Category AIRFORCE

JANUARY 1 In England, the Eighth Air Force redesignates its three Bomb Divi­sions as Air Divisions. Hundreds of sorties are also flown against German troop con­centrations and communication lines, despite the bad weather.

Meanwhile, 700 heavy bombers are dispatched to strike Rhine River bridges, rail junctions, and airfields in 10 German cities. The 14 fighter groups flying escort engage 120 German interceptors over Frankfurt/Main and Hannover, claiming 17 kills.

Over Belgium, Holland, and France, the Luftwaffe launches Operation boden – PLATTE, a surprise attack on Allied forward air bases. They manage to destroy around 120 aircraft on the ground only to lose 460 to German antiaircraft crews, who assumed they were enemy formations.

JANUARY 2 Over China, troop carriers attached to the Tenth Air Force fly 546 sorties to resupply troops on the front line; amazingly, this becomes the daily operational average for the rest of the year.

In the Philippines, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) P-38s and A-20s strike Japanese targets around San Fernando Harbor while B-24s pound Clark Field and B-25s blast enemy airfields near Batangas.

JANUARY 3 Over Nagoya, Japan, 57 of 87 B-29s have been equipped with fire­bombs as part of a test-bombing mission. Results are inconclusive, giving the erro­neous impression that Japanese fire – prevention systems are working well.

JANUARY 5 In China, Operation grub­WORM, the aerial transfer of two Chinese infantry divisions, their headquarters, and all attached units, concludes. It took 1,300 transport sorties to relocate the force from Burma to the front lines, but was accomplished with the loss of only 3 aircraft.

JANUARY 7 Over northern Luzon, Phil­ippines, the Far East Air Forces (FEAF), in concert with carrier aircraft from the Third Fleet, contributes 130 light and medium bombers to attack Japanese airfields. This is also one of the largest joint missions in the Southwest Pacific campaign.

JANUARY 9 Over the Philippines, the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) continues provid­ing close air support at various points, especially in the Lingayen Gulf region.

Over Iwo Jima, B-24s equipped with H2X bombing equipment attack Japanese airfields near Suribachi Bay.

JANUARY 10 The Thirteen Air Force begins shifting bases of operation from New Guinea to Leyte, Philippines, to support the American offensive there.

JANUARY 11 Over Luzon, Philippines, a reconnaissance version P-51 Mustang (F-6D) piloted by Captain William A. Shomo shoots down seven Japanese aircraft while his wingman bags three; considering that reconnaissance pilots rarely engage in combat, he wins the Congressional Medal of Honor.

JANUARY 17 From Chengtu, China, the XX Bomber Command unleashes 91 B-29 heavy bombers over military targets at Shinchiku, Formosa (Taiwan). This is the last such raid mounted from Chengtu, and by March the force transfers to the Marianas to be closer to Japan. The 58th Bomb Wing, meanwhile, remains active in India and provides tactical help to British

General Curtis E. LeMay orchestrated the highly successful strategic bombing campaign against Japan. (Library of Congress)

forces in Burma, with an occasional raid against Singapore and the East Indies.

JANUARY 20 On Guam, Major General Curtis E. LeMay takes command of the XXI Bomber Command, replacing Briga­dier General Haywood S. Hansell. LeMay is expected to take revamp the largely unsatisfactory strategic bombing campaign against Japan. In India, Brigadier General Roger M. Ramey also assumes control of the XX Bomber Command.

JANUARY 22 Over Formosa (Taiwan), Fifth Air Force B-24s and P-38s mount their first air raid against Japanese targets, while other aircraft continue supporting ground operations on Luzon, Philippines.

JANUARY 24 Over Attu, Alaska, fighters

of the Eleventh Air Force down an armed Japanese Fu-Go balloon.

Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, is the object of a bombing campaign by B-24s from the Seventh Air Force and B-29s from the XX Air Force.

B-24s attached to the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) commence a three-week bombing campaign against Japanese positions on Corregidor, Philippines.

January 25—26 Over Southeast Asia, the XX Bomber Command launches 70 B-29s heavy bombers, which sow mines in Singapore Harbor, Cam Ranh Bay, Pakchan River, and Phan Rang Bay; this is also the largest single mining operation of the entire war.

JANUARY 27 The Twentieth Air Force

completes a difficult transfer from Chengtu, China, to bases in India prior to a final move to the Marianas Islands in March.

In the Marianas, the XXI Bomber Command launches 130 B-29 heavy bombers, which strike targets in Tokyo, Japan. Five of the giant craft are lost to fighters while a further four ditch or crash-land due to mechanical failures. American gunners also claim to have shot down several enemy fighters.

JANUARY 28 Over Germany, this being the third anniversary of the Eighth Air Force’s founding, a 1,000-plane air raid is launched over selected targets. By this date it has flown 250,000 bomber and 210,000 fighter sorties, dropped 518,000 tons ofbombs, and shot down 13,000 enemy aircraft.

Transport aircraft in the China-Burma- India theater (CBI) continue averaging 500 sorties every day over the Hump (Himalayas), despite the fact that the Burma Road is reopened. The recent departure of B-29s based at Chengtu, China, allows more supplies to be available to the Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces operating there.

JANUARY 31 Over Austria, good weather allows the Fifteenth Air Force to put over 760 B-17s and B-24s over oil refineries at Moosbierbaum and marshalling yards at Graz and Manibor. The former is struck once more by 300 bombers on the following day.

FEBRUARY 1 Over Germany, the Eighth Air Force hurls 600 heavy bombers against three airfields at Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Krefeld while 6 fighter groups provide escort.

FEBRUARY 3 From England, the Eighth Air Force launches the largest air raid of the war to date with 1,200 B-17s and B – 24s against targets in Berlin and Magde­burg, dropping 2,266 tons of bombs. They are escorted by over 900 escort fighters, most of which accompany them to Berlin and back.

In the Marshall Islands, B-29s of XXI Bomber Command attack industrial tar­gets in Kobe, Japan, dropping 159 tons of bombs and 13.6 tons of incendiaries; 1,039 buildings and structures are destroyed.

FEBRUARY 4 From the Marianas, the XX Air Force launches 100 B-29 heavy bombers against targets in Kobe and Nat – susaka; nearly 100 fighters rise to oppose them, but only 1 B-29 is lost, while 35 are damaged.

FEBRUARY 5 Over Italy, the Twelfth Air Force launches 270 medium bombers against German targets in the Po Valley region; an additional 730 heavy bombers from the Fifteenth Air Force fly across the Alps to strike oil refineries at Regens­burg. Both operations are escorted by far-ranging P-38 and P-51 fighters.

On Corregidor, Philippines, Japanese defenses are struck by a force of 60 B-24s from the Far East Air Forces while B-25s provide close air support for ground troops.

FEBRUARY 7 In San Diego, California, the Consolidated Vultee XP-81 prototype performs its maiden flight. This innovative design employs a turboprop engine in the nose and a turbo jet in the tail, but does not progress beyond the experimental stage.

FEBRUARY 10 Over Ota, Japan, the Nakajima aircraft factory is the target of 84 B-29s heavy bombers from the XXI Bomber Command; in the absence of fighter escorts the defenders shoot down 12 of the giant bombers.

View of the wreckage of Dresden, Germany after it wasfrebombed by the Allies in 1945 during World War II. The bombing, which targeted the civilian population, was one of the most devastating aerial raids in history and was mounted in retaliation for German V-2 rocket attacks on London. Four years after the blaze, the city still appeared as a wasteland; most of its buildings were gutted, including many 1,000-year-old structures that had been completely destroyed. It took Germany decades to rebuild the city. (Library ofCongress)

February 12—14 Over Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, two dozen B-29s attack Japanese antiaircraft batteries while other aircraft fly reconnaissance missions for the U. S. Navy. The island’s defenses are also struck by tactical aircraft from the Seventh Air Force, softening it up for the impending invasion.

FEBRUARY 14 Over Germany, the his­toric city of Dresden, having suffered from a destructive nighttime raid by the Royal Air Force, is struck again by waves of American bombers. The ensuing firestorm flattens 1,600 square acres and kills an esti­mated 250,000 people—more than the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. The attack comes as revenge for continuing V-2 attacks against London.

FEBRUARY 16 Over Corregidor, Philippines, C-47 transports drop 2,000 parachutists while tactical aircraft of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) strike targets in and around that island in support of the invasion there.

In China, Tenth Air Force transports exceed their own record by flying 600 sorties on this day, a pace they will main­tain until war’s end. Ultimately, the Air Transport Command delivers 700,000 tons of supplies at a cost of 910 aircrew.

FEBRUARY 19 On the Marianas, and in an

attempt to draw Japanese reinforcements away from Iwo Jima, the XX Air Force launches 150 B-29 heavy bombers to strike at targets in and around Tokyo, Japan; enemy fighters shoot down 6 bombers.

February 20 In Washington, D. C., Secretary of War Henry Stimson author­izes construction of a rocket testing area at White Sands, New Mexico. He had been warned that the Soviets would probably win a postwar race to build long-range ballistic missiles.

FEBRUARY 22—23 Over Western Europe, Operation clarion unfolds as fighters and bombers of the Eighth, Ninth, Twelfth, and Fifteenth Air Forces systematically destroying German transportation net­works in occupied territories, including Holland, Belgium, and italy. collectively, they unleash over 9,000 aircraft to hit targets in occupied Europe over the next 24 hours. On the following day additional fighter sorties are launched to cover the Rhine River crossings.

FEBRUARY 24 Over Singapore, 105 B – 29 heavy bombers are launched by XX Bomber command against the Empire Dock area. The aircraft carry incendiary weapons, and the resulting firestorm burns 40 percent of all warehousing. This is also the last time the india-based B-29s sortie in such large numbers.

February 25 The Bell XP-83 turbojet fighter, essentially a scaled-up version of the earlier P-59 Airacomet, makes its initial flight; it is not pressed into production.

in Washington, D. c., the Pentagon hatches Project paperclip, which is designed to recruit German rocket scientists after the war.

From the Marianas islands, the XXi Bomber Command throws three bomb groups of B-29s against targets in the Tokyo area. This is the largest raid mounted by the XXi to date and the first employing incendiaries at high altitude. Over 15 square miles of the downtown section are burned out.

In Burma, B-25s of the Tenth Air Force provide close air support to British and chinese forces advancing.

February 26 In the Pacific, a B-24 Liberator carrying Lieutenant General Millard F. “Miff’ Harmon, commander of Army Air Forces, Pacific Ocean Area (AAFPAC), disappears while flying between Kwajalein and Hawaii.

FEBRUARY 27 In India, the last remain­ing B-29 wing begins deploying to the Marianas Islands; the movement contin­ues until June 6.

February 28 In Washington, D. C., General Henry H. Arnold reveals the existence of the new Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. This is the first American jet fighter to reach operational status, but it arrives too late to see service in the war.

Over Germany, the Eighth Air Force dispatches 1,104 bombers and 737 escort fighters to hit enemy transportation tar­gets; P-51 and P-47 groups also perform low-level attacks against airfields and factories.

MARCH 1 Over Austria, 630 B-24s and B-17s from the Fifteenth Air Force bomb the oil refinery at Moosbierbaum with a 200-strong fighter escort, while 47 other P-38s make strafing runs against rail traffic around Graz and Vienna.

MARCH 4 On IwoJima, Bonin Islands, the first damaged B-29 Superfortress makes an emergency landing on the air­field while Marines continue battling for control ofthe island; before the war ends, thousands of American lives are saved by the airfield.

MARCH 6 On IwoJima, Bonin Islands, 28 P-51 Mustangs and 12 P-61 Black Widows of the Seventh Air Force arrive to begin fighter escort service for B-29 formations.

MARCH 9 In the Marianas, Lieutenant General Curtis E. LeMay of XXI Bomber Command strips his B-29s of armament and loads them with 2,000 tons of incendiaries, then launches a devastating “fire raid” against Tokyo, Japan. Nearly 16 square miles, one-fourth of the city, is destroyed, and 100,000 casualties inflicted—more than Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Japanese defenses down 14 of the giant bombers. To enhance effective­ness and reduce casualties, the raid was conducted from altitude between 4,000 feet and 9,200 feet. It is considered one of the most devastating attacks in aerial history.

MARCH 11—12 Over Germany, a force of 1,000 heavy bombers strikes the town of Essen, Germany, dropping a record total of 4,378 tons of bombs.

The XX Air Force unleashes 285 B-29 heavy bombers against industrial targets in Nagoya, Japan, dropping incendiaries at low altitude at night with devastating effect.

MARCH 13 Over central Burma, P-47s and P-38s of the Tenth Air Force continue providing close air support to the Chinese 50th Division, then driving along the Namtu River.

Osaka, Japan is struck by 274 B-29s of the Twentieth Air Force; incendiaries destroy eight square miles in the city center.

MARCH 14 Over the Balkans, the Fifteenth and Twelfth Air Forces dispatch heavy bombers to Hungary and Yugoslavia to assist the advancing Red Army; P-38s and P-51s also attack targets in Austria.

MARCH 16 Over Kobe, Japan, 300 B-29 heavy bombers belonging to XXI Bomber Command firebomb industrial targets. This is the largest raid mounted by the XX Air Force and the 2,300 tons of ordnance delivered burns down one-fifth of the city.

MARCH 18 Over Germany, the Eighth Air Force launches 1,250 heavy bombers and 670 fighters against Berlin’s transpor­tation network, dropping 3,000 tons in the process; this is also the largest daylight air raid of the entire war.

Over Nagoya, Japan, the XXI Bomber Command hurls 300 B-29 heavy bomb­ers against industrial targets, again flown from low altitude with devastating effect.

MARCH 21 Over Reno, Nevada, a P-63

Kingcobra shoots down a Japanese Fu- Go balloon that had drifted; the fighter refueled in order to reach the target area.

Over Rutland, Germany, a P-51 Mus­tang flown by Lieutenant John Kirk espies a German Me-262 jetfighter as it dives through a B-17 formation. Kirk kicks his wing over and pursues, disabling his adversary and making him bail out.

MARCH 24 Across Wesel, Germany, Operation plunder-varsity unfolds as 1,000 heavy bombers from the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces strike at rail yards, flak positions, and communications systems in support of the Rhine River crossings.

To facilitate the Allied crossing of the Rhine River, 2,000 transports drop two airborne divisions under Major General Matthew Ridgway near Wesel, Germany; 50 aircraft and 11 gliders are destroyed.

Over Germany, 150 heavy bombers from the Fifteenth Air Force attack Berlin, and drop 150 tons of bombs for the first time.

MARCH 27—28 One hundred B-29 heavy bombers depart the Marianas on their first mine-laying mission in the shi – monoseki strait between Honshu and Kyushu, Japan. Simultaneously, another 150 B-29s strike targets on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, which is slated for a major invasion.

MARCH 29—30 In India, XX Bomber Command launches it final mission when 24 B-29s attack oil fields on Bukum Field, Singapore, at night.

MARCH 31 Over Omura and Tachiari, Japan, 137 B-29 heavy bombers of XX Bomb Group strike industrial targets at as a diversion for the upcoming invasion of Okinawa.

April At the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, Dr. Theodore von Karman begins testing the concept of swept-back wings in a supersonic wind tunnel for the first time.

APRIL 1 Over Burma, Tenth Air Force B-25s attackJapanese rear areas and lines of communication while transports fly 478 sorties as the British 36th Division pushes down the railroad from Mandalay to Rangoon.

April 1—13 At Fort Bliss, Texas, JPL technicians test launch 17 Private F Rockets within the Hueco Range.

APRIL 2 Over Japan, the XX Air Force unleashes a large force of B-29 heavy bombers that mine waters around Kure and Hiroshima harbors, and also bomb the Nakajima aircraft factory near Tokyo.

April 4 In Burma, a YR-4 helicopter of the Air Jungle Rescue Detachment, Tenth Air Force, retrieves a PT-19 pilot down in the jungle.

APRIL 4—11 Over Germany, the Eighth Air Force unleashes 1,000 heavy bombers at industrial, transportation, and commu­nication targets in several concerted attacks. The Nazi national infrastructure is eroding from the constant bombardment.

APRIL 7 At IwoJima, the XX Air Force is finally able to dispatch 91 P-51 Mustangs as fighter escorts on a raid by 280 B-29s against the Japanese mainland. The fight­ers claim to shoot down 21 opposing aircraft.

APRIL 10 Over Germany, a force of 50 German Me-262 jet fighters shoot down 10 American bombers near Berlin; this is the largest single loss to enemy jets during the war. Conversely, turret gunners and fighter escorts claim to have downed 20 German jets.

APRIL 12 Over Koriyama, Japan, Staff Sergeant Henry E. Erwin picks up a phosphorous smoke flare that had back­fired into his B-29 and tosses it out the navigator’s window. He suffers severe third-degree burns, but survives and wins a Congressional Medal of Honor; he is one of only four enlisted airmen so honored.

April 13 Over the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, P-38s and P-40s of the Eleventh Air Force intercept and shoot down nine explosive Fu-Go balloons.

Over Japan, a night raid by 330 B-29 heavy bombers belonging to the XX Air Force strikes industrial targets around Tokyo.

APRIL 15 Over Germany, 850 bombers from the Eighth Air Force drop napalm weapons on German fortifications and other targets as an experiment. However, these weapons prove ineffective delivered from high altitude and the attempt is dis­continued.

In northern Italy, the Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 830 B-17s and B-24s against German supply and communication targets amply escorted by P-38s. Other fighters provide close air support for units of the Fifth Army and they continue advancing. The 1,412 sorties executed and tons of bombs dropped in this 24-hour period are a record for the Fifteenth.

Over Japan, the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Kawasaki are struck by 300 B-29 heavy bombers during the night.

In Los Angeles, California, the North American XF-82 Twin Mustang prototype flies for the first time.

APRIL 16 From IwoJima, P-51 Mustangs attack ground targets on the Japanese mainland for the first time. They are guided to and from Kanoya by a B-29 accompanying them for that purpose.

April 17—May 11 Bombing priorities of the XX Air Force are shifted from stra­tegic targets on the mainland to tactical airfields on Kyushu and Shikoku, from which waves of kamikaze attacks are launched against the American fleet off Okinawa.

April 21—26 In Italy, A-20s and B-26s from the Twelfth Air Force maul German units retreating up through the Po Valley, dropping bridge spans and destroying 1,000 vehicles. These attacks severely infringe upon the enemy’s ability to retreat.

APRIL 24—25 Over Germany, a P-47 flown by Lieutenant Raymond L. Knight accounts for 14 aircraft during strafing attacks at numerous aerodromes. When Knight’s own aircraft is damaged by flak on the second day of attacks, he refuses to abandon his wingman and crashes into a mountainside; he wins a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor.

April 25 Eighth Air Force B-17s and B-24s hit armament works at Pilsen – Skoda, Czechoslovakia, and Traunstein, Germany; this is the last time they reduce industrial targets to rubble.

APRIL 26 Over Germany, Eighth Air Force fighters sweep the skies clean of enemy fighters as they raid Luftwaffe installations; a record 74 German aircraft are brought down in one day.

April 27 The authorized strength of bomber groups is reduced from 68 to 48 planes, while fighter groups shrink from 96 to 75 machines. This is the first step towards postwar demobilization.

May 1 Over Austria, B-17s of the Fif­teenth Air Force ignore poor flying con­ditions and strike marshalling yards at Salzburg, Austria. They are escorted, as usual, by swarms ofP-51s and P-38s. This is also the final sortie by the Fifteenth Air Force during the war.

In Chungking, China, Lieutenant General George E. Stratemeyer assumes command of the Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces as head of Army Air Forces China Theater, and he directs medium bombers and fighters to interdict and har­ass Japanese ground units as they with­draw from southern China.

May 1—7 Over the Netherlands, Opera­tion chowhound unfolds as 400 Eighth Air Force bombers deliver 8,000 tons of food to starving citizens in the Nether­lands. An agreement had been reached with the Germans to proceed without interference.

May 2 In Germany, several missile engi­neers, including Wernher von Braun, turn themselves over to the Americans near the Austrian border. Many are secretly relo­cated to Fort Bliss, Texas, to facilitate the transfer of V-2 technology to the United States. This clandestine move is essential seeing how the Red Army has occupied the German rocket test grounds at Peene – munde. During the war, the Germans fired off an estimated 20,000 V weapons, including 2,700 V-2 weapons against England and Western Europe.

May 3 Over Czechoslovakia, the 9th Bombardment Division makes its final raid when 132 A-26 Invaders strike the Stod ammunition plant.

Once Rangoon, Burma, is recaptured by Allied forces, the Tenth Air Force dis­engages and concentrates its assets at Piar – doba, India. Only a single P-38 squadron remains behind to patrol and protect the Burma Road into southern China.

May 8 Over Western Europe, all combat missions halt, although the Twelfth Air Force continues flying evacuation and supply missions. Aircraft of the Ninth Air Force also make “demonstration mis­sions” over previously hostile target areas and liberated concentration camps.

May 9 In Europe, the Air Tactical Com­mand (ATC) commences Projects green and white to relocate personnel and equipment, respectively, back to the United States.

May 10 In England, Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle departs the Eighth Air Force and is reassigned to Army Air Forces Headquarters in Washington, D. C.; his replacement is Major General William E. Kepner.

Over Japan, a force ofB-24s from the Eleventh Air Force successfully raids enemy shipping at Kataoka naval base, sinking several vessels. A force of 16 B-25s based on Attu, Aleutian Islands, also attacks Japanese vessels within their grasp.

May 14 Over Nagoya, Japan, the XX Air Force launches 472 B-29 heavy bombers from four complete bomb groups (58th, 73rd, 313th, and 314th) against industrial targets; 11 aircraft are lost.

May 16 Over Luzon, Philippines, 100 P-38s from the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) make the largest napalm attack of the entire war by striking Japanese targets in the Ipo Dam area.

