1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
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
3.
United States Army
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The United States Armed Forces are the federal armed forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, from the time of its inception, the military played a decisive role in the history of the United States. A sense of unity and identity was forged as a result of victory in the First Barbary War. Even so, the Founders were suspicious of a permanent military force and it played an important role in the American Civil War, where leading generals on both sides were picked from members of the United States military. Not until the outbreak of World War II did a standing army become officially established. The National Security Act of 1947, adopted following World War II and during the Cold Wars onset, the U. S. military is one of the largest militaries in terms of number of personnel. It draws its personnel from a pool of paid volunteers. As of 2016, the United States spends about $580.3 billion annually to fund its military forces, put together, the United States constitutes roughly 40 percent of the worlds military expenditures. For the period 2010–14, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that the United States was the worlds largest exporter of major arms, the United States was also the worlds eighth largest importer of major weapons for the same period. The history of the U. S. military dates to 1775 and these forces demobilized in 1784 after the Treaty of Paris ended the War for Independence. All three services trace their origins to the founding of the Continental Army, the Continental Navy, the United States President is the U. S. militarys commander-in-chief. Rising tensions at various times with Britain and France and the ensuing Quasi-War and War of 1812 quickened the development of the U. S. Navy, the reserve branches formed a military strategic reserve during the Cold War, to be called into service in case of war. Time magazines Mark Thompson has suggested that with the War on Terror, Command over the armed forces is established in the United States Constitution. The sole power of command is vested in the President by Article II as Commander-in-Chief, the Constitution also allows for the creation of executive Departments headed principal officers whose opinion the President can require. This allowance in the Constitution formed the basis for creation of the Department of Defense in 1947 by the National Security Act, the Defense Department is headed by the Secretary of Defense, who is a civilian and member of the Cabinet. The Defense Secretary is second in the chain of command, just below the President. Together, the President and the Secretary of Defense comprise the National Command Authority, to coordinate military strategy with political affairs, the President has a National Security Council headed by the National Security Advisor. The collective body has only power to the President
4.
United States Army Air Forces
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Each of these forces had a commanding general who reported directly to the Army Chief of Staff. S. Army to control its own installations and support personnel, the peak size of the AAF during the Second World War was over 2.4 million men and women in service and nearly 80,000 aircraft by 1944, and 783 domestic bases in December 1943. By V-E Day, the Army Air Forces had 1.25 million men stationed overseas, in its expansion and conduct of the war, the AAF became more than just an arm of the greater organization. By the end of World War II, the Army Air Forces had become virtually an independent service and this contrast between theory and fact is. fundamental to an understanding of the AAF. Gen. Billy Mitchell that led to his later court-martial, a strategy stressing precision bombing of industrial targets by heavily armed, long-range bombers emerged, formulated by the men who would become its leaders. Since 1920, control of units had resided with commanders of the corps areas. Both were created in 1933 when a conflict with Cuba seemed possible following a coup détat. Activation of GHQ Air Force represented a compromise between strategic airpower advocates and ground force commanders who demanded that the Air Corps mission remain tied to that of the land forces. GHQ Air Force organized combat groups administratively into a force of three wings deployed to the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts but was small in comparison to European air forces. Corps area commanders continued to control over airfields and administration of personnel. The expected activation of Army General Headquarters prompted Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall to request a study from Chief of the Air Corps Maj. Gen. Henry H. Arnold resulting on 5 October 1940 in a proposal for creation of an air staff, unification of the air arm under one commander, and equality with the ground and supply forces. Marshall implemented a compromise that the Air Corps found entirely inadequate, naming Arnold as acting Deputy Chief of Staff for Air but rejecting all organizational points of his proposal. GHQ Air Force instead was assigned to the control of Army General Headquarters, although the latter was a training and not an operational component, when it was activated in November 1940. A division of the GHQ Air Force into four air defense districts on 19 October 1940 was concurrent with the creation of air forces to defend Hawaii. The air districts were converted in March 1941 into numbered air forces with an organization of 54 groups. Marshall had come to the view that the air forces needed a simpler system, Arnold and Marshall agreed that the AAF would enjoy a general autonomy within the War Department until the end of the war, while its commanders would cease lobbying for independence. Marshall, a proponent of airpower, left understood that the Air Force would likely achieve its independence following the war
5.
United States Army Air Corps
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The United States Army Air Corps was the military aviation arm of the United States of America between 1926 and 1941. The USAAC was renamed from the earlier United States Army Air Service on 2 July 1926, the Air Corps became the United States Army Air Forces on 20 June 1941, giving it greater autonomy from the Armys middle-level command structure. The separation of the Air Corps from control of its combat units caused problems of unity of command that became more acute as the Air Corps enlarged in preparation for World War II. This was resolved by the creation of the Army Air Forces, the U. S. Army Air Service had a brief but turbulent history. In early 1926 the Military Affairs Committee of the Congress rejected all bills set forth before it on both sides of the issue. They fashioned a compromise in which the findings of the Morrow Board were enacted as law, while providing the air arm a five-year plan for expansion and development. The legislation changed the name of the Air Service to the Air Corps, thereby strengthening the conception of military aviation as an offensive, the Air Corps Act became law on 2 July 1926. Two additional brigadier generals would serve as assistant chiefs of the Air Corps, previous provisions of the National Defense Act of 1920 that all flying units be commanded only by rated personnel and that flight pay be awarded were continued. The Air Corps also retained the Prop and Wings as its branch insignia through its disestablishment in 1947, patrick became Chief of the Air Corps and Brig. Gen. James E. Fechet continued as his first assistant chief. The Air Corps Act of 2 July 1926 effected no fundamental innovation, the change in designation meant no change in status, the Air Corps was still a combatant branch of the Army with less prestige than the Infantry. The Air Corps Act gave authorization to carry out an expansion program. However, a lack of appropriations caused the beginning of the program to be delayed until 1 July 1927. The act authorized expansion to 1,800 airplanes,1,650 officers, none of the goals were reached by July 1932. Organizationally the Air Corps doubled from seven to fifteen groups, but the expansion was meaningless because all were seriously understrength in aircraft and pilots. Air Corps groups added 1927–1937 ¹Inactivated on 20 May 1937 ²Redesignated 17th Attack Group, 17th Bomb Group As units of the Air Corps increased in number, so did higher command echelons. The 1st Bomb Wing was activated in 1931, followed by the 3rd Attack Wing in 1932 to protect the Mexican border, the three wings became the foundation of General Headquarters Air Force upon its activation in 1935. In 1927 the Air Corps adopted a new scheme for painting its aircraft. The wings and tails of aircraft were painted yellow, with the words U. S
6.
Numbered Air Force
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A Numbered Air Force is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a Major Command and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squadrons, and groups. A Component Numbered Air Force has the role as an Air Force Component Command exercising command and control over air. Unlike MAJCOMs, which have a management role, a NAF is a organization with an operational focus. Numbered air forces are commanded by a major general or a lieutenant general. Numerical designations for Numbered Air Forces are written out, but Arabic numerals are used in abbreviations, units directly subordinate to a NAF are generally numbered 6XX. For example, the 618th Air and Space Operations Center is a subordinate to the Eighteenth Air Force. Numbered air forces began as named organizations in the United States Army Air Corps before World War II, the first four NAFs were established as the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest Air Districts on 19 October 1940 to provide air defense for the United States. These Air Districts were redesignated as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Air Forces, respectively, on 26 March 1941. Over a year after the establishment of the United States Army Air Forces on June 20,1941, the Arabic numerals were changed to the First, Second, Third, after World War II, the US Air Force continued to use both named and numbered air forces. While named air forces were used in tactical and support roles, numbered air forces were generally employed only in tactical roles. These commands reflected the air combat missions that evolved during the war, and each reported directly to General Carl Spaatz. Numbered air forces served as an intermediate headquarters between these commands and the wings and groups. Eleven of the sixteen wartime air forces remained, Second Air Force would later be transferred to SAC in 1949. The numbered air forces had both operational and administrative authority, and existed as a level between major commands and air divisions. Although variations existed, and number air forces were often reassigned, the role of numbered air forces changed in the 1990s during the Air Force reorganization initiated by Air Force Chief of Staff General Merrill McPeak. The goal of the reorganization was to streamline, take out, flatten organizational charts. Numbered air forces were reorganized into tactical echelons focused on operations and this reorganization also reduced the number of major commands, and eliminated the air divisions to place numbered air forces directly in command of operational wings. The role of numbered air forces was changed in 2006 with the implementation of the Component Air Force concept
7.
U.S. European Command
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The United States European Command is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers 21,000,000 square miles and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, Greenland, the Commander of the United States military EUCOM simultaneously serves as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe within NATO—an intergovernmental military alliance. During the Gulf War and Operation Northern Watch, EUCOM controlled the forces flying from Incirlik Air Base, prior to 1952, the title European Command referred to a single-service, United States Army command. The first unified command in the European area was established by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 1 August 1952, European Command, it was established to provide unified command and authority over all U. S. forces in Europe. Prior to 1 August 1952, the U. S. Air Force, U. S. Navy, in line with the creation of the joint-service European Command, the Army command in Europe was redesignated U. S. Army Europe on 1 August 1952. The unified command structure was born of the need to address changes wrought not only by Americas rapid post-war demobilization, questions arose over the U. S. commitment to the defense of Western Europe against the Soviet Union. In 1949 the allies established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in 1952 the area of responsibility included continental Europe, the United Kingdom, North Africa and Turkey. The AOR was subsequently expanded to include Southwest Asia as far east as Iran, in early 1951, NATO established Allied Command Europe and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was called from retirement to become the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the United States sent massive reinforcements to Europe designed to deter the Soviet Union. From 1950 to 1953 United States military personnel in Europe grew from 120,000 to over 400,000, United States Air Forces in Europe grew from three groups with 35,000 personnel to eleven wings with 136,000 personnel. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean doubled to more than 40 warships, the Army activated the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg in 1952 and deployed it to Bad Tölz in November 1953 for unconventional warfare missions in the Soviet Bloc countries. To provide for national command within NATO and to control this build-up of forces. Because the senior United States commander would continue as Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Eisenhower returned to the United States just as the new command was established. The first United States Commander-in-Chief Europe was General Matthew Ridgway, former commander of Eighth Army and his deputy was General Thomas T. Handy, commander of United States Army, Europe. Headquarters EUCOM initially shared the I. G, farben Building in Frankfurt, Germany, with Headquarters United States Army, Europe. By 1953 over 400,000 U. S. troops were stationed in Europe, in 1954, the headquarters moved to Camp des Loges, a French Army base west of Paris and a short distance from SHAPE. There, EUCOM prepared plans for the defense of Western Europe within the NATO framework against the Soviet Union, EUCOM used the Military Assistance Program to help its NATO partners build their military capabilities, including after 1955 the German Bundeswehr. In 1955, EUCOM established a Support Operations Command Europe, soon renamed Support Operations Task Force Europe for special operations missions, in 1961, EUCOM began operating an airborne command post, Operation Silk Purse
8.
