Chapter 1 Flashcards
WW2 proved that ____ superiority was a required component for the success of land, sea and air operation
AIR
What is the name of Germany’s Air Force, which emphasized speed and concentration of forces to crush their enemies and spawned the term blitzkrieg or lightning war
Luftwaffe
British Air Marshal sir Hugh downing’s fighter command had been preparing for a German onslaught since 1937 and used sir Robert Watson-watt’s innovation to create an effective, integrated air defense system
radar
The enigma machine was Britain’s top-secret advantage over the germans in WWII what did it do?
the machine deciphered codes providing information that forewarned British intel of major attacks. it also provided invaluable insight into the status of German maintenance and logistics
In September 1940 hitler abandoned his invasion of _____
Britian
To manage growing American airpower, a major reorganization created the US Army Air Forces. Who was appointed as its Commanding General
General Henry Hap Arnold
what document was created in August 1941, providing a blueprint for the strategic air campaign against the Axis?
Air war planning document 1
The Casablanca Directive of January 1943 inaugurated the combined bomber offensive, codenamed operation PointBlank. what two bomb styles did it combine?
American precision daylight bombing and British night area bombing
by d-day 6 June 1944, the Allied Air Forces dominated the skies of Europe with new aircraft, tactics and____
superior numbers
When did General Spaatz declare the end of the strategic air war against Germany, as all significant targets were considered destroyed?
16 April 1945
Who was one of he enlisted force’s most decorated Airmen of WWII and was the only enlisted Airmen to have a B-17 named after him?
Sgt Sandy Sanchez
Name the TSgt who was liberated by the British army as a POW in Germany in 1945 and later became the first CMSAF in 1967
TSgt Paul Airey
The first Tuskegee Airmen to fight in WWII were members of the ______ Squadron
99th fighter squadron
Which Tuskegee Airman commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron and later became an Air Force General officer?
Col Benjamin O Davis Jr
Who became a popular hero as a gunner in both Europe and the Pacific during WWII and was decreed eight times for heroism, including personal recognition by Generals MacArthur, Eisenhower and Doolittle
Cpl John D. foley, nickname “Johnny Zero”
US carrier-based aviation proved the value of airpower at sea with Naval Aviation playing a vital role in the Pacific war.T/F
True
At what battle on 4 June 1942 did US Navy pilots sink four Japanese carriers and turn the tide of the war in the Pacific
The battle of Midway
Who assumed command of the Fifth Air Force in 1942 and maximized the resource-poor commands combat power.?
Maj Gen George C Kenny
What air power capability did the 1st air commando group demonstrate while helping British “Chindit” forces conduct long-range penetration missions against the Japanese?
That airpower can support unconventional warfare any time, any place.
How did Maj Gen Curtis E. LeMay alter B-29 tactics when he assumed command of the XX bomber Command crews in the Pacific?
He ordered low-altitude night attacks with bombers stripped of defensive machine guns, reduced fuel loads and increased bomb loads.
The Enola Gay, piloted by ______ dropped a uranium bomb (known as little boy) over Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, destroying nearly five square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people.
Col Paul Tibbits
Who commanded Bockscar, the WWII aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki?
Maj Charles W Sweeny
What date did Stuart Symington, the first Secretary of the Air Force, officially establish the USAF as an independent, coequal service?
18 September 1947
Why did the newly established Air Force create and Airman Career Program?
To encourage long-term careers for enlisted specialists, as promotion and specialization went hand-in-hand with training.
Operation vittles, an expanded cargo support effort against the soviet blockade, showed the use of nonviolent airpower to defuse a potentially disastrous confrontation and laid the foundation for _________
NATO
On 14 October 1947, who became the first person to break the sound barrier when his Bell X-1 “Glamorous Glennis” reached Mach 1.06 at 43,000 feet?
Charles “Chuck” Yeager
During the Korean War, what aircraft was created to match the MiG’s speed?
The North American F-86 Sabre
Cpl Harry LaVene, a gunner, scored the first B-29 victory over a jet when he downed a MiG-15 on 9 November 1950. who shot down two MiGs on 12 April 1951, a feat unmatched by any other gunner
Sgt Billie Beach
Who tallied 15 kills during the Korean War, gaining recognition as the worlds first jet ace?
