. It is located 2 miles southeast of Bitburg,32 km north of Trier, from 1952 until 1994, Bitburg Air Base was a front-line NATO air base. It was the home of the United States Air Forces 36th Fighter Wing for over 40 years as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe. Under contract with the United States Air Force, the French Army began construction of what would become the base in Western Germanys Eifel Mountains in early 1951. Located in the French occupation zone, construction began on land that had been a Wehrmacht tank staging. The air base and its housing area occupied nearly 1,100 acres, with a 8, in July 1952, the 53rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron from the 36th Wing moved from Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base a few miles west of Munich and arrived at the newly built base. Throughout the summer, elements of the 36th FBW moved into Bitburg, with the end of the Cold War, it was deemed that Bitburg AB was no longer needed as a military base and it was turned over to the German government on 1 October 1994. Bitburg Airport was the most logical place—only 10 miles down the road, the USAF departed for the second time in September 1997 and Bitburg Airport was returned to use by the civil aircraft which now call it home. On September 15,2008, the Ministry of Transport of Rhineland-Palatinate granted the airport landing rights for aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of more than 14 tonnes. The airport contracting company is currently evaluating plans to develop the airport into a regional freight airport, there are no scheduled airline services to and from Bitburg Airport. Transport in Germany List of airports in Germany Donald, David Century Jets, aIRtime ISBN 1-880588-68-4 Fletcher, Harry R. Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History, Tail Code, The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History. Schiffer Military Books ISBN 1-57427-079-6 Mueller, Robert, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History, Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present Mindling, George and Bolton, US Air Force Tactical Missiles 1949-1969 The Pioneers
23.
Aerospace Defense Command
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Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Forces, responsible for continental air defence. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980 and its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inactivated in 1950, reactivated in 1951, and then redesignated Aerospace rather than Air in 1968. Its mission was to air defense of the Continental United States. It directly controlled all active measures, and was tasked to coordinate all passive means of air defense, the air districts established on 16 January 1941 before the Pearl Harbor attack. The four air districts also handled USAAF combat training with the Army Ground Forces and organization and training of bomber, fighter and other units, the USAAFs Aircraft Warning Corps provided air defense warning with information centers that networked an areas Army Radar Stations which communicated radar tracks by telephone. The AWC information centers also integrated visual reports processed by Ground Observer Corps filter centers, AWC information centers notified air defense command posts of the 4 continental air forces for deploying interceptor aircraft which used command guidance for ground-controlled interception. The USAAF inactivated the aircraft warning network in April 1944, Continental Air Forces was activated on 12 December 1944 with the four Air Forces as components to consolidate the CONUS air defense mission under one command. The Continental Air Forces reorganization began in 1945, when ground radar, the Distant Early Warning Line was first conceived—and rejected—in 1946. By 1948 there were only 5 AC&W stations, including the Twin Lights station in NJ that opened in June and Montauk NY Air Warning Station #3 --cf. SAC radar stations, e. g. at Dallas & Denver Bomb Plots. By the time ADC was inactivated on 1 July 1950, ADC had deployed the Lashup Radar Network with existing radars at 43 sites, in addition,36 Air National Guard fighter units were called to active duty for the mission. ADC was reinstated as a command on 1 January 1951 at Mitchel Air Force Base. The headquarters was moved to Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs on 8 January 1951 and it received 21 former ConAC active-duty fighter squadrons. ADC was also assigned the 25th, 26th 27th and 28th Air Divisions ADC completed the Priority Permanent System network for Aircraft Warning, gaps were filled by additional Federal Aviation Administration radar stations and the Ground Observation Corps. During the mid-1950s, planners devised the idea of extending the wall of powerful land-based radar seaward with Airborne early warning, the RC-121s, EC-121s and Texas Towers, it was believed, would contribute to extending contiguous east-coast radar coverage some 300 to 500 miles seaward. In terms of the air threat of the 1950s, this meant a gain of at least 30 extra minutes warning time of a bomber attack. ADCs Operation Tail Wind on 11–12 July tested its augmentation plan that required Air Training Command interceptors participate in an air defense emergency, a total of seven ATC bases actively participated in the exercise, deploying aircraft and aircrews and supporting the ADC radar net. As the USAF prepared to deploy the Tactical Air Command E-3 Sentry in the later 1970s, all remaining EC-121s were transferred to the Air Force Reserve, which formed the 79th AEWCS at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida in early 1976. Besides monitoring Cuban waters, these last Warning Stars also operated from NAS Keflavik, final EC-121 operations ended in September 1978
24.
McDonnell F-101 Voodoo
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The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force. An F-101A set a number of speed records for jet powered aircraft, including fastest airspeed. They operated in the role until 1979. Delays in the 1954 interceptor project led to demands for an interceptor aircraft design. The F-101B entered service with Air Defense Command in 1959 and the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1961, US examples were handed off to the Air National Guard where they served until 1982. Canadian examples remained in service until 1984, the Voodoos career as a fighter-bomber was relatively brief, but the reconnaissance versions served for some time. Interceptor versions served with the Air National Guard until 1982, initial design on what would eventually become the Voodoo began just after World War II in response to a USAAF Penetration Fighter Competition in 1946. Several companies responded with designs, and the Air Force provided funds for several of them to produce prototypes, after being awarded a contract on 14 February 1947, McDonnell built two prototypes, designated the XF-88 Voodoo. The first prototype, powered by two 3,000 lbf Westinghouse XJ34-WE-13 turbojets, flew from Muroc on 20 October 1948, preliminary testing revealed that while handling and range was adequate, the top speed was a disappointing 641 mph at sea level. Fuel consumption was increased by use of the afterburners, however. Analysis of Korean war missions, however, revealed that contemporary USAF strategic bombers were vulnerable to fighter interception, in 1951, the USAF issued a new requirement for a bomber escort with all major US manufacturers submitting designs. The McDonnell design was a larger and higher powered version of the XF-88, the F-88 was redesignated the F-101 Voodoo in November 1951. The new design was larger, carrying three times the initial fuel load and designed around larger, more powerful Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojets. The greater dimensions of the J57 engines required modifications to the engine bays, the new intake also was designed to be more efficient at higher Mach numbers. In late 1952, the mission of the F-101 was changed from fighter to strategic fighter. The new Voodoo mock-up with the inlets, tail surfaces, landing gear. F-101A serial number 53-2418 was the first production aircraft, its flight was on 29 September 1954 at Edwards AFB where it reached Mach 0. It was previously on display at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum, the end of the war in Korea and the development of the jet-powered Boeing B-52 Stratofortress negated the need for fighter escort and Strategic Air Command withdrew from the program
25.