United States Africa Command
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The United States Africa Command is one of nine unified combatant commands of the United States Armed Forces, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U. S. military operations and military relations with 53 African nations and its area of responsibility covers all of Africa except Egypt, which is within the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command. U. S. AFRICOM headquarters operating budget was $276 million in fiscal year 2012, the Commander of U. S. AFRICOM reports to the Secretary of Defense. Ambassadors continue to be the diplomatic representative for relations with host nations. In 2007, the White House announced, will strengthen our security cooperation with Africa, Africa Command will enhance our efforts to bring peace and security to the people of Africa and promote our common goals of development, health, education, democracy, and economic growth in Africa. General Carter F. Ham said in a 2012 address at Brown University that U. S. strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa is to strengthen democratic institutions, prior to the creation of AFRICOM, responsibility for U. S. A U. S. military officer wrote the first public article calling for the formation of a separate African command in November 2000 and these locations, along with Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, would form the basis of AFRICOM facilities on the continent. The website Magharebia. com was launched by USEUCOM in 2004 to provide news about North Africa in English, French, when AFRICOM was created, it took over operation of the website. Information operations of the United States Department of Defense was criticized by the Senate Armed Forces Committee, the site was closed down in February 2015. This program builds upon the former Pan Sahel Initiative, which concluded in December 2004 and focused on weapon and drug trafficking, previous U. S. military activities in Sub-Saharan Africa have included Special Forces associated Joint Combined Exchange Training. Letitia Lawson, writing in 2007 for a Center for Contemporary Conflict journal at the Naval Postgraduate School, in mid-2006, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld formed a planning team to advise on requirements for establishing a new Unified Command for the African continent. In early December, he made his recommendations to President George W. Bush, on, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced to the Senate Armed Services Committee that President George W. Bush had given authority to create the new African Command. U. S. Navy Rear Admiral Robert Moeller, the director of the AFRICOM transition team, arrived in Stuttgart, on 1 October 2008, the command separated from USEUCOM and began operating on its own as a full-fledged combatant command. The territory of the consists of all of the African continent except for Egypt. Most of Africa was transferred from the United States European Command with the Horn of Africa, responsibility for U. S. military operations in the islands of Madagascar, the Comoros, the Seychelles and Mauritius was transferred from the United States Pacific Command. The AFRICOM headquarters is located at Kelley Barracks, an urban facility near Stuttgart, Germany. It was reported in June 2007 that African countries were competing to host the headquarters because it would bring money for the recipient country, however, of all the African nations, only Liberia has publicly expressed a willingness to host AFRICOMs headquarters. The U. S. declared in February 2008 that AFRICOM would be headquartered in Stuttgart for the foreseeable future, nigeria announced it will not allow its country to host a base and opposed the creation of a base on the continent
9.
United States Air Forces Africa
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The United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa is a United States Air Force major command and a component command of both United States European Command and United States Africa Command. As part of its mission, USAFE-AFAFRICA commands U. S. Air Force units pledged to NATO, USAFE-AFAFRICA is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is the oldest continuously active USAF major command, originally activated on 1 February 1942 at Langley Field, Virginia, as the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces. Two years later, it was designated as United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe, on 20 April 2012 United States Air Forces in Europe formally became the U. S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa when the 17th Air Force inactivated. The commander of USAFE-AFAFRICA is General Tod D. Wolters and Chief Master Sergeant Kaleth O. Wright is the Command Chief Master Sergeant, the command has more than 35,000 active duty personnel, Air Reserve Component personnel, and civilian employees assigned. On 7 August 1945, United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe was redesignated as United States Air Forces in Europe and its headquarters was relocated from Saint Germain-en-Laye, France, to Lindsey Air Station, Wiesbaden, Germany, on 28 September 1945. Within 18 months of VE-Day, virtually all U. S. armed forces personnel had left Europe except for the Occupation Forces in Germany, Austria, and a small number of Army troops in Trieste. USAFE had been reduced from a force of 17,000 aircraft, USAFEs four wartime Air Forces were demobilized or reassigned between August and December 1945. In March 1946 USAFE was given the status of a Major Command, at Lechfeld Air Base near Augsburg, large numbers of Me 262s were discovered, and valuable German air-to-air rockets. At the Oberpfaffenhofen air base near Munich — the former Dornier factory airfield and this propeller-driven aircraft could reach a speed of 760 km/h, about 100 km slower than the Me 262 jet fighter. Other former Luftwaffe aircraft were collected and simply sent to blast furnaces for metal recycling and he had no need for combat units, which he described as an administrative burden, and he wanted them withdrawn. Thus, the XII Tactical Air Command, the now USAFE combat organization after the inactivation of the four Air Forces, was inactivated on 10 May 1947, in 1945 IX Air Force Service Command was reassigned from Ninth Air Force to USSTAF. On 7 October 1946, IX ASC was redesignated European Air Materiel Command and this command administered USAFEs supply and maintenance depots. EAMC was headquartered at Erlangen Air Depot, at Erding Air Depot, it had Detachment B, 4th Air Vehicle Repair Squadron, and the 43d Air Depot. The 10th Air Depot was located at Oberpfaffenhofen Air Depot, the 862d Engineer Aviation Battalion and 837th Engineer Aviation Battalion were located at Landsberg. At Industriehafen Air Depot was Detachment A, 42d Air Repair Squadron, minor EAMC facilities were located at Bad Wiesse, Wolfgang, Munich, Bruck, Oberwiesenfeld and Bremerhaven. EAMC also controlled ammunition depots at Landesberg, Roth and Zepplenheim, EAMC remained assigned to USAFE until it was inactivated on 15 September 1947. The European Air Transport Service controlled C-46, C-47 and C-54 transport aircraft and provided passenger and it initially controlled the former IX Troop Carrier Command squadrons which remained after the war
10.
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
11.
American Theater (World War II)
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The American Theater describes a series of mostly minor areas of operations during World War II. This was mainly due to both North and South Americas geographical separation from the theaters of conflict in Europe and Asia. Thus, any threat by the Axis Powers to invade the mainland United States or other areas was considered negligible, the best known events in North America during World War II were the Aleutian Islands Campaign, the Battle of the St. Lawrence, and the attacks on Newfoundland. Battle of the River Plate The first naval battle during the war was fought on December 13,1939 off the Atlantic coast of South America, the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee encountered one of the British naval units searching for her. Composed of three Royal Navy cruisers, the HMS Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles, the unit was patrolling off the River Plate estuary of Argentina, in a bloody engagement, the Graf Spee successfully repulsed the British attacks. Captain Hans Langsdorff then brought his ship to shelter in neutral Uruguay for repairs. German combat losses were 96 killed or wounded, against 72 British sailors killed and 28 wounded, two Royal Navy cruisers had been severely damaged, but it had cost the German navy one of its finest ships. Even before the war, a large Nazi spy ring was operating in the United States. The Duquesne Spy Ring is still the largest espionage case in United States history that ended in convictions. The 33 German agents who formed the Duquesne spy ring were placed in key jobs in the United States to get information that could be used in the event of war and to carry out acts of sabotage. William G. Sebold, an agent for the United States, was a major factor in the FBIs successful resolution of this case. For nearly two years, Sebold ran a radio station in New York for the ring. Sebold provided the FBI with information on what Germany was sending to its spies in the United States while allowing the FBI to control the information that was being transmitted to Germany. On June 29,1941, six months before the U. S. declared war, all 33 spies were arrested, found or plead guilty, and sentenced to serve a total of over 300 years in prison. After declaring war on the United States following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the responsibility for carrying this out was given to German Intelligence. In the spring of 1942, nine agents were recruited and divided into two teams, on June 12,1942, the German submarine U-202 landed Daschs team with explosives and plans at Amagansett, New York. Their mission was to power plants at Niagara Falls and three Aluminum Company of America factories in Illinois, Tennessee, and New York. However, Dasch instead turned himself in to the FBI, providing them with a complete list of his members and an account of the planned missions
12.
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
13.
Lewis H. Brereton
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Lewis Hyde Brereton was a military aviation pioneer and lieutenant general in the United States Air Force. He began World War II as a general commanding the Far East Air Force in the Philippines. Brereton was one of the first military pilots of the United States Army, assigned to the Aeronautical Division, U. S. Signal Corps in September 1912. He was also one of five officers who were members of the United States Air Force and all of its progenitors, Brereton was born in Pittsburgh, in 1890, the second son of William Denny Brereton and Helen Brereton. The family moved to Annapolis, Maryland while Breretons older brother and his father was a successful mining engineer and a 4th-generation Irish-American. His mother was English and Episcopalian by birth, at the age of eight, Brereton suffered a recurring infection of the middle ear, purulent otitis media, which proved impossible to treat in the pre-antibiotics era. He was physically described early in World War II as 5-06, stocky build, brown-eyed, black-haired and his personality characteristics were said to be cool and thoughtful, able to think rapidly on his feet, with a quick, analytical mind. However, he was said to have an appropriate temper. He had a reputation, especially among critics, for being hedonistic, Gen. Omar N. Bradley, who intensely disliked Brereton, was quoted by a biographer of Dwight D. Eisenhower as saying that Brereton was marginally competent. More interested in living in the biggest French chateau, after two days as an ensign, his resignation was accepted. The next year he served in the 17th Company CAC at Fort Washington and he became the 26th serving officer so detailed. The lack of facilities at Rockwell forced most of his training to place at the Curtiss Aeroplane Company in Hammondsport. He began to train and instruct on float planes but experienced two crashes, the first as pilot of a crash of a Curtiss F on April 8,1913. At his own request, Brereton was relieved of duties on July 3,1913. He returned to the Coast Artillery Corps, posted to the 115th Company at Fort Rosecrans, while stationed in San Diego, he married Helen Clason Willis on February 27,1913, and subsequently had two children. In July 1916, he was promoted to first lieutenant and sent to the Philippines to join the 1st Company, less than two months later he requested to return to the Aviation Section, Signal Corps. Returning to the United States in March 1917, he was assigned to duty in Washington, after World War I began, Brereton entered flying training a second time at Hazelhurst Field, Mineola, New York. While in pilot training he was promoted to captain on May 15,1917, during most of the remainder of 1917, he worked in the Equipment Division at Aviation Section headquarters under Col. Benjamin D. Foulois
14.
Roscoe Charles Wilson
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Roscoe Charles Wilson was a United States Air Force general who was Commandant of the Air War College from 1951 to 1954 and Deputy Chief of Staff, Development, from 1958 to 1961. During World War II, Wilson was Chief of Development Engineering at United States Army Air Forces headquarters, in December 1944 he became Chief of Staff of the 316th Bombardment Wing. Its B-29s deployed to Okinawa in June 1945, and he participated in the last air raids on Japan, after the war ended he was involved in a survey of the damage done by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1947, he one of the Deputy Chiefs of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. From October 1951 to May 1954 Wilson was Commandant of the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base and he then became commander of the Third Air Force in the United Kingdom. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 1 July 1958 when he became Deputy Chief of Staff and he retired from the Air Force in 1961 and became President and Chairman of Allied Research. Roscoe Charles Wilson was born in Centralia, Pennsylvania, on 11 June 1905 and he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point as a cadet on 1 July 1924 and graduated 48th in the class of 1928. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the field artillery on 9 June 1928. After further training at the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas he received his pilots wings, wilsons first posting was to the 1st Observation Squadron at Mitchel Field, New York. In 1929 he married Elizabeth Robinson, a Vassar College graduate from Harrods Creek, Louisville and their son Charles E. Wilson would also attend West Point, graduating with the class of 1954. Wilson attended the Air Corps Engineering School at Wright-Patterson Field, Ohio from July 1932 to June 1933, after graduating, he was assigned to the Aircraft Design Section of the Aircraft Laboratory there, where he worked on the development of the P-39, XB-15, B-17 and XB-19. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 1 February 1934, and was Director of the Special Research and Test Laboratory and Director of Accessory Design and Test Laboratory. Wilson came back to West Point in July 1937 as an instructor in the Department of Natural and Experimental Philosophy and he was promoted to captain on 9 July 1938. From May to August 1939, he attended the Air Corps Tactical School, while there he built a wind tunnel, and wrote a book, entitled Preliminary Airplane Design, which was published in 1941. He became Assistant Chief of Development Engineering at United States Army Air Forces Headquarters in Washington, DC, on 1 May 1942, as such, he reported to Major General Oliver P. Echols, the head of the Air Material Command. The Chief of USAAF, General Henry H. Arnold, designated Echols as the USAAF liaison with the Manhattan Project, in turn, Echols designated Wilson as his alternative, and it was Wilson who became Manhattan Projects main USAAF contact. Through his efforts, the air support was always provided by the subordinate Air Force commands, if not willingly. Wilson was posted to Britain from March to April 1944, where he was involved in an exchange of information with the Royal Air Force
15.