Capt James Jabra
What did the Air Force rapidly begin to develop after the Korean conflict?
long range missiles and space based technology
What marked the beginning of the Space Age and sparked the space race between the soviets and the US
the soviets successfully launched the sputnik 1 satellite into Earth’s orbit on 4 Oct 1957
During the Cold War, the Air Force concentrated on unmanned missions to fulfill national security needs. what did this include?
Providing 1) space-based recon; 2) early warning of any missile attack on North America; and 3) worldwide communications platforms for strategic command and control.
in 1959, fidel Castro overthrew the dictator of ______ and instituted a socialist dictatorship
Cuba
The CIA planned the 1961 invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in hopes that the Cuban people would overthrow Castro. Who were used as troops?
Cuban exiles (they got beat)
in 1962, the Soviet Union and cubans began to build what in Cuba?
Intermediate and medium range ballistic missile complexes
How was Soviet construction of missile complexes in Cuba confirmed?
Through Air Force recon flights. (first with high altitude U-2 aircraft, followed by low level RF 101s and RB-^’s
While Strategic Air Command and Tactical Air Command prepared for a possible invasion of and war with Cuba. what did President Kennedy do to neutralize the Cuban Missile Crisis?
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 recommend.
An immediate air strike against Cuba. (Kennedy decided to wait)
The US agreed not to invade Cuba in exchange for removal of Soviet Missiles from the island. What did the US also secretly agree to do?
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 USAF (coupled with the will and ability to use it) helped deter it.(T/F)
True
What operation did President Kennedy order in April 1961 to train the South Vietnamese Air Force, while secretly launching attack missions against Communist efforts in Laos and South Vietnam?
Operation Farmgate
What did President Lyndon B Johnson do after North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox in August 1964 at the Gulf of Tonkin?
He lifted the shroud of secrecy and ordered Operation Barrel Roll, an orchestrated air attack against Communist forces in Laos.
What operation was a program of measured and limited air action against selected military targets in North Vietnam and unfortunately, US losses mounted without any visible effect from the air campaign?
Operation Rolling Thunder
What operation did President Nixon employ after the North Vietnamese launched the Easter Offensive in Spring 1972?
Operation Linebacker
In December 1972, North Vietnamese intransigence over the final peace agreement prompted President Nixon to initiate what operation to pressure enemy compliance?
Operation Linebacker II
Who was one of the most honored heroes of the Vietnam War, the recipient of 28 decorations for valor in combat (more than 70 awards and decoration in all) and the winner of the 1967 Cheney Award?
CMSgt Duane Hackney
Name the B-52 tail gunner who shot down an enemy MiG, the first of only two confirmed shoot-downs by enlisted Airmen during the Vietnam War.
SSgt Samuel Turner
Who was the last US serviceman to engage Communist forces in ground combat in southeast Asia
CMSgt Wayne Fisk
In what year did President Nixon end the draft in favor of an all-volunteer military?
1973
Name the highly accomplished innovative genius who founded Red Flag.
Col Richard Moody Suter.
List two post Vietnam technological improvements and the aircraft that exemplified them.
Highly maneuverable dogfighting aircraft armed with missiles and cannon (F-15/F-16) and detection avoidance (F-117 Stealth fighter bomber)
What drove the Air Force to develop stealth technology such as special paints, materials and designs to reduce or eliminate aircraft radar, thermal and electronic signatures?
The danger posed by radar-guided antiaircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles in Vietnam.
Precision technologies changed Air Force doctrine from its focus on strategic bombing to ______ bombing with no CDE.
Pinpoint
Why did the Air Force and Army update the air-land battle tactical doctrine published in Field manual 100-5?
To overcome numerically superior Warsaw Pact forces.
Which aircraft was procured to make deep air attacks on enemy armies to isolate them on the battlefield and provide close air support to army ground forces?
A-10 thunderbolt II
What operation in April 1980 led to disaster at the Desert One FARP?
Operation Ricebowl
US forces rescued American students and restored order to Grenada in October 1983, during Operation Urgent Fury. What problems were discovered during the operation?
Problems with command, control, planning and intraservice and inter service coordination.
In April 1986, President Reagan mobilized England-based F-111s to strike Libya during Operation_____
Operation Eldorado Canyon
Operation Just Cause, in 1989, tested air operations in Panama. What aircraft debuted during the operation?