May 17 478 B-29 heavy bombers strike southern Nagoya, Japan, in the predawn darkness.

May 18 On Tinian, the advanced ech­elon of the 509th Composite Group deploys and begins setting up for opera­tions. Their purpose is to drop atomic bombs on Japan ifthe government refuses to surrender.

May 19 Hamamatsu, Japan, succumbs to 272 B-29 heavy bombers belonging to the XX Air Force.

May 23—24 Over Japan, the XX Air Force dispatches 562 B-29 heavy bomb­ers against industrial targets on the west side of Tokyo harbor. This is also the largest single B-29 raid of the war; 17 bombers are lost.

May 25 Wartime production of Ameri­can military aircraft is slashed by 30 per­cent as total victory approaches.

Tokyo, Japan, is raided again by 464 B – 29 heavy bombers of the XX Air Force, and 26 aircraft go down; this is the largest single loss suffered by B-29s during the war. Meanwhile, the VII Fighter Com­mand on Iwo Jima is assigned to the XX Air Force.

May 29 Over Japan, the XX Air Force resumes firebombing attacks by dis­patching 454 B-29 heavy bombers against targets in Yokohama, Japan; nine square miles of the downtown section are completely destroyed. The mission is escorted by 190 P-51s from VII Fighter Command on Iwo Jima; stiff resistance claims 7 bombers and 3 fighters.

May 31 The Army Air Forces receives the last models of the 18,188 B-24 Liberators constructed during World War II. This is the most numerous American warplane ever built, and several hundred also serve in the Navy as PB4Y Privateers.

June 1 Osaka, Japan, is the target of 458 B-29 heavy bombers of the XX Air Force, of which 10 are shot down. The escort of 148 fighters from VII Fighter Command is disrupted by heavy turbulence and only a handful accompany the bombers; 27 are lost through collisions.

Over China, six B-25s from the Four­teenth Air Force strike the Sinsiang rail yards while four B-25s and four P-47s attack the bridge north of Linmingkuan.

June 5 Over Japan, the XX Air Force launches 473 B-29 heavy bombers loaded
with incendiaries against targets in Kobe, and four square miles of the city is reduced to ashes; 11 bombers are shot down.

June 7 Osaka, Japan is the objective XX Air Force B-29s; this is also the first mis­sion to utilize radar bombing technology and 55,000 buildings are destroyed. Meanwhile, the Shimonoseki Strait is mined by other aircraft.

June 9 Over Japan, factories in Akashi,

Nagoya, and Narao are struck by a force of 110 B-29s from the XXI Air Force.

Over the Kamchatka Peninsula, Soviet Union, a B-25 belonging to the Eleventh Air Force is downed by Soviet anti­aircraft fire while another is damaged and makes a forced landing at Petropav – lovsk. This is the first recorded incident of Russian harassment of American air­craft.

June 11 On Tinian, specially modified

B-29 aircraft (Silverplate) belonging to the top secret 509th Composite Group begin arriving. These aircraft have modi­fied propellers fitted, gun turrets removed, and special radio and monitor­ing equipment installed.

June 15 Osaka, Japan, is again hit by the 44 B-29 bombers of the XX Air Force, who conduct the final firebombing of the war against a large city.

June 17-18 The XX Air Force switches targeting priorities by sending 450 B-29 bombers loaded with incendiaries against smaller Japanese cities such as Omuta, Hamamatsu, Yokkaichi, and Kagoshima. Other aircraft sow the waters off Kobe and Shimonoseki with mines.

Seventh Air Force P-47 and P-61 fighters begin day and night intruder mis­sions over Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands.

June 19 At Wright Field, Ohio, Dr. Frank L. Wattendorf of the Army Air Forces Scientific Advisory Group suggests that a new aeronautical research center be constructed near cheaper sources of elec­tricity. Its principal activity will be the development of ballistic missiles and supersonic aircraft; in 1950 it emerges as the Arnold Engineering Development Center, Tullahoma, Tennessee.

June 19-20 Over Japan, the XX Air Force dispatches B-29 heavy bombers against Toyohashi, Fukuoka, and Shi­zuoka, while mining operations continue around the mainland.

June 22 Over Borneo, heavy bombers attached to the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) strike Japanese positions at Balik – papan in anticipation of an Allied landing there.

The naval arsenal at Kure, Japan, is the object of 300 B-29s from the XX Air Force.

June 25 At White Sands, New Mexico, construction begins on a new missile prov­ing ground. Over the ensuing months, doz­ens ofcaptured German V-2 rockets will be launched as the Americans begin construct­ing their own liquid-fueled weapons.

June 26 Over Japan, the XX Air Force dispatches 450 B-29 heavy bombers against industrial targets in the city of Tsu; this time the target is oil refineries instead of urban areas.

June 28-29 487 B-29 heavy bombers of

the XX Air Force strike targets in Okayama, Sasebo, Moji, and Nobeoka, Japan, with incendiary bombs.

June 30 On Tinian, Mariana Islands,

planes and crews of the 509th Composite Group begin training missions with flight profiles closely mimicking an atomic bomb strike. These entail dropping 10,000-pound practice bombs affection­ately called pumpkins.

An official summary of wartime pro­duction reveals that 297,000 aircraft were manufactured in the United States between July 1940 and July 1945.

July 1 Over Japan, the XX Air Force unleashes 530 B-29 heavy bombers loaded with incendiaries against industrial targets in Ube, Kure, Shimonoseki, and Kumamoto, Japan. The aerial mining campaign also continues in Japanese waters.

Fighters and bombers of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) supply close air support to Australian units as the landing at Balikpapan, Borneo, unfolds. B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s continually attack enemy airfields and troop concentrations.

On Okinawa, the Seventh Air Force unleashes 33 B-25s, which sweep north and bomb Chiran Airfield on Kyushu, Japan. Meanwhile, VII Fighter Com­mand launches 84 P-51s, which bomb and strafe targets at Kasumigaura, Itami, Hamamatsu, and Nagano.

July 3 In the Pacific, the Fifth Air Force commits its first fighter sweeps over the Japanese mainland.

Over Japan, the XX Air Force dis­patches 560 B-29 heavy bombers loaded with incendiaries against industrial targets in Kochi, Himeji, Takamatsu, and Tokushima.

July 6 Over Japan, the XX Air Force launches 517 B-29 heavy bombers to firebomb industrial targets in Chiba, Aka – shi, Shimizu, and Kofu.

In China, command of all Army Air Forces passes to General George E. Strat – emeyer.

July 9 The cities of Sendai, Sakai, Gifu, and Wakayama, Japan, are firebombed by XX Air Force B-29s, while an addi­tional 60 aircraft hit the oil refinery at Yokkaichi.

July 12 Over Japan, 453 B-29 heavy bombers is launched by the XX Air Force to firebomb Utsunomiya, Ichinomiya, Tsuruga, and Uwajima, while a further 53 aircraft strike petroleum centers at Kawasaki.

July 13 In New Mexico, the White Sands Proving Ground opens as a center ofrocket research and development.

July 14 In the Pacific, the Seventh Air Force is formally assigned as part of Far East Air Forces (FEAF). The entire force relocates to Okinawa with the next two weeks.

July 16 At Harmon Field, Guam, Major General Curtis LeMay gains appointment as commander of the XX Air Force; pre­viously it had been controlled by the Joints Chief of Staff (JCS) and General of the Army Henry H. Arnold. General Carl A. Spaatz also assumes control of the U. S. Army Strategic Air Force in the Pacific.

Over Japan, the XX Air Force directs 466 B-29 heavy bombers against Numazu, Oita, Kuwana, and Hiratsuka.

Near Alamogordo, New Mexico, a seminal moment of human history unfolds as American scientists explode the “Gadget,” the first atomic bomb, under the direction of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The total yield is an impres­sive 19 kilotons (19,000 tons of TNT) while the trademark “mushroom cloud” soars to 35,000 feet. This is also the proto­type for the “Fat Man” bomb that will be employed against Nagasaki, Japan.

July 19—20 Over Japan, 420 B-29 heavy bombers from the XX Air Force strikes oil facilities at Amagasaki, Japan, along with cities of Fukui, Hitachi, Chosi, and Okazaki.

July 20 At North Field, Tinian, B-29s of the top secret 509th Composite Group conduct military operations to gain experi­ence over target areas in Japan for the forth­coming atomic bomb. They are also trying to condition the Japanese to get used to observing small groups of B-29s overhead, as if they were reconnaissance aircraft.

July 24 Over Japan, 570 B-29 heavy bombers from the XX Air Force strike at industrial targets at Hando, Nagoya, and Takarazuka. Osaka, Tsu, and Kawana are likewise hit.

July 26 At Potsdam, Germany, President Harry S. Truman, Prime Minister

Winston Churchill, and Jiang Jieshi issue an ultimatum for Japan to surrender immediately or face “utter destruction.”

At Tinian, Marianas, the cruiser Indian­apolis drops off components for the first atomic bomb, or “Little Boy.” The unit is then assembled and delivered to the 509th Composite Group there.

July 26—27 Three hundred fifty B-29

heavy bombers from the XX Air Force strike targets at Matsuyama, Tokuyama, and Omuta, Japan.

July 28 In New York City, a B-25 Mitchell bomber accidently crashes into the 79th floor of the Empire State Build­ing during foggy weather; 19 people are killed and 29 injured.

Over Japan, the XX Air Force unleashes 471 B-29 heavy bombers against Tsu, Aomori, Ichinomiya, Ujiyamada, Ogaki, and Uwajima. The oil refineries at Shimotsu are also singled out by a force of 76 additional bombers. Despite this pound­ing, the Japanese government belligerently fails to respond to the Potsdam ultimatum, thereby ensuring that atomic bombs will have to be dropped.

July 29 Far East Air Forces (FEAF) air­craft from Okinawa and Ie Shima are unleashed against numerous targets on the Japanese mainland; Douglas A-26 Invaders debut in the Pacific by raiding a naval base and engine works in Nagasaki.

AUGUST 1 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, the YP-80 Shooting Star jet prototypes easily move past slower fighter escorts and successfully “attack” bombers in mock air battles.

Over Japan, the XX Air Force dis­patches a record 825 B-29 bombers from bases in the Marianas, which unload a record 6,520 tons of bombs on Hachioji, Toyama, Nagaoka, and Mito. A further 27 bombers drop mines throughout the Shimonoseki Strait. This is the larg­est single B-29 sortie of the war but, to lessen losses, the raids are conducted at night.

Over Indonesia, B-24 bombers from the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) strike Japanese targets along Makassar Strait, while 50 B-24s are dispatched to hit targets at Nagasaki, Japan. No less than 80 P-47s also bomb and strafe railroad bridges and other targets at Sendai.

AUGUST 2 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman signs the top secret operational orders to drop an atomic device on the city of Hiroshima, southern Honshu, Japan. This is also the head­quarters of Japanese units defending the large island of Kyushu. In light of contin­ued Japanese belligerence, he feels he has no choice.

On Guam, Major General Nathan F. Twining is appointed commander of the Twentieth Air Force while Major General Curtis E. LeMay serves of chief of staff with U. S. Strategic Air Forces, Pacific.

AUGUST 3 On Okinawa, VII Fighter Command launches 100 P-51 Mustangs on a major raid over Tokyo, Japan, straf­ing and bombing airfields and railways.

AUGUST 5 From Luzon, Philippines, the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) commences a widespread bombing campaign against Kyushu, Japan, involving 330 aircraft.

August 5-6 As 470 XX Air Force B-29 heavy bombers strike targets in Saga, Maebashi, Imabari, and Nishinomiya – Mikage, a further 100 aircraft are detailed to eliminate the coke processing plant in Ube.

On Okinawa, the VII Fighter Com­mand is transferred to the XX Air Force for the duration of the war.

AUGUST 6 Over Burbank, California, Major Richard I. Bong, America’s “Ace of Aces,” dies when his Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star flames out on takeoff, and he ejects at low altitude.

Over Hiroshima, southern Honshu, the atomic bomb christened the “Little Boy” weapon, packing 20 kilotons (20,000 tons) of TNT, is delivered by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, 508th Composite Group, whose B-29, christened Enola Gay, executes the difficult mission flawlessly. Two other B-29s accompany the flight to take photo­graphs and drop measuring equipment. An estimated 70,000 people perish, and the devastation shocks the Japanese public, but militarists controlling the government refuse to capitulate. Humanity has nonetheless crossed an important threshold.

Atomic bomb cloud begins to mushroom over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, just two minutes after the explosion. This attack, plus the subsequent bombing ofNagasaki a few days later, prompted the Japanese government to surrender unconditionally. (Corel)

On Iwo Jima, the XX Air Force com­mits 100 P-51 Mustangs to strike targets in and around Tokyo, Japan.

Over Japan, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) aircraft strike targets in Kyushu, and the southern Korean coast; they continue doing so until the end of hostilities.

AUGUST 7 Over Japan, as XX Air Force B-29s strike industrial targets in Kyushu, they are escorted by new, long-range P – 47N fighters of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF).

AUGUST 8 In Virginia, scientists working at the NACA Langley Memorial Aero­nautical Library publish an essay sug­gesting that an aircraft powered by atomic engines may one day be able to circumnavigate the globe several times without landing to refuel. Incredibly, they predict it would be powered by a fuel source no larger than a brick.

Over Japan, the combined wrath ofFar East Air Forces (FEAF) and the XX Air Force is unleashed against the Nippon Oil Refinery in Kyushu, while a further 60 B-29s hit targets that evening in Tokyo and Fukuyama.

AUGUST 9 To force Japan’s surrender and spare that nation, and the United States, the prospect of a horrifically costly con­ventional invasion, President Harry S. Truman orders a second atomic bomb dropped on Kokura. However, cloud cover forces the B-29 bomber Bock’s Car under Major Charles W. Sweeney to drop the “Fat Man” weapon against Nagasaki, which kills 35,000 people and devastates the city. Unlike the previous mission, Sweeney is plagued by technical glitches like a faulty fuel pump that force him to make an emergency landing on Okinawa.

Over Japan, 95 B-29 heavy bombers are dispatched by the XX Air Force

to strike the Nippon Oil Refinery near Amagasaki. During this mission the Superfortesses are armed with 20,648 pounds of bombs and incendiaries apiece.

AUGUST 10 In China, command of the Fourteenth Air Force passes from Major General Claire L. Chennault to Major General Charles B. Stone.

In Baltimore, Maryland, American rocket pioneer Dr. Robert H. Goddard dies. He launched the first liquid-fueled rocket back in 1926 and, while his experiments were ignored at home, the Germans were keen to incorporate his research efforts into their own.

AUGUST 12 Over China, aircraft of the Fourteenth Air Force attack Japanese troop convoys moving through the Changsha corridor.

AUGUST 13 Over Japan, six B-24s belong­ing to the Eleventh Air Force make that
unit’s final bomb run of the war by striking targets at Kashiwabara by radar.

August 14-15 Over Japan, the XX Air Force mounts its largest sortie ever—754 bombers and 169 fighters—on a final wave of bombing raids against the Japanese mainland. Targets at Hikari and Osaka are struck. The P-51s complete their mission by attacking airfields en route to returning to Iwo Jima. That night 160 B-29s make the final incendiary raid of the war by attacking Kumagaya and Isezaki. A smaller sortie from the Marianas to Tsuchizakiminato covers 3,650 miles round-trip—the longest such mission of the entire war. Before the bombers can return to base, President Harry S. Truman announces Japan’s unconditional surrender.

AUGUST 15 In Tokyo, Japan, Emperor Hirohito takes to the airwaves and orders his countrymen to surrender. The Japanese people are stunned by this, but

unhesitatingly obey. Meanwhile, General Douglas MacArthur is appointed supreme commander of all United Nations powers, and all offensive actions against Japan are ordered to halt.

AUGUST 18 Over Tokyo, Japan, a pair of B-32 Dominators commits the final American reconnaissance mission of the war. They are attacked by Japanese fighters, which kill one American and wound two others while losing two aircraft to bomber defenses. This is also the final aerial combat mission of World War II.

AUGUST 27 Over China, B-29s of the XX Air Force begin airdropping supplies to prisoners ofwar in the Weihsien camp near Beijing. Ultimately, 4,470 tons of food and supplies are delivered to 154 camps and the 63,500 inmates housed.

AUGUST 29 Over Korea, a B-29 bomber delivering supplies to prisoners is attacked by Soviet fighters and shot down; this is the first brush with the Red Air Force.

August 30-September 11 In Tokyo, Japan, Mission 75 commences as C-54 transport aircraft arrive and deliver the 11th Airborne Division, the 27th Infantry Division, and advanced echelons from General Douglas MacArthur’s head­quarters. They fly a total of 1,336 missions without a single mishap.

September In Washington, D. C., the Bell XP-59, America’s first jet fighter, arrives at the Smithsonian Institution for exhibition purposes. Today it resides at the National Air and Space Museum’s Milestones of Flight gallery.

September 3 In Japan, film and photos taken of the surrender ceremony in

Tokyo are placed onboard a C-54 Skymaster, which promptly arrives in Washington, D. C., a record 31 hours and 25 minutes later. Ironically, due to crossing the international dateline en route, the flight starts and finishes on the same calendar day!

September 4 Near Hokkaido, Japan, Soviet fighters intercept two Eleventh Air Force B-29s as they conduct a high – altitude reconnaissance mission of Para – mushiru and Shimushu.

SEPTEMBER 5 Over Santa Monica, Cali­fornia, the Douglas XC-74 prototype flies for the first time. This huge, four – engined transport enters service as the Globemaster.

SEPTEMBER 26 At the White Sands Range, New Mexico, the U. S. Army fires its first liquid-propelled rocket, the WAC Corporal, which reaches an altitude of 43.5 miles. This device is a copy of the German V-2.

SEPTEMBER 15 The U. S. Army Air Forces obtains its 1,391st JB-2 Loon guided rocket, after which production ceases.

September 29 Project paperclip contin­ues as German scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun and his scientific consorts arrive in the United States to assist in the American missile and space program.

OCTOBER 4 In Washington, D. C., an Army Air Forces C-54 Skymaster com­pletes the first global flight for an aircraft of its kind by covering 23,279 miles in 149 hours and 44 minutes. This includes 33 hours and 21 minutes on the ground to refuel at various places.

OCTOBER 11 At the White Sands Prov­ing Ground, New Mexico, a Tiny Tim rocket, the first liquid-fueled rocket of American origin, is fitted to the nose of a WAC (without altitude control) Corpo­ral and fired, reaching an altitude of 43 miles.

OCTOBER 13 At Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, the Army Air Forces sponsors a large open house to display American and captured aircraft to the public. The display draws one million visitors over the following week.

OCTOBER 20 In Washington, D. C., a flight of three B-29 bombers led by Lieu­tenant General Nathan F. Twining lands, having covered 13,000 miles from Guam in only 60 hours. There were refueling stops in India and Germany.

NOVEMBER 7 The Bell Aircraft Corpora­tion flies a remote-controlled version of its P-59 jet fighter. A cockpit television camera projects instrument panel readings to a ground station.

November 19-20 In Washington, D. C., the B-29 bomber Pacusan Dreamboat piloted by Lieutenant Colonel G. R. Stan­ley completes a record 7,196-mile nonstop flight from Guam in only 35 hours.

NOVEMBER 25 From Savannah, Georgia, a Douglas A-26 Invader flown by Colonel Joseph Holzapple flies around the world in only 96 hours, 50 minutes of flying time, then lands in Washington, D. C.

November 29 At Maxwell, Alabama, the Army Air Forces School permanently relocates from Orlando, Florida. This institution becomes a major command and is the present-day site of the Air University.

December 3 At March Field, California, the 412th Fighter Group is the first

American unit equipped with new Lockheed P-80A Shooting Star jetfighters.

December 8 The ubiquitous, glass – domed Bell Model 47 becomes the first CAA-certified helicopter to fly commer­cially in the United States. It sees wide­spread civilian and military applications over the next three decades.

At Washington, D. C., the Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster flown by Lieutenant Colonel H. F. Warden and Captain Glenn W. Edwards arrives from Los Angeles, California, after a record transcon­tinental flight offive hours, 17 minutes, and 55 seconds. Though this was a propeller – pusher design, the XB-42 averages 433.6 miles per hour in flight.

DECEMBER 11 In New York, the B-29 Pacusan Dreamboat piloted by Colonel Clarence S. Irvine arrives from Burbank, California, having covered the 2,464- mile distance in a record 5 hours, 27 minutes, and 8 seconds. Its average speed was 450.38 miles per hour, a record for multiengine aircraft.

December 14 The Bell Aircraft Com­pany contracts with the Army Air Forces to construct three swept-wing, super­sonic research aircraft; the three aircraft eventually emerge as the X-2.

December 17 In Washington, D. C., General Carl A. Spaatz receives the Col­lier Trophy from President Harry S. Tru­man for successfully directing the air war in Europe.

December 30 The Republic XF-12 Rainbow reconnaissance aircraft makes its maiden flight. This well-stocked flying photo laboratory carries five crewmen at 425 miles per hour, but the Army Train­ing Support Center subsequently cancels its order for six additional aircraft.

1946

JANUARY 10 Over Stratford, Connecti­cut, a Sikorsky R-5 helicopter piloted by C. A. Moeller and D. D. Viner sets an unofficial world helicopter altitude record of 21,000 feet.

JANUARY 16 The U. S. government insti­tutes the Upper Atmospheric Research panel for the purpose oftesting and evalu­ating 60 captured German V-2 rockets. Their work inspires similar rocket pro­grams at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, and the Naval Research Labo­ratory.

JANUARY 19 Over Pinecastle Army Air Base, Florida, the Bell XS-1 rocket – powered research plane completes its first successful glide test with Jack Woolams at the controls.