Francis H. Griswold
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Francis Hopkinson Griswold was an American Air Force lieutenant general who was commandant of the National War College in Washington, D. C. and vice commander in chief, Strategic Air Command. Griswold was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1904 and he attended Columbia University in New York City and Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, before entering military service as an aviation cadet in September 1928. He completed flying training at Kelly Field, Texas, in October 1929 and he spent the next several years as a pilot performing normal squadron duties with various air units in Michigan, Illinois, Hawaii, California and Virginia. Shortly after the U. S. entered World War II, he was named as chief of the Training Section, Headquarters Army Air Forces, Washington, D. C. He was transferred in July 1943 to the Eighth Air Force in England where he served successively as chief of staff of the 8th Fighter Command, the 2nd Bomb Division, and the Eighth Air Force. He went to the Pacific in July 1945 as commanding general of the 301st Fighter Wing on Okinawa, from December 1945 until July 1946 he was deputy assistant chief of the Air Staff for operations, Headquarters Army Air Forces. He then assumed command of the 20th Air Force on Guam until September 1948 when he returned to Headquarters U. S. Air force as assistant deputy chief of staff for materiel. He was named Air Force staff member of the Munitions Board in December 1950, and in May 1952 was reassigned to the United Kingdom to command the U. S. He became vice commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command in April 1954, where he remained until July 1,1961, when he was named commandant, lieutenant General Griswold died of heart failure at Saddleback Community Hospital in Laguna Hills, California. This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document
16.
United States European Command
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The United States European Command is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers 21,000,000 square miles and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, Greenland, the Commander of the United States military EUCOM simultaneously serves as the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe within NATO—an intergovernmental military alliance. During the Gulf War and Operation Northern Watch, EUCOM controlled the forces flying from Incirlik Air Base, prior to 1952, the title European Command referred to a single-service, United States Army command. The first unified command in the European area was established by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 1 August 1952, European Command, it was established to provide unified command and authority over all U. S. forces in Europe. Prior to 1 August 1952, the U. S. Air Force, U. S. Navy, in line with the creation of the joint-service European Command, the Army command in Europe was redesignated U. S. Army Europe on 1 August 1952. The unified command structure was born of the need to address changes wrought not only by Americas rapid post-war demobilization, questions arose over the U. S. commitment to the defense of Western Europe against the Soviet Union. In 1949 the allies established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in 1952 the area of responsibility included continental Europe, the United Kingdom, North Africa and Turkey. The AOR was subsequently expanded to include Southwest Asia as far east as Iran, in early 1951, NATO established Allied Command Europe and the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was called from retirement to become the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the United States sent massive reinforcements to Europe designed to deter the Soviet Union. From 1950 to 1953 United States military personnel in Europe grew from 120,000 to over 400,000, United States Air Forces in Europe grew from three groups with 35,000 personnel to eleven wings with 136,000 personnel. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean doubled to more than 40 warships, the Army activated the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg in 1952 and deployed it to Bad Tölz in November 1953 for unconventional warfare missions in the Soviet Bloc countries. To provide for national command within NATO and to control this build-up of forces. Because the senior United States commander would continue as Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Eisenhower returned to the United States just as the new command was established. The first United States Commander-in-Chief Europe was General Matthew Ridgway, former commander of Eighth Army and his deputy was General Thomas T. Handy, commander of United States Army, Europe. Headquarters EUCOM initially shared the I. G, farben Building in Frankfurt, Germany, with Headquarters United States Army, Europe. By 1953 over 400,000 U. S. troops were stationed in Europe, in 1954, the headquarters moved to Camp des Loges, a French Army base west of Paris and a short distance from SHAPE. There, EUCOM prepared plans for the defense of Western Europe within the NATO framework against the Soviet Union, EUCOM used the Military Assistance Program to help its NATO partners build their military capabilities, including after 1955 the German Bundeswehr. In 1955, EUCOM established a Support Operations Command Europe, soon renamed Support Operations Task Force Europe for special operations missions, in 1961, EUCOM began operating an airborne command post, Operation Silk Purse
17.
Area of responsibility
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The term may also be used in other countries worldwide but it originated within the United States armed forces. This system is designed to allow a single commander to command and control of all military forces in the AOR. The President of the United States signed the U. S, Unified Command Plan 2008 on 17 December 2008, establishing the up-to-date boundaries for the newest Command, United States Africa Command, and all changes to boundaries of the other Commands. U. S Unified Command Plan 2011 was signed on 6 April 2011, boundaries were adjusted in the high northern latitudes between USEUCOM, USNORTHCOM and USPACOM. Http, //www. defense. gov/news/UCP_2011_Map4. pdf Combatant commanders may designate theaters of war, theaters of operation, combat zones, joint force commanders may define additional operational areas or joint areas to assist in the coordination and execution of joint operations. The size of areas and the types of forces used depend on the scope, nature. Combatant commanders and other joint force commanders use the organization of the battlespace at the operational level of war. Combatant commanders are assigned an area of responsibility in the Unified Command Plan, theater of operations, a sub-area within a theater of war defined by the force commander required to conduct or support specific operations. Different theaters of operations within the theater of war will normally be geographically separate. Theaters of operations are usually of significant size, allowing for operations over extended periods of time, combat zone, areas required by combat forces for the conduct of operations. The Marine Corps component commander will normally focus his efforts to deploy, support and he will normally locate his headquarters close to the joint force commander, who usually establishes his headquarters in the communications zone. Understanding the joint battlespace at the level of war in which forces will operate is an important step in setting the conditions for their success. Force commanders must understand the relationship between the Area of Operation, Area of Interest, and Area of Influence, by analyzing his AO in terms of his area of influence and area of interest, a force commander determines whether his assigned AO is appropriate. This analysis may include the forces’ capabilities to conduct actions across the warfighting functions, the Areas of Operation, or AOs, are areas that component and force commanders define their tactical operability. It is also known as close battlespace, also, the commander sets up force protection and supportive arms, such as logistics or reinforcements. The term area of operations has long used in the U. S. Army. It has especially been used among U. S. Army Special Forces, a commander may establish their battlespace in a reflection of linear operations, where there is a continuity and contiguous array of units across the area of operation. Noncontiguous—A noncontiguous Area of Operation is one one or more subordinate AOs do not share a common boundary
18.
Tampa, Florida
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Tampa is a major city in, and the county seat of, Hillsborough County, Florida. It is located on the west coast of Florida on Tampa Bay, near the Gulf of Mexico, the city had a population of 346,037 in 2011. The current location of Tampa was once inhabited by peoples of the Safety Harbor culture. The area was explored by Spanish explorers in the 16th century, resulting in violent conflicts and the introduction of European diseases, which wiped out the original native cultures. In 1824, the United States Army established a frontier outpost called Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, near the site of todays Tampa Convention Center. The first civilian residents were pioneers who settled near the fort for protection from the nearby Seminole population, today, Tampa is part of the metropolitan area most commonly referred to as the Tampa Bay Area. For U. S. Census purposes, Tampa is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, the Greater Tampa Bay area has over 4 million residents and generally includes the Tampa and Sarasota metro areas. The Tampa Bay Partnership and U. S. Census data showed an annual growth of 2.47 percent. A2012 estimate shows the Tampa Bay area population to have 4,310,524 people, Tampa was ranked as the 5th best outdoor city by Forbes in 2008. Tampa also ranks as the fifth most popular American city, based on where people want to live, a 2004 survey by the NYU newspaper Washington Square News ranked Tampa as a top city for twenty-somethings. Tampa is ranked as a Gamma+ world city by Loughborough University, ranked alongside other world cities such as Phoenix, Charlotte, Rotterdam, and Santo Domingo. The word Tampa may mean sticks of fire in the language of the Calusa and this might be a reference to the many lightning strikes that the area receives during the summer months. Other historians claim the name means the place to gather sticks, toponymist George R. Stewart writes that the name was the result of a miscommunication between the Spanish and the Indians, the Indian word being itimpi, meaning simply near it. The name first appears in the Memoir of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda and he calls it Tanpa and describes it as an important Calusa town. While Tanpa may be the basis for the modern name Tampa, archaeologist Jerald Milanich places the Calusa village of Tanpa at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, the original Bay of Tanpa. A later Spanish expedition did not notice Charlotte Harbor while sailing north along the west coast of Florida, the name was accidentally transferred north. Map makers were using the term Bay or Bahia Tampa as early as 1695, people from Tampa are known as Tampans or Tampanians. Latin Americans from Tampa are known as tampeños, or tampeñas for females and these terms of Spanish origin emerged after 1900 for the immigrant communities in West Tampa and Ybor City
19.
Gulf Coast of the United States
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The Gulf Coast of the United States is the coastline along which the Southern United States meets the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, the economy of the Gulf Coast area is dominated by industries related to energy, petrochemicals, fishing, aerospace, agriculture, and tourism. The Gulf Coast is made of many inlets, bays, the coast is also intersected by numerous rivers, the largest of which is the Mississippi River. Much of the land along the Gulf Coast is, or was and these landforms protect numerous bays and inlets providing as a barrier to oncoming waves. The central part of the Gulf Coast, from eastern Texas through Louisiana, the eastern part of the Gulf Coast, predominantly Florida, is dotted with many bays and inlets. The Gulf Coast climate is humid subtropical for the most part, although the tip of Florida. Much of the year is warm to hot along the Gulf Coast, while the 3 winters months bring periods of cool, the area is vulnerable to hurricanes as well as floods and severe thunderstorms. Tornadoes are infrequent at the coast but do occur, however the frequency at which they occur in inland portions of Gulf Coast states is much greater. Earthquakes are extremely rare to the area, but a surprising 6.0 earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico on September 10,2006, the Gulf Coast is a major center of economic activity. The marshlands along the Louisiana and Texas coasts provide breeding grounds, the Port of South Louisiana and the Port of Houston are two of the ten busiest ports in the world by cargo volume. As of 2004, seven of the top ten busiest ports in the U. S. are on the Gulf Coast. The discovery of oil and gas deposits along the coast and offshore, the coast contains nearly 4,000 oil platforms. S. Before Europeans arrived in the region, the region was home to several kingdoms that had extensive trade networks with empires such as the Aztecs. Shark and alligator teeth and shells from the Gulf have been found as far north as Ohio, the first Europeans to settle the Gulf Coast were primarily the French and the Spanish. The Louisiana Purchase and the Texas Revolution made the Gulf Coast a part of the United States during the first half of the 19th century. As the U. S. population continued to expand its frontiers westward, the development of sugar and cotton production allowed the South to prosper. Two major events were turning points in the history of the Gulf Coast region. The first was the American Civil War, which caused damage to some economic sectors in the South
20.