F-117 Nighthawk
Whose flexible-response nuclear war doctrine of the early 1960’s lacked the technology to match its vision of adapting to meet Cold War Crises?
President Kennedys
Which doctrine was based on the theory that superpower strategic nuclear forces could be sized and protected to survive a nuclear attack and retaliate with sufficient force to destroy the enemy?
The doctrine of mutually assured destruction.
What was the Missile Defense Alarm System?
The first attempt at a space based, long-range missile attack detection and warning system.
What treaty was signed on 26 May 1972, limiting the US and USSR to two Anti Ballistic Missile sites each?
The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
What treaty limited the number of nuclear weapons held by the US and USSR, with the objective of freezing numerical growth and destabilizing characteristics of each side’s strategic nuclear forces?
The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty.
Post-Vietnam, What type of technological advances significantly enhanced weather and communications support?
Satellite advances.
The formation of what command was announced on 21 June 1984?
Air Force Space Command
Which US president proposed replacing the doctrine of mutually assured destruction with one of assured survival by implementing the Strategic Defense Initiative to intercept ICBMs?
President Ronald Reagan
In march 1985, who initiated major changes in Soviet-American relations?
Soviet Communist Party General-Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev.
In December 1987, What did the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty eliminate?
Medium-range nuclear missiles, including US Air Force ground-launched cruise missiles.
What event led to the reunification. of Germany in October 1990?
The opening of the Berlin Wall.
What August 1991 event led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union?
A coup against Soviet Communist Party General-Secretary Mikhail Gorvachev, led by Boris Yeltsin.
List four ways in which US nuclear strategy changed significantly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The US 1) signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty I 2) signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty II 3) removed heavy bombers from alert status; and 4) inactivated Strategic Air Command.
On 2 August 1990, which Iraqi dictator ordered troops to invade oil-rich Kuwait, leading to international condemnation, a UN economic embargo and Operation Desert Shield?
Saddam Hussein
Which US President announced Operation Desert Shield on 6 August 1990?
President George H.W. Bush
The Berlin Airlift was larger than Operation Desert Shield T/F
False
Which aircraft were validated as large-capacity heavy lifters during Operation Desert Shield?
C-5A Galaxy and C-141 Starlifter
Which war represented the first extensive, broad-based employment of space support capabilities?
The Gulf War
On what date did three Air Force special Operation MH-53J Pave Low helicopters lead nine Army Apaches on the first strike mission of Operation Desert storm?
17 January 1991
The First week of Operation Desert Storm focused on achieving _______ and destroying the enemy’s command and control system.
Air Supremacy
After achieving air supremacy, the air campaign of Operation Desert Story prepared the battlefield by isolating Iraqi ground units, interdicting supplies and reducing enemy combat power. T/F
True
Which Aircraft introduced the term tank-plinking as they destroyed enemy armored forced during Operation Desert Storm?
A-10 Thunderbolt II and F-15E Strike Eagles
name one aspect of Operation Desert Storm that was not successful.
The Great Scud Hunt, which targeted modified Soviet Scud missiles being launched by Iraq, did not Destry a significant number of the missiles.
The Desert Storm air campaign demonstrated airpower’s impact on conventional battlefield T/F
True
Which war, in 1991, highlighted the impact of PGM’s on modern warfare and force-enhancement capabilities of space based communication, intel, navigation, missile warning and weather satellites?
The Persian Gulf War.
As stated by the Gulf War Air Power Survey, what was effective in breaking apart the organization structure and cohesion of enemy military forces and in reaching the mind of the Iraqi soldier during the Gulf War?
The air campaign.
In 1992, the UN led relief efforts in ______ where a two-year civil war had contributed to severe famine.
Somalia
The US initiated Operation _______ in Somalia in August 1992, but civil war and clan fighting prevented many relief supplies from reaching those who needed them.
Operation Provide Relief
In September 1992, why did Operation Impressive Lift airlift hundreds of Pakistani soldiers into Somalia under the UN banner?
Relief supplies were not reaching famine victims; the operation was an attempt to alleviate this problem and provide additional security.
