Fact Sheets

Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Mask Policy:
In accordance with the updated guidance released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD) and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force will require all visitors to wear face masks indoors effective July 30, 2021 until further notice.

Visitors ages three and up will be required to wear masks while indoors at the museum. This policy applies to all visitors, staff and volunteers regardless of vaccination status. Visitors may wear their own masks or a free paper mask will be provided. Cloth masks will also be available for purchase in the Museum Store.
Additional information available here.

Fact Sheet Search

Keyword

Rockets and Jets
Through the fall of 1944, the Allies made slow but important gains against the enemy all along the Siegfried Line. Anything of possible value was attacked by the AAF and RAF to reduce German capability for defending its borders. At the same time, Germany's transportation system and industrial complex were attacked from England and Italy,
Rome Liberated
During the first half of 1944 while the Allies had been preparing for the invasion of France, their forces in Italy had slowly driven the enemy northward. Rome was liberated on June 4, and by late September, the Allies had passed beyond Florence. In support of the land battle, Italian-based medium bombers and fighters continued pounding German
Roads, Rails and Bridges
For the next two months, AAF heavy bombers from England and Italy struck repeatedly at strategic targets deep in enemy territory. In addition, Italian-based fighters and bombers attacked shipping, railroads and highways to paralyze the German transportation network, thereby easing the task of Allied ground troops slowly advancing northward to Rome.
Ryukyus
The capture of Iwo Jima did not completely eliminate the need for a comprehensive air-sea rescue program along the B-29 route to Japan. Such a program had begun with the first B-29 training missions and continued throughout the rest of the war, an effort that paid dividends in lives saved and in improved morale, which meant greater combat
Runways By Hand: China's Support of the Air War
During World War II, the United States and China forged a strong friendship based on mutual strategic interests and shared sacrifice in fighting and defeating Japan in the Pacific theatre. A key Chinese contribution involved the use of thousands of workers and hand-hewn stone rollers to construct airfields throughout China to support Allied
Raiders Flying Jackets
On the far right is the A-2 flying jacket with the insignia of the 432nd Bomb Squadron worn by Capt. C. Ross Greening on the Tokyo Raid. He was later shot down and captured by the Germans in July 1943.To the left is an A-2 flying jacket with the insignia of the 34th Bomb Squadron worn by Lt. Thomas C. Griffin on the Tokyo Raid. He was later shot
Return to the Philippines
As a prelude to the long-anticipated campaign to retake the Philippines, AAF air power carried out maximum-range air strikes against petroleum facilities in the Netherlands East Indies. The Allies invaded the Palau Islands and Morotai to gain airfield facilities, and targets in the Philippines were struck beginning in August 1944, seriously
Royce Special Mission to Mindanao
The Royce special mission back to the Philippines consisted of 10 B-25s and three B-17s, which took off from Darwin, Australia, on April 11, 1942, for the 1,500 mile flight to Mindanao. After arriving at their forward airfields, the planes flew bombing missions against Japanese ships, airfields and harbor facilities in the Philippines. One B-17 was
Retreat in the Pacific
Following the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese turned their attention to the Southwest Pacific. For the next five months they were to sweep the Allies before them with alarming ease.Their first objective was the Philippine Islands, which they attacked from the air on Dec. 8, 1941 (Philippines time) and invaded the following day. In the face of
Ruhrstahl X-4 Air-to-Air Missile
Allied bombing success in Germany during World War II led the Germans to develop air-to-air missiles. The X-4 was to be launched from fighter planes against B-17 bombers. This missile, like the V-weapons, is an example of advanced technology that failed to prevent German defeat, but previewed future arms development. The missile's warhead was