Chief master sergeant
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Chief Master Sergeant is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U. S. Air Force, just above Senior Master Sergeant, and is a senior non-commissioned officer rank. The official term is Chief Master Sergeant or Chief, attaining the rank of Chief Master Sergeant is the pinnacle of an Air Force enlisted persons career. Some Chief Master Sergeants manage the efforts of all enlisted personnel within their unit or major subsection while others run major staff functions at higher headquarters levels. All Chief Master Sergeants are expected to serve as mentors for non-commissioned officers and junior enlisted members, by federal law, roughly one percent of the Air Force enlisted force may hold the rank of chief master sergeant. The position of Command Chief Master Sergeant was renamed in November 1998, in a Joint Command, when an Air Force Chief fills a DoD-nominated Command senior enlisted advisor position, that individual is also designated as a Command Chief. Command Chiefs hold a reporting identifier of 9E000, cCMs provide leadership to the enlisted force and are the functional managers for group superintendents and first sergeants in their organizations. Group superintendents fall under special reporting identifier coding with a 9G100 Air Force specialty code, group superintendents provide leadership, management, and guidance in organizing, equipping, training, and mobilizing groups to meet home station and expeditionary mission requirements. Group superintendents work closely with their commanders and command chief master sergeants to prepare the enlisted force to best execute mission requirements. They manage and direct resource activities as well as interpret and enforce policies and they also establish control procedures to meet mission goals and standards. They resolve issues between subordinate squadrons, other groups, wing staff, and outside agencies as well as other duties as directed by their group commanders. The duty position of superintendent is the senior enlisted adviser to a unit commander. Although the Air Force had been an independent service since 1947 and this act established the pay grades of E-8 and E-9, but without specifying titles for those pay grades. It wasnt until late 1958 that the chief master sergeant was decided upon. The original Chief Master Sergeant rank insignia consisted of 2 chevrons on top,3 stripes in the middle, until his retirement in 2003, Chief Master Sergeant Norman Marous was the Air Forces senior-most chief master sergeant, having served in the Air Force since 1962. Marous left active duty in 1967 to spend 22 years in the USAF Reserve and he retired in 2003 with 41 1/2 years of service. He is the person authorized to wear two longevity ribbons, due to the space required for the number of multiple award devices authorized. Sergeant United States military pay Chief master sergeant of the Air Force Air Force Instruction 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure Technical Sergeant Spink, a Chronology of the Enlisted Rank Chevron of the United States Air Force,19 February 1992
21.
RAF Mildenhall
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Royal Air Force Mildenhall, more commonly known as RAF Mildenhall, is a Royal Air Force station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations, on 8 January 2015, the United States Department of Defense announced that operations at RAF Mildenhall would end, and be relocated to Germany and also within the UK. On 18 January 2016, the British Ministry of Defence announced that the site is to be sold and it is the only permanent USAF air refuelling wing in the European theatre, activated at RAF Mildenhall on 1 February 1992. The wing provides the critical air refuelling bridge that allows the Expeditionary Air Force to deploy around the globe with the appropriate urgency, the tactical component of the 100 ARW is the 351st Air Refueling Squadron, flying the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker. The 501st Combat Support Wing was activated at RAF Mildenhall on 21 May 2005, the 352d Special Operations Wing is the Air Force component for Special Operations Command Europe, a sub-unified command of the US European Command. It transferred to RAF Mildenhall on 17 February 1995, from RAF Alconbury, the 352 SOW has two flying squadrons, a maintenance squadron, an operations support squadron and a special tactics squadron. The mission of the 352 SOW is to serve as the point for all US Air Force special operations activities throughout the European theatre, including Africa. The 352d SOW develops and implements peacetime and wartime contingency plans and it effectively uses fixed-wing and personnel assets in infiltration by, exfiltration by and resupplying of US and allied special operations forces. It was activated at RAF Mildenhall on 1 July 1994, having been assigned to RAF Alconbury. The 95 RS supports RC-135, OC-135, and E-4 missions when theatre deployed, the 488th Intelligence Squadron is a component of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency. The units primary mission is the collection, analysis, and reporting of signals intelligence about foreign command and control, communications, currently assigned to the 488th Intelligence Squadron for administrative purposes is Operating Location Souda Bay, Crete. The unit was transferred to RAF Mildenhall, England, and in August 1970, in August 1979, the 6954th Security Squadron was re-designated as the 6988th Electronic Security Squadron in honour of the unit that operated out of Yokota, Japan, for nearly 20 years. On 9 January 1981, the 6988th ESS received the first operational deployment of the Block III electronically modernised RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, until Hellenikon operations ceased in March 1991, they were conducted through the units OL-RH detachment. In October 1991, the 6988th ESS became part of the Air Force Intelligence Command, a consolidation of the Air Forces intelligence operations, on 1 October 1993, the unit was re-designated the 488th Intelligence Squadron. In February 2000, the 488th IS operated the first Baseline 8 RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft which was a major reconfiguration of that platform. On 1 October 2002, the 488th IS was re-aligned from the 67th Information Operations Wing to the 55th Wing to consolidate all operations of the different RC-135 platforms, the unit is now part of the AFISRA, which became the successor of the AIA in June 2008. The 488th Intelligence Squadron, under its different unit designations, has received nine Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards, the 727th Air Mobility Squadron is a unit of the 721st Air Mobility Operations Group, based at Ramstein AB, Germany. The 727 AMS is part of AMCs en-route system that provides fixed and deployed maintenance, aerial port, the squadron was redesignated as the 727 AMS on 15 March 2001
22.
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
23.
Partnership for Peace
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The Partnership for Peace is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization program aimed at creating trust between NATO and other states in Europe and the former Soviet Union,22 states are members. On April 26,1995 Malta became a member of PfP, on March 20,2008 Malta decided to reactivate their PfP membership, this was accepted by NATO at the summit in Bucharest on April 3,2008. During the NATO summit in Riga on November 29,2006, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia were invited to join PfP, Cyprus is the only European Union member state that is neither a NATO member state nor a member of the PfP program. Turkey, a member of NATO, is likely to veto any attempt by Cyprus to engage with NATO until the dispute is resolved. Christofias successor, Nicos Anastasiades, has publicly supported PfP membership for Cyprus, kosovo has described PfP membership as a strategic objective of the government. Kosovo submitted an application to join the PfP program in July 2012, however, four NATO member states, Greece, Romania, Spain and Slovakia, do not recognize Kosovos independence and have threatened to block their participation in the program. To be eligible to join, the Kosovan Armed Forces must be established
24.
31st Fighter Wing
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The 31st Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe major command and the Third Air Force. It is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization base run by the Italian Air Force, the 31st Fighter Wing is the only United States fighter wing south of the Alps. This strategic location makes the important for operations in NATOs southern region. The 31st FW maintains two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 555th Fighter Squadron and the 510th Fighter Squadron, allowing the wing to conduct offense, in peacetime, the 31st FW prepares for its combat role by maintaining aircraft and personnel in a high state of readiness. The commander of the 31st Fighter Wing is Brigadier General Barre R. Seguin, the Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Anthony Johnson. The 31st Fighter Wing first activated in 1947, but it traces its heritage to its World War II predecessor unit, the group’s lineage began with its activation at Selfridge Field Michigan, on 1 Feb 1940. Redesignated as the 31 Fighter Group shortly before entering the war, number one in the Mediterranean theater of operations in terms of aerial victories, the group was involved in 15 WWII campaigns and earned two Distinguished Unit Citations. The wing celebrates the heritage of its predecessor by flying its honors on the wing flag, the group is currently assigned to the wing as the 31st Operations Group. The wing traces its lineage to its activation on 20 November 1947, first designated as the 31st Fighter Wing, and stationed at Turner Airfield, Georgia. Since then, the wing has been stationed at George Air Force Base, California and Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, until coming to Aviano Air Base. The 31st Fighter Wing is made up of four groups, each consisting of several squadrons, the 31st Operations Group ensures the combat readiness of two F-16CG squadrons, one air control squadron, and one operational support squadron conducting and supporting worldwide air operations. The group prepares fighter pilots, controllers, and support personnel to execute US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization war plans and it trains, equips, plans, and provides weather, intelligence, standardization/evaluation, and command and control sustaining global flying operations. The unit employs medical resources and preventive initiatives to ensure airmen remain mission ready to support the Expeditionary Air Force, US, the 31st Fighter Wing currently has two operational squadrons, the 555th and 510th Fighter Squadrons flying the F-16G. Both use the tail code AV for AViano, each F-16 has a tail markings in the squadron colors Green with the words Triple Nickel in white for the 555th FS and Purple with the words Buzzards in white for the 510th FS. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft and it is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States, the wing began flying F-100s before the Cuban Missile Crisis and flew that aircraft into the Vietnam War. After the U. S. force reduction in Vietnam, the wing switched to F-4s, in 1970 and 1980, the wing upgraded all F-4Es to F-4Ds and began training all F-4 aircrews. In 1985, the received its next aircraft, the F-16
25.
Aviano Air Base
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Aviano Air Base is a NATO base in northeastern Italy, in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. It is located in the Aviano municipality, at the foot of the Carnic Pre-Alps, or Southern Carnic Alps, the Italian Air Force has ownership and administrative control of the base and hosts the U. S. Air Forces 31st Fighter Wing. The 31st FW is the only U. S. fighter wing south of the Alps and this strategic location makes the wing critical to operations in NATOs southern region. The 31st FW maintains two F-16 fighter squadrons, the 555th Fighter Squadron and the 510th FS, allowing the wing to conduct offense, in peacetime, the 31st FW prepares for its combat role by maintaining aircraft and personnel in a high state of readiness. The base is one of six NATO sites in Europe which hold tactical nuclear weapons, Aviano Air Base was established by the Italian government in 1911, and was used as training base for Italian pilots and construction facility for aircraft parts. During World War I, Italy used the airfield in missions against the Austro-Hungarian and German armies, in their honor, the bases name was officially changed to Aeroporto Pagliano e Gori, in 1919. During the war the airfield was overrun by the Austro-German army in the months between November 1917 to November 1918. Between the two wars the airfield was used as a training base. During World War II, both the Italian Air Force and the German Luftwaffe flew missions from Aeroporto Pagliano e Gori, british forces captured the base in 1945, they conducted air operations there until 1947, when the Italian Air Force resumed operational use of the airport. The 1976 earthquake caused no damage to settlement, the 31st Fighter Wing is made up of four groups, each consisting of several squadrons. The 31st Operations Group ensures the combat readiness of two F-16CG squadrons, one air squadron, and one operational support squadron conducting and supporting worldwide air operations. The group prepares fighter pilots, controllers, and support personnel to execute U. S. and NATO war plans and it trains, equips, plans, and provides weather, intelligence, standardization/evaluation, and command and control sustaining global flying operations. The unit employs medical resources and preventive initiatives to ensure Airmen remain mission ready to support the Expeditionary Air Force, U. S. on August 24,1992, when Hurricane Andrew swept across southern Florida, leaving extensive damage in its wake. Every building of Homestead AFB received some damage, many buildings were destroyed, the fighter squadrons evacuated most of the planes before the storm but were unable to return. The squadrons were assigned to wings and the 31st FW began inactivation proceedings. On April 1,1994, the 31st Fighter Wing inactivated at Homestead AFB and subsequently activated at Aviano Air Base, the 31FW received two new squadrons at that time, the 555th and 510th Fighter Squadrons, along with their Block-40 F-16s. The wing immediately become involved with events in Bosnia, part of the former communist country of Yugoslavia, in June 1995, a massive search and rescue operation took place to extract Capt. Scott OGrady of the 555th FS who was shot down over Bosnian-Serb controlled territory in Bosnia. A U. S. Marine Corps CH-53 picked him up after he evaded capture for six days, in August and September, Operation Deliberate Force began and the 31st FW conducted air strikes against Bosnian Serbs conducting ethnic purges among the Muslim population of the country
26.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
27.