Convair F-106 Delta Dart
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The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft of the United States Air Force from the 1960s through the 1980s. Designed as the so-called Ultimate Interceptor, it proved to be the last dedicated interceptor in U. S. Air Force service to date and it was gradually retired during the 1980s, with the QF-106 drone conversions of the aircraft being used until 1998 under the Pacer Six Program. The F-106 was the development of the USAFs 1954 interceptor program of the early 1950s. By December 1951 the Air Force had already turned its attention to an improved version. Initially the main planned change was the replacement of the A-models Pratt & Whitney J57 with the more powerful Bristol Olympus, by the time this would be available, the MX-1179 was expected to be available, and was selected as well. The result would be the ultimate interceptor the Air Force wanted originally, however, while initial work on the Olympus appeared to go well, by August 1953 Wright was already a full year behind schedule in development. Continued development did not improve issues, and in early 1955 the Air Force approved the switch to the Pratt & Whitney J75, the J75 was somewhat larger than the J57 in the F-102A, and had greater mass flow. This change also led to the ducts being somewhat shorter, the fuselage grew slightly longer, and was cleaned up and simplified in many ways. The wing was enlarged in area, and a redesigned vertical tail surface was used. The engines 2-position afterburner exhaust nozzle was used for idle thrust control. The nozzle was held open reducing idle thrust by 40% giving slower taxiing, a mock-up with the expected layout of the MX-1179, now known as the MA-1, was inspected and approved in December 1955. With growing confidence that the aircraft was now improving, a production contract for 17 F-102Bs was sent out on 18 April 1956. On 17 June, the aircraft was officially re-designated as the F-106A, the first prototype F-106, an aerodynamic test bed, flew on 26 December 1956 from Edwards Air Force Base, with the second, fitted with a fuller set of equipment, following 26 February 1957. Initial flight tests at the end of 1956 and beginning of 1957 were disappointing, with less than anticipated, while the engine. These problems, and the associated with them nearly led to the abandoning of the program. On 15 December 1959, Major Joseph W. Rogers set a speed record of 1,525.96 mph in a Delta Dart at 40,500 ft. That year, Charles E. Myers flew the model aircraft at 1,544 mph. Nevertheless, Major Rogers received the award because cold war pressures dictated that a pilot should be recognized
26.
George Air Force Base
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George Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located within city limits,8 miles northwest of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. The facility was closed by the Base Realignment and Closure 1992 commission at the end of the Cold War and it is now the site of Southern California Logistics Airport. Established by the United States Army Air Corps as an Advanced Flying School in June 1941 and it was again activated as a training base by the United States Air Force with the outbreak of the Korean War in November 1950. It remained a training base throughout the Cold War, primarily for Tactical Air Command training pilots in front-line USAF fighters until being closed in 1993. Since 2009, the California Air National Guards 196th Reconnaissance Squadron has operated an MQ-1 Predator Remotely Piloted Aircraft training facility at the Southern California Logistics Airport, George Air Force Base was named in honor of Brigadier General Harold Huston George. He was a World War I fighter ace, serving with the 185th and 139th Aero Squadrons, at the beginning of World War II he was assigned to the V Interceptor Command, Far East Air Force in the Philippines. There, he directed air operations in defense of the islands in Manila Bay. Withdrawn to Australia, he died on 29 April 1942 in an accident near Darwin. A Curtiss P-40 of the 49th Fighter Group, piloted by Lt. George, Time-Life war correspondent Melvin Jacoby, and base personnel 2nd Lt. Robert D. Jasper, a number of others received injuries, but the P-40 pilot survived. George Air Force Base was named for the general in June 1950. In April 1940, civic leaders from Victorville, California approached the United States Army with a proposal to develop an airfield in the High Mojave Desert. They promoted the areas 360-days per year of sunny weather, abundance of wide-open spaces, runway construction consisted of a four runway configuration along with seven hangars. To conserve critical materials, most facilities were constructed of wood, concrete, brick, gypsum board, the station was designed to be nearly self-sufficient, with not only hangars, but barracks, warehouses, hospitals, dental clinics, dining halls, and maintenance shops were needed. There were libraries, social clubs for officers, and enlisted men, over 250 buildings, together with complete water, sewer, electric and gas utilities, the airfield served over 4,000 military personnel. Training began in February 1942 on Curtiss AT-9s, T-6 Texans, and AT-17s for pilots, the Army operated an advanced twin-engine pilot training school at the field, its graduated generally flying C-47 Skytrain transports, B-25 Michell or B-26 Marauder medium bombers. The school also trained replacement crew members in the B-25 and B-26, the first class of flying cadets graduated on April 24,1942. In addition to the training, a USAAF Bombardier training school was operated. The 516th, 517th and 518th Twin-Engine Flying Training Squadrons being the flying squadrons, Bombardier training was conducted by the 519th, 520th, 521st and 522d Bombardier Training Squadrons
27.
California
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California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565
28.
32d Air Operations Squadron
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The 32d Air Operations Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 32d Air Operations Group, based at Ramstein Air Base and it was inactivated on 1 November 2005. The US Army Air Corps constituted the 32d Pursuit Squadron, seven weeks later, on 1 February 1940, the squadron activated at Kelly Field, Texas. After completing this training, in November 1940, the 32d transferred to Langley Field in Virginia to join the 36th Pursuit Group, once there, the 36th equipped the squadron with Curtiss P-36A Hawk aircraft. During its stay at Langley, the 32d Pursuit Squadron flew a number of Curtiss YP-37 aircraft for a short period, on 6 January 1941, the squadron moved to Losey Field, on the island of Puerto Rico as a reaction to the German presence in South America. This strength remained unchanged up to 7 December 1941. After the Pearl Harbor Attack, the Squadron dispatched a detachment to Arecibo Field, in early 1942, the German Navy began anti-shipping operations using U-Boats in the Caribbean. The subs sank several tankers in the harbor at San Nicholas, Aruba, the Squadron standardized on the P-39, and established detachments at Arecibo Field and Bourne Field, Saint Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands. The Squadron moved entirely to Arecibo by 19 February, another detachment was established at Hato Field, Curaçao. The mission was to air defense for the bomber and anti-submarine units that had been assembled there. The Puerto Rico-based elements of the Squadron went through a training program, redesignated as the 32d Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942, by the end of June the main body was still at Arecibo, although the detachments at St. Thomas and Hato Field continued. The 32d Fighter Squadron had the responsibility for tracking down German U-Boat Wolfpacks, the Wolfpacks, three or more subs together in a mission known as search and destroy, this led to the famous name and insignia Wolfhounds. In the fall of 1942, the Germans reduced their activity in the Caribbean region to concentrate its activity on the North Atlantic convoy route. With the departure of its parent 36th Fighter Group to the United States in June 1943, on 3 August 1943, the squadron was transferred to the Antilles Air Command. The Squadron was further assigned to the Trinidad Detachment and VI Fighter Command, however, despite the assignment to Antilles Air Command, a detachment of the Squadron was noted at Howard Field in the Panama Canal Zone detached to XXVI Fighter Command. Effective 13 March 1944, the entire Squadron moved to France Field in the Panama Canal Zone to replace the 52d Fighter Squadron, the squadron was placed under XXVI Fighter Command, whose task was to defend the Panama Canal and to perform reconnaissance missions. The unit moved from France Field to Howard Field between 7 and 10 January 1945, where it was to replace the 43d Fighter Squadron, on 1 February 1945, the unit was redesignated as the 32d Fighter Squadron, Twin Engine. However, no sooner had conversion to the P-38s been completed than the complement of P-38s was hangared
29.