JANUARY 26 At Eglin Field, Florida, the First Experimental Guided Missile Group is assembled to test and develop rocket propulsion technology.

A Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star piloted by Colonel William H. Councill completes a transcontinental flight in only 4 hours and 13 minutes. His plane aver­ages 584 miles per hour.

FEBRUARY 3 The Army Air Forces reveals plans to develop a totally auto­matic flight profile system, whereby the onboard pilot will only be required to monitor controls in flight.

FEBRUARY 4 Lieutenant General James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle is installed as the first president of the new Air Force Asso­ciation. This civilian organization exists to help promote aerospace power to the public, along with the strategic role it plays in national defense.

FEBRUARY 9 Command of the Army Air Forces (AAF) passes from General of the Army Henry H. Arnold to General Carl A. Spaatz, who formally assumes office as of March 1.

FEBRUARY 26 At Honington Air Station, Suffolk, England, the Army Air Forces officially closes the last of its 112 World War II-era bases. However, a snowstorm prevents the departure of the last remain­ing B-17 heavy bomber.

February 28 The Republic XP-84 prototype flies for the first time with Major William Lien at the controls. As the Thunderjet, it becomes the first post­war jetfighter acquired by the Army Air Forces (AAF).

MARCH In Los Angeles, California, the new Project RAND is established in con­junction with the Douglas Aircraft Com­pany to investigate the possibilities and potential uses of rockets, satellites, and supersonic aviation.

In light of the real hazard posed to the United States by V-2-type weapons, the Army Air Forces announces a new pro­gram to develop a ballistic missile defense system.

MARCH 8 The glass-domed Bell Model 47 becomes the first helicopter certified for flight by the Civil Aeronautic Agency. This mainstay of military aviation enters service as the UH-13.

MARCH 11 An early afterburner is tested at simulated high altitudes by the NACA Lewis Altitude Wind Tunnel.

MARCH 12 At Maxwell Field, Alabama, the new Air University replaces the Army

Air Forces School. As such it enjoys juris­diction over the Air Command and Staff School, the Air War College, and bases offering support and training functions.

MARCH 15 At the White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico, the Army Air Forces test fires a captured German V-2 rocket in static mode for the first time.

MARCH 21 The Army Air Forces acti­vates three new organizations: the Air Defense Command (ADC), the Strategic Air Command (SAC), and the Tactical Air Command (TAC).

MARCH 22 A WAC rocket is the first American projectile to penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere as it reaches an alti­tude of 50 miles. The device was a col­laboration between Army Ordnance and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

APRIL 1 In Buffalo, New York, the Bell Corporation signs a few postwar missile contracts to develop Project MX-776, a guided tactical missile capable of hitting targets at distances of 100 miles. This is eventually known as the Rascal missile.

APRIL 16 At the White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico, the Army Air Forces launches a German V-2 rocket for the first time. The United States is slowly entering the Space Age with cap­tured enemy equipment and technology.

April 19 In San Diego, California, the Consolidated Vultee Company contracts with the Army Air Forces to develop the first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). This project goes under the name MX-774.

April 22 In Maryland, the Glenn L. Martin Company signs a contract to con­struct a surface-to-surface guided missile with a 600-mile range. This is the genesis of the Matador missile, or MX-771.

It is announced that the U. S. Weather Bureau is teaming up with the Army Air Forces, Navy, NACA, and several universities to collect data for a better understanding of weather and related phe­nomena. Among the devices employed are pilotless P-61 aircraft and manned gliders.

MAY 16 At Wright Field, Ohio, the Army Air Forces Institute of Technology is founded and is intended to graduate 350 officers annually after advanced studies.

May 17 In Los Angeles, California, the Douglas XB-43 becomes the first jet – powered American bomber to fly. This twin jet design, while impressive, does not go into production.

MAY 28 The Army Air Forces initiates Project NEPA to investigate the potential for atomic energy as a means of aircraft propulsion; work continues over the next decade.

May 29 In Washington, D. C., the War Department Equipment Board reports that tactical missiles and rockets will play an important role in future armed com­bat. They also recommend the develop­ment of no less than seven new systems, including surface-to-surface projectiles with ranges up to several thousand miles.

June 3 A Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star flown by Lieutenant Henry A. Johnson sets a world speed record over a 1,000- kilometer course by averaging 462 miles per hour; he finishes in only 1 hour and 20 minutes.

June 5 The Army Air Forces announces that it has decided to commence con­struction of two new multiengine jet bombers, the North American XB-45 and the Boeing XB-47.

June 17 In Washington, D. C., Professor Theodore von Karman is appointed the first chair of the new Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) created at the Pentagon. This forms from the original 33 scientists and engineers cobbled together for Oper­ation lusty, then tasked with acquiring secret German technology at the end of World War II. It remains in active service to present times.

June 22 Two P-80 Shooting Stars take off from Schenectady, New York, with one proceeding to Washington, D. C., and the other to Chicago, Illinois. This act initiates the world’s first jet-powered airmail delivery.

June 26 The Army Air Forces and the Navy both adopt the knot (one nautical mile per hour) and the nautical mile

Atomic bomb explodes during the “Baker Day” test at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands on July 25, 1946. This ground level image was taken about six seconds after detonation. The advent of nuclear weapons wielded an indelible impact on subsequent military strategy and tactics. (Naval Historical Center)

(1.15 of a statute mile) as standard units of measurement for speed and distance.

June 28 In Seattle, Washington, the Boe­ing Company contracts with the Army Air Forces to design and develop a new generation of heavy jet bombers; it ulti­mately emerges as the B-52 Stratofortess.

July 1 At Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, Operation crossroads unfolds as a B-29 christened Dave’s Dream drops a Fat Man-type atomic bomb over an armada of 73 anchored test vessels. The bomb is offtarget yet still manages to sink five ves­sels and heavily damage nine more. Much valuable information is gathered follow­ing the detonation.

July 25 At Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, Operation crossroads continues as a second atomic bomb is detonated 90 feet below the ocean surface; the ensuing blast sinks eight more ships and causes considerable radioactive contamination.

AUGUST 6 At Muroc Dry Lake, California, two remote-controlled B-17s successfully complete a flight that originated at Hilo, Hawaii.

AUGUST 8 At Fort Worth, Texas, the mas­sive six-engine XB-36 prototype, which has been under development since 1941, flies for the first time. Thus huge craft enters service as the B-36 Peacekeeper.

AUGUST 12 In Washington, D. C., President Harry s. Truman signs legisla­tion establishing the National Air Museum at the smithsonian Institution. This remains the most visited museum in the world, with 100 million guests annually.

AUGUST 17 Over Ohio, Sergeant Larry Lambert becomes the first American to utilize an ejection seat after he vaults from a P-61 Black Widow and survives. At the time he was traveling 302 miles per hour at an altitude of 7,800 feet.

AUGUST 31 A Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star flown by Colonel Leon Gray wins the Jet Division of the first postwar Bendix Cup Race by flying from Los Angeles, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, in 4 hours and 8 minutes while averaging 495 miles per hour.

SEPTEMBER 30 At Muroc Field, California, the NACA Muroc Flight Test Unit arrives from Langley Laboratory to assist development of the Bell XS-1 program. This detachment consists of 13 scientists under the direction of Walter Williams. Ironically, friction arises between the scientists and the Army Air Forces over which group will be responsible for achiev­ing supersonic flight. Nonetheless, they constitute the origins for the future NASA Flight Research Center at present-day Edwards Air Force Base.

October 4—6 A B-29 christened Pacu – san Dreamboat, piloted by Colonel C. S. Irvine, completes the first nonstop flight over the North Pole. Irvine’s flight takes him from Hawaii, over the pole, to his final destination in Egypt, having covered

10,0 miles in 40 hours of flight time.

OCTOBER 7 In Buffalo, New York, the first Bell XS-1 rocket plane is shipped off to Muroc Dry Lake, California, for flight – tests. A total of three are constructed, although they subsequently receive the more famous designation X-1.

October 10 At White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico, space science begins once a V-2 rocket goes aloft carry­ing specialized equipment for taking spectroscopic readings of the upper atmosphere.

October 25 At White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico, a DeVry 35mm camera fitted to a V-2 rocket is carried to an altitude of 65 miles to make the first film records of planet Earth from that height. At its apogee, the camera captures an area of 40,000 square miles.

DECEMBER 8 Over Muroc Dry Lake, California, the first Bell XS-1, piloted by Chalmers Goodlin, is successfully dropped by a B-29 carrier aircraft, ignites its rocket motors, then flies up to 35,000 feet and Mach 0.75.

December 17 At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, the National Institute of Health creates a space biology research program, which includes a high-speed rocket sled to study the effects of high-G (gravity) situations on human beings.

At the White Sands Proving Ground, New Mexico, a V-2 rocket reaches 166 miles in height and a speed of 3,600 miles per hour, both world records for a single-stage rocket. The device also carries fungus spore samples into space to test their reaction to cosmic rays.

JANUARY 2 Over the Red River Valley, North Vietnam, Operation bolo com­mences as three flights of F-4 Phantoms under Colonel Robin Olds, the 8th Tac­tical Fighter Wing, mimic the usual routes flown by F-105 Thunderchiefs and lure a large party of unsuspecting MiG-21s into combat. The Communists are badly bested and lose seven MiGs— this is the largest single-day tally of the war.

JANUARY 18 An Air Force Titan IIIC launches eight defense communications satellites at a single throw.

JANUARY 27 Tragedy strikes Cape Ken­nedy, Florida, when the Apollo space capsule on the launching pad catches fire, killing Air Force lieutenant colonels Gus Grissom and Ed White, and Navy lieu­tenant commander Roger Chaffee.

FEBRUARY 22 Near the Cambodian bor­der, Operation junction city unfolds as the 173rd Airborne Brigade drops into combat from 23 C-130 Air Force trans­ports. This is the first such tactical deploy­ment of the war and is part of a large search-and-destroy operation with the Army 1st U. S. infantry Division.

FEBRUARY 24 Over Dalat, South Viet­nam, a Cessna O-1 Bird Dog flown by Captain Hilliard A. Wilbanks, 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, flies down low fir­ing his rifle and smoke rockets in support of some South Vietnamese rangers; he is shot down and killed, winning a post­humous Congressional Medal of Honor.

MARCH 10 Over North Vietnam, an F – 105 piloted by Captain Merlyn H. Deth – lefsen, 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, makes repeated passes at Communist antiaircraft positions, allowing other air­craft to complete their bomb run; he wins a Congressional Medal of Honor. Another F-105 flown by Captain Max Brestel manages to down two MiG-17s in one day.

MARCH 10—11 Over North Vietnam,

Air Force F-105s and F-4s operating out of Ubon, Thailand, strike the Thai Nguyen steel factory.

MARCH 11 Near Hanoi, North Vietnam, the Canal des Rapides bridges are attacked by Air Force warplanes.

MARCH 15 The Sikorsky HH-53B, the largest and fastest helicopter available in the Air Force inventory, performs its maiden flight.

MARCH 22 At U-Tapao, Thailand, a new B-52 base is constructed to alleviate the congestion at Andersen Air Base, Guam.

MARCH 25 At Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, the primary role of strategic reconnaissance falls upon the 6th Strategic Wing, which flies a variety of RC-135 aircraft.

April 3 In Washington, D. C., Paul W. Airey gains appointment as the first chief master sergeant of the Air Force. As such he is tasked with advising the service lead­ership on enlisted personnel issues.

April 10 At U-Tapao, Thailand, B-52 bombers begin staging their first combat missions ofthe war. Due to their proxim­ity to Vietnam, in-flight refueling is not necessary.

APRIL 19 Over North Vietnam, flying an F-105 Thunderchief, Major Leo K. Thorsness, 357th Tactical Fighter Squad­ron, completes his bombing sortie, then fights gamely against Communist jets and antiaircraft fire as a diversion for other aircraft; he manages to down two MiG-17s and wins a Congressional Medal ofHonor.

APRIL 26 Over North Vietnam, Air

Force bombers are finally allowed to attack Communist airfields at Kep and Hoa Lac. However, airfields within the boundaries of Hanoi remain off limits.

April 28 At Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, Air National Guard KC-97Ls participate in Operation creek party; this is the first time that the ANG has contrib­uted to operations supporting military contingencies.

An Air Force Titan IIC missile hauls five Vela satellites aloft, which are designed to test the explosion of nuclear weapons back on Earth.

May 31 Over the Gulf of Tonkin, Viet­nam, a KC-135 Stratotanker piloted by Major John H. Casteel, 902nd Air Refu­eling Squadron, manages to refuel six Navy fighters which were extremely low on fuel. Casteel and his men win the Mackay Trophy.

May 31 Over North Vietnam, the A-12 high-speed reconnaissance aircraft performs its first 3 hour, 40 minute mis­sion. It is flown by CIA pilot Mele Voj – vodich.

June 1 In Paris, France, pair of Air Force

helicopters recreates Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight in 31 hours and 9 aerial refuelings. This is also the first non­stop flight by helicopters from New York to Europe.

June 5—11 At Wheelus Air Force Base,

Libya, the Air Force relocates 8,000 U. S. and European citizens after the six day war erupts between Israel, Egypt, and Syria.

July 1 A Titan IIIC missile places six additional satellites into Earth orbit as part of the Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program (IDCSP).

July 30 At Fort Worth, Texas, the Gen­eral Dynamics F-111 variable geometry (swing-wing) fighter performs its maiden flight.

AUGUST 10 In Washington, D. C., the Senate Appropriations Committee elimi­nates $172 million from the F-111B pro­gram intended for the U. S. Navy once critics felt the aircraft would be too big and heavy to land on carriers.

AUGUST 11 Over North Vietnam, two

spans of the Paul Doumer Bridge is destroyed by F-105s of the 355th and 388th Tactical Fighter Wings, which flew in from bases in Thailand.

AUGUST 21 Over North Vietnam, a record 80 surface-to-air missiles are launched at attacking U. S. warplanes; this is the highest tally for the entire war.

August 24-September 4 The American government enacts another round of bombing suspensions in a futile attempt to encourage peace talks with North Vietnam. The Communist regime fails to respond or reciprocate.

AUGUST 26 Over North Vietnam, an

F-100 piloted by Major George E. Day is brought down; Day, captured and badly injured, makes several failed escape attempts; he receives a Congressional Medal of Honor.

AUGUST 28 The advanced Lockheed U-2R performs its maiden flight, although only six are acquired by the Air Force and six by the Central Intelligence Agency.

SEPTEMBER 9 Over South Vietnam, Ser­geant Duane D. Hackney shows remark­able courage while rescuing a downed Air Force pilot and he becomes the first enlisted man to receive the Air Force Cross.

October 3 The hypersonic X-15 research rocket plane piloted by William Knight reached a new world speed record of 4,543 miles per hour (Mach 6.7) at 102,100 feet.

In St. Louis, Missouri, the new McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II is rolled out; this is the first version with an internally mounted 20mm cannon.

October 16 At Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, the first General Dynamics F-111 arrives for operational testing. In addition to featuring swing-wings, the craft can also fly nighttime, terrain­following flight paths.

OCTOBER 24 Over North Vietnam, the large aviation complex at Phuc Yen is struck by a joint force ofAir Force, Navy, and Marine Corps warplanes.

OCTOBER 30 Over North Vietnam, Communist troops launch six SA-2 Guideline missiles at an A-12 passing overhead; none hit the aircraft, but mis­sile fragments are subsequently found in a frontal fillet area.

November 9 Inside Laos, an HH-3E rescue helicopter piloted by Captain

Gerald O. Young is shot down while attempting to rescue an Army reconnais­sance team. Though wounded, he refuses to be evacuated and evades capture for 17 hours until he can summon his own rescue mission. He wins a Congressional Medal of Honor.

Over North Vietnam, an F-4 Phantom II piloted by Captain Lance P. Sijan is shot down; he manages to eject but is badly injured and tortured. Sijan manages to escape but is recaptured, and he dies of illness on January 21, 1968. Sijan is the first U. S. Air Force Academy graduate to be awarded a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor.

November 15 The X-14 hypersonic research plane piloted by Major Michael J. Adams breaks up in flight after enter­ing into a spin at Mach 5, killing him. He wins a posthumous set of astronaut wings.

November 17-December 29 Over Southeast Asia, Operation eagle thrust unfolds as C-133 and C-141 transports convey 10,000 paratroops and 5,000 tons of equipment from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam. This is also the longest-ranging aerial troop transfer of the war.

DECEMBER 8 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, an F-104 crash takes the life of Major Robert H. Lawrence, the first African American selected by NASA to serve in the astronaut pro­gram.

December 29 At Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, a chapter closes as the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing retires its last remaining RB-47H.

FEBRUARY At Lagos, Nigeria, 15 tons of communications equipment are con­veyed by a C-141 Starlifter to replace a telecommunication center that burned down.

FEBRUARY 1 In Honduras, a show of solidarity against regional Comm­unist-inspired insurgencies unfolds as Air Force units participate in Operation ahuas tara I with forces from Central American countries. This maneuver is aimed at the Communist dictatorship in Nicaragua, then fomenting guerilla insur­gencies throughout the region.

At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the 868th Tactical Missile Training Squadron begins handling ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) for future deployment in Europe.

FEBRUARY 2 At Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, pilots begin training to fly the new F-16 Fighting Falcon.

FEBRUARY 3 All Minuteman III inter­continental ballistic missiles are retrofitted with modified reentry systems designed to enhance retaliatory capabilities.

MARCH At Langley Air Force Base, Vir­ginia, the Air Force Thunderbirds dem­onstration team flies F-16 fighters for the first time.

MARCH 1 At Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, the Twenty-Third Air Force organizes to conduct missions involving combat rescue, weather reconnaissance, missile site security, and aircrew special operations training.

At Hurlburt Field, Florida, the 1st Spe­cial Operations Wing arrives and is reas­signed from the Tactical Air Command (TAC) to the Miliary Airlift Command (MAC).

MARCH 7 In South Korea, three wings of B-52Gs simulate mine-laying operations off the coast as Team Spirit 83 unfolds.

MARCH 15—28 At the Pacific Miss­ile Test Range, Kwajalein, a B-52 successfully fires three Navy AGM – Harpoon antiship missiles. The Strate­gic Air Command (SAC) is presently seeking ways of performing sea interdic­tion missions against the formidable Red Navy.

April 1 The Strategic Air Command (SAC) yields 4 installations and 31 opera­tional units to Space Command, as the majority ofthese are concerned with mis­sile warning and space surveillance mis­sions.

April 1—8 In Colombia, floods and earthquakes prompt C-130 Hercules air­craft to transport 34 tons of shelters, medical supplies, and electric generators to assist survivors.

April 5—10 After southeastern Louisiana is severely flooded by torrential rains, Air Force C-141 Starlifters convey 83 tons of food and medical supplies to victims.

APRIL 26 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the first crews training to handle ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) graduate and are assigned to tactical missile wings in Europe.

May 1 Over the Bahamas, Air Force air­craft surveillance missions commence to assist law enforcement agencies and help suppress drug smuggling operating off­shore.

June 4 At Hill Air Force Base, Utah, a final flyby is arranged for the few remain­ing F-105s in the Air Force Reserve before being retired from active service.

June 17 At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, an MX (Peacekeeper) missile is launched for the first time with multi­ple dummy warheads. These are pro­grammed to splash down in the Kwajalein test range.

June 26 In northwestern Peru, the Mili­tary Airlift Command (MAC) dispatches three C-130 Hercules aircraft to provide relief supplies for victims of recent flood­ing.

July 1 The Air Force deploys a provi­sional support squadron at Riyadh Air Base, Saudi Arabia, in light of the ongoing Iran-Iraq War. The oil-rich region of the Persian Gulf remains an area of vital strategic interest to the United States and the West.

July 7 At McEntire Air National Guard Base, South Carolina, the 169th Tactical Fighter Group is the first Guard unit to receive F-16As.

On this day, General Dynamics also completes its 1,000th Falcon of the 2,165 ordered by the Air Force.

July 24—August 6 In western Ecuador, the Air Force dispatches two UH-1 heli­copters to deliver medical supplies and personnel to flood victims.

AUGUST Over Minnesota, the 907th Tactical Airlift Group dispatches three

C-123 Providers to spray insecticide to fight an encephalitis epidemic in 11 counties.

AUGUST 1 At Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, a microburst inflicts $465,000 in damages; the storm was packing 120- mile-per-hour winds.

AUGUST 10 In Washington, D. C., Secre­tary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger announces that 100 MX (Peacekeeper) missiles will be deployed in existing Minuteman silos.

August 15-September 15 The Air

Force dispatches 12 Starlifters to convey 185 tons of cargo to the African nation of Chad in support of an ongoing security assistance program.

AUGUST 30 Lieutenant Colonel Guion S. Bluford becomes the first African Ameri­can to ride in space on the space shuttle Challenger.

SEPTEMBER 1 Over Sakhalin Island, Soviet Union, a Korean Airlines 747 is shot down after it strays into Soviet air­space. Air Force HC130 transports of the 33rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron deploy from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, and comb the waters for survi­vors; all 269 passengers perish.

SEPTEMBER 3-25 In Lebanon, Operation rubber wall commences as the Military Airlift Command (MAC) delivers

4,0 tons of supplies in 100 heavy-lift mis­sions in support of marines operating there. The effort involves 85 C-141 Starlifters, 24 C-5 Galaxies, and 4 C-130 Hercules sorties.

SEPTEMBER 5 A Strategic Air Command (SAC) KC-135 piloted by Captain Robert J. Goodman refuels an F-4E Phantom II jet four times over water and even tows it along with the refueling boom until it lands safely; Goodman receives the Mackay Trophy.

September 28 The Air Force declares its EF-111A Raven electronic warfare air­craft operational after extensive testing; pilots dub it the “Spark Vark” because of its extensive electronic suite.

