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  • BREAKING GROUND: WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE PILOTS

    From 1942 to 1944, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), an organization of civilian volunteers, became the first American women to fly military aircraft. Despite their dedicated service, it would be more than three decades until the United States recognized the WASP as members of the military

  • BREAKING GROUND: WOMEN AIR FORCE SERVICE PILOTS

    From 1942 to 1944, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), an organization of civilian volunteers, became the first American women to fly military aircraft. Despite their dedicated service, it would be more than three decades until the United States recognized the WASP as members of the military

  • Bombs Away!

    In the early twentieth century, advancements in aerospace technology coincided with new theories about strategic bombing. The beginnings of aerial bombardment led to a new aircrew role—the “bombardier.”The bombardier’s job was to identify an enemy target, sight it through a bomb sight, and release

  • Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker

    Boeing KC-135R StratotankerThe KC-135 ranks among the U.S. Air Force’s most iconic aircraft. First delivered to the USAF in June 1957, the KC-135 operated for over sixty years as the USAF’s principal refueling aircraft. Originally developed to extend the range of Strategic Air Command’s bomber

  • Bombing Campaign Leaders

    Three iconic USAAF generals—Carl Spaatz, Ira Eaker, and James “Jimmy” Doolittle—played key roles in leading the strategic bombing campaign in Europe. Gen. Carl Spaatz decorates a wounded Eighth Air Force Airman while he recovers in a hospital in August 1944.Carl A. SpaatzAfter leading the Eighth Air

  • Bigger Raids, Bigger Losses and Crisis

    In the second half of 1943, the USAAF continued to build up its heavy bomber forces.  As it hit targets ever deeper in enemy territory, however, staggering losses threatened the entire concept of daylight strategic bombing.Early assumptions were wrong—unescorted heavy bombers could not protect

  • Bomber Crew Protection

    A 1942 study determined that relatively low velocity projectiles such as deflected flak fragments or shattered pieces of aircraft structure caused 70% of bomber crew wounds.  Body armor and helmets helped protect against this threat and saved thousands of bomber crewmen from injury or death.  Col

  • Black Thursday: Schweinfurt, October 14, 1943

    The Eighth Air Force attack against the ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt, Germany, on October 14, 1943, became known as "Black Thursday.”   After friendly fighters turned back at the German border, the bomber formations fought a running battle alone against the Luftwaffe.  The bomber crews

  • Blind Bombing: “Mickey”

    During the frequently cloudy conditions over Europe, USAAF bombers could not bomb visually.  In these conditions, USAAF heavy bombers used a radar system called H2X and code-named “Mickey.”   Mickey-equipped “pathfinder” aircraft gave formations the signal to bomb.  On B-24 pathfinders, the H2X

  • Boeing Inertial Upper Stage Space Payload Booster

    The IUS and the Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite are stacked together in the 4th BLDG Space Gallery.The Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) is an unpiloted upper-stage booster rocket used from 1982-2004. After launch on an unmanned rocket or inside a space shuttle, the IUS boosted its payload into a