Soesterberg Air Base
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Soesterberg Air Base was a Royal Netherlands Air Force military air base located in Soesterberg,14 kilometres east-northeast of Utrecht. It was first established as an airfield in 1911, and in 1913, for almost 40 years, United States Air Force facilities at Soesterberg, named Camp New Amsterdam was a major front line USAFE air base during the Cold War. The base was closed on 31 December 2008, due to cuts in the Dutch Army. The last fighter ever to depart, delayed due bad weather at Aviano AB, was a Greek F-4E Phantom II, the former USAFE part stays in military hands, and will now officially be called Camp New Amsterdam. During World War I, the Netherlands was a neutral country, the Dutch confiscated all foreign aircraft landing inside the borders of their country during the war, and added the operational ones to their inventory to be used for pilot training at Soesterberg. Throughout the war, Allied Air Forces caused enormous damage to the airfield, in May 1945, Canadian forces liberated the airfield. On 5 August 1951, the Royal Netherlands Air Force declared it operational, the RNLAF has maintained flying units at Soesterberg since then. On the base two monuments were erected, the monument for Fallen Aviators is the official Royal Netherlands Air Force Memorial, and located near the main entrance of the base. On Memorial Day, May 4th, the Royal Netherlands Air Force holds a ceremony to remember, the other monument at the base is for Executed Resistance Fighters. It is the symbol for the sacrifice that 33 resistance fighters gave for freedom, every year on 19 November, there is a memorial service. During World War II, the German Army secretly executed the 33 resistance fighters in the woods of the base, the resistance fighters were part of several resistance groups and most of them were caught due to betrayal. Although the execution was held in secret, there were rumours about it, the mass grave, camouflaged by buried trees, was located by Major A. Siedenburg. His son was one of the victims, in 1954, the Dutch government agreed to the stationing of a US Air Force fighter squadron to augment air defence. The USAF forces operated from a part of Soesterberg Air Base which was named Camp New Amsterdam, in honour of the first Dutch settlement in America, Nieuw Amsterdam, later renamed New York City. The first U. S. Air Forces in Europe unit to operate from Soesterberg was the 512th Fighter-Day Squadron, by July 1955, the 512th reached full operational status. The squadron markings of the F-86s were with three bands at the vertical tail. It was a tradition in the U. S. Air Force that a squadron, because the 512th had no historical ties with the Netherlands, the Americans started a search for their traditional historical link between the two countries. It was found that the World War II 32d Fighter Squadron had been stationed on the Dutch islands Curaçao and Aruba in the Caribbean Sea, in September 1955, the designation of the 512th was transferred to RAF Shepherds Grove, where it replaced the 78th FIS
30.
496th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The squadron was inactivated on 15 May 1991. The unit was first activated in 1942, and served until April 1944 as a replacement and operational training unit for light bombardment and fighter-bomber units and its longest period of active duty started in 1953, when it was activated as an interceptor squadron. After training in the Western United States, it moved to Germany, serving in the air defense of Western Europe until 1968 and it received its initial cadre and equipment from the 3d Bombardment Group. It operated briefly with Vultee V-72 aircraft, but its operations showed this aircraft was unsuitable for dive bombing, the squadron served as an Operational Training Unit, acting as the parent for elements of several light bombardment groups. In 1943, the squadron was redesignated as the 496th Fighter-Bomber Squadron as were other AAF single engine bombardment units and it continued to serve as an OTU until October 1943. The OTU program involved the use of a parent unit to provide cadres to satellite groups. During the fall of 1943, operations dwindled and by the end of September 1943 only five aircraft were assigned to the entire 84th Group, the squadron then became a Replacement Training Unit and also participated occasionally in demonstrations and maneuvers. RTUs were also oversized units, but with the mission of training individual pilots or aircrews, however, the AAF found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission in the US. Accordingly, a functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. The squadron was, therefore, disbanded in April 1944 and replaced by the 261st AAF Base Unit, the May 1949 Air Force Reserve program called for a new type of unit, the corollary unit, which was a reserve unit integrated with an active duty unit. The plan called for units at 107 locations. It was viewed as the best method to train reservists by mixing them with a regular unit to perform duties alongside the regular unit. The squadron was undermanned and thus performed very little training. During its only 2-week summer encampment, the entire 84th Group had only four pilots capable of flying the 52ds North American F-82 Twin Mustangs provided for their training. The 84th Group was ordered to service on 1 June 1951, inactivated the next day. Activated briefly at Hamilton Air Force Base, California in early 1953, equipped with North American F-86F Sabres, reassigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe, assigned to the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Landstuhl Air Base, West Germany in 1954. Mission in USAFE was air defense of West Germany, flying North American F-86D Sabre interceptors, moved to Hahn Air Base in November 1956, remaining assigned to the 86th. Operated from Hahn for the decade, being re-equipped with the F-102A Delta Dagger in 1959
31.
Hahn Air Base
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Hahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War. It was the home of the United States Air Forces 50th Fighter Wing for most of those years as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe and it was one of several USAFE bases in Germany all within 100 km of each other. Beyond their location in the heart of US Army and other NATO troop concentrations, these air bases were situated to reach all locations within Europe. In 1951, occupying French forces founded an air base on the site which about 40 years later would become Hahn Air Base and the present day Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. In September 1952, the United States took over the installation, and began to erect the seventh largest USAF base in Europe and the second largest in Germany. The initial USAF unit at Hahn was the 7356th Air Base Group, whose mission was to get the base up and running, Base facilities then consisted of pre-fabricated barrack buildings, heated by coke-burning pot belly stoves, outdoor latrines, and tents for motorpool personnel to work in. An L-5B was the first aircraft assigned to Hahn to fill administrative flight requirements, with most of the construction completed by mid-1953, the primary mission of the Hahn Air Base was the reception of the 50th Fighter Bomber Wing. The aircraft were deployed to Hahn from Clovis AFB New Mexico during Operation Fox Able 27 on 10 August 1953 and this marked the first mass flight of an entire tactical wing from the U. S. to continental Europe. The operational squadrons of the 50th FBW were, 10th Fighter-Bomber 81st Fighter-Bomber 417th Fighter-Bomber The 417th FBS was commanded for a time by Chuck Yeager. The 81st flew the North American F-86F Sabre, with markings of dark blue for the 10th, yellow for the 81st. The wing conducted operations in support of USAF, NATO. In the autumn of 1955, the wing was upgraded to the F-86H, the primary mission of the 50th Fighter-Bomber Wing was the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons against Warsaw Pact forces in the event of an invasion of Western Europe. Its secondary missions were tactical air defense and support for NATO ground forces, due to the vulnerability of West Germany to Soviet attack, USAF planners did not want their tactical nuclear weapons in locations that could be quickly overrun by Warsaw Pact forces. When construction was completed at Toul-Rosières Air Base France, the 50th Fighter-Bomber Wing was moved there on 17 July 1956, in August 1954 the Air Defense Command 496th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron from Hamilton AFB California arrived at Hahn flying the North American F-86D Sabre to stand air defence alert. Although based at Hahn, the 496th FIS was assigned to the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Ramstein Air Base, the squadron won the Hughes Trophy as the best fighter-interceptor squadron in the USAF in 1955. It stood alert and deployed regularly to Wheelus Air Base, Libya, later added other European bases as weapons training deployments. On 10 December 1959 the 496th was upgraded to the Convair F-102A/TF-102B Delta Dagger, the 496th was the second European squadron, after the 525th FIS at Bitburg Air Base to receive the F-102. With the transition to the F-102, the 496th operated under the USAFE 86th Air Division at Ramstein Air Base West Germany on 1 July 1960 and this transfer was made in order that all USAF fighter assets in Europe could be concentrated in one command
32.