OCTOBER 1 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the last operational B-52D arrives for a final resting place in the “bone yard.”

OCTOBER 4-5 Over Maricopa, Arizona,

the 302nd Special Operations Squadron deploys four CH-3 helicopters to rescue 57 civilians trapped by floodwaters.

OCTOBER 6 Three B-52Gs are modified by the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to carry and fire the AGM-Harpoon anti­ship missile. These aircraft are intended to perform maritime interdiction missions against the Red Navy.

OCTOBER 23 In Beirut, Lebanon, trans­ports of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) convey 239 dead and 95 wounded marines, the victims of a terror­ist truck bombing, to European and American hospitals.

OCTOBER 25-30 Over Grenada, Air Force MC-130s drop paratroopers on Point Salines, Grenada. Lieutenant Colonel James L. Hobson, Jr., manages to keep his aircraft under control despite intense antiaircraft fire, guiding the mis­sion to success; he wins a Mackay Tro­phy. Transports of the Military Airlift Command (MAC) and the Air Force Reserve also fly 11,389 passengers and 7,709 tons of cargo to facilitate Operation urgent fury. A total of 496 sorties are performed by C-141 Starlifters, C-5 Galaxies, and C-130 Hercules aircraft.

OCTOBER 26 At the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, initial operational capability is achieved by the initial batch of five F-117 Nighthawks. Ongoing operations are conveniently covered by the activity of 18 A-7 Corsair IIs.

OCTOBER 27 B-52 Stratofortesses deploy

at air bases for the first time in Spain.

November 1—5 After severe earth­quakes rattle northern Turkey, four C-141 Starlifters and six C-130s Her­cules transports are dispatched by the Military Airlift Command (MAC) to convey 234 tons of relief supplies to the survivors.

November 23 In Bonn, West Germany, the government ignores the KGB – orchestrated nuclear freeze movement and votes to deploy Air Force ground-
launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) and Army Pershing II ballistic missiles as a counter to Soviet weapons of the same class.

December 3 The Strategic Air Com­mand (SAC) begins inactivating the 571st Strategic Missile Squadron and dis­bands its Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

December 6 At Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, the new National Transonic Wind Tunnel becomes operational. This device is expressly designed for research­ing the fastest jets being designed or under construction.

December 23 The 390th Electronic Combat Squadron is the first operational unit equipped with General Dynamics EF-11A Ravens.

JANUARY 11 In Washington, D. C., a Congressional Space Commission report recommends that the Air Force receive increased responsibilities and increased organizational realignments.

JANUARY 20 In Washington, D. C., Law­rence J. Delaney becomes acting secretary of the Air Force.

JANUARY 22—26 “Schriever 2001,” the first war game to include elements of space control, including countering hos­tile space capabilities, is conducted by the Air Force Space Command Warfare Center.

February 3 In India, Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-17 Globemaster IIIs convey reliefsupplies and food to vic­tims of a recent earthquake. They are refueled while traversing the Pacific and Indian Oceans by KC-135s.

February 21 At Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, an RQ-1 Predator pilotless drone has been modified to carry a Hell- fire C missile, which it then fires to destroy a target. This becomes the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to do so.

February 24 At March Air Force Base, California, Lieutenant Colonel Stayce D. Harris takes control of the 729th Airlift Squadron, becoming the first African

American woman to command an Air Force unit.

April 22—23 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the RQ-4 Global Hawk flies nonstop to Adelaide, Australia. This is the first transoceanic flight by an unmanned aerial vehicle and it covers 7,500 miles in 23 hours, a new world’s record.

May 7 Off the China coast, an RC-135

aircraft from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, resumes intelligence flights in inter­national airspace.

May 8 In Washington, D. C., the Secre­tary ofDefense declares that the Air Force has the sole executive control over the Pentagon’s activities in space.

JUNE 1 In Washington, D. C., James G.

Roche gains appointment as the new sec­retary of the Air Force.

June 5 Major GeneralJames E. Sherrard, III, the Air Force Reserve commander, gains his third star to lieutenant general. He advocates a “total force” concept closely integrating Reserves into the regular Air Force.

July 13 Historic Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, the cradle of American military aviation, and McClellan Air Force Base, California, are closed due to budget cuts.

AUGUST 6 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the XF-35B returns to Palm­dale, signaling the end of another success­ful round of flight-testing. En route the aircraft reaches 34,000 feet at Mach 1.2, and sustains it for 3.7 hours, the longest flight of the test program so far.

AUGUST 24 At Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, another Cold War mile­stone passes as the final Minuteman III missile silo, which formed the bulwark of American nuclear deterrence for three decades, is destroyed.

September 6 In Washington, D. C., General John P. Jumper gains appointment as Air Force chief of staff.

September 19 Lockheed Martin contracts with the Air Force to produce an initial production batch of 10 ultramodern F-22 Raptors.

SEPTEMBER 27 In Washington, D. C., Sec­retary of War Donald Rumsfeld declares that President George W. Bush has authorized military aircraft to shoot down commercial liners hijacked in American airspace if an emergency presents itself.

September 29 At the Kodiak Launch Complex, Alaska, the Air Force launches its first space satellite. Heretofore, all space launches were from either Florida or California.

OCTOBER In Afghanistan, the Air Force and CIA begin operations against the Taliban with unmanned, remotely guided RQ-1 Predator aircraft. These high­flying drones are armed with television cameras and deadly Hellfire missiles.

OCTOBER 1 In Washington, D. C., Gen­eral Richard B. Myers becomes the first Air Force officer to serve as chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in almost 20 years.

The Air Materiel Space and Missile System Center are now subordinated to the Air Force Space Command (AFSPA – CECOM). The latter organization now monopolizes all Air Force space concerns.

OCTOBER 7 Over Afghanistan, Opera­tion enduring freedom begins as United States and British warplanes begin a concerted aerial campaign to drive the Taliban and al-Qaeda from power. Lieutenant General Charles F. Wald is also the Joint Force Air Component Commander throughout this operation.

At Whiteman Air Force Base, Mis­souri, B-2 Spirit bombers of the 509th Bomb Wing fly to Afghanistan and back during the longest bombing mission in aviation history.

OCTOBER 8 Over Afghanistan, C-17 Globemaster IIIs perform their first com­bat mission by airdropping pallets of humanitarian daily rations to territory controlled by the Northern Alliance.

Coalition aircraft begin around – the-clock air strikes against Taliban positions throughout Afghanistan. This enables the Northern Alliance to counterattack.

OCTOBER 26 The Department of Defense awards the Lockheed Martin Corporation with a contract to develop the new and highly advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) while Pratt and Whit­ney will develop the engine. This new aircraft will be deployed by Air Force, Navy, and Marine units.

October 28-November 4 Over Afghanistan, coalition aircraft switch from bombing fixed assets of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, to front-line units oppos­ing the Northern Alliance.

NOVEMBER 2 In Afghanistan, the crew of an MH-53J Pave Low helicopter of the 20th Special Operations Squadron lands behind enemy lines to rescue the crew of another MH-53 that crashed; they receive a Mackay Trophy.

NOVEMBER 28 Near Kandahar, Afg­hanistan, Operation SWIFT FREEDOM

unfolds as Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-17 Globemaster III transports convey Army and Special Forces troops to an airstrip.

December 4 Over Afghanistan, coalition aircraft bomb the mountain refuge of Tora Bora, a heavily fortified cave com­plex 55 miles south of Jalalabad, which holds an estimated 2,000 al-Qaeda Arab fighters.

December 5 In Afghanistan, a 2,000- pound bomb dropped by a B-52 acci­dently strikes an American command post, killing three Special Forces soldiers and five Afghan allies. These are the first

American fatalities of Operation endur­ing FREEDOM.

December 12 Over the Indian Ocean, the destroyer Russell rescues the crew of a B-1B bomber that ditched en route to targets in Afghanistan. This is the first B – 1B lost in combat, and also the first air­craft lost during Operation enduring

FREEDOM.

December 17 At Istres Air Base, France, Air Mobility Command (AMC) C-17 Globemaster IIIs convey French military forces to Afghanistan in concert with Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

December 26 In Washington, D. C., Undersecretary of War Pete Aldrich announces that the Pentagon approves acquisition of the one-ton, Joint Air-to- Surface Standoff Missile. This is an advanced, precision-guided weapon capable of destroying targets 200 miles distant.

JANUARY 13 At White Sands, New Mexico, a V-2 rocket equipped with on­board telemetry equipment is launched into low Earth altitude as part of Project

HERMES. This is the first time that a rock­et’s performance and flight has been electronically monitored by a ground station.

FEBRUARY 5 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman agrees with the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the secretaries of the Army and Navy that nuclear weapons testing and production should continue.

FEBRUARY 10 Over Dayton, Ohio, a Sikorsky R-5A helicopter piloted by Major E. M. Cassell reaches an unofficial world’s altitude record of 19,167 feet.

FEBRUARY 17 At the White Sands Prov­ing Ground, New Mexico, a WAC Cor­poral missile reaches an altitude of

250.0 feet.

February 20 At White Sands, New Mexico, the Blossom Project begins as V-2 No. 20 ejects a canister after it reaches its apogee.

FEBRUARY 27 At LaGuardia, New York, an F-82 flown by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Thacker and John M. Ard flies

5.0 miles nonstop from Hickam Field, Hawaii. This is the longest non­stop unrefueled flight by a propellor – driven aircraft, and it lasts 14 hours and 33 minutes.

MARCH 16 At San Diego, California, the twin-engine Convair 240 transport prototype flies for the first time. It even­tually enters into Air Force service as the T-29 navigator training aircraft.

MARCH 17 Over Muroc Field, Califor­nia, the North American XB-45 four-jet bomber flies for the first time with George Krebs at the controls. In two years it enters Air Force service as the B-45 Tornado, which is America’s first jet bomber.

April 30 In Washington, D. C., the Army and the Navy standardize their guided missile nomenclature as A for air, S for surface, and U for underwater. The first letter regards the weapon’s origin and the latter its target.

May 21 At Langley, Virginia, NACA

engineers fit a small aircraft with a special five-bladed propellor and muffled exhausts; the result is a near-silent flying machine.

May 27 The Corporal E, the Army’s first guided surface-to-surface missile, is successfully test fired for the first time, meeting or exceeding all technical specifications.

June 5 At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, the first AAF research balloon, which was designed and built by New York University and the Air Materiel Command, is launched.

June 19 Over Muroc Dry Lake, California, a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star piloted by Colonel Albert Boyd, the Army’s chief test pilot, reaches a new world speed record of 623.8 miles per hour.

June 25 In Seattle, Washington, the first Boeing B-50 makes its initial flight. This is an updated version of the B-29 with more powerful engines and a taller tail.

June 30 At Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, a meeting of Army Air Forces officials and NACA representatives con­venes to iron out their differences regarding the X-1 testing program. They agree to divide responsibilities, with the Army being tasked with breaking the sound barrier, while NACA will acquire technical details from research associated with the program.

July 1 In light of budgetary restrictions, the Army Air Forces cancels its MX-774 program. However, it is revived the following decade and emerges as the Atlas ICBM.

July 3 At Holloman Air Force Base,

New Mexico, New York University scientists release a cluster of balloons with a 50-pound instrument panel to measure atmospheric conditions at 18,550 feet.

July 18 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman assigns a five-man working group under chairman Thomas K. Finletter to originate a broad-based plan to endow the United States with the greatest possible benefits from aviation, civil and military alike.

July 26 President Harry S. Truman signs the National Defense Act of 1947 into law, which makes provisions for a new, independent United States Air Force, which will enjoy equal status with the Departments of the Army and Navy. The Air National Guard also comes into being as a reserve component of the new force.

AUGUST 28 Over Texas, the first of 22 Convair B-36A Peacekeepers performs its maiden flight. This giant craft is assigned to training future B-36 aircrews as formal production gets underway.

September 18 As of this date, the U. S. Air Force is officially a separate entity in the American military establishment. Stuart A. Symington, a hard-nosed business executive, also gains appointment as the first secretary of the Air Force.

SEPTEMBER 22 At Brize Norton, England, a robot-controlled Douglas C-54 becomes the first autoguided aircraft to cross the Atlantic from Stephenville, Newfound­land. The flight lasted 2,400 miles.

September 25 At the White Sands Prov­ing Ground, New Mexico, the first liquid-propelled Aerobee sounding rocket is successfully launched. Variations of this device will be used constantly until 1985.

September 26 In Washington, D. C., General Carl A. Spaatz gains appointment as the first Air Force chief of staff. The offi­cial transfer of officers, bases, and equip­ment is also authorized by the James V. Forrestal, the new Secretary of Defense.

Major General William E. Kepner, for­merly head of the VIII Fighter Command in World War II, is installed as the head of the Atomic Energy Division within the Air Force.

OCTOBER 1 Over Muroc Dry Lake, California, the North American XP-86 prototype flies for the first time with Major George Welch at the controls. This swept-wing design enters service as the F – 86 Sabrejet, a legendary fighter aircraft.

At Bethpage, Long Island, the Grum – man XJR2F-1 flying boat flies for the first time. It enters Air Force service as the SA – 16 and HU-16 Albatross, which serves as a standard rescue aircraft for two decades.

October 6 The Ryan Firebird XAAM – A-1, the Air Force’s first guided air-to-air missile, is successfully test launched for the first time.

OCTOBER 14 Over Muroc Dry Lake,

California, a Bell X-1 piloted by Captain Charles Yeager makes aviation history by flying through the sound barrier for the first time. Although several propellor – driven aircraft have also broken the sound barrier while diving, Yeager is the first achieve Mach 1.06 in sustained level flight.

OCTOBER 21 Over California, the North­

rop XB-49, a tailless, four-jet design, flies for the first time. This radical craft is an outgrowth of the propellor-driven XB-35 which flew in 1946. While impressive to

Yeager, Chuck (1923- Air Force pilot. Charles Elwood (“Chuck”) Yeager was born in Myra, West Virginia, on February 13,1923. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1940, and he earned his pilot’s wings at Luke Field, Arizona, in July 1942. Yeager subsequently flew P-51 Mustangs with the 363rd Fighter Squadron in England, where he shot down thirteen German aircraft, including five in one day. His most notable kill happened on Novem­ber 6, 1944, when he downed a futuristic Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter. After the war, Yeager was selected to fly the top secret Bell XS-1 rocket research aircraft. On October 14,1947, he broke the sound barrier at Mach 1 for the first time, winning a prestigious Mackay Trophy for the year’s most outstanding flight. Yeager continued flying at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where, in December 1953, he piloted a new Bell X-1A to 1,650 miles per hour, three times the speed of sound. In 1954 Yeager left flight-testing to command an F-100 Suber Sabre squadron in Germany, and he returned home three years later, a lieutenant colonel. In 1969 he resumed combat operations by commanding the 405th Tactical Fighter Wing, and performed 127 missions over Vietnam in B-57s. Yeager retired from active duty in 1975 as a brigadier general and, on October 14, 1997, the 50th anniversary of his record-breaking flight, he again broke the sound barrier for a final time in his F-15 Eagle jet at an Edwards Air Force Base air show;he has since retired and resides in Cedar Ridge, California. In an active career spanning 50 years, Yeager flew and tested no less that 330 different types of aircraft.

behold, the aircraft is intrinsically unstable and does not enter production.

NOVEMBER 4 At the White Sands Prov­ing Ground, New Mexico, an Aerobee rocket is successfully launched and reaches 190,000 feet above sea level.

NOVEMBER 15 The Air Force announces that it has been experimenting with ram­jet helicopter technology in the form of the McDonnell XH-20 Little Henry, operated by one man.

NOVEMBER 23 Over San Diego, Califor­

nia, the giant XC-99 transport aircraft flies for the first time. This is a transport version of the B-36 bomber then in production, although it does not enter production.

NOVEMBER 26 At Langley, Virginia, scientists successfully demonstrate the world’s first hypersonic-flow wind tunnel.

December 10 A high-speed rocket sled carrying Lieutenant Colonel John P. Stapp is launched to examine the effect of high acceleration rates on the human body. Much useful information is derived and Stapp, while bruised, is not harmed by the 2,000-foot journey.

December 17 At Seattle, Washington, the futuristic Boeing XB-47 six-engine jet bomber flies for the first time. This is the first postwar American bomber to incorporate German swept-wing infor­mation in its design, and it enters service as the B-47 Stratojet.

JANUARY 2 At Patterson, Ohio, the Air JANUARY 4 At the University of California,

Force Technical Museum is organized. scientists complete a pilot model for the

world’s first supersonic wind tunnel, a tre­mendous boon for the design of modern jet aircraft.

FEBRUARY 6 At the White Sands Prov­ing Ground, New Mexico, V-2 rocket No. 36 blasts off under the aegis of a Hermes A-1 flight control system. This is an important step in the development of guided missiles.

FEBRUARY 16 Over Germany, B-29 bombers of the Strategic Air Command arrive as part of a long-distance exercise. En route they are “intercepted” by RAF fighters as they traverse southern England.

FEBRUARY 20 The Boeing B-50, a more powerful version of the venerable B-29, is accepted into Air Force service. In addition to higher range and perfor­mance, it is also capable of being refueled in the air.

MARCH 10 Over Muroc Dry Lake, California, the Air Force declares that a B-29 bomber recently dropped an explo­sive device weighing 42,000 pounds.

MARCH 11—14 By terms of the so-called Key West Agreement, military and aero­nautical rocket research is not to be monopolized by any one branch of the armed forces, but rather split equally amongst them.

MARCH 22 Over Van Nuys, California, the Lockheed TP-80C, the prototype of the T-33 jet trainer, flies for the first time. This machine enjoys widespread service in the Air Force.

MARCH 28 A series of new aerial tanker aircraft, the KB-29M, completes final testing at the behest of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). This B-29 variant can carry 2,300 gallons of fuel aloft and dis­pense it through a hose and reel system mounted in the bomb bay.

April 21 In Washington, D. C., Secretary of Defense James V. Forrestal assigns the U. S. Air Force a primary responsibility for defending the country.

APRIL 26 In concert with President Harry S. Truman’s order to desegregate the mili­tary, the U. S. Air Force announces a policy to fully integrate African Americans into whatever sphere or technicality they are qualified for.

April 30 In Washington, D. C., General Hoyt S. Vandenberg becomes the second Air Force chief of staff, to replace retiring General Carl A. Spaatz.

MAY 20 Over Inglewood, California, the first production F-86A Sabrejet fighter flies for the first time. Over 6,000 of these peerless dogfighters will be constructed over the next few years.

May 24 A new world speed record for flying over a 1,000-kilometer course is established by noted aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran, who reaches 432 miles per hour.

MAY 26 In Washington, D. C., President

Harry S. Truman signs legislation creating the new Civil Air Patrol (CAP); this organization functions as an auxiliary of the U. S. Air Force in peace and war.

JUNE 1 Air Force and Navy transport commands are brought together in a new, unified entity, the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), which remains under Air Force purview.

JUNE 10 The Air Force announces that the Bell X-1 rocket plane has exceeded

the speed of sound several times since its first successful attempt the previous March.

June 11 In Washington, the Department of the Air Force releases its new Air Force Regulations 65-60 which updates aircraft designations. Henceforth, “P” for “Pur­suit” is replaced by “F” for “Fighter”; “F” for “Fotographic” is replaced by “R” for “Reconnaissance”; and “R” for “Rotary wing” is replaced by “H” for “Helicopter.” “B” for “Bomber” is unchanged. The Office of Air Force Chaplains is also created.

June 16 In Washington, D. C., Colonel Geraldine P. May gains appointment as the first director of Women in the Air Force. She is also the first woman in the Air Force to reach colonel.

June 18 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and Roswell AFB, New Mexico, the first two aerial refueling squadrons are equipped and organized to use KB-29Ms.

June 26 In response to the provocative Soviet blockade of Berlin, East Germany, the first Air Force C-47 transports bring in 80 tons of supplies. General Curtis E. LeMay, the head of U. S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), begins organizing men and equipment for what becomes renowned as the Berlin Airlift.

At Fort Worth, Texas, the 7th Bom­bardment Wing accepts delivery of the first production B-36 intercontinental bombers. This is currently the world’s largest airplane.

July 13 In California, the Convair MX – 774 rocket is successfully test flown for the first time. This is the first device to employ movable (gimballed) engine noz­zles that come to characterize all inter­continental ballistic missiles, including the Atlas ICBM of the late 1950s.

July 17 In England, several B-29s of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) arrive and deploy for the first time since World War II. Ostensibly there for training pur­poses, they are known to be capable of
dropping nuclear weapons on Eastern Europe in the event of war.

July 20 At Selfridge Field, Michigan, Colonel David Schilling leads the first flight of 16 F-80 Shooting Stars on the first transatlantic deployment to FUrsten – feldbruck, West Germany, via Scotland. The mission takes them 9 hours and 20 minutes.

July 30 The Air Force accepts delivery of its first North American B-45A Tornado jet bomber. Though plagued with teeth­ing problems, it becomes the first jet bomber fitted to drop nuclear weapons.

AUGUST 6 B-29s Gas Gobbler and Lucky

Lady, from the 43rd Bomb Group, fly a 20,000-mile flight around the globe in 15 days.

AUGUST 8 In Hawaii, a Convair B-36B Peacemaker flies nonstop from Fort Worth, Texas, completing a 9,400-mile flight without refueling.

AUGUST 16 Over Muroc Dry Lake, Cal­ifornia, the Northrop XF-89 prototype flies for the first time. It enters service as the F-89 Scorpion, and is the Air Force’s first all-weather interceptor jet.

August 23 The ongoing program to develop a “parasite fighter” carried in the bellies of intercontinental bombers, a McDonnell XF-85 Goblin is dropped from a B-36, but collides with the hookup trapeze while returning and shatters its canopy. Test pilot Ed Schoch manages to land safely and the experiment is run again, successfully, on September 16.

