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  • Integration of the USAF

    When the 322nd Fighter Group returned to the U.S. following the Allied victory in Europe in 1945, three of its squadrons were deactivated. The fourth, the famous 99th Fighter Squadron, was assigned to the 477th Composite Group at Godman Field, Ky. Equipped with both bombers (B-25s) and fighters

  • Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.

    Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. was the U.S. Air Force's first African American four-star general. Upon being promoted to four-star grade on Sept.1, 1975, James was assigned as Commander in Chief North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), a position he held until his retirement on Feb. 1, 1978. He

  • USAF Fighter Gunnery Competition Trophy

    This trophy represents the continuation of the pre-World War II Army Air Corps tradition of aerial gunnery excellence into the newly formed United States Air Force. It commemorates the outstanding achievement of four Air Force units in both the 1949 and 1950 service-wide competitions.The 1949

  • Mexican Air Force Aircrews

    In the summer of 1945 airmen of the Mexican Air Force flew combat missions along with their American Allies. Mexico's Escuadrón 201, The Aztec Eagles, equipped with Republic P-47D Thunderbolt fighter aircraft distinguished themselves in providing close air support to American ground units as well as

  • WWII Royal Italian Air Force

    Regia AeronauticaItalian pilots enjoyed success in the invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935 and during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1938, but suffered heavily while flying inferior aircraft against the Allies in World War II. Although the Regia Aeronautica carried out limited operations over

  • WWII Imperial Japanese Navy Aircrews

    It was a great honor in Japan to become a naval aviator. Early in World War II, Imperial Japanese Navy pilots went through a rigorous and at times brutal cadet program. Later, as these experienced airmen became casualties of war, hastily trained pilots replaced them. Imperial Japanese Navy Petty

  • WWII Luftwaffe Aircrews

    By the fall of 1944, Luftwaffe (German Air Force) pilots faced the impossible task of defending Germany against the huge, escorted bomber formations of the USAAF by day and the Royal Air Force by night. By this time, many of its best fighter aces had been killed and replaced with inexperienced,

  • WWII Royal Air Force Aircrews

    At the beginning of World War II in 1939, most pilots serving in the Royal Air Force (RAF) were British-born. As the war continued, airmen came from many different countries. Foreign-born RAF pilots sometimes flew as independent units and other times they were mixed in with British-born aircrews.

  • WWII Brazilian Air Force Aircrews

     Brazil entered the war on Aug. 22, 1942, after German submarines sank several of its merchant ships in the Atlantic Ocean. Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB) aircrews had already begun training with U.S. personnel and conducting antisubmarine flights off the coast of Brazil. By the end of 1944, this

  • WWII USAAF Aircrews

    During World War II, U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) aircrews fought in a vast global war from the hot, dry deserts of North Africa to the dangerously frigid wilderness in Greenland, Iceland, and Alaska. The type of flying clothing and service dress they wore varied greatly due to environmental