513th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 513th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 86th Air Division, based at Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base and it was inactivated on 8 January 1961. Converted to a Fighter-Bomber squadron and deployed to the European Theater of Operations in March 1944, entered combat with P-47 Thunderbolts in May when the Allies were preparing for the invasion of the Continent. Helped prepare the way for the Allied breakthrough at St Lo on 25 July Moved to the Continent early in August 1944, aided the Allied drive across France, operated closely with ground forces and flew interdiction missions during the drive to the Moselle-Saar region. Shifted operations from the Saar basin to the Ardennes and assisted the beleaguered garrison at Bastogne after the Germans had launched the counteroffensive that precipitated the Battle of the Bulge. Operated almost exclusively within a radius of Bastogne from 23–27 December 1944, attacking tanks, vehicles, defended buildings. Flew escort, interdiction, and close-support missions in the Ruhr Valley early in 1945 and thus assisted Allied ground forces in their drive to and across the Rhine. Remained in Europe after V-E Day, being assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe for duty in Bremen, inactivated on 20 August 1946, personnel and equipment being assigned to 86th Fighter Group keeping with Air Force policy of having low-numbered units active as much as possible. Reactivated in England as an air defense squadron in July 1952 and assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Third Air Force. Tasked with both fighter-bomber and air defense roles in the United Kingdom, in the fall of 1953, the squadron was re-equipped with F-86F Sabres which were returned from action in Korea. In 1956, the unit was upgraded to the F-86D Sabre interceptor version, host 406th FIW was inactivated in March 1958. Reassigned to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Ramstein AB, West Germany, however stationed at Phalsbourg-Bourscheid AB, France, operated from Phalsbourg until January 1961 when the F-86s were withdrawn from Europe. Redesignated 513th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 25 June 1952 Activated on 10 July 1952, redesignated 513th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 April 1954 Discontinued, and inactivated on 8 January 1961. A-20, A-24, A-25, A-26, A-35, A-36, UC-78, BC-1, P-39 and this article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, //www. afhra. af. mil/. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. History of the 513th Fighter Squadron
33.
Quartier La Horie
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Quartier La Horie is a French Army base. During the Cold War, Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base was a base for the United States Air Forces in Europe. Prior to 1950, there were no existing airfields in the Phalsbourg area, with the advent of the Cold War in the late 1940s and the formation of NATO, agreements were made to expand the United States military presence in western Europe. The United States would also provide some of the air power. This led to the expansion of the United States Air Forces in Europe, the United States would eventually base combat aircraft and personnel in Belgium, England, France, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and West Germany. In 1950, U. S. representatives began a series of discussions with the French to select air bases and negotiate the details of establishing a large USAF presence. USAFE desired an air field in Alsace or Lorraine due to their location near the Rhine River. The agreed airfield site was west of the city of Phalsbourg, the USAF wanted to base a fighter wing at Phalsbourg by 1955. In February 1952 the 7040th Air Base Squadron was activated to administer the base, highway N4 was moved a half-mile to the south, and by the summer of 1952, work began on the site preparation of the base. Construction continued during 1953, and in 1954, the base was nearing completion, by the spring of 1955 the runways, taxiways and hangars were constructed, however the base was barley habitable because few roads were paved and the utilities were not yet installed. On 4 February 1955 Twelfth Air Force took possession of Phalsbourg AB, Tactical Air Command advised USAFE that due to budget limitations, it would be unable to establish a tactical air fighter/bomber wing at the base until 1961. Typically the Marguerite consisted of fifteen to eighteen hardstands around a large central hangar, each hardstand held one or two aircraft, and allowed the planes to be spaced approximately 150 feet apart. Each squadron was assigned to a separate hangar/hardstand complex and this construction can be seen clearly in the satellite image link at the bottom of this article. The 7040th ABS continued as the unit of the base until being replaced by the 7486th Air Base Group in 1955. Phalsbourg was kept in a standby status after the construction was completed. The first USAF unit to be stationed at Phalsbourg AB was the 23rd Helicopter Squadron, the 23d activated on 9 July 1956 at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, then deployed to Phalsbourg in November. At Phalsbourg, the 23rd flew the Piasecki H-21B and these helicopters provided typical helicopter airlift missions such as special air lift, administrative support, and emergency air evacuation. The helicopters arrived at Phalsbourg during November, being shipped by freight from Brookley AFB, Alabama via Bremerhaven West Germany
34.
514th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 514th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 86th Air Division, based at Ramstein Air Base and it was inactivated on 8 January 1961. Converted to a Fighter-Bomber squadron and deployed to the European Theater of Operations in March 1944, entered combat with P-47 Thunderbolts in May when the Allies were preparing for the invasion of the Continent. Helped prepare the way for the Allied breakthrough at St Lo on 25 July Moved to the Continent early in August 1944, aided the Allied drive across France, operated closely with ground forces and flew interdiction missions during the drive to the Moselle-Saar region. Shifted operations from the Saar basin to the Ardennes and assisted the beleaguered garrison at Bastogne after the Germans had launched the counteroffensive that precipitated the Battle of the Bulge. Operated almost exclusively within a radius of Bastogne from 23–27 December 1944, attacking tanks, vehicles, defended buildings. Flew escort, interdiction, and close-support missions in the Ruhr Valley early in 1945 and thus assisted Allied ground forces in their drive to and across the Rhine. Remained in Europe after V-E Day, being assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe for duty in Bremen, inactivated on 20 August 1946, personnel and equipment being assigned to 86th Fighter Group keeping with Air Force policy of having low-numbered units active as much as possible. Reactivated in England as an air defense squadron in July 1952 and assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe Third Air Force. Tasked with both fighter-bomber and air defense roles in the United Kingdom, in the fall of 1953, the squadron was re-equipped with F-86F Sabres which were returned from action in Korea. In 1956, the unit was upgraded to the F-86D Sabre interceptor version, host 406th FIW was inactivated in March 1958. Reassigned to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Ramstein AB, West Germany, operated until January 1961 when the F-86s were withdrawn from Europe. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History
35.