SEPTEMBER 3 Over England, Operation dagger unfolds as Air Force B-29s and RAF fighters take part in a joint air defense exercise.

SEPTEMBER 15 Over Muroc Dry Lake, California, an F-86A Sabrejet flown by Major Richard L. Johnson establishes a world’s speed record of 671 mile per hour.

September 18 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the Convair XF – 92 makes its maiden flight. This is the world’s first jet-powered delta-wing air­craft based on the designs of Germany engineer Alexander Lippisch.

OCTOBER 15 In West Germany, Major

General William H. Tunner takes charge of the Berlin Airlift, which consists of both American and British aircraft. During World War II, Tunner was also responsible for organizing the successful India-China airlift over “The Hump.”

OCTOBER 19 General Curtis E. LeMay replaces General George Kenney as com­mander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). This turns out to be one of the most significant appointments in aviation history.

OCTOBER 31 The Air Force announces that an F-80 fighter had been flown at high altitude using only two wingtip ram­jet engines for propulsion. This is the first known application of ramjet technology on manned aircraft.

NOVEMBER 4 In Santa Monica, Califor­nia, the RAND Corporation, an out­growth of the earlier Air Force-Douglas RAND Project, is organized to bring scientific, industrial, and military exper­tise into a think-tank for Air Force decision-making.

NOVEMBER 5 The government announ­ces that all Air Force warplanes will bear the markings “USAF,” save for those operated by the Military Air Transport Service, which are marked MATS.

November 10—12 The first symposium to ponder the theoretical problems associ­ated with spaceflight is sponsored by the School ofAviation Medicine.

November 30 A Douglas C-54 Skymas – ter equipped with Curtiss-Wright reversible-pitch propellers descends from 15,000 feet to 1,000 feet in only 1 minute and 22 seconds.

December 1 The Continental Air Com­mand (CAC) is activated for operations.

December 2 The Beech Model 45 prototype makes its maiden flight; it enters the service as the T-34A Mentor, which remains in service as a primary trainer until 1961.

December 9 In another stunning display of strategic air power, a B-36 and a B-50 fly nonstop from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, to Hawaii. The gigantic B-36 flies nonstop while the B-50 refuels three times from a KB-29M over a 35-hour period.

DECEMBER 16 Over Muroc Dry Lake, California, the Northrop X-4 Bantam flies for the first time. This is a semi-tailless, swept-wing jet design and flies as part of a joint NACA-Air Force research program.

DECEMBER 28 Over Greenland, a ski – equipped C-47 flown by Lieutenant Colonel Emil Beaudry lands and rescues 12 men of a C-47 and a B-17 that had crashed at the same site on December 9. The flight also wins the Mackay Trophy.

December 29 In Washington, D. C., Defense Secretary James V. Forrestal declares that the United States will endeavor to initiate an “earth satellite program” to study the viability of placing objects into an Earth orbit.

DECEMBER 31 Over Berlin, the airlift completes its 100,000th flight as part of Operation vittles. All told, the Soviet blockade ofBerlin has been a propaganda disaster for Premier Josef Stalin.

JANUARY 1 The Aerospace Defense Command is the new name for the Air Defense Command.

JANUARY 21 At Khe Sanh, South Viet­nam, a Marine Corps garrison is sur­rounded by Communist forces for the next 77 days. The Air Force participates by flying in an average of 165 tons of equipment, weapons, and supplies every day while waves of B-52 bombers carpet bomb suspect enemy positions in the nearby hillside.

JANUARY 22 Over Greenland, a B-52 crashes while attempting an emergency landing at Thule Air Base. Radioactive debris from the four nuclear weapons it is carrying is spread across the sea ice at North Star Bay. Months of specialized cleaning are required before readings return to normal.

JANUARY 26 Over North Korea, an A – 12 top secret reconnaissance flight unfolds in response to the seizure of the USS Pueblo three days earlier.

JANUARY 30—31 Communist forces launch their surprise Tet Offensive across South Vietnam which, while a military defeat, is a turning point in American opinion against the war.

FEBRUARY 27 In Southeast Asia, AC – 130 Hercules gunships make their debut while attacking along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

FEBRUARY 29 In Washington, D. C., a law is enacted which eliminates all obstacles against promoting women higher than the rank of full colonel. Conse­quently, Colonels Jeanne Holm, director of

Women in the Air Force, and Helen O’Day, assigned to the Air Force chief of staff’s office, both become permanent colonels.

MARCH 25 Over North Vietnam, the General Dynamics F-111 performs its first combat missions as part of Operation combat lancer. This particular deploy­ment is part of an operational testing scheme, and the jets are returned to the United States soon after.

MARCH 31 Once again, President Lyndon B. Johnson orders a partial bombing halt over North Vietnam in the hopes ofstimu – lating peace talks. He also declares that he will not be seeking reelection in the fall.

April 10 At Kadena Air Base, Japan, the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing begins the first SR-71A missions over North Vietnam.

MAY 3 In South Vietnam, the 120th Tac­tical Fighter Squadron arrives from Buck­ley Air National Guard Base, Colorado, becoming the first ANG unit committed to combat operations.

MAY 12 At Kham Duc, South Vietnam, Air Force C-130s assist Army and Marine Corps helicopters to evacuate the out­numbered garrison while under enemy fire. Mortar fire strikes a C-130, killing all 150 people on board, and a total of eight aircraft are lost. Lieutenant Colonel Daryl D. Cole is awarded a Mackay Tro­phy, while four airmen receive the Air Force Cross. A C-123 under Lieutenant Colonel Joe M. Jackson also lands under intense fire to bring off a three-man com­bat control team; he is awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor.

June 13 At Cape Kennedy, Florida, a Titan IIIC launch vehicle hoists eight communications satellites into orbit to augment the existing Defense Satellite Communications System.

June 17 At Long Beach, California, the first McDonnell Douglas C-9 Nightin­gale is completed; this is intended as an aeromedical aircraft with United States boundaries.

June 30 The Lockheed C-51 Galaxy, then the world’s largest aircraft, performs its maiden flight. The Military Air Com­mand (MAC) is slated to receive 81 of them.

AUGUST 1 In South Vietnam, General George S. Brown gains appointment as commander of the Seventh Air Force.

AUGUST 25 In South Vietnam, the North American OV-10 Bronco commences a 90-day combat evaluation period.

SEPTEMBER 1 Over Quang Binh Prov­ince, South Vietnam, an A-1H Skyraider piloted by Lieutenant Colonel William A. Jones III withstands a storm of enemy ground fire to land and rescue a downed pilot. Jones is badly injured in the action and his aircraft is shot up, so he receives a Congressional Medal of Honor.

September 26 The Air Force LTD A – 7D Corsair II light attack bomber flies for the first time.

OCTOBER 11 At Cape Kennedy, Florida, Air Force major Donn F. Eisele is one of three astronauts on the Apollo 7 mission, launched today on board a Saturn IB rocket.

OCTOBER 31 Over North Vietnam, the United States concludes Operation roll­ing thunder, its first sustained aerial offensive of the war.

NOVEMBER 1 Over Laos, Operation commando hunt commences as all other aerial attacks on North Vietnam are sus­pended. However, reconnaissance mis­sions are flown throughout the region.

November 26 Over Duc Co, South Vietnam, a UH-1F Huey helicopter piloted by Lieutenant James P. Fleming,
20th Special Operations Squadron, retrieves a six-man reconnaissance team under heavy enemy fire while being extremely low on fuel. Fleming receives a Congressional Medal of Honor.

December 21-28 At Cape Kennedy, Florida, Apollo 8 is launched into space on a mission to orbit the moon. The three-man crew consists ofAir Force col­onels Frank Borman and William Anders, and Navy captain James Lovell. This is also the first space flight to actually leave Earth orbit.

JANUARY 1 The Air Force Space Com­mand assumes control of the Global Posi­tioning System (GPS).

JANUARY 21 An F-15 Eagle test launches the American antisatellite missile system for the first time against a dummy vehicle emulator.

JANUARY 28 At Hill Air Force Base, Utah, new F-16 Falcons replace aging F – 105 Thunderchiefs in the 419th Tactical Fighter; this is also the first Air Force Reserve unit so equipped.

JANUARY 31 The new AGM-81A Fire – bolt target vehicle breaks world records for speed and altitude by reaching Mach 1.4 at 104,000 feet.

FEBRUARY 3 At RAF Upper Heyford, England, the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing deploys with the United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE), becoming the first EF-111A Raven unit in that theater.

FEBRUARY 23 The Tactical Air Com­mand (TAC) officially replaces the aging F-4 Phantom II with the F-15C Eagle as its standard air superiority fighter.

FEBRUARY 24 The Air Force selects the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle over the delta-wing General Dynamics F-16XL to serve as its next dual-role fighter-bomber.

At Cherry Point, North Carolina, two C-141 Starlifter missions land after with­drawing U. S. Marines from Lebanon and Larnaca, Cyprus.

MARCH 6 Over the Northern Test Range, Canada, a B-52G from the 319th Bombardment Wing test launches an air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) for the first time.

March 19-April 9 An E-3A Sentry aircraft is dispatched to the Middle East following threats against Egypt and Sudan by Libya. Seventeen C-141 Starlifter and twenty-eight C-5 Galaxy missions also convey military supplies to the Egyptians as a precaution.

April 6 The first of 80 Leaget C-21A air­craft are deployed with the 375th Aero – medical Airlift Wing, which phases out older Cessna CT-39 Sabreliner aircraft.

April 11 The 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing receives its first Beech C-12F operational support aircraft.

April 19 Construction begins on the phased array, sea-launched ballistic missile warning system at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.

MAY 16 At Peshawar, Pakistan, Afghan refugees receive 22 tons of medical sup­plies from C-141 Starlifters dispatched by the Military Airlift Command (MAC).

May 25 In Washington, D. C., the Vietnam War’s Unknown Soldier re­turns home aboard a C-141 Starlifter for internment at Arlington National Cemetery. He is subsequently identi­fied as Air Force Lieutenant Michael J. Blassie and is reburied at St. Louis, Missouri.

June At Golden, Colorado, a Schweizer TG-7A motor glider is delivered to the U. S. Air Force Academy for airmanship programs; it is relegated to the 94th Air Training Squadron.

June 15 At Kansas City, Missouri, a C-130 Hercules from the Military Airlift Command (MAC) arrives with 4.5 tons of pumping equipment to assist flood­fighting efforts in that region of the state.

At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, an MX (Peacekeeper) mis­sile is test launched with a Mark-21 test reentry vehicle for the first time.

June 16 At Fort Worth, Texas, the improved F-16C Falcon flies for the first time. This new version boasts improved heads-up display (HUD) instrumentation and more capable multimode radar.

June 20 The first KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft deploys with the 384th Air Refuel­ing Wing, Strategic Air Command (SAC). This variant is equipped with new CFM – 56 fan-jet engines, possessing higher thrust and lower fuel consumption.

June 21 Over Antarctica, a Military Air­lift Command (MAC) C-141 Starlifter carrying supplies for U. S. bases at McMurdo Sound refuels en route with a 22nd Air Refueling Wing KC-10 Extender flying out of Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand.

June 30 Hancock Field, New York, is closed by the Air Force after 32 years of constant operations.

July At Loring Air Force Base, Maine, the 69th Bombardment Squadron accepts the first deliveries of AGM-84 Harpoon antiship missiles. These are intended for B-52 bombers during interdiction mis­sions at sea.

July 31 At Davis-Monthan Air Force

Base, Arizona, the 390th Strategic Missile Wing becomes the first Titan II unit to be decommissioned.

August 7-October 2 In the Red Sea, Operation intense look unfolds as the United States begins minesweeping efforts in the Red Sea at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Air Force trans­ports convey 1,300 tons of cargo and

1,0 military personnel to the region in support of this effort.

August 8 In Europe, the first C-23 Sherpa, a small cargo/liaison aircraft for flying between airfields and depot cen­ters, begins operations.

AUGUST 19—20 On Johnson Island, 715 miles from Hawaii, two C-141 Star – lifters from the 22nd Air Force evacuate 382 American military and civilian per­sonnel as Typhoon Kell approaches.

AUGUST 28 At Florennes Air Base, Bel­gium, a C-5 Galaxy touches down with the first supply of ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs). Consequently, the noisy and KGB-orchestrated antimissile movement in Europe, sensing the futility of further opposition, begins disbanding.

August 29 At Sembach Air Base, Ger­many, the last OV-10 Broncos conclude a decade of service with the United States Air Force Europe (USAFE) and depart for the United States.

SEPTEMBER 2—3 In South Korea, 148 stranded civilians in a recent flood are saved by helicopters of the 38th Aero­space Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS).

September 4 At Palmdale, California, the first production B-1B Lancer inter­continental strategic bomber rolls out of the factory to begin flight-testing.

September 14—18 Aeronaut Joe Kit – tinger, Jr., who is also a retired Air Force colonel, flies a balloon nonstop from Caribou, Maine, to Savona, Italy, in 84 hours. He also establishes a new bal­loon distance record.

October 11—14 During a visit by Pope John II to San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Military Airlift Command (MAC) trans­ports convey Secret Service vehicles for his use.

October 18 At Palmdale, California, the first operational B-1B, christened Star of Abilene, flies for the first time ahead of schedule.

October 18—20 The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center directs search and rescue operations and saves 47 lives after Colorado and New Mexico are struck by heavy snowstorms.

October 23—24 In Baguio, Philippines, a fire breaks out at the Pines Hotel during a visit by General Douglas MacArthur’s veterans. The 31st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (ARRS) dis­patches an H-3 helicopter, which lifts nine people trapped on the roof to safety. A C-130 Hercules transport subsequently conveys 48 injured people to Clark Air Base for treatment.

October 25 Off the coast of Salto di Quirra, Sardinia, F-4Es of the 86th Tacti­cal Fighter Wing participate in live missile exercises with U. S. Navy units.

November 2 At McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, a Titan II missile bursts into flames as it is being drained of liquid fuel. This incident threatens to delay deactiva­tion of this elderly system.

November 19 At Bogota, Colombia, the Military Airlift Command dispatches two C-141 Starlifters to deliver vehicles, small arms, and ammunition to the U. S. Embassy, after drug lords threaten it.

November 20 In Washington, D. C., President Ronald W. Reagan authorizes creation of a unified United States Space Command.

December 1 At Kelly Air Force Base, Texas, the Air Force Reserve accepts its first C-5A Galaxy.

December 11-12 At Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany, survivors and two wounded victims of a hijacked Kuwaiti airliner arrive onboard C-141 Starlifters before being flown to the United States.

December 20 A collapsed tunnel in Huntington, Utah, results in two C-130 Hercules aircraft arriving with 23.8 tons of emergency equipment to rescue 27 coal miners trapped there; unfortunately, all had died from smoke inhalation beforehand.

December 22-March 1985 Eight Military Airlift Command (MAC) C – 141 Starlifters are dispatched to Kassala, Sudan, with 200 tons of food and medical supplies to combat an ongoing famine there.

JANUARY 11 At Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a C-17 Globemaster III deposits the first of 371 Taliban and al-Qaeda detainees.

JANUARY 21 In Iraq, after Iraqi antiaircraft

weapons fire at coalition aircraft participat­ing in Operation southern watch, Ameri­can and British jets retaliate with strikes against weapons emplacements at Tallil.

FEBRUARY 4 Over Afghanistan, an MQ – 1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fires a Hellfire missile at a group of senior al-Qaeda figures on the ground, killing them; this is also the first combat engagement by an UAV.

MARCH 1 At McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, Brigadier General Teresa M. Peterson assumes control of the 305th Air Mobility Wing, becoming the first active female duty officer to com­mand an operational flying wing.

Over Eastern Afghanistan, Operation ANACONDA commences as Air Force B – 52s, B-1Bs, AC-130s, A-10s, and F-15s support ground units attacking Muslim extremists near Gardez. Precision-guided weapons keep civilian casualties to a min­imum while thermobaric bombs are dropped in caves, killing by depriving them of oxygen.

MARCH 2—10 In Afghanistan, an AC – 130 Spectre gunship relieves a detach­ment of the 10th Mountain Division sur­rounded by enemy fighters. HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters then rescue them in rough terrain; the AC-130 crew wins a Mackay Trophy.

MARCH 4 Near Gardez, eastern Afghani­stan, a helicopter assault on enemy troops results in the first Air Force combat losses during Operation enduring freedom. Sergeant John Chapman receives a post­humous Air Force Cross for charging a Taliban gun emplacement, killing several enemy combatants.

April 18 At Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, the experimental MC2A – X flies for the first time. This vehicle will provide electronic command and control functions over combat areas.

South of Kandahar, Afghanistan, an American warplane accidently kills four Canadian soldiers and wounds eight others in an errant bomb drop.

April 19 The Air Force Space Com­mand is formally elevated to a four-star Air Force Command; previously, it was led by the four-star general commanding the U. S. Space Command and NORAD.

April 22 The Air Force promulgates a new organizational scheme for wings, basing them around four groups: opera­tions, maintenance, mission support, and medical.

May 22 At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the X-45A unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) flies for the first time. This vehicle, while stealthy and capable, is terminated in 2006.

July 22 At McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, the prototype YAL-1A, or
“Airborne Laser,” flies for the first time. This weapon system employs concen­trated light beams to destroy enemy ICBMs while they are launching into the atmosphere (boost phase).

July 30 A Scramjet engine (air-breath­ing supersonic combustion engine) is successfully ignited at high altitude for the first time. Such futuristic technology has potential for revolutionizing air transporta­tion.

AUGUST 21 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Lockheed Martin Atlas V launches for the first time. This is part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, consisting ofa main rocket with as many strap-on boosters added as neces­sary for very heavy payloads.

OCTOBER 1 General Ralph Eberhart assumes command of the U. S. Northern Command. This organization monitors and guards the military security of North America, and consists of elements from all four U. S. armed services.

General John P. Jumper orders the Peacekeeper (MX) ICBM system deacti­vated. This is the largest and most capable nuclear missile deployed by the United States during the Cold War.

November 17—18 In Iraq, antiair­craft batteries fire on coalition aircraft patrolling the northern no-fly zone; the warplanes retaliate by dropping precision-guided munitions. This action coincides with a UN resolution authoriz­ing strong actions against Iraqi transgres­sions.

December 8 At Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, the Air Mobility Command (AMC) directs several C-5 Galaxies to bring 1,200 tons of relief supplies to sur­vivors of Typhoon Pongsona.

January 3-March 15 The Air Force commences Operation hayride after a severe blizzard strikes several Midwestern states. Over 4,700 tons of livestock and supplies are lifted in 200 sorties.

January 5 Over California, a Bell X-1

flown by Major Charles Yeager estab­lishes an unofficial climbing speed record of 13,000 feet per second. This is the only instance of an X-1 taking off under its own power.

January 19 At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, the Martin XB-61 Matador tactical missile is successfully test fired for the first time. This is intended as a short – range, highly mobile tactical weapon.

January 25 The Air Force orders that World War ii-era olive green outfits of Army origin be replaced by slate blue uniforms, although phasing in the new threads will take several months.

FEBRUARY 8 At Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, a B-47 Stratojet arrives from Moses Lake airfield, Washington, after traveling 2,300 miles in only 3 hours and 45 minutes. This cuts the time of existing transcontinental records in half.

FEBRUARY 9 At Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, the School of Aviation Medicine creates the first Department of Space Medicine.

FEBRUARY 24 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, a two-stage vehicle consisting of a German V-2 and WAC Corporal second stage is launched and reaches 244 miles in height at a speed of 5,150 miles per hour. This launch is part of Project bomber and dem­onstrates the utility of two-stage projectiles.

February 26-March 2 At Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, the B-50 Lucky Lady II, flown by Captain James Gallagher, arrives after completing a 23,400-mile non­stop flight around the world in 94 hours. The flight requires four in-flight refuelings over the Azores, Arabia, the Philippines, and Hawaii using the probe-and-drogue system developed by the British. The flight also wins the Mackay Trophy.

March 4 In East Germany, the Berlin Airlift (Operation vittles) has delivered over 1 million tons of coal, food, and sup­plies since the mission began the previous June.

MARCH 15 The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) creates the Global Weather Central to assist the strategic Air Command (SAC) in its mission.

March 26 A B-36D Peacemaker, outfit­ted with four J-79 jet engines in wingtip pods, flies for the first time. This new con­figuration can hoist a payload of 85,000 pounds at 440 miles per hour. It also puts the Navy on notice that it does not possess a monopoly on the delivery of nuclear weapons, which increases friction between the two services.

March 30 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman signs legisla­tion to create the nation’s first chain of permanent defense radar stations.

APRIL 4 In response to increasing Soviet aggression, the North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO) is formed as a defensive alliance. Its creation triggers the rise of the Warsaw Pact behind the Iron Curtain.

April 6 At Tempelhof Airport, West Berlin, Operation vittles achieves its operational highpoint once transport air­craft begin landing every four minutes for six consecutive hours.

APRIL 16 Over Van Nuys, California, the Lockheed YF-94 prototype makes its maiden flight. This is a modified, two – seat version of the F-80 Shooting Star and it enters service as the F-94 Starfire, an all-weather interceptor.

Over Berlin, West Germany, the airlift hits another highpoint once 12,940 tons of supplies arrive through 1,398 aircraft.

May 7 In Washington, D. C., Congress votes to make General Henry H. Arnold a five-star general of the Air Force; he remains the only officer so honored.

May 9 The Republic XF-91 jet/rocket hybrid fighter performs its maiden flight. The craft also features an inverse-taper, variable incidence wing, but it does not enter into production.

May 11 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman signs legislation to establish a guided missile test range for the Air Force, which eventually emerges as Cape Canaveral, Florida.