48th Fighter Wing
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The 48th Fighter Wing is part of the United States Air Forces Third Air Force, assigned to Headquarters Air Command Europe and United States Air Forces in Europe. It is based at RAF Lakenheath, England, the 48 FW is the only F-15 wing based in Europe and consists of both F-15C/D Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft as well as a rescue squadron of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters. The 48 FW was given the name Statue of Liberty Wing on 4 July 1954, the 48 FW operates in support of United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa, United States European Command and NATO. The Liberty Wing has nearly 5,700 active-duty military members,2,000 British and U. S. civilians, 48th Operations Group Formerly the 48th Fighter-Bomber Group. The group also has one support squadron. The 48 OG prepares its aircrew and support personnel to accomplish USAFE, European Command and NATO war plans and contingency operations. It also provides equipment, training, scheduling, analysis, weather, intelligence, standardization and evaluation, European Command and NATO commitments and taskings. Ensures readiness for all personnel and aircraft fleet health through planning, analysis and programming for manpower, funds, equipment, training and it also provides force protection for infrastructure, facilities, and personnel at home and deployed locations. For additional history and lineage, see 48th Operations Group, on 10 July 1952, the Oklahoma Air National Guard 137th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base, France was redesignated the 48th Fighter-Bomber Wing. The fighter squadrons being redesignated the 492d, 493d, and 494th respectively, the 48th FBW commanded the functions of both the support groups as well as the flying combat 48th FBG. With the F-84, the 48 FBW supported NATO and the United States Air Forces in Europe, activities, in addition, the 48th conducted operational readiness exercises and tactical evaluations. The 48th frequently deployed to Wheelus AFB, Libya for training, the 48th developed into the premier fighter wing in France, serving the longest, from 10 July 1952 through 15 January 1960. The men and women of the 48th worked hard to develop Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base into one of the best air bases in Europe, an open house was held once a year, with great numbers of French civilians in attendance. In 1954, over 15,000 attended the Armed Forces Day event to see static aircraft displays, watch flight demonstrations, listen to a French army band, in just over three years since construction began, Chaumont Air Base became an important part of the Haute-Marne region. To bolster Franco-American relations, the 48th Wing Staff came up with the idea of changing the wing insignia, Chaumont AB is located not far from the workshops of Frédéric Bartholdi – the French architect which designed the Statue of Liberty. The new design incorporated the Statue of Liberty, and throughout Europe the 48th became known as the Statue of Liberty Wing, on 4 July 1954 the mayor of the town of Chaumont bestowed the honorary title of the Statue de la Liberté Wing upon the 48th. It is the only USAF unit with both a name and a numerical designation. In fact, one of the actual molds still existed, the factory agreed to cast a three-meter replica of the statue for $1,700
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RAF Lakenheath
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Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force station near the town of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England,4.7 miles north-east of Mildenhall and 8.3 miles west of Thetford. Although an RAF station, it hosts United States Air Force units, the host wing is the 48th Fighter Wing, also known as the Liberty Wing, assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa. The 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath is the Statue of Liberty Wing, the 48 FW has nearly 5,700 active-duty military members,2,000 British and U. S. civilians, and includes a Geographically Separate Unit at nearby RAF Feltwell. Tactical squadrons of the 48th Operations Group are, 492d Fighter Squadron 493d Fighter Squadron 494th Fighter Squadron Aircraft of the 48th FW carry the tail code LN, the 56th and 57th Rescue Squadrons will re-locate to Aviano Air Base starting 2017. The first use of Lakenheath Warren as a Royal Flying Corps airfield was in World War I and it appears to have been little used, and was abandoned when peace came in 1918. In 1940, the Air Ministry selected Lakenheath as an alternative for RAF Mildenhall, false lights, runways and aircraft diverted Luftwaffe attacks from Mildenhall. In 1941, hard runways were put down with the runway, 04/22, being 2,000 yards. Another 100 yards was added to runway 16/34, hardstands for 36 aircraft were built, along with two T-2s and a B-1 hangar. One T-2 was on the site, the other hangars to the east across the A1065 Mildenhall-Brandon road were reached by taxiways. Lakenheath Airfield was used by RAF flying units on detachment late in 1941, the station soon functioned as a Mildenhall satellite with Short Stirling bombers of No.149 Squadron RAF dispersed from the parent airfield as conditions allowed. The squadron exchanged its Vickers Wellingtons for Stirlings late in during November 1941, after becoming fully operational with its new aircraft, the squadron moved into Lakenheath on 6 April 1942 and remained until mid 1944 when the squadron moved to RAF Methwold. Taking part in more than 350 operations, more than half mine-laying,149 Squadron had one of the lowest percentage loss rates of all Stirling squadrons, middleton was killed when the Stirling, BF372 OJ-H, crashed into the English Channel. In early 1943, three T-2 hangars were erected on the side of the airfield for glider storage,40 Horsa Gliders being dispersed at Lakenheath during that year. On 21 June 1943, No.199 Squadron RAF was established as a second Stirling squadron, commencing operations on 31 July, it laid mines during the winter of 1943–44. At the end of April 1944, after 68 operations, the transferred to No.100 Group RAF for bomber support. No.149 Squadron ended its association with RAF Lakenheath the same month, between them, the two squadrons lost 116 Stirling bombers in combat while flying from Lakenheath. The reason for the departure of the two squadrons was Lakenheaths selection for upgrading to a Very Heavy Bomber airfield. The work entailed removal of the runways and laying new ones comprising 12 inches of high-grade concrete
29.
52nd Fighter Wing
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The 52d Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It was activated in 1948, but derives significant elements of its history from the predecessor Second World War 52d Fighter Group, 52d Fighter Wing is the official military nomenclature of the unit and it is commonly referred to as the 52nd Fighter Wing. It is often interchanged within military writing and speech, either way, - Reserves numbers 101 through 299 for Air National Guard units giving position for the unit numbering. The 52 FW maintains, deploys and employs F-16CJ and A/OA-10 aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO, the wing also supports contingencies and operations other than war as required. The wing conducts operations at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, one of 16 major operating locations in USAFE, the wing is authorized for about 5,560 active-duty members and about 210 Department of Defense civilians. The wing is organized with four groups responsible for operations, maintenance, mission support and medical operations, in concert with USAFE wings at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the 52d Fighter Wing directly supports the strategic mobility mission once conducted at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany. The wing provides support for C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy aircraft, crew, passengers and cargo to sustain air mobility operations throughout Europe, Africa. The 52nd was reactivated on 18 August 1955 and designated 52d Fighter Group and it was assigned to Air Defense Command and equipped with F-86 Sabre aircraft. It served once more as an air unit in the northeastern United States. In December 1971, it became the host wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, the wing participated in numerous tactical exercises, operations, and tests of USAFE and NATO and provided close air support, interdiction, and base defense operations. It cooperated with other NATO forces in frequent squadron exchange programs, in January 1973, a Wild Weasel defense suppression mission was added. After October 1985, using the F-4 Phantom II model aircraft, in 1987, the 52d acquired F-16 Falcons and became the first wing to integrate F-16Cs with F-4Gs to form hunter/killer teams within individual fighter squadrons. It deployed aircraft and personnel to locations in Saudi Arabia. Near the end of 1992, it began receiving A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and it received F-15 Eagles in 1994 but lost its F-4Gs. In January and December 1999, the wing supported Operations Northern Watch, Allied Force, following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon in the United States on September 11,2001, the 52d Fighter Wing began preparations for possible combat tasking. Within one month the wing had deployed people and equipment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in, the 22d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron began flying operations at a deployed location in support of the war on terrorism within 100 hours of tasking notification. Personnel assigned to the 52d FW continue to deploy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom today, in April 2010 the wings strength was reduced by one third. Twenty F-16Cs were flown to the 148th Fighter Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard, one F-16 was transferred to Edwards Air Force Base, all aircraft were from the 22nd Fighter Squadron
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Spangdahlem Air Base
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Spangdahlem is home of the 52d Fighter Wing, which maintains, deploys and employs Lockheed Martin Block 50 F-16CM/DM. In total,4,800 military personnel,840 German nationals and 200 US contractors are working at the base. S, the wing also supports contingencies and operations other than war. In addition, Air Mobility Command supports cargo and passenger traffic as part of its airlift mission, with the closure of the Rhein-Main Air Base in 2005, the Rhein-Main Transition Program was initiated to transfer all its former transport capacities to Ramstein Air Base and Spangdahlem AB. The 726th AMS utilizes various aircraft maintenance equipment, de-icers, mission vehicles, the squadron is capable of handling every type of aircraft in the AMC inventory, from C-17s and C-5s to KC-10s and KC-135s. In November 2005, the first C-17 Globemaster III aircraft arrived at Spangdahlem, after emerging as the victors in the Second World War, the Western Allies occupied western Germany under the terms of the Potsdam agreement. France agreed to air base sites within its zone of occupation in the Rheinland-Palatinate, Spangdahlem base was constructed between 1951 and 1953 at a cost of roughly $27,000,000 using French and German contractors, working under the supervision of a French government agency. The initial USAF military presence began on 1 September 1952 with the arrival of the 7352d Air Base Squadron on 1 September 1952 from Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base near Munich, the mission of the 7532d ABS was to prepare the facility for an operational wing. On 10 May 1953 the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was reassigned to Spangdahlem AB from Toul-Rosieres Air Base, the base population at this time totaled slightly more than 1,900 personnel. The RB-26s were replaced in October 1954 by Martin RB-57A Canberras, in 1957 the RB-57s and RF-84s were transferred to Chateauroux-Deols Air Depot and the 1st and 38th were re-equipped with the Douglas RB-66 Destroyer. Three additional squadrons, the 19th and 30th and 42d Tactical Reconnaissance were assigned to the 10th TRW from the 66th TRW, the 42nd TRS flew from RAF Chelveston and remained there as a detachment of the 10th TRW. On 25 August 1959, the 10th TRW ended its stay at Spangdahlem and moved to RAF Alconbury. On 25 August 1959, the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Spangdahlem AB from the Etain-Rouvres Air Base, France, in 1957, the French Government decreed that all nuclear weapons and delivery aircraft had to be removed from French soil. As a result, the nuclear-capable North American F-100C/D Super Sabres of the 49th TFW had to be removed from France, the 49th TFW was only the third USAF unit to operate the F-105. The 49th received two Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for F-105 operations at Spangdahlem, on 9 March 1967, the Wing began receiving the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II. The 49 TFW remained at Spangdahlem AB until 1 July 1968 when it relocated to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, the 38 TRS was never equipped with RB-66B models. When the 10 TRW re-equipped with the RB-66 the 38 TRS, the 1,19,30, and the 42 TRS remained at Spangdahlem until their move to the UK. The 1,19, and 30 TRS flew the RB-66B and this movement of squadrons came about due to the introduction of the AFM 66-1 combined maintenance concept. It was decided to keep aircraft of one type in the same units for maintenance
31.
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
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100th Air Refueling Wing
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The 100th Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa. It is stationed at RAF Mildenhall, England and it is also the host wing at RAF Mildenhall. The 100 ARW is the only permanent U. S. air refueling wing in the European theater, during World War II, its predecessor unit, the 100th Bombardment Group, was an Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress unit in England, stationed at RAF Thorpe Abbotts. Flying over 300 combat missions, the group earned two Distinguished Unit Citations, the group suffered tremendous losses in combat, with 177 Aircraft MIA, flying its last mission on 20 April 1945. One of the wings honors is that it is the only modern USAF operational wing allowed to display on its aircraft the tail code of its World War II predecessor. USAFEs only KC-135 air refueling wing, it is responsible for U. S. aerial refueling operations conducted throughout the European theater, the unit supports some 16,000 personnel, including Third Air Force, four geographically separated units, and 15 associated units. The group remained unmanned until 27 October 1942, when a number of men transferred from the 29th Bombardment Group to Gowen Field, Idaho. Following receipt of crews and aircraft, the 100th BG relocated to Wendover Field, Utah, on 30 November where it added additional personnel, aircraft, crews, in both instances, members of the 100th BG assisted in air and ground training for other groups bound for overseas. In mid-April, the aircrew element joined its ground echelon at Kearney, after additional training, the groups aircrews departed Kearney on 25 May 1943, flying the North Atlantic route to England and into the war in Europe. Prior to the departure of aircraft and aircrews from Kearney, the 100 BGs ground echelon departed for the East Coast on 2 May 1943, on 27 May 1943, the ground personnel set sail aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth bound for Podington, England from New York. On 25 June 1943, the 100 BG flew its first Eighth Air Force combat mission in a bombing of the Bremen U-boat yards – the beginning of the Bloody Hundredths legacy. The group inherited the Bloody Hundredth nickname from other groups due to the amount of losses it took. From January–May 1944, the 100th BG regularly bombed airfields, industries, marshaling yards, the group participated in the Allied campaign against German aircraft factories, Operation Argument, during Big Week in the last week of February 1944. In March 1944, aircrews completed a succession of attacks on Berlin, the next month aircrews bombed enemy positions at Saint-Lô, followed by similar campaigns at Brest in August and September. The 100 BG flew its last combat mission of World War II on 20 April 1945, the following month the units aircrews dropped food to the people in the west of the Netherlands, and in June transported French Allied former prisoners of war from Austria to France. In December 1945, the returned to the U. S. where it inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. On 29 May 1947, Headquarters Army Air Forces reactivated the 100 BG at Miami Army Air Field, from the time of its activation the group trained and operated as a reserve B-29 Superfortress unit being attached to the 49th Bombardment Wing. It is not clear whether or not the unit was manned or equipped
33.
