chapter-1 Flashcards
Historically, who comprised about 80 percent of America’s air forces? (18)
Enlisted Airmen.
When WWI began in Europe in August 1914, the 1st Aero Squadron mustered 12 officers, 54 enlisted men and six aircraft. How many did it have by the end of 1915?(18)
44 officers, 224 enlisted men and 23 airplanes.
By 1916, a second aero squadron was added for duty in the Philippines. How many total squadrons of 12 aircraft were planned? (18)
24 squadrons - seven with the regular army, 12 with the National Guard and five for coastal defense. (Also balloon units for the field and coast artillery.)
How many squadrons were fully equipped, manned and organized when the US declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917? (18)
Only one, the 1st Aero Squadron.
Traditionally, commissioned officers served as pilots before WWI. What types of auxiliary capacities did trained enlisted personnel fill? (18)
Supply, construction, photo reconnaissance, radio, mechanics, armament specialists, welders, riggers, sail makers, etc. (Mechanics were needed most.)
At first, service factories were used as training sites. By the end of 1917, the Aviation Section trained mechanics and others at special schools and technical institutions. Where were the two largest located? (18)
In St. Paul, MN and at Kelly Field, TX.
General HQ (GHQ) Air Force waited until WWII began before starting a massive expansion program. T/F (18)
False. (The expansion program began even before WWII broke out.)
In 1938, the total force included fewer than 20,000 enlisted Airmen. By March 1944, air force manpower reached its high point (2,104,405 enlisted men and women). What law did Congress pass in 1940? (18)
The first peacetime conscription law in US history.
Even though training centers expanded and multiplied from 1939 to 1941, what helped meet the demand for training? (19)
Private schools.
What was the estimated ratio of support personnel to planes during WWII? (19)
70 men to one plane.
Women served in the Army Air Force during WWIIthrough what program? (19)
The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), created in May 1942 and later renamed the Women’s Army Corps (WAC).
What was the top priority for assignment of Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) during WWII? (19)
Serving at aircraft warning service stations. (They served in many capacities and demand for them soon far exceeded the numbers available.)
What led to the integration of the Air Force? (19)
On 11May1949, Air Force Letter 35.3 mandated that black Airmen be screened for reassignment to formerly all-white units according to their qualifications. (Within a year, virtually the entire Air Force was integrated with few incidents.)
When did the Third Reich surrender? (19)
In May 1945. (Following the 1944 invasion of Europe and the Allied ground forces’ advance toward Berlin.)
Despite low-level fire bombing and destruction ofJapanese cities throughout spring and summer of 1945, Japan continued to resist What did US commanders realize was the only way to force its unconditional surrender? (19)
An American invasion of the Japanese islands and the subjugation of the Japanese.
Enola Gay dropped the first nuclear bomb on whatJapanese city? (20)
Hiroshima. (6 August 1945.)
Three days after Hiroshima, ____ dropped the second nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. (20)
Rock’s Car.
The Soviet Union fought against Hitler with theWestern allies. Why didn’t this alliance survive after the war? (20)
Because of ideological differences between capitalist democracies and Communism.
Who were the Big Three who met in 1945 to discuss the postwar division of Europe? (20)
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Josef Stalin and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
What did the meeting of the Big Three in 1945 laythe foundation for? (20)
The UN.
What UN plan did the Soviet Union veto in 1946,leading to almost five decades of cold war? (20)
The plan to eliminate nuclear weapons, using inspectors to ensure no country made atomic bombs and supervise the dismantling of existing weapons.
How did the allies respond when the Soviet Unionclosed off all surface access to Berlin, Germany in June 1948? (20)
They “built” an air bridge to supply Berlin rather than forcing the blockade and risking World War III.
What was air power’s most decisive contribution tothe cold war? (20)
The Berlin airlift.
Who led the 15-month Berlin airlift, bringing in more than 2.33 million tons of supplies on 277,569 flights? (20)
Major General William Tunner. (He also led the Hump airlift over the Himalayan mountains to supply China during WWII.)