May 11-12 In Berlin, East Germany, the Soviet blockade is lifted although Operation vittles continues to stockpile supplies in the city.

May 21 Over Bridgeport, Connecticut, a

Sikorsky S-51-1 helicopter piloted by Captain H. D. Gaddis reaches a world altitude of21,220 feet.

June 4 The Lockheed XF-90 prototype flies for the first time. Envisioned as a stra­tegic fighter that would escort jet bomb­ers to their target, it does not enter production.

July 1 Major General Malcolm C. Grow gains appointment as the first surgeon general of the Air Force and the USAF Medical Service is also established.

The first production F-94A Starfire prototype makes its maiden flight. This is the first Air Force all-weather intercep­tor equipped with an afterburner.

AUGUST 8 Over California, a Bell X-1 piloted by Major Frank K. Everest reaches an unofficial altitude of 71,092 feet, the highest this generation of research aircraft will reach.

AUGUST 10 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman amends the National Security Act, which renames the National Military Establishment to the Department of Defense.

August 25 A Bell X-1 flying at 69,000 feet suffers from a potentially disastrous decompression, but pilot Major Frank K. Everest is saved by his T-1 partial pressure suit and he lands his crippled aircraft safely.

SEPTEMBER 24 Over Inglewood, Cali­fornia, the North American T-28 proto­type flies for the first time; its enters Air Force and Navy service as the Trojan and serves as an advanced trainer.

September 30 Over West Berlin, East Germany, Operation vittles, the Berlin Airlift, is formally concluded. A combina­tion of Air Force, Navy, and RAF trans­ports lifted 2.34 million tons of supplies into the beleaguered city, which was accomplished in 277,000 flights.

OCTOBER 1 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, Major General W. L. Richardson assumes command of the Long-Range Proving Ground.

OCTOBER 14 The Chase Aircraft Com­pany XC-123 prototype performs its maiden flight; it enters Air Force service as the C-123 Provider, which sees extensive service throughout the vietnam War.

November 19 The Sikorsky YH-19A helicopter performs its maiden flight. This is the first helicopter to have its engine mounted in the nose below the cabin to afford pilots an unrestricted view. It enters service as the Chickasaw.

November 28 At RAF Marham, England, the Douglas C-74 Globemaster I, christened The Champ, arrives from Mobile, Alabama, after a 23-hour non­stop flight. It is also the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic while carrying more than 100 passengers.

November 29 The Douglas YC-124 Globemaster II prototype flies for the first time; this enlarged version of the Globe – master I can carry 50,000 pounds of cargo for 850 miles, and it sees widespread service with the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) and the Strategic Air Command (SAC).

At Desert Center, California, aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran flies an F-51 to a new speed record of 436.995 miles per hour on the Mount Wilson Course.

December 2 At Holloman Air Develop­ment Center, New Mexico, the Air Force test fires an Aerobee RTV-A-1a research rocket for the first time.

December 5 In Alaska, the Air Force begins construction of a $50 million net­work of early warning radar sites to guard

A Distant Early Warning Line Station in Bullen Point, Alaska. Radar of the Distant Early Warning Line across the arctic, coupled with a similar line across the midpoint of Canada allowed for early detection of incoming Soviet bombers across the Arctic Circle. (Library of Congress)

against incoming Soviet bombers. Each designated station will have a range of 300 miles.

December 22 The North American YF-84D all-weather interceptor performs its maiden flight. It enters service as the F-86D Sabre Dog, an all-weather intercep­tor with a large radome nose and a retract­able rocket tray to shoot down bombers.

December 25 The Air Force unveils the existence of Stupalith, a ceramic product that expands when heated and contracts when cooled and, because it can
withstand temperatures as hot as 2,000 degrees, it will be used as insulation in jet and rocket engines.

December 28 At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Project saucer disbands after two years, having concluded after two years that flying saucers do not exist.

December 29 At Desert Center, Cali­fornia, aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran pilots a modified F-51 Mustang to an international speed record of 436.995 miles per hour over the 500- kilometer Mount Wilson Course.

JANUARY 15 At Sonoma, California, General of the Air Force Henry H. Arnold dies. One of the architects of

victory in World War II, his career spanned aviation from its infancy to the cusp ofjets and rocket technology.

JANUARY 18 The Lockheed YF-94 Starfire prototype performs its maiden flight. This is the Air Force’s first rocket­armed jet interceptor and enters service in 1953.

JANUARY 23 The Air Force creates its Research and Development Command to separate basic research functions from logistics and procurement activities per­formed by the Air Materiel Command.

JANUARY 31 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman, alerted to Soviet endeavors, orders the develop­ment of a new and more powerful thermonuclear weapon, the so-called hydrogen bomb.

MARCH 1 In Seattle, Washington, the first production B-47A Stratojet is rolled out and acquired by the Air Force for an engineering inspection before it makes a test hop. This version of the swept – wing, six-jet bomber will be used for training purposes only.

MARCH 15 The government tasks the

Air Force with sole responsibility for developing and deploying strategic guided missiles, or ICBMs, once they become operational at the end of the decade.

MARCH 22 At RAF Marham, England, the Air Force transfers the first of four Boeing B-29s to the Royal Air Force under terms of the Atlantic Pact. It enters British service as the Washington.

April 18 The Air Force declares that it will spend $1.2 billion to acquire 1,250 new aircraft.

April 24 In Washington, D. C., Thomas K. Finletter gains appointment as secre­tary of the Air Force.

MAY 5 Over Hawthorne, California, the Northrop YRB-49A is flown for the first time. This is a reconnaissance version of the four-jet “flying wing,” with two additional jet engines mounted in pods below the wing. Despite its spectacular appearance, it does not go into production.

May 12 Over California, the Bell X-1 No. 1 research aircraft makes its final flight before being donated to the Smith­sonian Institution, where it remains on display to present times.

June 2 At Rapid City Air Force Base, South Dakota, the first operational RB – 36D arrives with the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. This version mounts four jet engines in addition to six propeller engines.

June 3 The Republic YF-96A jet proto­type flies for the first time; this is a swept-wing version of the F-84 and it enters service as the Thunderstreak.

June 23 At Seoul, South Korea, North Korean Yak-9 fighters swoop down upon Kimpo Airfield, damaging a C-54 Sky – master on the ground. This is the first American aircraft lost in the Korean conflict.

June 25 In an act of overt aggression, tanks and infantry from North Korea attack South Korea while Communist airplanes, flown by Russian pilots, attack Kimpo Air Base. In Japan, Major General Earl E. Partridge, commanding the Fifth Air Force, places his organi­zation on alert and increases sur­veillance activities over the Korean peninsula.

June 26 Over Inchon, South Korea, Air Force F-82 Twin Mustangs fly top cover as vessels begin evacuating American citizens for Japan.

June 27 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman orders the Air Force to commence combat operations over North and South Korea. Meanwhile, transport aircraft assist evacuations at Seoul, covered by fighters and bombers overhead.

The Air Force scores its first-ever kill as an F-82 piloted by Lieutenants William Hudson and Carl S. Fraser, 339th Fighter All-Weather Squadron, down a Commu­nist Yak-1 fighter near Seoul, South Korea. A total ofseven Communist craft are destroyed, making this the highest- scoring day of 1950.

In Japan, B-26 light bombers begin fly­ing strike missions over South Korea, although poor weather largely negates their efforts. The Fifth Air Force also deploys an advanced echelon at Itazuke Air Base, whereby RF-80s are poised to begin flying reconnaissance missions.

June 28 Over South Korea, B-29 Super­fortresses of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) begin pounding North Korean formations in the vicinity of Seoul. B-26 Invaders of the 3rd Bomb Group also make a successful strike against Commu­nist rail and road traffic near Musan, North Korea, near the 38th Parallel.

The first RF-80A jet reconnaissance mission of the Korean War is executed by Lieutenant Bryce Poe.

June 29 Over North Korea, Japan-based B-26 Invaders drop bombs on the North Korea capital of Pyongyang for the first time in the war. Meanwhile, General Douglas MacArthur instructs Major Gen­eral George E. Stratemeyer to bomb stra­tegic bridges over the Han River and massed North Korean formations in that vicinity. F-82s defending the airfield at

Suwon also down five North Korean air­craft attempting to attack there.

As eight B-29s finish attacking Communist-held Kimpo Airfield, South Korea, they are attacked by North Korean fighters; one ofthese is downed by a Super­fortress gunner. This is the first such aerial victory of the war.

Because military intelligence is sorely needed by United Nations forces, RB-29s based at Yokota Air Base, Japan, begin photo operations over North Korea. They are joined by aircraft of the 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (TRS) for oper­ations over South Korea.

June 30 In Washington, D. C., President

Harry S. Truman orders full-scale aerial attacks on North Korea, along with a naval blockade of the peninsula and the use of U. S. ground forces to halt the Communist offensive.

In South Korea, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 77 Squadron arrives for duty and is assigned to opera­tional control by the Fifth Air Force.

As North Korean forces swarm south­ward over the Han River, they are begin­ning to threaten Suwon airfield, which now houses some of the first tactical Air Control Parties dispatched by the Fifth Air Force. However, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) orders the place to be evacuated to new facilities at Kumhae near the port ofPusan.

July 1 At Itazuke, Japan, transport aircraft of the 374th Troop Carrier Wing (TCW) begin airlifting elements of the 24th Infantry Division to Pusan, South Korea, for the first time.

July 3 In Washington, D. C., Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vanden – berg orders B-29s of the 22nd Bomb Group deployed to Northwest Asia for use in the Korean conflict.

Because large C-54 Skymaster trans­ports are too heavy for most Korean run­ways and damage them, the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) orders smaller C-46s and C-47s to transport men and supplies there from bases in Japan.

July 6 Over Wonsan and Hungnam, North Korea, nine B-29s conduct the first strategic air raid of the Korean War when they attack oil refineries and chemical plants in the two cities.

Back in the States, the Harmon International Aviation Awards Commit­tee designates James H. “Jimmy” Doolit­tle as “Aviator of the Decade” while Jacqueline Cochran is named “Outstand­ing Aviatrix.”

July 8 At Yokota Air Base, Japan, Major General Emmett “Rosie” O’Donnell gains appointment as the head ofBomber

Command (Provisional) within the Far East Air Forces (FEAF). Previously, O’Donnell served as a high-ranking adviser to General Henry H. Arnold during World War II.

July 9 In South Korea, forward air con­trollers flying L-5G and L-17 Liaison air­craft begin calling in F-80 air strikes to assist hard-pressed UN forces.

July 10 North American T-6 Texan trainers are now used by the Fifth Air Force to call in close support as forward air controllers. These “Mosquito” runs are usually in conjunction with F-80 jets against columns of North Korean forces.

Over Pyongtaek, South Korea, a convoy of Communist vehicles is caught in the open by American B-26s, F-82s, and F-80s after it stops at a bombed-out bridge. The enemy formation is annihilated by

One of the world’s greatest aviators, U. S. pilot Jackie Cochran overcame a hardscrabble existence to set 200flying records, as well as abolishing the gender barrier in her field. Cochran was appointed to lead the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots in 1943. (Library of Congress)

bombs and napalm, losing 117 trucks, 38 tanks, and 7 armored cars.

JULY 12 In Japan, four aircraft of the Mili­tary Air Transport Service (MATS) arrive from the United States carrying a ship­ment of 3.5-inch bazookas with shaped charges. These are intended to replace smaller weapons in South Korea that are incapable of destroying Soviet-made T-34 tanks.

At Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, the first RB-50B is delivered to the Stra­tegic Air Command’s (SAC) 91st Stra­tegic Reconnaissance Squadron.

Communist aircraft manage to shoot down a B-29, a B-26, and an L-5, scoring their first aerial victories of the Korean W ar.

July 13 Over Wonsan, North Korea, 49 B-29s from 22nd and 49th Bomb Groups, Far East Air Forces (FEAF), strike an oil refinery and marshalling yards. This is also the first strategic raid launched from bases in Japan, and it is conducted by an RB-29 piloted by Lieu­tenant Fred Spies.

Off the coast of Korea, an SB-17 of the 3rd Aircraft Rescue Squadron drops res­cue boats to members of a downed B-29 crew for the first time.

July 14 In South Korea, the Air Force deploys its first units to operate directly on the peninsula, including the 35th Fighter-Interceptor Group at Pohang and the 6132nd Tactical Air Control Squadron at Taegu. The latter is respon­sible for orchestrating a close support mis­sion to assist UN ground forces.

July 15 At Taegu, South Korea, the Mustang-equipped 51st Fighter Squadron (Provisional) flies the first F-51 combat missions of the war.

A directive from Fifth Air Force head­quarters orders the designation/call sign of “Mosquito” to pertain to all airborne controllers using T-6 Texan aircraft.

July 19 Over Taejon, South Korea, three Communist Yak fighters are downed by F-80s of the Fifth Air Force; this is the highest daily kill rate for the rest of the month.

Over Pyongyang, North Korea, 7 F – 80s of the 8th Fighter-Bomber Group initiate a strategy to acquire complete air superiority by destroying 15 Communist aircraft on the ground.

July 20 In Tokyo, Japan, Major General Otto P. Weyland gains appointment as vice commander of Far East Air Forces (FEAF) for operations.

Over South Korea, two Yak fighters are bagged by Fifth Air Force F-80 Shooting Stars. These are the last Ameri­can aerial victories until November, when Communist air opposition is dramatically revived.

July 22 In Japan, the carrier USS Boxer arrives carrying 145 Air Force F-51 Mustangs.

At Taegu, South Korea, the first H-5 helicopter to see active service is de­ployed by the 3rd Air Rescue Squadron.

July 24 At Cape Canaveral, Florida, a German V-2 rocket with a WAC Corpo­ral second stage becomes the first missile launched from the Joint Long Range Proving Grounds.

At Taegu, South Korea, the Fifth Air Force establishes a headquarters near Eighth Army headquarters to facilitate communication and coordination between the two services.

In Tokyo, Japan, General Douglas MacArthur is formally appointed com­mander of all UN forces and he appoints Major General George E. Stratemeyer, commander of Far East Air Forces (FEAF), to assume responsibility for all air actions over the Korean peninsula.

July 28 In Japan, the first Grumman SA – 16 Albatross arrives for search and rescue missions in the Korean War.

July 30 Over North Korea, 47 Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-29s attack explosive factories at Hungnam.

AUGUST 1 In Washington, D. C., Gener­als Joseph Collins and Hoyt S. Vanden- berg conclude an agreement establishing cooperation between the Aerospace Defense Command and the Army Anti­Aircraft Command for the defense of the United States.

In Florida, Patrick Air Force Base is christened after Major General Mason M. Patrick, the first chief of the U. S. Army Air Service.

Over North Korea, 46 B-29s of the 22nd and 92nd Bomb Groups destroy the Chosen Nitrogen Fertilizer Factory at Hungnam; this is one of the largest chemical plants in Asia.

AUGUST 2—3 At Ashiya, Japan, the 374th Troop Carrier Group establishes a new record by flying 150 tons of equipment and supplies to the Eighth Army in Korea within a 24-hour time period.

AUGUST 3 In Tokyo, Japan, Lieutenant General George E. Stratemeyer, com­mander of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) lays down the strategy for Interdiction Campaign No. 1, aimed at cutting enemy supply routes between the 37th and 38th Parallels.

Off the Korean coast, SA-16 Alba­trosses begin flying rescue missions to assist downed UN flight crews.

AUGUST 4 Over North Korea, the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) commences Interdiction Campaign No. 1 by dis­patching B-29 heavy bombers to destroy key bridges north of the 38th Parallel.

AUGUST 5 At Hamchang, South Korea, Major Louis J. Sebille wins the Air Force’s first posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor by deliberately crash­ing his F-51 into a North Korean ground position. Because an Air Force medal is not approved until 1960, Sebille receives the Army Medal of Honor.

AUGUST 7 At Yokota Air Base, Japan, the newly arrived 98th Bomb Group com­mits 20 B-29s to their first air raid over North Korea.

AUGUST 10 In the United States, the Air Force mobilizes two Reserve units, the 437th Troop-Carrier Wing and the 452nd Bomb Wing, for active duty; these are the first of 25 such units called into service for the Korean War.

AUGUST 11 The Fairchild XC-120 per­forms its maiden flight; this novel craft is assembled from wings and tail sections of the C-119B Flying Boxcar, but it does not enter production.

At Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, Air Force C-119 Flying Boxcars airlift trucks and other heavy equipment directly into Taegu, South Korea.

AUGUST 16 A force of nearly 100 B-29s drops bombs on massed North Korean troops at Waegwan, South Korea, in a spoiling attack to prevent them from overrunning the Pusan Perimeter. This is the largest carpet bombing raid ofits kind since Operation COBRA at Normandy in August 1944.

AUGUST 19 In South Korea, Air Force and Navy aircraft help blunt a North Korean drive across the Naktong River, allowing the Battle of Naktong to end in a UN victory.

AUGUST 22 Over North Korea, Chinese antiaircraft batteries open fire on B-29 formations from across the Yalu River in Manchuria. This is the first recorded hos­tility of Chinese Communists in the Korean War.

AUGUST 23 West of Pyongyang, North Korea, the Air Force makes its first Razon guided-bomb strike of the war, although only one weapon strikes its intended target.

AUGUST 25 In Tokyo, the Fifth Air Force is ordered to maintain constant armed surveillance of enemy airfields in North Korea to prevent enemy aerial activity during the upcoming Inchon landings.

AUGUST 26 In Washington, D. C., Air Force Chief of Staff Hoyt S. Vandenburg presents the Bell X-1 No. 1, the vehicle that broke the sound barrier, to the Smithsonian Institution.

At Barksdale, Louisiana, the 91st Stra­tegic Reconnaissance Wing receives its first operational RB-45C Tornado.

At Ashiya, Japan, General William H. Tunner, who had previously directed the Berlin Airlift, organizes the new Combat Cargo Command (Provisional), which is built around the 1st Troop Car­rier Task Force (Provisional). Meanwhile, orders go out from the Far East Air Forces to collect all C-46 transport aircraft in Asia to support a major UN offensive the following month.

AUGUST 27 Over Antung, China, two F-51 Mustangs accidentally cross the bor­der and strafe a Chinese airstrip, thinking that they were attacking a North Korean field near Sinuiju. The Chinese government uses the affair for propaganda and diplomatic purposes.

AUGUST 31 Outside Pusan, South Korea, North Korean forces make a last-ditch effort to drive UN forces back into the sea, but they are partly thwarted by close air support missions flown by the Navy and Fifth Air Force.

Over North Korea, a force of 74 B-29s attack mining facilities and marshalling yards at Chinnampo. This is also the larg­est strategic bombing raid of the entire month.

September 1 At Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, the first operational KP-29P tanker deploys with the 97th Air Refueling Squadron. This variant is the first American tanker craft equipped with an aerial boom, which replaces the British-style trailing hose equipment used on the KB-29M.

Outside ofPusan, South Korea, Fifth Air Force fighter-bombers and light bombers continue working over Communist armor and infantry formations with machine guns, rockets, and napalm to support the UN perimeter.

SEPTEMBER 4 Over South Korea, a Sikor­sky H-5 helicopter piloted by Lieutenant Paul W. Van Boven performs the first res­cue mission of a pilot, Captain Robert E. Wayne, then downed behind enemy lines.

September 9 In order to retard the pos­sible arrival of Communist reinforce­ments to the Inchon landing site, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) Bomber Com­mand begins a rail interdiction effort north of Seoul, South Korea. Heavy and medium bombers begin hammering key marshalling yards and resupply points over the next week.

SEPTEMBER 15 At Inchon, South Korea, UN forces under General Douglas MacArthur stage a brilliant surprise landing behind enemy lines while medium bomb­ers and fighters of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) strike at targets near Pusan to assist the forthcoming breakout.

September 15—18 At Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, 180 F-84Es of the 27th Escort Fighter Wing begin flying in relays to airfields in West Germany. The next wave completes the move on October 15-28.

September 16 The USAF Research and Development Command is redesignated the Air Research and Development Center (ARDC).

At Pusan, South Korea, the Eighth Army breaks through encircling North Korean unit and moves up the peninsula, closely supported by Fifth Air Force fight­ers and bombers. Communist forces retreat helter-skelter to avoid being cut off.

SEPTEMBER 17 Near the Naktong River, South Korea, Fifth Air Force F-51s and

F-80s drop napalm on retreating North Korean columns, killing hundreds of enemy troops.

Over North Korea, the Far East Air Forces begins a psychological campaign by dropping four million leaflets over the battered inhabitants.

September 18 For a second time, 42 B-29s from the 92nd and 98th Bombard­ment Groups, Far East Air Forces (FEAF), carpet bomb North Korean troop concentrations in and around Waegwan, removing a major obstacle to the Eighth Army’s surging offensive.

The third anniversary of the U. S. Air Force as an independent service finds it deeply immersed in the first armed con­flict of the Cold War.

September 19—20 Over South Korea, the Combat Cargo Command begins air­lifting men and supplies to Kimpo Air Base, Seoul, with a force of 32 C-54 Sky – masters. These operations are flown around the clock to supply the surging UN offensive underway.

September 21 Outside Pusan, South Korea, Air Force T-6 Mosquitos observe a column of 30 North Korean tanks advancing upon the U. S. 24th Infantry Division, and direct the requisite air strikes to thwart them; 14 tanks are destroyed and the rest flee in confusion.

SEPTEMBER 22 Operation Fox Able Four unfolds as Colonel David Schilling flies the first nonstop transit over the Atlantic Ocean by touching down safely at RAF Manston in Kent, England. The flight from Limestone, Maine took 10 hours, covered 3,000 miles, and required three in-flight refuelings. However, wingman Lieutenant Colonel William D. Ritchie ran out of fuel over Labrador and ejected; Schilling wins the Mackay Trophy for his efforts.