435th Air Ground Operations Wing
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The 435th Air Ground Operations Wing is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the current commander is Colonel Andra V. P. Kniep, who took command in March 2015, the 435 AGOW is the first USAFE wing solely dedicated to supporting battlefield airmen. Both of the groups from the 86th AW will now perform their mission under the 435th AGOW, the 435 AGOW comprises 3 groups. Each groups supports a specific portion of the wings multifaceted mission, the unit was activated as the 86th Contingency Response Group at Hangar 3 at Ramstein Air Base on February 26,1999, and was the first unit of its kind in the Air Force. The CRG incorporates more than 42 different jobs into one organization and it is a rapid-deployment unit designed at the initiative of Air Force leadership to be a first-in force to secure an airfield and establish and maintain airfield operations. The CRGs Security Forces Squadron provides force protection in the stages of a deployment. The Security Forces Squadron is capable of overland airlift, air assault, MEET provides hands-on training to students for proper certifications in their CFETP and ACES PR. MEET is SORTS reportable under CAT II training, the CRGs newly formed Detachment 1 provides an OSS type function with a core capability resting in its Air Advisor Flight. This flight is predominately responsible for military-to-military engagements with partner nations, the wing was manned at 25% of normal strength but was authorized four squadrons rather than the three of active duty units. At Miami, the wing trained with C-46s under the supervision of the active duty 2585th Air Force Reserve Training Center, the wing was ordered into active service in March 1951 as a result of the Korean War. Along with other units called to active duty, it formed Tactical Air Commands Eighteenth Air Force. The 435ths initial function was to train C-46 aircrews for service in Korea, the wing also trained with Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars. The wing was activated as a unit the same day at the same station. In the reserve, the 435th once again flew Curtiss Commandos under the supervision of the 2585th Center, in the summer of 1956, the wing participated in Operation Sixteen Ton during its two weeks of active duty training. In addition, for the first time as a unit, its flying was performed in unit tactical aircraft. During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching reserve squadrons to separate locations, the dispersal of separate squadrons to smaller population centers was intended to facilitate recruiting and manning. In August 1956, the wings 77th Troop Carrier Squadron left Miami for Pinellas County Airport, the squadrons stay in the Tampa Bay area was brief, however, for in November 1957 it moved again, this time to New Orleans Naval Air Station, Louisiana
34.
501st Combat Support Wing
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The 501st Combat Support Wing is a United States Air Forces in Europe unit based at RAF Alconbury, England. The wing traces its history to a World War II bombardment group which served in the Pacific, mostly bombing mainland Japan, successor tactical missile units carrying the 501sts heritage served in Europe during the Cold War. The 501 CSW currently oversees and supports four Air Base Groups operating a total of seven installations and operating locations in the U. K. the wing has almost 2,600 U. S. military and civilian employees directly assigned, including non-appropriated fund employees. There are also 117 U. K. personnel who work directly for the wing in appropriated and non-appropriated positions, the 501st BG was part of Twentieth Air Force and engaged in very heavy bombardment B-29 Superfortress operations against Japan. Its aircraft were identified by a Y inside a painted on the tail. The 701st TMW served in West Germany during the Cold War in the 1950s, the 501st TMW operated Ground Launched Cruise Missiles at RAF Greenham Common, England during the Cold War in the 1980s. The unit was established in early 1944 at Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, the unit was formed with three reassigned bomb squadrons. In mid-1943 it participated in the first USAAF raid against Japan, at the end of the Aleutian campaign, the squadron was inactivated in November 1943. The other squadrons had previously assigned to other B-29 groups training in Nebraska. In August 1944, the newly formed group was sent to its station at Harvard Army Air Field. Due to a shortage of B-29s, the group was equipped with former II Bomber Command Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses previously used for training heavy bomber replacement personnel, the 502d eventually received Atlanta-built B-29B Superfortresses. The B-29B was in fact unique, for it was equipped entirely with the only variant of the B-29 ever manufactured. The resultant unladen weight of 69,000 pounds was a vast improvement, lessening the strain on engines and airframe, the only armament on these aircraft was in the tail, where two.50 caliber machine guns were installed. It also gave an effect in appearance. The Eagle was the product of the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Eagle radar development group and it had been designed especially for night missions. Missions had to be planned and prepared so that material could be slanted from the radar point of view. Upon arrival the groups personnel were engaged in Quonset hut construction, by mid-June most personnel were able to move into the huts from the initial tents which they were assigned on arrival. As the crews arrived they commenced ground school and shakedown missions over Rota, Pajoros, entered combat on 19 June 1945 when its B-29’s bombed Japanese fortifications in the Truk Islands
35.
RAF Alconbury
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Royal Air Force Alconbury or more simply RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Huntingdon, England. The airfield is in the parish of The Stukeleys, close to the villages of Great Stukeley, Little Stukeley. Opened in 1938, it is a facility, under the control of the United States Air Force. It is one of three RAF stations in Cambridgeshire used by the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa, Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, and RAF Upwood make up the Tri-Base Area, because of their geographic proximity and interdependency. Except for a period of inactivity between 1945 and 1951, the station has used continuously. RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth are the last Second World War–era Eighth Air Force bases in Britain that are used and controlled by the United States Air Force. On 8 January 2015, it was announced that the US Air Force would be withdrawn from RAF Alconbury, RAF Mildenhall, the Alconbury Weald development, including Alconbury Enterprise Campus, is taking place on land adjoining the USAFE site, part of the former RAF Alconbury. The host unit at RAF Alconbury is the 423rd Air Base Group, the 423 ABG also serves the 426th Air Base Squadron, at Sola Air Station, Stavanger, Norway. The group comprises six squadrons—security forces and civil engineer, air base, medical and it manages activities in the community and maintains all facilities, services, and housing. Its primary mission is support for the U. S, European Command Joint Analysis Center, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency at RAF Molesworth. The 423 ABG command section and orderly room are at Alconbury, as are many of the support units, RAF Alconbury is also the home of the 501st Combat Support Wing, which is the command-and-control authority over geographically separated USAFE units in the United Kingdom. RAF Alconbury covers about 0.308 sq mi, a replica F-5E aircraft is on display outside the front gate. An A-10 aircraft was displayed near the parade field, however it was removed Summer 2016. The original Second World War control tower stands in the old airfield section, a Second World War building stands in the farm field just east of the current base perimeter, along with several wartime buildings on the old technical site on the west side of the former airfield. Several Second World War T-2 hangars are still in use on the airfield section, in 2009, the company Urban&Civic bought the 575 hectares site to develop it for businesses and housing. The Alconbury Enterprise Campus, a zone, occupies a quarter of the site. Urban&Civic estimate that the development will provide 8000 jobs and 5000 new homes, a major new building called The Incubator opened in February 2014. It was designed by the architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and it is visible from the nearby Ermine Street and it was announced by the Pentagon on 8 January 2015 that RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth would be closing by 2020
36.
MacDill Air Force Base
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MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately 4 miles south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The host wing for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Mobility Wing of the Air Mobility Command, the 6th Air Mobility Wing is commanded by Colonel April Vogel, and the wings Command Chief Master Sergeant is CMSgt Melanie Noel. The host unit at MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Mobility Wing, MacDill also hosts the Aircraft Operations Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, whose NOAA Corps flies Hurricane Hunter missions in WP-3D Orion and Gulfstream IV aircraft. The 6 AMW is a 3, 000-person force organized into four groups, the 6 AMW also has a collocated Associate wing at MacDill, the 927th Air Refueling Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command. The 6 AMW and the 927 ARW operate and share the same assigned KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft. MacDill Air Force Base, located in south Tampa, was constructed as MacDill Field, with the establishment of the U. S. Air Force as an independent service in 1947, it became MacDill Air Force Base. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was a Strategic Air Command base for B-47, in the early 1960s, it transitioned to a Tactical Air Command installation briefly operating the F-84 Thunderstreak jet fighter before transitioning to the F-4 Phantom II. During the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, it operated F-4 Phantom II fighters, followed by F-16 Fighting Falcons in the mid and late 1980s, both commands are independent from one another and each is commanded by a respective 4-star general or admiral. The noise produced by the aircraft was also considered inappropriate in a densely populated urban area. However, despite recommendations, the base remained open to house. With the disestablishment of Tactical Air Command a few months later, in 1993, the MacDill flightline was permanently reopened for NOAA WP-3D hurricane hunter operations, which had relocated from Miami International Airport. The wing was renamed the 6th Air Mobility Wing following the establishment. MacDill AFB is a significant contributor to Tampas economy and the city is very supportive of the military community, in 2001 and 2003, the Tampa Bay area was awarded the Abilene Trophy, which annually honors the most supportive Air Force city in Air Mobility Command. MacDill historically hosts an air show enjoyed by thousands of spectators each year. However, there were no shows in 2002 and 2003 due to security concerns following the attacks on the United States of Sep,11,2001 and the initiation of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The 2006 show was canceled due to security concerns on base. It was cancelled again in 2013 due to budget constraints. AirFest 2016 was the first-ever airshow to feature a live webcast of the performers, the 6 AMW consists of, 6th Operations Group 91st Air Refueling Squadron Operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker
37.
Tampa International Airport
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Tampa International Airport is a public airport six miles west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. This airport is owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. The airport was called Drew Field Municipal Airport until 1952, the airport is served by over twenty major air carrier airlines, four regional airlines, and two air cargo carriers. Three of the regional airlines operate under the banner of mainline air carriers, while a fourth, Silver Airways, is independent, southwest Airlines operates a focus city in TPA and carries the airports largest share of passengers, operating up to 84 daily flights. The airport presently serves 85 non-stop destinations throughout North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Tampa International is also one of only two airports in the United States to host regularly scheduled charters to four Cuban cities, Camagüey, Havana, Holguín and Santa Clara. The airport handled 18,931,922 passengers in 2016, in 2011, it was called one of the 10 best airports by CNNGo. See, Drew Army Airfield for the World War II use of the airport In 1928 the city completed the 160-acre Drew Field six miles west of Downtown Tampa. The more popular Peter O. Knight Airport was opened on Davis Islands near Downtown Tampa in 1935, the United States Army Air Corps began negotiating for the use Drew Field in 1939 during the buildup of military forces prior to World War II. In 1940, the City of Tampa leased Drew Field to the U. S. Government for 25 years, during the war, the United States Army Air Forces expanded and modernized the airport. The airfield was used by Third Air Force and renamed it Drew Army Airfield. S, there was one mishap in 1943 that killed five fliers. Despite this, Drew Field set a safety record for the Third Air Force in 1945 after 100,000 flying hours had been completed over a period of 10 months without a fatal incident. The aircraft operated included the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, North American AT-6, North American B-25 Mitchell, after World War II, the Army Air Forces vacated the facility and Drew Field was returned to the City of Tampa. The Peter O. Knight Airport and Drew Field reversed roles as the main Tampa airport because Drew Field was greatly expanded by the United States Army Air Forces during the war years, during this period, the airlines were housed in the former Drew AAF Base Operations building. Trans Canada Airlines international flights began in 1950 and Drew Field was renamed Tampa International Airport, the airports second terminal opened in 1952 near the intersection of Columbus Drive and West Shore Blvd. The April 1957 OAG shows 30 departures a day on Eastern Air Lines, nonstops to Chicago-Midway, Detroit, Cleveland, New York Idlewild, Boston, seven nonstops to Atlanta and 18 within Florida. National Airlines had 26 departures, including seven nonstops beyond Florida to Houston Hobby, Havana, Washington National, New York/Idlewild, trans-Eastern had 12 departures and Mackey had two DC-3s, none nonstop beyond Florida. Trans-Canada had thirteen nonstops a week to Toronto or Montreal, the 1952 terminal, built for three airlines, was swamped after the Civil Aeronautics Board granted Capital, Delta, Northeast, Northwest and Trans World Airlines authority to Tampa in the late 1950s. An annex was built east of the terminal for the new carriers, turbine-powered flights began in 1959 on Eastern Air Lines L-188 Electra, in 1960 National, Eastern and Delta Air Lines began jet flights with the Douglas DC-8
38.