526th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 526th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 86th Operations Group, based at Ramstein Air Base and it was inactivated on 1 July 1994. Initially activated as an A-20 Havoc dive-bomber squadron in the southeast, was realigned to an A-24 Banshee fighter-bomber squadron and re-designated from the 310th to 526th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in August 1943. Was deployed to Twelfth Air Force in North Africa in May 1943, flying operations began 15 May from Médiouna Airfield, near Casablanca, French Morocco. Moved eastward supporting the Fifth Army with close air support missions, in the North African Campaign, the squadron engaged German positions in Tunisia. In July, initial elements of the moved to Sicily. From the Gela West airfield, begin flying combat missions, supporting the 1st Division of II Army Corps, on 27 August, the squadron provided air support for the first Allied landings on the European mainland at Salerno, Italy. On 10 September, three days after the invasion of Salerno, advance echelons of the moved to Sele Airfield. Enemy shelling of the beaches caused considerable difficulty during the move, moved north through Italy during the Italian Campaign, supported Allied forces by attacking enemy lines of communication, troop concentrations and supply areas. In April 1944 the squadron attacked the German Gustav Line and it also attacked rail and road targets and strafed German troop and supply columns during late spring. While Strangle did not significantly cut into German supplies, it did disrupt enemy tactical mobility and was a factor in the Allies’ eventual breakthrough. During this period the squadron received P-40 Warhawks to augment its aging A-36s, the squadron welcomed its first P-47 Thunderbolts a few weeks later, on 23 June. Moved to Corsica in July 1944, from Poretta Airfield, the squadron flew bombing missions against coastal defenses in direct support of Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France 15 August 1944. Allied forces met little resistance as they moved inland twenty miles in the first twenty-four hours, the squadron also conducted armed reconnaissance against the enemy in the Po Valley region. The squadron transferred from Tantonville to Braunshardt Airfield, near Darmstadt, Germany, just after the war, the squadron performed military occupation duty in Germany, with personnel demobilizing throughout the summer. The squadrons last personnel were sent back to the United States from AAF Station Schweinfurt, Germany, on 15 February 1946, the squadron was reactivated in the postwar era 20 August 1946 at Nordholz Airbase, Germany equipped with surplus P-47 Thunderbolts from storage depots in Europe. Over the next years, the squadron underwent several redesignations. In June 1948, the squadron was moved to Neubiberg Air Base, the squadron relocated to a new base, located west of the Rhine River near Kaiserslautern, West Germany in 1952
36.
431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 431st Test and Evaluation Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Tactical Air Command 57th Fighter Wing stationed at Nellis AFB and it was inactivated on 30 June 1992. Established by Fifth Air Force in Australia in May 1943 specifically to accommodate very long range Lockheed P-38J Lightnings at Amberley Airfield in Queensland, Australia. The 431st was specifically trained to provide escort for bombers during daylight raids on Japanese airfields and strongholds in the Netherlands East Indies. On 14 August 1943, the 431st transferred from Amberley airfield to Port Moresby, also intercepted and destroyed many Japanese aircraft which were sent against American shipping in Oro Bay on 15 and 17 October 1943. Covered landings in New Guinea, New Britain, and the Schouten Islands, after moving to Biak in July 1944, the squadron flew escort missions and fighter sweeps to the southern Philippines, Celebes, Halmahera, and Borneo. The squadron flew missions to support ground forces on Luzon during the first part of 1945. Also flew escort missions to Southeast China and attacked railways on Formosa, began moving to Ie Shima near Okinawa in August 1945 but the war ended before the movement was completed. The unit moved to Kimpo Airfield, on 7 January 1946 where the it converted to the very long-range P-51H Mustang, the squadron was reassigned to Nagoya Airfield, Japan in March 1947 and later moved to Itazuke Airfield, Japan in August 1948. It became a unit of 475th Fighter Wing on 10 August. The squadron was inactivated on 1 April 1949 at Ashiya Airfield, reactivated as part of Air Defense Command in November 1952, replacing the federalized 172d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of the Michigan Air National Guard. Relieved from duty with ADC and reassigned to USAFE under Seventeenth Air Force, flying from Wheelus AB, Libya to provide air defense over the large North African base and expansive training ranges. Replaced its Korean War vintage F-86Fs with new F-86D Sabre Interceptors in January 1955, moved to Zaragoza AB, Spain in September 1958 and was reassigned to the Strategic Air Command Sixteenth Air Force. Inactivated in 1964 with withdrawal of B-47 Stratojet from inventory and SAC turning jurisdiction of its Spanish refueling bases to USAFE, was reassigned to Tactical Air Command, being stationed at George AFB, California, assigned to 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. Equipped with F-4C Phantom II tactical fighter-bomber, engaged in training, participated in exercises, operational readiness inspections. Re-equipped with new F-4D Phantom II in 1965 and reassigned to 479th Tactical Training Wing at George AFB, the F-4D was an improved version of the F-4C, which the 8th TFW had been deployed with to Southeast Asia. In February 1966, the squadron began F-4D replacement pilot training for personnel to be deployed to Southeast Asia, along with the USAF fighter pilot training, the squadron began training foreign personnel in F-4 operations and maintenance in March 1969. Pilots were trained from Israel, Iran, Japan, and West Germany, inactivated on 30 October 1970 due to budget reductions
37.
497th Combat Training Flight
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The 497th Combat Training Flight is a United States Air Force unit. The 497th comprises the functional elements of a small-scale USAF fighter wing - fighter operations, flightline logistics, community and mission support. With a permanently assigned staff of 37 personnel, the 497th CTS represents the entire USAF presence in Singapore, when so configured, the 497th presence is transformed into an operational role, to conduct an intense schedule of air-to-air combat training with the RSAF. The 497th also supports USAF fighter rotations to Southwest Asia and several other exercises such as COPE TAUFAN, COPE TIGER. An example of the 497th CTSs expanding capability occurred in May 1998 during COMMANDO SLING 98-4 when they supported the ordered departure of U. S. personnel from Indonesia. Paya Lebar Air Base ramp at that time had 28 USAF F-15s, four USAF C-130s, four USAF KC-135s, one C-141, one C-17, all were supported by squadron and RSAF personnel. Additionally, COMMANDO SLING 98-4 was the first time the normally bilateral exercise was expanded to include the Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornets, the commander is also the Designated Commanding Officer for legal jurisdiction over U. S. military personnel in nine Southeast Asian countries. It is a tenant command under Naval Region Singapore and shares space at the Sembawang Terminal with Task Force 73/Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific, operational training unit, June 1942 – October 1943, replacement training, October 1943 – April 1944. Air defense of West coast, 1953–1955, Air Defense of Southwest Europe, 1958–1964. In the early 1960s Headquarters, United States Air Force implemented Project Clearwater, Clearwater was designed to return overseas Convair F-102 squadrons stationed overseas to the United States to reduce gold flow. This resulted in the 497th being reduced to a paper unit, although had originally intended to inactivate the unit, it was instead transferred to Tactical Air Command as a paper unit. Combat in Southeast Asia, 1965–1974, Defense of South Korea, cornett, Lloyd H. Johnson, Mildred W. A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980, peterson AFB, CO, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History. The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964 ADC Historical Study No,27, Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, CO ADCOMs Fighter Interceptor Squadrons. The Interceptor Aerospace Defense Command, 497th Combat Training Squadron on the NRCS website 497th Combat Training Squadron on the US Embassy in Singapore website
38.