This reconnaissance photograph taken in 1952 depicts a power plant made unserviceable by United Nations Command (UNC) warplane attacks. The campaign against North Korean hydroelectric plants in the summer of 1952 was launched by the Far East Air Force in the hope of forcing the Communists to accept UNC truce terms. (National Archives)

Over Kunsan, South Korea, a T-6 Mosquito flown by Lieutenant George W. Nelson drops leaflets to a body of North Korean troops, urging that they surrender or face annihilation. The Com­munists comply by moving to a designated position, where they surrender to UN forces.

September 23 At Pusan, South Korea, the headquarters of the Fifth Air Force packs up and relocates to Taegu to be closer to the front.

An SB-17 from the 3rd Air Rescue Squadron makes the first recorded classi­fied flight during the Korean War.

September 26 Fifth Air Force fighters and bombers continue supporting the UN drive northward towards the 38th Parallel as they unite at Osan.

Over Haeju, North Korea, a force of 20 B-29s from the 22nd Bomb Group attack and destroy a munitions factory and a power plant. A hydroelectric plant at Pujon is also bombed by another group of B-29s. These raids conclude the Far East Air Forces’ (FEAF) first strategic bombing campaign.

September 27 In Washington, D. C., the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) decides to halt further strategic raids against North Korea for want of suitable targets.

SEPTEMBER 28 Over Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, a research balloon car­ries eight white mice to an altitude of 97,000 feet, then returns them unharmed.

At Yokota Air Base, Japan, the first three RB-45C Tornado reconnaissance jets arrive for duty with Far East Air Forces (FEAF). Officially, they are known simply as Detachment A, 84th Bomb Squadron.

September 29 Over Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, Captain Richard V. Wheeler performs a record parachute jump from 42,449 feet and lands unscathed.

OCTOBER 2 Over Nanam, North Korea, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-29s carpet bomb North Korean troop training facilities to retard enemy attempts at rein­forcements.

At Taegu, South Korea, the 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (TRS) is the first such unit deployed at K-2 airfield.

OCTOBER 6 As of this date, headquarters Far East Air Forces (FEAF) assumes con­trol of all UN land-based aircraft, includ­ing several U. S. Marine Corps squadrons flying out of Kimpo.

In South Korea, No. 2 Squadron, South African Air Force deploys under the aegis of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF).

Outside of Seoul, South Korea, the Marine Corps relinquishes control of Kimpo Airfield, which was captured earlier in September.

Over Kan-Ni, North Korea, 18 Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-29s attack a Commu­nist arsenal while FEAF headquarters also orders attacks against bridges south of Pyongyang and Wonsan halted.

OCTOBER 8 The Air Force receives a new shipment of modified and more reliable Razon radio-controlled guided bombs, and bombing missions with them resume.

Over North Korea, two F-80 Shooting Stars accidentally cross the border and strafe a Soviet airfield near Vladivostok. An enraged Air Force Chief of Staff Hoyt S. Vandenberg orders the two pilots court – martialed and the group commander relieved.

October 10 In the United States, the first Air National Guard units are mobi­lized for service in Korea. Ultimately, 66 such units, representing 45,000 person­nel, will be deployed there.

In Europe, Lieutenant General Lauris Norstad gains appointment as com­mander of United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE).

OCTOBER 15 At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, the Air Force com­mences the B-47 phase-out program by retiring the first of its RB-47Es.

OCTOBER 20 Over Pyongyang, North Korea, over 100 C-47 and C-119s trans­port aircraft convey 4,000 Army para­troopers and their supplies on a battlefield drop 30 miles north of the Communist capital.

OCTOBER 25 In Tokyo, Japan, head­quarters Far East Air Forces (FEAF), halts all B-29 air raids due to a lack of strategic targets in North Korea. However, all restrictions are lifted on medium bombers and fighters so that they can provide close support missions up to the Manchurian border.

Over Korea, the Combat Cargo Com­mand establishes a new daily record of 1,767 tons lifted and delivered.

In an ominous development, Commu­nist China decides to enter the Korean War and begins infiltrating thousands of troops across the Yalu River.

OCTOBER 26 Over North Korea, C-119s of the Combat Cargo Command deliver 28 tons of ammunition and supplies to troops isolated on the battlefield.

OCTOBER 28 In Europe, F-84s of the 27th Fighter Escort Wing finish deploying from the United States. This first-ever mass transfer ofjet aircraft across the Atlantic wins the Mackay Trophy.

NOVEMBER 2 At Yokota Air Base, Japan, the first RB-45C reconnaissance mission is flown over North Korea.

NOVEMBER 4 Over Chongju, North Korea, Fifth Air Force B-26s provide close air support to Eighth Army troops, killing hundreds of Communist soldiers.

NOVEMBER 5 Over Kanggye, North Korea, 21 B-29s from the 19th Bomb Group drop 170 tons of incendiaries and destroy 65 percent of the central sector. This target is only 20 miles south of the Manchurian border and marks the begin­ning of a new strategy by Bomber Com­mand.

NOVEMBER 8 Over Sinuiju, North Korea, the largest incendiary raid of the Korean War unfolds as 70 B-29s drop 580 tons of fire ordnance directly next to the Chinese border. Various bridges along the Yalu River are also bombed for the first time.

Near the Manchurian border, Soviet – piloted MiG-15 jets, sporting North Korean markings, engage a flight of Air Force F-80 Shooting Stars for the first time. Lieutenant Russell J. Brown is credited with downing the first Commu­nist jet in combat, although postwar records suggest that the MiG, while dam­aged, managed to return to base.

NOVEMBER 9 Over North Korea, B-29 tail gunner Airman Harry J. LaVerne shoots down the first MiG lost to a heavy bomber. However, LaVerne’s own aircraft is heavily damaged in the exchange and it crashes in Japan, killing five crewmen.

November 10 The effectiveness of the MiG-15’s bomber-killing cannon arma­ment is underscored this day when a B-29 of the 307th Bombardment Group is brought down near the Yalu River. The crew manages to parachute to safety and spends the rest ofthe war as prisoners.

November 18 Jets of the 35th Fighter Interceptor Group (FIG) transfer from their base in South Korea to Yonpo air­field outside Hungnam, North Korea. This enables them to fly and fight much closer to the front lines.

NOVEMBER 19 Over Musan, North Korea, 50 B-26 Invaders stage the first – ever mass light bomber attack when they dump incendiaries and destroy most of the town’s barracks complex.

NOVEMBER 23 Over North Korea, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-29s hammer Communist communications, bridges, and supply centers while Fifth Air Force fighters and medium bombers provide close support missions for UN troops. Transports of the Combat Cargo

Command also redouble their efforts as General Douglas MacArthur begins his final drive to the Yalu River.

NOVEMBER 25 In North Korea, Chinese Communist forces launch a massive counteroffensive that begins pushing UN forces back down the peninsula.

In Japan, a C-47 detachment from the Royal Hellenic Air Force arrives for duty and is subordinated to the Far East Air Forces (FEAF).

NOVEMBER 26 Over North Korea, as mass Chinese forces bear down on the Eighth Army and the X Corps, B-26 Invaders begin flying their first close air support missions at night.

NOVEMBER 28 Over North Korea, radar-equipped B-26 Invaders begin safely dropping bombs within 1,000 yards of UN lines for the first time.

Transports of the Combat Cargo Command begin evacuating hundreds of wounded and frostbitten marines from the Chosin region of North Korea while also dropping 1,600 tons of equipment and supplies to the front lines.

December 4 Over Sinuiju, North Korea, the world’s first jet bomber interception unfolds as a flight of Soviet-piloted MiG-15s down an RB-45C Tornado on a reconnaissance mission.

December 5 This day C-47s of the Royal Hellenic Air Force begin flying with the Combat Cargo Command to supply UN forces in northeastern North Korea; most missions start and begin at a frozen airstrip at Hagaru-ri.

December 6 At Itazuke, Japan, F-84s of the 27th Fighter Escort Wing begin flying close ground support missions to North Korea and back.

December 7 Over North Korea, B-29s of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) pound Communist troop concentrations near the Changjin Reservoir as marines and army troops prepare to break out of an encircle­ment. Crude airstrips are continually being built as they retreat to accommodate trans­ports of the Combat Cargo Command.

Near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea, eight C-119 Flying Boxcars para­chute several bridge spans to U. S. forces so that they can cross a 1,500-foot-deep gorge. This is also the first time that a com­plete bridge has been airdropped.

DECEMBER 14 Over Huichon, North Korea, Air Force planes drop the first six-ton Tarzon bomb near a railroad tun­nel. Like its predecessor, the Razon, this device fails to live up to expectations.

December 14—17 Near Hamhung, North Korea, transports of Combat Cargo Com­mand begin a three-day aerial evacuation, lifting 228 patients, 3,891 passengers, and 20,088 tons of cargo to safety as Chinese forces begin closing in on the airfield.

December 15 In response to the MiG – 15’s appearance over North Korea, the 4th Fighter Interceptor Group (FIG) deploys the F-86 Sabrejets to Japan as a counter. The stage is now set for a classical aerial encounter.

B-29s of Bomber Command begin a new series of zone interdiction raids to stop surging Chinese forces in North Korea.

DECEMBER 17 Over North Korea, the F- 86 Sabrejet draws first blood when

Lieutenant Colonel Bruce H. Hinton shoots down a MiG-15. This is the first aerial victory between swept-wing jets in aviation history.

December 20 At Kimpo, South Korea, Operation kidlift commences as 12 C – 54s of the 61st Troop Carrier Group begin lifting Korean orphans to an island offthe coast of Pusan.

December 22 Over North Korea, six Russian-piloted MiG-15s fall to the guns of one Navy and five Air Force jet fight­ers; this is also the highest daily victory toll for a single day since June. However, one F-86 is also shot down for the first time.

At Seoul, South Korea, headquarters, Fifth Air Force, relocates back to Taegu as Chinese forces advance upon the city from the north.

December 23 In a daring move, 3 H-5 helicopters evacuate 11 U. S. and 24 South Korean soldiers trapped eight miles behind enemy lines.

December 24 At Hungnam, North Korea, the last of 105,000 troops belong­ing to X Corps, along with 91,000 civil­ians, are evacuated as B-26s bombers and Navy gunfire pin down advancing Chinese forces.

December 29 From Taegu, South Korea, the first RF-51 reconnaissance missions are staged. Though slower than RF-80s, the Mustangs have greater range and endurance in the air.

JANUARY 1 The Air Defense Command (ADC), having been previously abolished,

is restored under General Ennis C. Whitehead.

In South Korea, as half a million massed Chinese and North Korean forces pour over the 38th Parallel, they are heavily racked by fighters and bombers of the Fifth Air Force.

JANUARY 2 Over South Korea, flares dropped by a C-27 transport illuminate target areas for B-26 and F-82 night attacks on Communist troop concentra­tions and supply lines.

JANUARY 3—5 Pyongyang, North Korea, is staggered by 60 Bomber Command B – 29s which drop 650 tons of incendiaries on the city; a follow-up raid is launched two days later. This day Far East Air Forces (FEAF) also achieve a one-day record by mounting 958 combat sorties.

JANUARY 4 Near Seoul, South Korea, the last remaining Air Force planes evacuate Kimpo Airfield for the second time in six months as Chinese forces approach the city. The landing strip is then heavily bombed to preclude any possible use by the enemy.

JANUARY 6 Over South Korea, transports of the Combat Cargo Command finish resupplying the U. S. 2nd Infantry Divi­sion as it fights to prevent a Chinese breakthrough in UN lines.

JANUARY 10 In Tokyo, Japan, Brigadier General James E. Briggs gains appointment as the new head of Bomber Command. The Strategic Air Command (SAC) has mandated that new commanders will be rotated every four months to grant wartime experience to as many senior leaders as possible.

JANUARY 12 Over South Korea, Far East Air Forces B-29s attack massed Commu­nist troops with 500-pound bombs fuzed for aboveground airbursts, and the ensuing shower ofsteel fragments staggers their formations.

JANUARY 13 Over Kanggye, North Korea, a Far East Air Forces B-29 drops a six-ton Tarzon bomb on an enemy bridge, scoring a direct hit and destroying 60 feet of the structure.

JANUARY 16 At RAF Lakenheath, England, six B-36 Peacekeepers complete a nonstop 7,000-mile deployment from Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas.

Project MS-1593 is initiated by the Air Force and Convair to acquire a viable intercontinental ballistic weapon; in time it emerges as the Atlas missile.

January 17 At Taegu, South Korea, F-86 Sabres are redeployed on the penin­sula, only this time as fighter-bombers for close support missions.

JANUARY 17—18 Over South Korea, Combat Cargo Command launches 109 C-119 missions, which drop 550 tons of supplies and ammunition to UN forces on the front lines.

JANUARY 19 Because the Communist forces have greatly overextended their supply lines in their drive south, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) commences an exten­sive aerial interdiction campaign to deny them badly needed supplies and rein­forcements.

JANUARY 21 Over North Korea, a big dogfight results in the loss of one F-86 and one F-84 to MiG-15s. However, Lieutenant Colonel William E. Bertram scores the first MiG-15 kill by an F-84.

JANUARY 23 Over Sinuiju, North Korea, an attack by 33 F-84s stirs a large number of MiG-15s from across the Yalu River, resulting in a 30-minute dogfight. This time, the Thunderjets get the better of it, downing three MIGs.

A combined force of 21 B-29s and 46 F-80s attack antiaircraft emplacements and airfields, heavily damaging both.

January 25-February 9 In South Korea, Operation thunderbolt unfolds as UN forces counterattack in an attempt to recapture Inchon and the Suwon air­field. They are assisted by 70 C-119s of Combat Cargo Command, which deliver 1,162 tons of supplies as they advance.

January 26 Over South Korea, a C-47 heavily rigged with radios can maintain contact with all T-6 Mosquito aircraft and coordinate their efforts. This is an early attempt to field an airborne com­mand and control center.

January 31 At Yonan, South Korea, an aircraft of the 21st Tactical Control Squadron drops off an agent just south of the 38th Parallel; this is the first spy mis­sion of its kind in this war.

February 8 Throughout North Korea, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) aircraft mount a concerted effort to sever all rail lines in northeastern reaches of the peninsula.

In Tokyo, Japan, Brigadier General John P. Henebry becomes commander of the 315th Air Division, and responsible for all airlift operations in this theater.

February 13 Over South Korea, trans­ports of the 315th Air Division relocate over 800 wounded soldiers from the front lines to facilities at Taegu and Pusan. However, this movement tied up so many C-47s that routine supply functions were impossible.

February 13-16 At Chipyong-ni, South Korea, as 3 Chinese divisions sur­round the U. S. 23rd Infantry and a

French battalion, 100 Air Force transports support the latter by dropping 420 tons of supplies and ammunition. They are further assisted by fighters and bombers ofthe Fifth Air Force, which provide close air support to the troops, and by H-5 helicopters, which help evacuate wounded men despite subfreezing weather and strong wind.

FEBRUARY 16 In South Korea, the Army begins using the L-19 Bird Dog as an artillery spotter, thereby reliving Air Force aircraft to perform other missions.

FEBRUARY 17-18 Over North Korea, the B-29 bombing raid employs shoran for the first time. This is a navigation system utiliz­ing an airborne radar receiver and two ground beacons to plot accurate bombing.

February 23 Over South Korea, Bomber Command B-29s begin using MPQ-2 radar for accurately bombing a highway bridge near Seoul.

February 24 Over South Korea, trans­ports of the Combat Cargo Command deliver a record 33 tons of supplies to UN forces on the front lines. C-119 Fly­ing Boxcars again distinguish themselves for flying the bulk of these sorties.

MARCH 1 Over North Korea, a force of 22 F-80s, sent to escort a force of 18 B – 29s over a target, miss their rendezvous and have to return to base. The bombers continue on and are attacked by Com­munist MiGs, who damage 10 of them, 3 so badly that they make forced landings in South Korea.

In Greenland, the Air Force opens Thule Air Base, which is 690 miles north ofthe Arctic Circle and the northernmost American air facility.

MARCH 4 Over South Korea, 15 C-119s provide the 1st Marine Division with 260 tons of supplies; this is also the largest single drop of the month.

MARCH 6 Over North Korea, F-86 Sab – rejets begin patrolling along the Yalu River for the first time in several months.

MARCH 14 As Communist forces evacu­ate Seoul, South Korea, Fifth Air Force B-26s drop tetrahedral metal spikes to puncture enemy truck tires.

MARCH 15 In a significant development, a B-47 Stratojet is refueled in midair by a KC-97A tanker for the first time. This endows the B-47 with the range of a strategic bomber.

MARCH 16 Over all of Korea, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) aircraft perform a record 1,123 sorties.

MARCH 20 At South Ruislip, England, the 7th Division, Strategic Air Command (SAC) establishes its headquarters.

MARCH 23 Northwest of Seoul, South Korea, Operation tomahawk unfolds as 120 C-119s and C-46s, escorted by 12 F-51s, drop the 187th Airborne Regi­mental Combat Team and two Ranger Battalions behind enemy lines. This trans­fer of 3,400 men and 220 tons of supplies behind enemy lines is the largest single airborne operation of the conflict.

Over northwestern Korea, a force of 22 B-29s from the 19th and 307th Bomb Groups, escorted by 45 F-86 Sabrejets, bomb two bridges used for supply pur­poses.

MARCH 24 In South Korea, the Air Force deploys its H-19 Chickasaw helicopters for the first time; this vehicle is considerably larger than the H-5 it replaces, with greater range and carrying capacity.

MARCH 29 Over North Korea, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) B-29s attack bridges spanning the Yalu River as the ice begins to thaw.

April 2 Major General David M. Schlatter gains appointment as head of the new Air Research and Development Command (ARDC).

April 3 Southeast of Pyongyang, North Korea, a service-test YH-19 Chickasaw helicopter of the 3rd Air Rescue Squad­ron saves a downed F-51 pilot while under Communist fire.

April 6 In Washington, D. C., the Labor Department reveals that the number of people working in aircraft construction fields has risen to 100,000 during the first six months of the Korean conflict.

April 9 At India, California, an F-51 flown by aviatrix Jacqueline Cochran sets a woman’s speed record of 469.5 miles per hour over a 16-mile course. This is her fifth such aviation record in piston – powered aircraft.

April 12 Over Sinuiju, North Korea, a force of 46 B-29s, escorted by 100 fighters, attacks the Yalu River Bridge until they are set upon by 100 MiG-15s. The latter shoot down three bombers and damage seven more for a loss of seven MiGs. The F-86s also claim four more Communist craft for a total of 11, although the bridge is not destroyed.

April 17 In North Korea, Warrant Officer Donald Nicholas leads a special operations team that recovers parts of a MiG-15 wreckage and other technical information; he receives the Distin­guished Service Cross.

April 18 At Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, a monkey accompanies an Aerorocket into space but fails to survive the return trip to Earth.

April 19 In South Korea, the first refur­bished C-119 Boxcars, modified and reconditioned after a hiatus of several weeks, are returned to combat operations.

APRIL 21 The Fairchild XC-123 Pro­vider, a four-jet version of the propeller – driven design, flies for the first time. It does not enter production but does re­present the first U. S. jet transport.

April 23 Over South Korea, Far East Air

Forces (FEAF) aircraft complete 340 close support missions, one of the highest totals ever. Meanwhile, F-86 Sabrejets are deployed to Suwon airfield to cut down flying time to “MiG Alley” along the Yalu River.

April 23—26 Over this three-day period, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) aircraft
perform 1,000 combat sorties in support of UN ground forces in the face of a mas­sive Chinese offensive.

April 30 Aircraft of the Fifth Air Force reach a new daily total of 960 combat sorties.

May 9 In northwestern North Korea, aircraft of the Fifth Air Force and the 1st Marine Air Wing commit one ofthe larg­est joint counterair efforts of the war by launching 300 sorties against Sinuiju airfield.

May 16—26 For 10 straight days, trans­port aircraft based in Japan fly in an aver­age of 1,000 tons of supplies and ammunition per day to UN forces locked in combat with Chinese troops in South Korea.

May 17—22 Over North Korea, B-29s from Bomber Command fly 94 close sup­port missions for UN ground forces, mostly at night.

May 20 Over North Korea, F-86 pilot Captain James Jabara downs his fifth MiG-15, becoming the world’s first all­jet ace.

In Tokyo, Japan, Major General George E. Stratemeyer, commanding the Far East Air Forces (FEAF), is sidelined by a heart attack. He is replaced by Major General Earle E. Partridge.

May 21 In Tokyo, Japan, Major General Edward J. Timberlake is appointed the new commander of the Fifth Air Force.

May 27—28 Over North Korea, C-47s drop thousands of leaflets calling upon enemy troops to surrender to the U. S. Army IX Corps. Over 4,000 Communist troops do come over and report that morale is very low due to incessant air strikes.

May 31 Over North Korea, Operation strangle unfolds as the Fifth Air Force makes a concerted effort to interdict all Communist supply lines by air.

June At Edwards Air Force Base, Califor­nia, the Air Force Flight Test Center for­mally opens for business.

June 1 In the United States, aeromedical

researcher Major John P. Strapp subjects himself to rapid acceleration on a series of rocket-powered sleds to examine how well human bodies can adapt to high G forces. He survives unhurt and prelimi­nary results suggest that high rates are more survivable than medical science had believed.

In Tokyo, Japan, Major General Frank K. Everest gains appointment as com­mander of the Fifth Air Force.

June 3 Over South Korea, two C-119 Flying Boxcars are accidentally shot down by friendly ground fire during an air supply effort. New procedures for air­craft identification are the result of this accident.

June 10 In Tokyo, Japan, Lieutenant General Otto P. Weyland gains appoint­ment as the new commander of Far East Air Forces (FEAF).