Of all the enlisted functions, which was perhaps most critical to the success of the Berlin airlift? (20)
Maintenance.
The Soviets capitulated and dismantled the surfaceblockade of Berlin without a bomb being dropped. What did this victory lay the foundation for? (20)
NATO.
The Korean War lasted from 1950 to __ . (21)
1953
How did the Korean War begin? (21)
With a surprise invasion of South Korea by North Korea on 25 June 1950.
By 1950, where was most US ground and air strength located in the Pacific? (21)
In Japan. (But they didn’t have the range to intercede in Korea from Japan.)
Where did the first aerial combat between the USand North Korea take place on 27 June 1950? (21)
Over Kimpo.
Enlisted personnel served as gunners aboard the B-26 and B-29 aircraft during the Korean War. Name the NCO who shot down a North Korean YaK-3, the first such victory recorded during the war. (21)
SSgt Nyle S. Mickley.
What turned a stalled North Korean offensive into adisorganized retreat back to the north in September1950? (21)
US forces landed in South Korea and pursued the beaten army north of the 38th parallel.
Give three examples of missions performed by B-29s that hadn’t been considered before the Korean War. (21)
1) Interdiction; 2) battlefield support;3) air superiority (counter-airfield).
On 9 November 1950, Cpl Harry LaVene (a gunner)scored the first B-29 victory over a jet by downing a(n) __ .(21)
MiG-15. (The first of 27 MiGs shot down by B-29 gunners during the Korean War.)
Name the NCO who shot down two MiGs on 12 April 1951, a feat unmatched by any other gunner. (21)
Sgt Billie Beach.
In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the dictator inand instituted a socialist dictatorship. (21)
Cuba. (Hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled, many to the US.)
The CIA planned the 1961 invasion of Cuba at theBay of Pigs in hopes that the Cuban people would overthrow Castro. Who were used as troops? (21-22)
Cuban exiles. (They suffered a crushing defeat.)
In 1962, the Soviets and Cuba began to build what in Cuba?(22)
Intermediate- and medium-range ballistic missile complexes (which would be able to employ nuclear-armed missiles with a range ofup to 5,000 miles).
How was Soviet construction of missile complexes in Cuba confirmed? (22)
Through Air Force reconnaissance flights (first with highaltitude U-2 aircraft, followed by low-level RF-lOls and RB- 66s).
While Strategic Air Command (SAC) and TacticalAir Command (TAC) geared up for a possible invasion of Cuba and war, what did President Kennedy do to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis? (22)
He imposed a naval blockade to prevent any more materiel from reaching Cuba and negotiated with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to remove the missiles.
When Cuban air defenses shot down a U-2 piloted by Maj Rudolf Anderson, what did the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) recommend? (22)
An immediate air strike against Cuba. (But President Kennedy decided to wait.)
The US agreed not to invade Cuba in exchange forremoval of Soviet missiles from the island. What did the US also secretly agree to do? (22)
Remove US missiles from Turkey.
The Cuban missile crisis brought the world dangerously close to nuclear war, but the strategic and tactical power of the US Air Force (coupled with the will and ability to use it) helped deter it. T/F (22)
True.
In the 1950s, US involvement in Vietnam began aswhat kind of operation? (22)
A cold war operation to contain Communism.
What US President first authorized American intervention in Vietnam? (22)
President Harry S. Truman in 1950.
What aid did the US first give to Vietnam between1950 to 1953? (22-23)
Eight C-47 transports, the US Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) and enlisted technicians to handle supply and aircraft maintenance.
What 1953 Viet Minh action (under Ho Chi Minh’sdirection) led President Eisenhower to send C-119 transports to the area? (23)
The Viet Minh major offensive advanced into Laos and menaced Thailand. (In 1954, 300 Airmen were sent to service aircraft along with additional cargo planes.)
What was the first sustained bombing campaign ofthe war against North Vietnam? (23)
Rolling Thunder from 1965 to 1968. (The earlier Operation Flaming Dart was a series of strikes.)