Drew Field
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Drew Field was a World War II United States Army Air Forces base. It was the headquarters of Third Air Force and was used for advanced combat training of fighter and bomber units prior to their deployment to combat theaters overseas. It was inactivated during the summer of 1946, and returned to the city of Tampa for civil use as Drew Field Municipal Airport, Drew Field Municipal Airport opened in 1928 on land previously owned by land developer, John H. Drew. With the prospect of war, the U. S. Government leased the field for use as a sub post to MacDill Field, with the completion of MacDill, Drew became a separate base and headquarters for the Third Air Force, III Fighter Command. Lt. Henry M. Sallery, Engineer Corps, was ordered from MacDill Field, under his supervision, administrative buildings and barracks were erected. Hardwick, Air Corps, arrived, attached to the 27th Air Base Squadron and assigned to command of Base Detachment and he was accompanied by a force of 31 men, half of whom were detailed for guard duty. On August 18 of the year, ceremonies celebrating the starting of work on the $663,700 runways were held. The runways consisted of three landing strips, 7000×150, 7000×150 and 7000×150. One thousand ten-man combat bombing crews trained at Drew during the war and it also performed signal air-warning training and engineering aviation training. Besides the training mission, Drew Field was a command and control base and it was the headquarters of the Southeast Air District, and was the headquarters of its fighter arm, the III Fighter Command. Across Tampa, at neighboring MacDill Field, was III Bomber Command, close coordination was made with subordinate airfields throughout the southeast that were under the jurisdiction of 3d Air Force. The initial assignment for III Fighter Command, however, was the establishment of the Army Aircraft Warning Training Center at Drew in June 1941, while the runways were still under construction. The mission of III FC was the organization and training of civilian and military Aircraft Warning Units, during the war, Ground Observer posts in the United States were established ss part of the civil air defense network. The Aircraft Warning Training Center at Drew ended in February 1945, IX Fighter Commands planned mission was the reinforcement of the British Desert Air Force in Egypt, under the U. S. Army Middle East Air Force. P-40 Warhawk fighter Operational Unit training was begun at Drew under the 337th Fighter Group, the 8th and 9th Fighter Wings were formed at Drew in late July and both Wings subordinate units were equipped and trained under III Fighter Command in the Southeast. The Ninth Air Force combat units were deployed in late October and November 1942 overseas, p-40 training at Drew ended at the end of December. Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command used the airfield to conduct reconnaissance over the Gulf of Mexico, the 26th Anti-Submarine Wing, based in Miami deployed the 15th and 3d Antisubmarine Squadrons to the field beginning in December 1942. O-47 light observation aircraft, along with B-25 Mitchell and B-34 Lexington medium bombers equipped with radar were used to fly anti-sub patrols over the eastern Gulf
39.
Brooksville Army Airfield
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Brooksville Army Airfield, was a United States Army Air Forces airfield constructed during World War II, located 7.2 miles southwest of Brooksville, Florida. The facility was opened in November 1942 by the United States Army Air Forces and it was assigned as a sub-base to the Orlando Army Air Base, with Brooksville AAF being used primarily as bomber training base. The 1st Bomb Squadron engaged in advanced training for aircrews. In early 1944, the 1st Bomb Squadron was reassigned to Texas, in early 1944, the 5th, 99th and 430th Bomb Squadrons were also sent to Brooksville from Orlando. The 5th, equipped with B-24 Liberators, the 99th with B-25 Mitchells, all of these squadrons were also moved out to Texas in February 1944, along with the 1st Bomb Squadron, minus their aircraft, which were left at Brooksville. With the move of the 9th Bombardment Group squadrons, jurisdiction of Brooksville AAF was transferred from Training Command to III Bomber Command, in late 1943, when Second Air Force began transitioning to B-29 Superfortress training, the B-17 mission returned to MacDill. Brooksville then became an auxiliary of MacDill Field and nearby Drew Army Airfield, the medium bomber training mission was moved from MacDill to Brooksville and the B-17s formerly of AAFSAT were used by training crews from both MacDill and Drew for Replacement Crew Training. In an administrative reorganization by HQ Army Air Force on 1 May 1944, at Brooksville, the 377th Army Air Forces Base Unit was activated for operational training as well as station management. Bomber crews from Brooksville regularly made practice runs to the Avon Park Bombing Range, a tactical bombing school operated under the direction of AAFSAT from Orlando AAB remained, with the aircrews flying missions as part of the school. With the end of hostilities, Third Air Force sent down orders to close the facility, jurisdiction of the airfield was transferred to Air Technical Service Command, whose mission was the transfer of any useful military equipment to other USAAF bases around the country. Under ATSC, buildings and equipment were sold to civilian governments and/or commercial entities, the base was subsequently declared as surplus and turned over to the War Assets Administration for disposal and return to civil use. Brooksville AAF became the Hernando County Airport in late 1945 and was renamed as Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport in 2013, combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Office of Air Force History,1982 ISBN 0-405-12194-6, World War II airfields database, Florida AFHRA Brooksville Army Airfield
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Hillsborough Army Air Field
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Hillsborough Army Airfield is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield which was located about 7 miles north of Tampa, Florida, near Temple Terrace, Florida. Hillsborough AAF was built by the United States Army Air Forces about 1943 and it was assigned to the Third Air Force, III Fighter Command. Hillsborough Army Airfield had three runways of about 5,200 in length and several hangars along the west side of the airfield, the initial mission of Hillsborough was as a support and training overflow airfield, also being used for emergency landings of students assigned to the main bases. It also operated a school for training of junior officers. The 42d Fighter Squadron was assigned to Hillsborough on 10 May 1943, the 42d was detached from Bartow Army Airfield. With advanced combat fighter pilot training being moved out of Drew Field, the base normally had about 28 airplanes at the field at one time. In an administrative reorganization by HQ Army Air Force, on 1 May 1944, the 42d was re-designated as Section T, 343d Army Air Forces Base Unit Replacement Training Unit, Fighter. In June 1944, two squadrons of P-51s were assigned, S and FT. On 10 May 1945, training was ended at the base, personnel and equipment were reassigned to IV Fighter Command, 473d AAFBU and transferred to Porterville Army Airfield, California. The base was closed on 23 May and transferred to Air Technical Service Command for disposal. After World War II, Hillsborough was reused as a airport, known as Henderson Airport. The surviving runways are used as a training area by Busch Gardens to instruct new drivers on some of their vehicles. Today the airfield is all but unrecognizable in the area of Tampa, however the center of the airport. The Tampa Bay regional headquarters of the Florida Department of Transportation building is located on the site of the northeastern runway, mels Hot Dogs, a popular Tampa eatery, states on its website that it occupies the last remaining structure from the World War II army air base. Florida World War II Army Airfields This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, Office of Air Force History,1982 ISBN 0-405-12194-6, abandoned Airfields, Hillsbororough Army Airfield / Henderson Airport World War II airfields database, Florida AFHRA search Hillsborough Army Airfield
41.
Fort Myers, Florida
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Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Fort Myers is a gateway to the Southwest Florida region and a major tourist destination within Florida, the winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are a primary tourist attraction in the region. The city is named after Colonel Abraham Myers, the geographic statistical area is serviced by Southwest Florida International Airport, located southeast of the city. Fort Myers was one of the first forts built along the Caloosahatchee River as a base of operations against the Seminole Indians during the American Indian Wars, during the Seminole Wars, Fort Myers was a strategic location for its visibility and access to Atlantic waterways. During the American Civil War, Confederate blockade runners and cattle ranchers called Fort Myers home and these settlers prospered through trading with Seminole Indians and Union Soldiers. The Fort Myers community was founded by Captain Manuel A. Gonzalez on February 21,1866. Captain Manuel A. Gonzalez was familiar with the area as a result of his years of delivering mail and supplies to the Union Army at the Fort during the Seminole Indian Wars. When the U. S. Government abandoned the Fort following the Civil War, Gonzalez traveled by sailing vessel from Key West, three weeks later, Joseph Vivas and his wife, Christianna Stirrup Vivas, arrived with Gonzalezs wife, Evalina Gonzalez, and daughter, Mary Gonzalez. Gonzales had shipped supplies and carried mail during the war and settled his family near the abandoned Fort Myers to begin the towns first trading post, Gonzalez traded tobacco, beads, and gunpowder, and sold otter, bobcat, and gator hide, to the neighboring Seminole Indians. In 1881, the wealthy industrialist Hamilton Disston of Philadelphia came to the Caloosahatchee Valley to dredge, diston connected Lake Okeechobee with the Caloosahatchee River, which allowed steamboats to run from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Okeechobee and up the Kissimmee River. On August 12,1885, the town of Fort Myers—all 349 residents—was incorporated. By that time, it was the second largest town on Florida’s Gulf Coast south of Cedar Key, in 1885, inventor Thomas Alva Edison was cruising Florida’s west coast and stopped to visit Fort Myers. He soon bought 13 acres along the Caloosahatchee River in town, after the Lodge was completed in 1886, Edison and his wife, Mina, spent many winters at their home in Fort Myers. Edison also enjoyed local recreational fishing, for which Fort Myers had gained national notoriety, in 1898, Fort Myers became a nationally known winter resort destination with the building of the Royal Palm Hotel. On May 10,1904, access to the Fort Myers area was improved with the opening of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. This route provided Lee County both passenger and freight railroad service, in 1908, the Arcade Theater was constructed in downtown Fort Myers. It served originally as a house, and was an auditorium that Fort Myers resident Thomas Edison sat in to view his first films, with his friends Henry Ford. The Arcade Theatre was eventually converted into a movie house
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III Fighter Command
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The III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field and it was inactivated on 8 April 1946. 1 December 1945 –8 April 1946 Trained fighter organizations and personnel, also served in the defense of the southeastern United States This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, //www. afhra. af. mil/. Maurer, Maurer, ed. Air Force Combat Units of World War II, washington, DC, Office of Air Force History
43.
Gulf of Mexico
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The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. The U. S. states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas border the Gulf on the north, Atlantic and Pacific coasts, or sometimes the south coast, in juxtaposition to the Great Lakes region being the north coast. One of the seven main areas is the Gulf of Mexico basin. The Gulf of Mexico formed approximately 300 million years ago as a result of plate tectonics, the Gulfs basin is roughly oval and is approximately 810 nautical miles wide and floored by sedimentary rocks and recent sediments. It is connected to part of the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Straits between the U. S. and Cuba, and with the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatan Channel between Mexico and Cuba, with the narrow connection to the Atlantic, the Gulf experiences very small tidal ranges. The size of the Gulf basin is approximately 1.6 million km2, almost half of the basin is shallow continental shelf waters. The basin contains a volume of roughly 2,500 quadrillion liters, the consensus among geologists who have studied the geology of the Gulf of Mexico, is that prior to the Late Triassic, the Gulf of Mexico did not exist. It was created by the collision of plates that formed Pangea. As interpreted by Roy Van Arsdale and Randel T. Cox, geologists and other Earth scientists agree in general that the present Gulf of Mexico basin originated in Late Triassic time as the result of rifting within Pangea. The rifting was associated with zones of weakness within Pangea, including sutures where the Laurentia, South American, first, there was a Late Triassic-Early Jurassic phase of rifting during which rift valleys formed and filled with continental red beds. Second, as rifting progressed through Early and Middle Jurassic time and it was at this time that tectonics first created a connection to the Pacific Ocean across central Mexico and later eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. This flooded the basin created by rifting and crustal thinning to create the Gulf of Mexico. While the Gulf of Mexico was a basin, the subsiding transitional crust was blanketed by the widespread deposition of Louann Salt. Initially, during the Late Jurassic, continued rifting widened the Gulf of Mexico and progressed to the point that sea-floor spreading, at this point, sufficient circulation with the Atlantic Ocean was established that the deposition of Louann Salt ceased. During the Late Jurassic through Early Cretaceous, the occupied by the Gulf of Mexico experienced a period of cooling. The subsidence was the result of a combination of stretching, cooling. Initially, the combination of stretching and cooling caused about 5–7 km of tectonic subsidence of the central thin transitional
44.