June 20 Over Edwards Air Force Base, California, the Bell X-5 variable-sweep (moveable) wing research jet takes to the skies for the first time.

The Marin B-61 Matador, a mobile tactical missile, is launched successfully for the first time.

June 25 At Tullahoma, Tennessee, the Arnold Engineering Development Center is dedicated by President Harry S. Truman.

July 1 Over South Korea, Colonel Karl

L. Polifka, commander of the 67 th Tacti­cal Reconnaissance Wing, is killed after his F-51 is struck by enemy ground fire and his parachute snags the aircraft’s tail.

July 6 Over North Korea, a KB-29M from the Air Materiel Command, crewed and flown by a SAC crew from the 43rd Air Refueling Squadron, conducts the first aerial refueling exercise over hostile territory when it tanks up four RF-80 Shooting Stars on a reconnaissance mission.

July 14 In light of Cold War tensions and paranoia, the Ground Observer Corp begins an around-the-clock skywatch of the United States.

July 30 Over North Korea, a major air raid unfolds as 91 F-80s attack enemy air defenses while 354 Marine Corps and Air Force fighter-bombers attack ground tar­gets. The Joint Chiefs of Staff declines to release information about this air strike to avoid any negative publicity during peace negotiations with Communist leaders.

AUGUST 17 Over Detroit, Michigan, Colonel Fred J. Ascani sets a new world speed record of 635.6 miles per hour in his F-86E Sabrejet. He wins both the National Air Race and a Mackay Trophy.

AUGUST 18 At Detroit, Michigan, an F- 86A flown by Colonel Keith Compton finishes first in the Bendix Trophy trans­continental race by arriving from Muroc, California, in 3 hours and 27 minutes. His average speed is 553.8 miles per hour.

Over North Korea, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) extends Operation strangle air strikes to include Communist railroads and marshalling facilities.

AUGUST 24 In Washington, D. C., Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenberg declares that testing of tacti­cal nuclear weapons capable ofbeing car­ried by jet fighters had been accomplished the previous February.

AuGUST 24—25 Over this two-day period, Fifth Air Force B-26s claim to have destroyed over 800 Communist trucks during various intruder (nighttime) attacks.

AUGUST 25 Over Rashin, North Korea, 55 B-29 bombers drop 800 tons ofbombs on marshalling yards less than 20 miles from the Soviet border. They are escorted by Navy fighters, but no resistance is encountered.

AUGUST 28 The Lockheed XC-130 is declared the winner of an Air Force com­petition to secure a turboprop-powered transport. This enters service as the C – 130 Hercules, which is still widely employed around the world to present times.

September 5 The firm Convair con­tracts with the Air Force to modify a B-36 to utilize a small nuclear reactor as a power source. General Electric is also signed to construct the actual reactor. The NB-36H flies in 1955, but it is cancelled due to a host of unre­solvable technical and environmental issues.

SEPTEMBER 9 Over Sinuiju, North Korea, a force of28 F-86s is attacked by 70 MiG-15s but, the odds notwithstand­ing, Captains Richard S. Becker and Ralph D. Gibson both flame a MiG, bringing the total of all-jet fighter aces to three.

September 13 At Cocoa, Florida, the Air Force creates the first pilotless bomber squadron at the Missile Test Center.

September 14 During a night intruder flight, Captain John S. Wamsley, Jr., expends all his weapons attacking an enemy train, then lights it up with an experimental searchlight on his wing. The target is illuminated and destroyed by another B-26, but Wamsley’s B-26 is shot down and he and two crewmen are killed; he wins a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor.

September 20 During a second attempt, Air Force scientists launch a monkey and 11 mice on an Aerobee rocket, which reaches an altitude of 230,000 feet, and returns all the animals safely back to Earth.

September 23 Over Suchon, North Korea, eight shoran-guided B-29s bomb and severely damage a rail bridge over the Yalu River.

SEPTEMBER 25 Over Sinuiju, North Korea, a force of 36 F-86 Sabrejets is jumped by an estimated 100 MiG-15s

but, despite the odds, the Americans down 5 Communist aircraft.

SEPTEMBER 27 Over South Korea, Opera­tion pelican unfolds as a service-test C-124 Globemaster II successfully delivers 30,000 pounds of aircraft parts to Kimpo Airfield. The C-124 enjoys a highly successful career in the postwar period.

September 28 Over Korea, an RF-80 completes a 14-hour and 15-minute reconnaissance mission, during which time it was refueled several times by two RB-29M tankers.

SEPTEMBER 30 In Tokyo, Japan, General Joe W. Kelly gains appointment as head of Bomber Command.

OCTOBER 16 Over North Korea, F-86s of the Fifth Air Force down nine MiG – 15s in their largest single-day combat record to date.

OCTOBER 22 This day, two SA-16 Alba­trosses rescue the 12-man crew of a B-29 that crashed at sea; this is the largest total saved in a single day.

OCTOBER 23 At MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, the first production B-47 Strato – jet is received by the 306th Bombard­ment Wing. The B-47 serves capably as a nuclear attack bomber for a decade.

Over North Korea, a huge air battle erupts as MiG-15s intercept a large B-29 force escorted by F-84s. Three of the bombers and one of the Thunderjets go down in exchange for five MiGs.

NOVEMBER 4 Over Sinuiju, North Korea, a force of34 F-86 Sabrejets tangle with an estimated 60 MiG-15s; the Americans down 2 Communist craft and damage 3 more.

November 9 A C-47 makes a perilous landing on the beaches ofPaengnyong – do Island, off southwestern North Korea, where it rescues 11 members ofa downed B-29 bomber.

NOVEMBER 16 Over North Korea, Fifth Air Force fighter-bombers continue to attack Communist rail lines across the country, as well as bridges, gun emplace­ments, warehouses, supply dumps, and freight cars.

NOVEMBER 30 Over North Korea, a large Communist aerial force is inter­cepted by F-86s who shoot down twelve bombers and damage three more. Major George A. Dais, Jr., becomes the first man to become an ace in both World War II and Korea.

DECEMBER 13 Over Sinanju, North Korea, a force of 29 Sabres encounters 75 MiG-15s, and claims to have shot down 9. Victories in other aerial battles raise the Air Force tally to 13 for the day.

DECEMBER 27 Over North Korea, Far East Air Forces (FEAF) aircraft complete 900 sorties, attacking locomotives, rail cars, buildings, vehicles—in sum, any­thing of use to the enemy. This is also the greatest number of missions flown for the month.

JANUARY 7 In Washington, D. C., the

Air Force declares that it is planning to

enlarge its combat strength by 50 percent, or 143 operational wings and 1.27 million

men. In May 1953, following the onset of peace in Korea, this will be pared down to 120 wings.

JANUARY 8—13 In the United States,

Exercise snowfall unfolds as 100 trans­ports of the 516th Troop Carrier Wing airlift 8,600 troops and their equipment from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to Wheeler-Sack Airfield, New York. This marks one of the largest peacetime troop airlifts to date.

JANUARY 12 Over North Korea, three F – 84 Thunderjets manage to trap several Communist supply trains by bombing the entrance to a tunnel shut. The jets then systematically attack and destroy two locomotives and a series ofboxcars.

FEBRUARY 1 The Air Force acquires a

Univac I, a high-speed digital computer based on vacuum-tube technology.

FEBRUARY 9 Over North Korea, 10 medium bombers use radar technology to accurately drop 10 tons of 500-pound bombs on the Chongju rail bridge bypass.

FEBRUARY 10 Along the Manchurian border, a patrol of 18 F-86E Sabrejets led by Major George A. Davis encounters a flight of 12 MiG-15s and gives battle. Davis downs two Communist craft but is himself shot down and killed; his final tally is 14 jets and he receives a Congressional Medal of Honor.

FEBRUARY 20 In Washington, D. C., President Harry S. Truman appoints former lieutenant generalJames H. “Jimmy” Doo­little as head of a presidential commission tasked with helping to relieve airport con­gestion at large American cities.

MARCH Throughout the month, the Rocket Engine Advancement Program (REAP) is initiated by the Air Force to acquire the best combination of liquid oxygen and hydrocarbon fuels for rocket propulsion. In consequence, better for­mulas are employed for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) like the Atlas when they arrive a few years hence.

MARCH 3 Over North Korea, the Air Force commences Operation saturate, a round-the-clock aerial interdiction of Communist supply lines.

MARCH 11 Over North Korea, Air Force aircraft unload 150 tons of bombs and 15,000 gallons of napalm over a four­square-mile training and supply storage area.

MARCH 19 In California, the F-86F Sab – rejet flies for the first time. This enhanced version is equipped with all-power tail surfaces and modified wing leading edges for improved performance at high alti­tudes. Previously, the MiG-15 exhibited better characteristics above 30,000 feet.

MARCH 25 Over North Korea, Fifth Air Force aircraft perform 959 interdiction strikes on rail and highway targets stretch­ing from Sinanju to Chongju.

April 1 The Air Force changes its rank structure by discarding inherited Army grades private first class, corporal, and buck sergeant, to a comparable airman third, second, and first class.

Over North Korea, Fifth Air Force F – 86 Sabrejets down ten MiG-15s for the loss of one F-86; Colonel Francis “Gabby” Gabreski bags a MiG to become the eighth all-jet ace of the conflict.

April 10 In Japan, Brigadier General Chester E. McCarthy assumes command of the 315th Air Division for the rest of the Korean War.

April 18 At Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, the Convair YB-60 prototype flies for the first time. This giant craft is a jet – powered version of the B-36, but it fails to go into production.

April 29—30 Tragedy strikes as the 315th Air Division loses a C-47, a C-119, and a C-46 in 48 hours. A total of 16 people are killed, the greatest loss sustain by the divi­sion in the first half of the year.

May 3 At the North Pole, a ski-equipped C-47 flown by Lieutenant Colonels William Benedict and Joseph Fletcher makes the first successful landing there.

May 7 A B-29 bomber launches the Lockheed X-7 air-powered ramjet for the first time. In time this program evolves into the Bomarc antiaircraft missile.

May 8 Over North Korea, the Fifth Air Force musters 465 fighter-bomber sorties against a large ammunition depot south­east of Pyongyang. This is the largest sin­gle attack of its kind since the war commenced, and over 200 buildings, vehicles, and structures are destroyed or damaged. An F-86 is shot down while dive bombing, being the first Sabrejet lost in this fashion.

May 16—17 In Japan, 2,361 members of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team are rushed to Pusan, South Korea, by C-119s, C-54s, and C-46s of the Combat Cargo Command. They are needed to help quell a prisoner insurrec­tion at Koje-do.

June 23 Over North Korea, a strike force of fighter-bombers and F-86 escorts attacks the Sui-ho hydroelectric power complex, severely damaging that vital installation.

June 24 In the Korean theater, aircraft of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) complete 1,000 sorties, its highest-ever daily tally. Many of these missions are redirected at the Sui-ho hydroelectric facilities, which sustains additional damage.

July 3 In South Korea, the first opera­tional C-124 Globemaster II arrives for active duty.

Over North Korea, C-47 transports drop 22 million leaflets as part of a psychological warfare strategy.

July 4 Over North Korea, a large MiG force tangles with 50 F-86s and 70 F- 84s escorting a fighter-bomber force. Fifth Air Force pilots down 13 Com­munist craft at a cost of 2 Sabrejets, but the MiG-15s break through the fighter screen and effectively disrupt the bombing raid.

July 4—17 A force of 58 F-84Gs under Colonel David C. Schilling stage the first successful transpacific crossing by jet fighters. The mission covers 10,895 miles and requires seven ground stops and two in-flight refuelings.

July 10 Commencing this date and continuing over the next three weeks, transports of the 315th Air Division transfer the entire 474th Fighter Bomber Wing from Misawa, Japan, to Kunsan, South Korea. This represents the largest aerial unit transported by air to date.

July 1 Over North Korea, Operation

pressure pump unfolds as the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) mounts a maximum effort against 30 targets in and around the Com­munist capital of Pyongyang. Not only is this the largest single strike of the war, but the Ministry of Industry building is destroyed in its entirety.

July 13-31 At Prestwick, Scotland, two Sikorsky H-19 helicopters complete the first transatlantic crossing by flying in from Westover Field, Massachusetts. The aircraft in question have been named Hop-A-Long and Whirl-O-Way.

July 29 At Yokota Air Base, Japan, an RB-45C Tornado flown by Majors Louis H. Carrington and Frederic W. Shook and Captain Wallace D. Yancey com­pletes the first nonstop, transpacific flight from Elmendorf, Alaska. They covered 3,640 miles in 9 hours and 50 minutes, winning a Mackay Trophy.

July 30-31 Over North Korea, a force of 60 B-29s pounds the Oriental Light Metals Company into ruins during a highly effec­tive nighttime raid. No aircraft are lost despite the fact they approach to within four miles of the Yalu River.

AUGUST 6 A major dogfight erupts over North Korea with 34 F-86 Sabrejets en­gaging 52 MiG-15s, with the Americans downing 6 of the latter.

AUGUST 8 This day, Fifth Air Force fighters complete 285 close support mis­sions, the highest daily total for the entire month. That evening B-26 bombers equipped with megaphone systems fly propaganda missions for four hours over enemy positions.

AUGUST 22-23 Over North Korea, three specially equipped C-47s fly propaganda broadcast sorties over enemy positions as UN forces increase their emphasis on psychological warfare.

AUGUST 29 Pyongyang, North Korea, is struck by one of the largest air raids of the war, with 1,400 ground sorties covered by F-86 Sabrejets and Australian Meteors. The action was requested by the

U. S. State Department, which wished for it to coincide with a visit by Chinese for­eign minister Zhou Enlai to Moscow; three UN aircraft are shot down.

SEPTEMBER 3-4 Over North Korea, B – 29s complete 52 sorties, mostly against the Chosin hydroelectric power plant.

SEPTEMBER 4 North of the Chongchon River, 75 Fifth Air Force F-84 fighter – bombers bomb various targets, which draws out a large number of MiG-15s from across the Yalu River. These are set upon by the escort of 39 F-86 Sabre- jets who shoot down a record 13 in one day. Major Frederick “Boots” Blesse downs his fifth MiG to become an ace, while four UN aircraft are lost.

SEPTEMBER 9 Over Sakchu, North Korea, 45 Fifth Air Force F-84s attack the military academy complex, losing three of their number to MiG-15s. Escorting F-86s manage to destroy five Communist craft at no loss to themselves.

SEPTEMBER 16 Over North Korea, B-26s flying a nighttime intruder mission employ new roadblock tactics against Communist road traffic; hence they end up destroying an estimated 100 vehicles.

September 19 Southwest of Hamhung, North Korea, a set of Communist supply areas are struck by 32 B-29s and their F – 86 escorts. This is also the first daylight raid by heavy bombers in 11 months. Pre-strike reconnaissance intelligence was gathered beforehand by an RB-45C Tornado.

SEPTEMBER 21 Over Pukchong, North Korea, an F-86 flown by Captain Robinson Risner downs two MiG-15s, making him the latest Air Force ace. He is helping to cover an air raid by 41 F-84 Thunderjets.

September 30 The Bell GAM-63 Rascal strategic missile is successfully test launched for the first time. However, it does not go into production.

OCTOBER 4 In Tokyo, Japan, Brigadier General William P. Fisher is directed to take charge ofBomber Command.

OCTOBER 8 Over eastern North Korea, 10 B-29s execute another daylight raid in concert with carrier-based Navy fighter-bombers.

Over Seoul, South Korea, Communist PO-2 biplanes begin making harassment raids at night, earning the nickname “Bedcheck Charlies.”

OCTOBER 20 Over California, the sleek Douglas X-3 Stiletto research jet flies for the first time. It is part of a pro­gram for testing titanium machining and construction, as well as the effect of short-span, low-aspect-ratio wings at high speed.

OCTOBER 31 On Eniwetok, Marshall Islands, the United States explodes the “Mike Shot,” a thermonuclear weapon equal to 10 million tons of TNT. This new device is roughly 1,000 times more powerful than the weapons that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

November 10 In Japan, the 315th Air Division crosses an important milestone after its transports evacuate the 250,000th patient from Korea.

NOVEMBER 12—13 Over Pyongyang, North Korea, six B-29s from the 98th Bomb Wing destroy four spans of the recently repaired railway bridges.

November 15 Over Japan, a C-119 Flying Boxcar crashes en route to South

Korea, killing all 40 crew and passengers on board.

November 19 Over the Salton Sea, California, an F-86D piloted by Captain J. Slade Nash streaks to a new world record of 698.5 miles per hour.

North American Aviation test fires its XLR-43-NA-3 rocket motor for the first time. This is the first American rocket capable of producing over 100,000 pounds of thrust and is a critical step in the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

NOVEMBER 22 Over North Korea, an F – 84 piloted by Major Charles J. Loring is struck by ground fire near Sniper Ridge, yet he deliberately crashes his aircraft into a Communist gun emplacement. He wins a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor.

November 26 The Northrop N-25

Snark, a turbojet-powered cruise mis­sile, is successfully test launched for the first time. When it becomes operational at the end of the decade as the B-62, it serves briefly as the nation’s first inter­continental ballistic missile (ICBM).

December 11 At Kunsan airfield, South Korea, a fully armed B-26 catches fire and explodes, wrecking three nearby B – 26s and damaging six F-84s.

December 16 The Tactical Air Com­mand (TAC) activates the first Air Force helicopter squadron, equipped with Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaws.

December 17 While patrolling near the Sui-ho Reservoir, two F-86s espy an Ilyushin IL-28 Beagle jet bomber escorted by two MiG-15s; one of the Sabrejets chases them back across the Yalu River.

JANUARY 1 In South Vietnam, the 71st Special Operations Squadron, an Air Force Reserve unit, flies the first AC – 119 Shadow gunship mission.

JANUARY 7 Northrop delivers it 1,000th T-38 Talon trainer to the Air Force.

FEBRUARY 4 At Edwards Air Force Base, the last surviving prototype XB-70 Val­kyrie departs to be put on display at the National Museum of the U. S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

February 9 A Titan IIIC rocket places TACSAT 1, the first tactical communica­tions satellite, into orbit. This device relays messages between land, sea, and airborne tactical stations.

FEBRUARY 24 Over Bien Hoa Province, South Vietnam, an AC-47 gunship is struck by antiaircraft fire and Airman 1st Class John L. Levitow, though severely wounded, throws a magnesium flare that is burning in the cabin out the cargo door. He receives a Congressional Medal of Honor.

March 3-19 The Apollo 9 space capsule conducts operational tests while in Earth orbit; the crew consists of Air Force colonels James A. McDivitt and David R. Scott and civilian Russell L. Schweickart.

MARCH 18 Over Cambodia, B-52 bombers begin covert bombing raids of Communist sanctuaries under the code­names of BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, and

snack; by the time they end in May 1970, 43,000 missions will have been launched.

April 4-10 As 72 F-4D Phantom IIs of the 49th Tactical Air Wing relocate from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to Hol­loman Air Force Base, New Mexico, they complete 504 aerial refuelings without mishap. The unit receives the Mackay Trophy for its efforts.

April 17 In California, the Martin X-24A lifting body piloted by Major Jerauld Gentry conducts its first glide test to validate the potential of reusable spacecraft.

May 14 In Ecuador, Operation combat mosquito unfolds as Air Force C-141s deliver 50 tons of pesticides to combat an outbreak of encephalitis. A pair of UC – 123s also begins a spraying project to destroy mosquito breeding grounds; the outbreak is contained within a month.

May 18—26 Apollo 10 becomes the sec­ond spacecraft to orbit the moon, and includes the Command and service mod­ules, plus the Lunar Extension Module (LEM). Air Force colonel Thomas stafford and Navy astronaut Eugene Cernan fly the LEM to within 5.5 miles above the moon’s surface as a dry run for Apollo 11.

May 21 The huge Lockheed C-5A Gal­axy sets a new gross liftoff weight of 728,100 pounds.

June The U. S. Air Force Aerial Demon­stration Squadron, or Thunderbirds, begins its new season flying F-4 Phantom II jets.

June 5 Over North Vietnam, Air Force bombers resume bombing raids, the first since the previous November.

July 1 In Southeast Asia, the Air Force Air Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS) flies its 2,500th mission.

July 8 In South Vietnam, Air Force C-141 Starlifters begin the withdrawal of 25,000 U. S. combat troops in accordance with President Richard M. Nixon’s Vietnamiza – tion policies. The first wave is landed at McChord Air Force Base, Washington.

July 20 The Apollo 11 Lunar Extension Module (LEM) lands successfully on the surface of the moon and Navy astronaut Neil A. Armstrong becomes the first human to leave a footprint there. He is joined an hour later by Air Force astronaut Edwin P. “Buzz” Aldrin. Meanwhile, Air Force astronaut Michael Collins remains in orbit with the main capsule.

July 24 The Apollo 11 space mission successfully concludes after 8 days, 3 hours, and 18 minutes in space. They bring back 50 pounds of lunar rock sam­ples.

AUGUST 1 In Washington, D. C., General

John D. Ryan becomes the new Air Force chief of staff. Donald L. Harlow also becomes the new chief master ser­geant of the Air Force.

AUGUST 19 In Mississippi, Air Force transports begin delivering tons of food, water, and relief supplies to assist victims of Hurricane Camille. They deliver 6,000 tons of goods within a month.

OCTOBER 8—14 At Wheelus Air Force Base, Libya, three HH-53 helicopters are sent to Tunis to assist victims of heavy flooding. Ultimately, they rescue 2,000 individuals.

NOVEMBER 6 At Holloman Air Force Base, scientists release the largest balloon ever constructed; it is over 1,000-feet long and carries a 13,000-pound payload into the air.

DECEMBER 18 At the Air Force Missile Development Center, crew test fire Mav­erick (AGM-65) air-to-surface television – guided missiles against moving targets for the first time.