On December 1992, President George H. W. Bush authorized Operation Restore Hope to restore order to the country, rushing in supplies and US troops. What happened after the operation ended on 4 May 1993?
The relief effort unraveled again.
On 3 October 1993, a US UH-60 helicopter was downed in the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia. Who earned the Air Force Cross for treating and evaluating casualties?
TSgt Timothy A. Wilkinson.
Why did Operation Restore Hope II airlift US troops and cargo into Mogadishu between 5 and 13 October 1993?
In order to stabilize the situation in Somalia after the losses sustained on 3 and 4 October.
Which US President promised to remove US troops from Somalia by March 1994?
President Bill Clinton
What led to unprecedented integration between air and space capabilities by the time the air war over Serbia commenced in 1999?
A revamped Air Force mission to defend the US through control and exploitation of air and space.
On 24 March 1999, President Bill Clinton commenced Operation Allied Force. What were it three objectives?
1) Demonstrate NATO’s opposition to aggression; 2) deter Milosevic from escalating attacks on civilian; and 3) damage Serbia’s ability to wage war against Kosovo.
In 1999, which organization attempted to pressure President Slobodan Milosevic, destroy Serbian fielded forces engaged in Kosovo and maintain popular support for intervention?
NATO
Did NATO airpower accomplish its objectives in Serbia in 1999?
Yes, despite hampered progress.
What did the assessments of Operation Allied Force include?
That micromanaging the targeting process limits military effectiveness and that air and ground commanders must agree on the enemy’s centers of gravity.
Which operation, immediately after 11 September 2001, focused on protecting the US homeland from internal and external air attacks of the nature used on September 11?
Operation Noble Eagle
Operation _______ focused on forming and acting with and international coalition to remove Afghanistan’s Taliban government, which had sponsored Al Qaeda terrorism and provided a safe haven for its leader, Osama bin Laden.
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation _________, one of the most intense small-unit firefights of the war on terror, culminated in the deaths of seven US servicemen and all al Qaeda terrorists on the mountain top where it took place.
Operation Anaconda
For what reason was TSgt John A. Chapman posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross for his actions during a 17 hour ordeal on top of Takur Ghar mountain in Afghanistan?
He is credited with saving the lives of his entire rescue team by engaging and destroying the first enemy position and advancing to the second.
What concept, developed at the National Defense University, was the basis for the battle plan of Operation Iraqi Freedom?
“Shock and Awe” which focused on the psychological destruction of the enemy’s will to fight rather than the physical destruction of the enemy military force.
Who was the first Airman killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom?
SSgt Scott D Sather
A 2008 bilateral agreement, signed by President George W. Bush, set a withdrawal deadline to remove US Troops from Iraq. What was the deadline?
31 December 2011
What were the three primary missions of US forces during Operation New Dawn?
Advise, assist and train Iraqi security forces; 2) conduct partnered counterterrorism operation; and 3) provide support to provincial reconstruction teams and civilian partners as they rebuilt Iraq’s civil capacity.
On 20 march 2011, a coalition of aircraft launched to support Operation Odyssey Dawn, enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1973 and protecting Libyan citizens from harm by which Libyan leader’s regime?
Moammar Gadhafi
President Barack Obama’s exit strategy for Afghanistan called for an end to combat operations in 2013 and the withdrawal of US-led international military forces by the end of 2015 T/F
False
For most US and NATO forces, the war in Afghanistan was over by the end of 2014. Did any NATO presence remain?
Yes
Which US President authorized US forces to carry out air strikes over Syria and Iraq as a part of Operation Inherent Resolve, in order to degrade and defeat the Islamic Stat of Iraq and Levant?
President Barak Obama
_____has evolved from an ineffective oddity to the world’s dominant form of military might, its applications and effectiveness increasing with each succeeding conflict.
Airpower
Who achieved the first powered, sustained, controlled, heavier-than-air airplane flight in 1903
the Wright Brothers
On 17 December 1903, the Wright brothers’ successfully flew how many manned missions at Kitty Hawk, NC?
Four
Who is considered the “father” of flying?
Orville Wright
Colonel William “Billy” Mitchell was an airpower visionary who called for an Air Force independent of the US Army and claimed airplanes could sink battleships. T/F
True
What led to Colonel Mitchell not being re-appointed as Assistant Chief and his eventual court-martial ordered by President Coolidge?