Eastern Defense Command
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This organization was charged with coordinating the defense of the Atlantic Coast, replacing the New England Defense Sector, an organization of the U. S. However, this did not initially occur, and the command was more than a planning agency until 24 December 1941. After 24 December, the command exercised control over Army coast defense, antiaircraft, the command also included US Army forces in Newfoundland and, from April 1942, Bermuda. The commanding generals of the commands were initially the commanders of the existing continental army commands established under the the 1921 amendment to the National Defense Act of 1916. For the Eastern Defense Command, its first commander was First U. S. Army commander, the commands headquarters was co-located with First Army headquarters and a soon-to-be-established Second Service Command Corps Area at Fort Jay, Governors Island in New York City. Lieutenant General George Grunert assumed command of the Eastern Defense Command upon Drums mandatory retirement at age 64 in October 1943, as prospects for any enemy attack on the United States all but diminished, Central Defense Command was merged into the Eastern Defense Command on 15 January 1944. In early 1945, Southern Defense Command was also absorbed by the Eastern Defense Command, with Grunerts retirement in July 1945, his deputy, Brigadier General Kenneth Lord, became interim commander until the appointment of General Jonathan M. Wainwright. This was Wainwrights first command since he was compelled to surrender the Philippines to the Japanese Army in early 1942, in August 1945, he was liberated from a Japanese prisoner of war camp and assumed command after he returned to full duty. Upon Wainwrights 15 January 1946 transfer to Fourth Army at Fort Sam Houston, fairchild, Byron, Guarding the United States and its Outposts, United States Army in World War II, Washington, D. C. Center of Military History, United States Army
45.
Coast guard
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A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. However, a typical coast guards functions are distinct from typical functions of both the navy and a transportation police, at the time, due to high UK taxation on liquors such as brandy, and on tobacco, etc. The Coastguard was, however, also responsible for giving assistance to shipwrecks, each Waterguard station was issued with a Manby mortar, which had been invented by Captain George William Manby in 1808. The mortar fired a shot with a line attached from the shore to the ship and was used for many years. This began the process through which the Coastguard assumed a life saving role, in 1821 a committee of inquiry recommended that responsibility for the Preventative Waterguard be transferred to the Board of Customs. In 1845 the Coastguard was subordinated to the Admiralty, in 1829 the first UK Coastguard instructions were published and dealt with discipline and directions for carrying out preventative duties. They also stipulated that, when a wreck took place, the Coastguard was responsible for taking all possible action to save lives, to charge of the vessel. In the United States, the United States Coast Guard was created in 1915 by the merger of two federal agencies. The first, the United States Revenue Cutter Service, was a maritime customs enforcement agency that also assumed a role to the United States Navy in wartime. The second, the United States Life-Saving Service, was formed in 1848, the Coast Guard later absorbed the United States Lighthouse Service and the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection. Among the responsibilities that may be entrusted to a coast guard service are, search and rescue, enforcement of law, safety of vessels, maintenance of seamarks. The Coast Guard may, varying by jurisdiction, be part of a countrys military, most coast guards operate ships and aircraft including helicopters and seaplanes that are either owned or leased by the agency in order to fulfil their respective roles. Some coast guards, such as the Irish Coast Guard, have only a limited law enforcement role, usually in enforcing maritime safety law. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries coast guards, and furthermore acts as a gendarmerie force policing navigable rivers and they belonged to the Ministry of Defence until the 1980s, and the corps´ highest official was a Navy rear-admiral. They have since transferred to the Ministry of Interior and, more recently. However, in case of armed conflict, they can be put under Navy´s command, while having 19,650 kilometres of coastline, the Commonwealth of Australia does not have a force purely to defend its coast. The duty of patrolling its coastline falls to the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Border Force, in addition, there are several private volunteer coast guard organizations, the two largest organizations being the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol and the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard. These volunteer organizations have no law enforcement powers, and are essentially auxiliary Search, in NSW these two organisations have joined to become Marine Rescue in 2009
46.
Army Air Forces Training Command
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Army Air Forces Training Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Headquarters, United States Army Air Forces, Training Command was the initial organization to which new recruits were assigned upon entry into the Army Air Forces during World War II. Its mission was the training of new personnel and the preparation of them for assignment to one of the air forces for military service. It focused on pilot and aircrew training, technical training, basic training of enlisted personnel and Officer Candidate School. It was inactivated on 1 July 1946 as part of the reorganization of the Army Air Forces after the war, with all assets and personnel were assigned to the new postwar Air Training Command. AAFTC was created as a result of the merger of the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, constituted and established on 23 January 1942. Its mission was to train pilots, flying specialists, and combat crews, re-designated on or about 15 March 1942, after the Army Air Forces became an autonomous arm of the United States Army. During its lifetime, the command struggled with the challenge of a wartime expansion of the air forces. Throughout 1942, the need for combat crew personnel far exceeded the current, facilities were used to their maximum capacity as quickly as they could be stood up. Some schools were expanded while they were still under construction, during World War II, the training of its officers and enlisted men was one of the chief functions of the United States Army Air Forces, consuming a great deal of money, people, equipment, and time. Such training encompassed both flying personnel along with the support personnel needed to have a military force trained to defeat the enemy forces threatening the United States. Flying and flight operations of military aircraft, and the technical training necessary for the even larger numbers of men to be taught to service. The United States has traditionally fought its wars with a citizen military mobilized and trained after the emergency arises and its members on their induction into the military face an abrupt transition to a life and pattern of behavior altogether foreign to their previous experience. For their assistance the military has provided a period of basic military training. Only after completion of training are recruits, in theory. Upon entry into the Army Air Service in the 1920s, each man received some basic training, in 1935 efforts to change this arrangement began, but the real change occurred in 1939 when the Army proposed that each component arm and service set up their own enlisted replacement centers. In 1940 the War Department authorized the establishment of Air Corps enlisted replacement centers for the training of recruits. The Air Corps established the first of these centers at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, in the summer of 1940, since the road ahead for most AAF enlistees led toward some specialized technical training, the replacement centers were placed under the jurisdiction of the Air Corps Technical Training Command
47.
North American B-25 Mitchell
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The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American twin-engine, medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was named in honor of Major General William Billy Mitchell, used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II and after the war ended many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 Mitchells rolled from NAA factories and these included a few limited models, such as the United States Marine Corps PBJ-1 patrol bomber and the United States Army Air Forces F-10 reconnaissance aircraft and AT-24 trainers. The Air Corps issued a circular in March 1938 describing the performance they required from the next bombers — a payload of 1,200 lb with a range of 1,200 mi at more than 200 mph and those performance specifications led NAA to submit their NA-40 design. However, the experience from the XB-21 contributed to the design. The single NA-40 built flew first at the end of January 1939 and it went through several modifications to correct problems. These improvements included fitting 1,600 hp Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone radial engines, in March 1939, in March 1939, North American delivered the substantially redesigned and improved NA-40 to the United States Army Air Corps for evaluation. It was in competition with other manufacturers designs but failed to win orders, however, the French had already opted for a revised Douglas 7B. Unfortunately, the NA-40B was destroyed in a crash on 11 April 1939 while undergoing testing, although the crash was not considered due to a fault with the aircraft design, the Army ordered the DB-7 as the A-20. There was no YB-25 for prototype service tests, in September 1939, the Air Corps ordered the NA-62 into production as the B-25, along with the other new Air Corps medium bomber, the Martin B-26 Marauder off the drawing board. The NA-40 lost out to the Douglas A-20 in the competition, but NAA developed a more advanced design, the NA-40B. Early into B-25 production, NAA incorporated a significant redesign to the wing dihedral, the first nine aircraft had a constant-dihedral, meaning the wing had a consistent, upward angle from the fuselage to the wingtip. Flattening the outer wing panels by giving them a slight anhedral angle just outboard of the engine nacelles nullified the problem, less noticeable changes during this period included an increase in the size of the tail fins and a decrease in their inward tilt at their tops. NAA continued design and development in 1940 and 1941, both the B-25A and B-25B series entered AAF service. The B-25B was operational in 1942, combat requirements lead to further developments. Before the year was over, NAA was producing the B-25C, also in 1942, the manufacturer began design work on the cannon-armed B-25G series. The NA-100 of 1943 and 1944 was an interim armament development at the Kansas City complex known as the B-25D2, Similar armament upgrades by U. S-based commercial modification centers involved about half of the B-25G series. Further development led to the B-25H, B-25J, and B-25J2, the gunship design concept dates to late 1942 and NAA sent a field technical representative to the SWPA
48.
Martin B-26 Marauder
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The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engined medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company from 1941 to 1945. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was used in the Mediterranean Theater. After entering service with the US Army, the received the reputation of a Widowmaker due to the early models high accident rate during takeoffs. The Marauder had to be flown at exact airspeeds, particularly on final runway approach, the B-26 became a safer aircraft once crews were re-trained, and after aerodynamics modifications. After aerodynamic and design changes, the aircraft distinguished itself as the chief bombardment weapon on the Western Front according to a United States Army Air Forces dispatch from 1946, the Marauder ended World War II with the lowest loss rate of any USAAF bomber. A total of 5,288 were produced between February 1941 and March 1945,522 of these were flown by the Royal Air Force and the South African Air Force. By the time the United States Air Force was created as an independent service separate from the Army in 1947, the Douglas A-26 Invader then assumed the B-26 designation — before officially returning to the earlier A for Attack designation in May 1966. On 5 July 1939, the Glenn L. Martin Company submitted its design, produced by a led by Peyton M. Magruder, to meet the requirement. Martins design was evaluated as superior to the proposals and was awarded a contract for 201 aircraft. The B-26 went from concept to an operational bomber in approximately two years. Additional orders for a further 930 B-26s followed in September 1940, the B-26 was a shoulder-winged monoplane of all-metal construction, fitted with a tricycle landing gear. A gunner manned a turret armed with two.50 in machine guns, while an additional.30 in machine gun was fitted in the tail. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines in nacelles slung under the wing, driving four-bladed propellers, the engines were manufactured at the Ford Dearborn Engine plant in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. The first B-26, with Martin test pilot William K, ken Ebel at the controls, flew on 25 November 1940 and was effectively the prototype. Deliveries to the US Army Air Corps began in February 1941 with the second aircraft, in March 1941, the Army Air Corps started Accelerated Service Testing of the B-26 at Patterson Field, Ohio. At least two of the earliest B-26s suffered hard landings and damage to the landing gear, engine mounts, propellers. The type was grounded briefly in April 1941 to investigate the landing difficulties, two causes were found, insufficient landing speed and improper weight distribution. The latter was due to the lack of a dorsal turret, some of the very earliest B-26s suffered collapses of the nose landing gear
United States of America
United States Air Force (18 September 1947 – present)
United States Army (
Army Air Forces, 20 June 1941 – 18 September 1947; 
Army Air Corps 19 October 1940 – 20 June 1941)
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United States Air Forces Africa
U.S. European Command
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This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
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