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  • Inner Strength

    Communication allowed POWs to maintain strength and a sense of community. But talking or writing--any communication--was strictly against prison rules. The North Vietnamese, however, were never able to stop POW communication. This success marked an important victory for the prisoners. Sending

  • Iron Hand

    After the U.S. Navy lost its first aircraft to an SA-2 in August 1965, it began reprisal attacks called Operation Iron Hand against SAM sites. Iron Hand later became a generic term for U.S. missions to destroy enemy surface-to-air defenses.Click here to return to First In, Last Out: Wild Weasels vs.

  • Igloo White

    Using the cover of darkness, dense jungle and bad weather, North Vietnamese trucks carried critical supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail nearly undetected. Since large numbers of American ground troops were not permitted into neutral Laos to stop the trucks, the U.S. Air Force deployed a system of

  • Interdiction: Tightening the Noose

    "There is every evidence that the enemy has been caused increasing difficulty by our concerted efforts in destroying his trains, trucks and other equipment."- Gen. Earle E. Partridge, Commander, 5th Air Force, March 1951Interdiction destroys an enemy's transportation system and materiel en route.

  • Itazuke Tower

     Sign from the control tower at Itazuke Air Base in Japan. Countless Air Force personnel flew combat missions from Itazuke AB during the Korean War. The sign was sent to the museum when the air base was phased out by the USAF in 1971.Note: The sign is displayed in stabilized, unrestored

  • 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

  • Into the Sky: Primary Flying School

    When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, the U.S. Army Air Forces continued with the type of pilot training program it had originally established in 1939 -- primary flying school operated by civilian companies under contract, and basic and advanced flying schools operated by the

  • Invasion Nears

    In preparation for the invasion of France from the sea, the AAF had to photograph the entire coastline of western Europe. As the date of the invasion approached, however, it was necessary to obtain more detailed photographs of specific German beach defenses, and between May 1 and June 6, hundreds of

  • Industry Crippled

    In January 1944 the AAF was ready to begin its onslaught to destroy the German aircraft industry, thereby paving the way for later bombings of other strategic targets without suffering heavy losses to Luftwaffe interceptors.Poor weather in England prevented concentrated operations until Feb. 20,

  • Italy Invaded

    While the AAF was bombing Germany from England, the Allies invaded Italy. The AAF and RAF hammered airfields, bridges, railroad yards and sea ports through Sept. 2 to weaken the enemy. In the process, Axis air forces in southern Italy were significantly reduced. The first landing was made on the toe