His outspoken advocacy of a separate Air Force, critical remarks about the poor quality of the Air Service and criticism of superiors.
Who was the first commander of an American air unit in the field?
Maj General Benjamin D. “Benny” Foulois.
In 1931, what damaged major General Benjamin D. “Benny” Fouls reputation?
He agreed the Air Corps could fly the US mail, but they proved ill-equipped.
Who commanded the US Army Air Forces during WWII and is generally recognized as the father of the modern USAF
General of the Air Force Henry “Hap” Arnold.
Who was the firs and only five-star General of the Air Force?
Hap Arnold
In 1947, Who did President Harry S. Truman appoint as the first Chief of Staff of the Air Force?
General Carl A. “Tooey” Spaatz
Who was the commander of the firs combat Ari Force and considered a founding father of the modern Air Force?
Lieutenant General Frank M. Andrews.
Lieutenant General Andrews was one of the most promising Army Air Forces generals up until his death in an aircraft accident near_____in 1943.
Iceland
General Ira C. Eaker was a daring and innovative aviator who flew in the first ______ experiment in 1929.
Extended Aerial Refueling (150+ hours)
What did General Ira C. Eaker strongly advocate for and eventually direct against the German military and industrial base of Nazi-occupied Europe and Germany?
Daylight strategic bombardment
Who coordinated the rapid expansion of America’s air arsenal during WWII the most massive aircraft procurement in history?
General Oliver P. Echols, as Chief, Army Air Forces Material Division.
Who Flew 175 air Eva’s, logging 1400 hours of flight time during the Korean War?
Captain Lillian K Keil.
Captain Lillian K Keil was the most decorated woman in US military history and was awarded 19 medals. T/F
True
Why was General George C Kenney considered a technical and tactical innovator, and a great operation air commander during WWII?
For his ability to overcome severe organizational, logistical, personnel, technical and strategic difficulties
In a career defined by variety, what is General James “jimmy” Doolittle best remembered for?
The Doolittle Raid 18 April 1942 B-25 raid on Tokyo
Who was nicknamed “Old Leatherface” and was leader of the Flying Tigers unit, which gained fame for it victorious exploits during the first six months of WWII?
Major General Claire L Chennault.
Who made Strategic Air Command the worlds premier and most powerful nuclear force?
General Curtis E. LeMay.
Who is known as the Air Forces’s outstanding practitioner of air logistics and air mobility?
Lieutenant General William H. Tunner.
What did Operation Vittles demonstrate during the Soviet Union blockade when Lieutenant General William H. Turner was able to deliver 2.3 million tons of cargo using an intricate bridge of aircraft that flowed in a steady stream through narrow corridors in and out of Berlin?
The peaceful use of airpower as a political instrument.
General Charles P. Cabell was a pioneering the field of air intelligence who would eventually become
1) Director of Intelligence in 1948 2) Director of the Joint Staff in 1951; and 3) Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1953.
Who is recognized as the architect of Air Force ballistic missile and military space programs?
General Bernard A. Schriever
Who was the first female pilot to break the sound barrier?
Colonel Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran, on 18 May 1953
During WWII, who organized 25 women to fly for Great Britain and became the first worn to fly a bomber across the Atlantic?
Colonel Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran
Who was commander of the famed WWII Tuskegee Airmen and the senior African American officer in the armed forces at them of his retirement in 1970
General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
In which war(s) did General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. distinguish himself as a leader?
WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
Who is the lowest-ranking Airman ever to receive the Medal of Honor for exceptional heroism during wartime?
A1C John Lee Levitow
Who would become the first enlisted Airman to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross posthumously?
SSgt William H. Pitsenbarger.
Who was the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and to command a space shuttle mission?
Colonel Eileen M. Collins.
SrA Jason D. Cunningham, a pararescueman, was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross for extraordinary heroism during military operations against an opposing armed force. His selfless efforts on 4 March 2002 saved how many gravely wounded Americans?
Ten
Who was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross and became the first E-9 to receive the Medal of Honor?
CMSgt Richard L Etchberger, for his extraordinary heroism and superb leadership that saved the lives of his Airmen when North Vietnamese forces overran their radar site on 11 March 1968