Berlin Crisis of 1961
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The Berlin Crisis of 1961 was the last major politico-military European incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany. The 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union—the last to be attended by the Communist Party of China—was held in Moscow during the crisis. After the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe at the end of World War II, some of those living in the acquired areas of the Eastern Bloc aspired to independence. Between 1945 and 1950, over 15 million people emigrated from Soviet-occupied Eastern European countries to the West. Taking advantage of this route, the number of Eastern Europeans applying for asylum in West Germany was 197,000 in 1950,165,000 in 1951,182,000 in 1952 and 331,000 in 1953. By the early 1950s, the Soviet approach to controlling national movement, restricting emigration, was emulated by most of the rest of the Eastern Bloc, up until 1953, the lines between East Germany and the western occupied zones could be easily crossed in most places. Consequently, the Inner German border between the two German states was closed, and a fence erected. When large numbers of East Germans then defected under the guise of visits, accordingly, Berlin became the main route by which East Germans left for the West. The Berlin sector border was essentially a loophole through which Eastern Bloc citizens could still escape, the 4.5 million East Germans that had left by 1961 totaled approximately 20% of the entire East German population. The loss was disproportionately heavy among professionals—engineers, technicians, physicians, teachers, lawyers, in November 1958, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev issued the Western powers an ultimatum to withdraw from Berlin within six months and make it a free, demilitarised city. In response, the United States, United Kingdom, and France clearly expressed their determination to remain in. With tensions mounting, the United States, United Kingdom and France formed a group with orders to plan for an eventual response to any aggression on West Berlin. The planning group was named LIVE OAK, and staff from the three countries prepared land and air plans to access to and from West Berlin. The Soviet Union withdrew its deadline in May 1959, and the ministers of the four countries spent three months meeting. Eisenhower and Khrushchev had a few together at the US presidential retreat Camp David. There was nothing more inadvisable in this situation, said Eisenhower, than to talk about ultimatums, Khrushchev responded that he did not understand how a peace treaty could be regarded by the American people as a threat to peace. Eisenhower admitted that the situation in Berlin was abnormal and that human affairs got very badly tangled at times, Khrushchev came away with the impression that a deal was possible over Berlin, and they agreed to continue the dialogue at a summit in Paris in May 1960. However, the Paris Summit that was to resolve the Berlin question was cancelled in the fallout from Gary Powerss failed U-2 spy flight on 1 May 1960
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Air National Guard
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When Air National Guard units are used under the jurisdiction of the state governor they are fulfilling their militia role. However, if federalized by order of the President of the United States and they are jointly administered by the states and the National Guard Bureau, a joint bureau of the Army and Air Force that oversees the National Guard of the United States. The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned, ANG units typically operate under Title 32 USC. However, when operating under Title 10 USC all ANG units are operationally-gained by an active duty USAF major command. ANG units of the Combat Air Forces based in the Continental United States, conversely, CONUS-based ANG units in the Mobility Air Forces, plus the Puerto Rico ANGs airlift wing and the Virgin Islands ANGs civil engineering squadron are gained by the Air Mobility Command. The vast majority of ANG units fall under either ACC or AMC, established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U. S. S. When not in a status, the Air National Guard operates under their respective state. The exception to rule is the District of Columbia Air National Guard. Because both state Air National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States relatively go hand-in-hand, Air National Guard of the United States units or members may be called up for federal active duty in times of Congressionally sanctioned war or national emergency. The United States Air National Guard has about 110,000 men and women in service, even traditional part-time air guardsmen, especially pilots, navigators/combat systems officers, air battle managers and enlisted aircrew, often serve 100 or more man-days annually. As such, the concept of Air National Guard service as representing only one weekend a month, the Georgia Air National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard previously flew the B-1B Lancer prior to converting to the E-8 Joint STARS and KC-135R Stratotanker, respectively. In addition, the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard transitioned from flying the F-15C/D Eagle at St and these proposals were eventually overruled and cancelled by the U. S. Congress. As state militia units, the units in the Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command and they are under the jurisdiction of the United States National Guard Bureau unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Air National Guard units are trained and equipped by the United States Air Force, the state ANG units, depending on their mission, are operationally gained by a major command of the USAF if federalized. Air National Guard personnel are expected to adhere to the moral and physical standards as their full-time active duty Air Force. The same ranks and insignia of the U. S. Air Force are used by the Air National Guard, the Air National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in a service members home state or equivalent. The creation of the regiments was caused by the perceived need to defend the Bay Colony against American Indians. This organization formed the basis of subsequent colonial and, post-independence, state and this distinction accounts for why there are no National Guard components in the U. S. Navy, U. S. Marine Corps or U. S. Coast Guard
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151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 151st Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard 134th Air Refueling Wing located at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Knoxville, Tennessee. The 151st is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker, the squadron was constituted and allotted to the Air National Guard in 1957 to replace the active-duty 469th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville, Tennessee. It was activated on 15 December 1957 and federally recognized the day as part of the new 134th Fighter-Interceptor Group. The 151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was the third Tennessee Air National Guard flying squadron, ADC released all its supersonic Lockheed F-104A Starfighters to the Air National Guard in 1960 because its fire control system was not sophisticated enough to make it an all-weather interceptor. The 151st was one of the Guard squadrons that re-equipped with these aircraft, the unit was federalized in November 1961 as a result of the 1961 Berlin Crisis and deployed to Ramstein Air Base, West Germany. At Ramnstein the squadron was assigned to the 86th Air Division of United States Air Forces Europe, in May 1962 while still deployed to Ramstein, the unit set an all-time US Air Force jet fighter monthly flying hour record of 836 hours 5 minutes. In addition, the unit had the highest flying time per aircraft assigned ever recorded in the Air Force for jet fighters in any one month to that date, following the defusing of the Berlin crisis, the 151st returned to Knoxville in August 1962 and reverted to state control. ADC decided to station a permanent F-104 unit at Homestead Air Force Base, the lack of an all-weather capability not a factor at Homestead because Cuba lacked a bomber force. To equip the 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Homestead and a squadron at Webb Air Force Base, Texas. Despite its lack of previously qualified aircrew or maintenance personnel, the 134th was still the first Air National Guard flying unit equipped with KC-97s to achieve operational status and it did so in eight months, the previous normal time for the conversion was two years. In 1966 the squadron began a deployment to Ramstein Air Base in support of Operation Creek Party. Creek Party deployment rotations lasted until 1976, and over the decade the 151st saw millions of pounds of jet fuel off-loaded and millions of miles flown, in July 1976 the KC-97s were retired and replaced by jet Boeing KC-135A Stratotankers. Strategic Air Command then became the squadrons mobilization command, once again the 134th achieved combat operational status in record time. These squadrons aircraft were upgraded to KC-135E models in 1982. The Volunteer spirit has always been alive and well in east Tennessee and this spirit was highlighted by former base commander Gen. Frederick H. Forster when he noted that at the beginning of the call up for Operation Desert Shield we had more volunteers than we needed. This deployment marks the first time a Traditional Air Guard band has been tasked to deploy. afhra. af. mil/, the Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964 ADC Historical Study No. 27, Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, CO Rogers, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Making a Difference, The Tennessee Air National Guard during the Berlin Crisis, the Journal of East Tennessee History, 1-19
41.