Airmen performed a variety of duties as the war inVietnam expanded, ranging from support to combat and rescue. Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force (BEEF) personnel built revetments and facilities. What did REDHORSE teams provide? (23)
Long-range civil engineer services.
As guerilla attacks continued, air base defense inVietnam became a monumental undertaking performed almost exclusively by Air Force ____ squadrons. (23)
Security police.
Name the SSgt of the 3d Security Police Squadronwho earned a Silver Star for heroics while helping defend Bien Hoa Air Base in Vietnam during the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive of 1968. (23)
SSgt William Piazza.
American presidents wanted the Vietnam conflict tobe fought and resolved by the Vietnamese with the US in a(n) “ __ “role only. (24)
“Advisory.”
American responsibility in the Vietnam conflict became primarily for combat operations after what incident, followed by the Senate resolution in 1964? (24)
The GulfofTonkin incident.
In 1969, President Nixon announced that ending UScombat in Southeast Asia was a primary goal. What did he charge the SecDef with as a top priority? (24)
The Vietnamization of the war.
Enlisted Airmen trained South Vietnamese operational and training crews as Vietnam’s air force grew to become the __ largest in the world. (24)
Fourth.
In 1972, Communist forces crossed the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), taking advantage of reduced US ground presence. How did President Nixon respond? (24)
Wind and New Arrivals, more than 50,000 refugees were airlifted to the US and units moved 5,000 relief workers and more than 8,500 tons of supplies.)
What air operation convinced the North Vietnameseto finally resume negotiations? (24)
Operation Linebacker II - 11 days of intensive bombing of Vietnamese cities by B-52s.
When was a cease-fire agreement hammered outwith the North Vietnamese? (24)
By 28 January 1973.
Although there was no victory and no end tofighting, the US withdrew from Vietnam. When did the last US troops leave the country? (24)
29 March 1973. (The military draft ended on 27 January 1973.)
How long after the first cease-fire were North andSouth Vietnam officially unified under a Communist regime? (24)
After only three years (2 July 1976).
One of the first known uses of aircraft to render assistance was dropping food to ____ flood victimsin 1919. (24)
Rio Grande. (Many early domestic humanitarian flights were flown in response to winter emergencies.)
Name two humanitarian missions to foreign nationsflown by Army aircraft before the independent Air Force was established. (24)
Any two of the following: 1) delivering medical supplies to earthquake victims in Chile in 1939; 2) dropping diphtheria vaccine to prevent a shipboard epidemic on a British aircraft carrier in 1943; 3) dropping food to starving French citizens in 1944; and 4) delivering food to the Netherlands in Operation Chowhound in 1945.
What operations in 1956 and 1957 airlifted morethan 10,000 Hungarian refugees to the US for asylum after Soviet forces crushed an anticommunist uprising in Hungary? (24)
Operations Safe Haven I and II.
What month-long airlift delivered more than 1,000tons of material to Chile in 1960 following earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches and tidal waves? (24)
The Amigos Airlift.
What 1975 event triggered the largest aerial evacuation in history? (24-25)
The fall of Cambodia and South Vietnam to Communist forces. (During Operations Babylift, New Life, Frequent Wind and New Arrivals, more than 50,000 refugees were airlifted to the US and units moved 5,000 relief workers and more than 8,500 tons of supplies.)
What 1991 humanitarian airlift provided blankets,tents and food to displaced Kurds in northern Iraq following the Persian Gulf War? (254)
Operation Provide Comfort.
What 1991 humanitarian airlift followed a typhoonin Bangladesh? (25)
Operation Sea Angel.
What humanitarian airlift in 1992 and 1993 providedfood, medicine and cargo to the republics of the former Soviet Union? (25)
Operation Provide Hope.
A 1994 humanitarian airlift carried 3,600 tons ofrelief supplies to refugees in what country in war-torn central Africa? (25)
Rwanda.