Tennessee Air National Guard
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The Tennessee Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Tennessee, United States of America. It is, along with the Tennessee Army National Guard, an element of the Tennessee National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Tennessee Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Tennessee though the office of the Tennessee Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The Tennessee Air National Guard is headquartered at Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Nashville, under the Total Force concept, Tennessee Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. Tennessee ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. Approximately 1,500 personnel are assigned to both HQ, Tennessee Air National Guard and to the 118 AW at Berry ANGB, approximately 400 are full-time Active Guard and Reserve and Air Reserve Technician personnel, augmented by approximately 1100 traditional part-time air guardsmen. Approximately 100 additional foreign military personnel are also assigned to the 118 AW at any one time for training in the C-130E or C-130H aircraft. Support Unit Functions and Capabilities, I. G, brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center Established in 1968 as the I. G. It provided extensive training for the Air National Guard. S. They set up cabling that connects communications, computers, engineering, air traffic control, the Tennessee Air National Guard origins date to 27 August 1917 with the establishment of the 105th Aero Squadron as part of the World War I American Expeditionary Force. The 105th served in France on the Western Front, then after the 1918 Armistice with Germany was demobilized in 1919. The Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, if federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units, the 105th Aero was reformed on 4 December 1921, as the 105th Observation Squadron and is oldest unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II. The squadron was ordered into service on 16 September 1940 as part of the buildup of the Army Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units, the modern Tennessee ANG received federal recognition on 3 February 1947 as the 105th Fighter Squadron at Berry Field, Nashville. Also, the 155th Fighter Squadron received federal recognition on 3 February 1947 at Memphis Municipal Airport, both squadrons were equipped with F-47 Thunderbolts and were assigned to the 118th Fighter Group at Berry Field
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West Germany
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West Germany is the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation on 23 May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990. During this Cold War era, NATO-aligned West Germany and Warsaw Pact-aligned East Germany were divided by the Inner German border, after 1961 West Berlin was physically separated from East Berlin as well as from East Germany by the Berlin Wall. This situation ended when East Germany was dissolved and its five states joined the ten states of the Federal Republic of Germany along with the reunified city-state of Berlin. With the reunification of West and East Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany, enlarged now to sixteen states and this period is referred to as the Bonn Republic by historians, alluding to the interwar Weimar Republic and the post-reunification Berlin Republic. The Federal Republic of Germany was established from eleven states formed in the three Allied Zones of occupation held by the United States, the United Kingdom and France, US and British forces remained in the country throughout the Cold War. Its population grew from roughly 51 million in 1950 to more than 63 million in 1990, the city of Bonn was its de facto capital city. The fourth Allied occupation zone was held by the Soviet Union, as a result, West Germany had a territory about half the size of the interbellum democratic Weimar Republic. At the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided among the Western and Eastern blocs, Germany was de facto divided into two countries and two special territories, the Saarland and divided Berlin. The Federal Republic of Germany claimed a mandate for all of Germany. It took the line that the GDR was an illegally constituted puppet state, though the GDR did hold regular elections, these were not free and fair. For all practical purposes the GDR was a Soviet puppet state, from the West German perspective the GDR was therefore illegitimate. Three southwestern states of West Germany merged to form Baden-Württemberg in 1952, in addition to the resulting ten states, West Berlin was considered an unofficial de facto 11th state. It recognised the GDR as a de facto government within a single German nation that in turn was represented de jure by the West German state alone. From 1973 onward, East Germany recognised the existence of two German countries de jure, and the West as both de facto and de jure foreign country, the Federal Republic and the GDR agreed that neither of them could speak in the name of the other. The first chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who remained in office until 1963, had worked for an alignment with NATO rather than neutrality. He not only secured a membership in NATO but was also a proponent of agreements that developed into the present-day European Union, when the G6 was established in 1975, there was no question whether the Federal Republic of Germany would be a member as well. With the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall, East Germany voted to dissolve itself and accede to the Federal Republic in 1990. Its five post-war states were reconstituted along with the reunited Berlin and they formally joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, raising the number of states from 10 to 16, ending the division of Germany
43.
157th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 157th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the South Carolina Air National Guard 169th Fighter Wing located at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Columbia, South Carolina. The 157th FS is one of the few Air National Guard squadrons to operate the HARM Targeting System -equipped F-16C Block 52 Fighting Falcon, see, 353d Fighter Group for full World War II history Activated in late 1942. Trained under First Air Force in northeastern United States with P-40 Warhawks, also performing Air Defense as part of Norfolk, deployed to European Theater of Operations, June 1943, being equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts in England. Assigned as a bomber escort squadron under VIII Fighter Command. Re-equipped with long-range P-51D Mustangs, July 1944, Thunderbolts being transferred to IX Fighter Command as tactical fighter-bombers supporting ground forces in France, performed bomber escort missions until the end of the war in Europe, April 1945. Squadron demobilized in England during the summer of 1945, inactivated in United States as a paper unit, the wartime 350th Fighter Squadron was re-activated and re-designated as the 157th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the South Carolina Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Congaree Air Base, Columbia, South Carolina and was extended federal recognition on 9 December 1946 by the National Guard Bureau and it remained, however, under the operational control of the South Carolina Air National Guard. The 157th was equipped with F-51D Mustangs and was assigned an air defense mission for the state of South Carolina, in 1950 the 157th was re-equipped with former World War II F-5 Mustangs, now designated RF-51D which had been used in the United States in a training role. The squadron became part of Tactical Air Command as a Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, the 157th Fighter Squadron was federalized due to the Korean War on 10 October 1950. On 1 November the RF-51 Mustangs were transferred to other units, at Lawson, the wartime 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was formed with the 157th along with the 160th TRS with RF-80As and the 112th TRS with RB-26C Invader Night Reconnaissance aircraft. The 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was assigned to Ninth Air Force, the 117th TRG then began what was then believed to be a short transition training period. The original plan was to deploy the 117th to France and reinforce the United States Air Forces in Europe at a new base in France, the 117th arrived at Toul Air Base on 27 January 1952. However at the time of the Wings arrival, Toul AB consisted of a sea of mud, the commander of the 117th deemed it uninhabitable and its flying squadrons of the wing were ordered dispersed to West Germany. The 112th TRS was transferred to Wiesbaden AB, the 157th TRS deployed to Furstenfeldbruck AB, the non-flying Headquarters and Support organizations were assigned to Toul. The mission of the 117 TRW was to provide tactical, visual, the RF-80s were responsible for the daylight operations, the RB-26s for night photography. In June 1952, the 117th was involved in Exercise June Primer and this exercise took place in an area bordered by a line drawn from Cherbourg to Geneva in the east and in the west by this Swiss, Austrian and Russian occupation zone borders. The 157 TRS had had wire recorders fitted to five of its RF-80s prior to June Primer, by July 1952 the facilities at Wiesbaden AB were becoming very crowded, and it was felt that the B-26s could fly from the primitive conditions at Toul. The 112 TRS returned to Toul, however the jet-engined RF-80s remained in West Germany until a new runway was constructed
44.
South Carolina Air National Guard
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The South Carolina Air National Guard is the air force component of the State of South Carolina, United States of America. It is, along with the South Carolina Army National Guard, as state military units, the units in the South Carolina Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of South Carolina though the office of the South Carolina Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Under the Total Force concept, South Carolina Air National Guard units are considered to be part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. South Carolina ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. Air National Guard Element, JFHQ-SC 169th Fighter Wing, more specifically, the wing specializes in the Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses. Support Unit Functions and Capabilities, 245th Air Traffic Control Squadron, McIntire JNGB The 245th ATCS has the ability to air traffic control at fixed air bases. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The South Carolina Air National Guard origins date to 9 December 1946 with the establishment of the 157th Fighter Squadron and is oldest unit of the South Carolina Air National Guard. It was federally recognized and activated at Congaree Air Base, the present day McEntire JNGB and its mission was the air defense of the state. In 1952, the 157th was re-equipped with F-51H Mustangs that had used in the United States in a training role. The squadron then became part of Tactical Air Command as a Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, the 157th Fighter Squadron was federalized due to the Korean War on 10 October 1950. During its federalization period, the 157th was deployed to Toul-Rosières Air Base, on 9 July 1952 the activated South Carolina Air National Guard was released from active duty and returned to state control. On 5 September 1957, the 157th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was authorized to expand to a level. The 157th was re-designated as a Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and became the flying squadron. In late 1961, the SCANG was again called to duty during the Berlin Crisis. Today, the South Carolina Air National Guard is one of the most advanced, the 169 FW was the first wing in the Air National Guard to fly the F-16, with the 169 FW flying the F-16A and F-16B from 1983-1994
45.
Spain
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By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spains capital and largest city is Madrid, other urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao. Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago, in the Middle Ages, the area was conquered by Germanic tribes and later by the Moors. Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a power and a major developed country with the worlds fourteenth largest economy by nominal GDP. Jesús Luis Cunchillos argues that the root of the span is the Phoenician word spy. Therefore, i-spn-ya would mean the land where metals are forged, two 15th-century Spanish Jewish scholars, Don Isaac Abravanel and Solomon ibn Verga, gave an explanation now considered folkloric. Both men wrote in two different published works that the first Jews to reach Spain were brought by ship by Phiros who was confederate with the king of Babylon when he laid siege to Jerusalem. This man was a Grecian by birth, but who had given a kingdom in Spain. He became related by marriage to Espan, the nephew of king Heracles, Heracles later renounced his throne in preference for his native Greece, leaving his kingdom to his nephew, Espan, from whom the country of España took its name. Based upon their testimonies, this eponym would have already been in use in Spain by c.350 BCE, Iberia enters written records as a land populated largely by the Iberians, Basques and Celts. Early on its coastal areas were settled by Phoenicians who founded Western Europe´s most ancient cities Cadiz, Phoenician influence expanded as much of the Peninsula was eventually incorporated into the Carthaginian Empire, becoming a major theater of the Punic Wars against the expanding Roman Empire. After an arduous conquest, the peninsula came fully under Roman Rule, during the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule but later, much of it was conquered by Moorish invaders from North Africa. In a process took centuries, the small Christian kingdoms in the north gradually regained control of the peninsula. The last Moorish kingdom fell in the same year Columbus reached the Americas, a global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest kingdom in Europe, the leading world power for a century and a half, and the largest overseas empire for three centuries. Continued wars and other problems led to a diminished status. The Napoleonic invasions of Spain led to chaos, triggering independence movements that tore apart most of the empire, eventually democracy was peacefully restored in the form of a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Spain joined the European Union, experiencing a renaissance and steady economic growth
46.
197th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 197th Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard 161st Air Refueling Wing located at Goldwater Air National Guard Base, Phoenix, Arizona. The 197th is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker, see, 373d Fighter Group for expanded World War II history Formed at Westover Field, Massachusetts, in August 1943. During World War II the 412th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the European Theater of Operations and it was equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts. The 412th flew its first combat mission on 8 May 1944 and it then took part in preinvasion activities, e. g. escorting B-26 Marauders to attack airdromes, bridges and railroads in Occupied France. The squadron bombed such targets as troops in the Falaise-Argentan area in August 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 - January 1945, the 412th concentrated on the destruction of bridges, marshalling yards and highways. It flew reconnaissance missions to ground operations in the Rhine Valley in March 1945, hitting airfields, motor transports. The squadron continued tactical air operations until 4 May 1945, returned to the United States and prepared for transfer to the Pacific Theater during the Summer of 1945, the Japanese Capitulation in August led to the squadrons inactivation in November 1945. The wartime 412th Fighter Squadron was reactivated and re-designated as the 197th Fighter Squadron and it was organized at Luke AFB, Arizona and was extended federal recognition on 12 December 1946. The 197th Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history, honors, the squadron was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was allocated to the Fourth Air Force, Continental Air Command by the National Guard Bureau. During the Korean War, the 197th was federalized on 1 February 1951, ATC equipped the squadron with F-84B Thunderjet aircraft and used it as a training organization. Some fighter pilots went to Korea to fly combat missions, other squadron personnel, because of their experience, were sent to bases in the U. S. and Japan to train new people entering the Air Force. The squadron was released from duty and returned to Arizona state control,1 November 1952. With the release from service, The federal government authorized the construction of a new base at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix for the Arizona Air National Guard. The 197th returned to flying the F-51 Mustangs as part of Tactical Air Command, in 1954, the unit was reassigned to Air Defense Command, with a new mission of Air Defense of the Phoenix area. The prop-driven Mustangs were replaced by F-86A Sabre day fighters, on 2 October 1957, the Arizona Air National Guard 197th FIS was authorized to expand to a group level, and the 161st Fighter-Interceptor Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. The 197th FIS becoming the flying squadron. Other squadrons assigned into the group were the 161st Headquarters, 161st Material Squadron, 161st Combat Support Squadron, and the 161st USAF Dispensary. The Copperheads, as a result of the recognition as one of the best air defense units in the nation, were chosen to fly the new high performance jet fighter
United States
Air Force
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
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