Chapter 1 - Air Force Heritage Flashcards
On 1 September 1939, Adolf Hitler launched a massive assault on Poland that opened the greatest war in history and
spawned the term Blitzkrieg, or ________. (1.9.2.)
lightning war
The German Air Force or Luftwaffe was commanded by Hermann Goring. What aircraft were employed during the
assault on Poland? (1.9.2.)
- Messerschmitt Me109 fighters to gain air superiority - Heinkel He111 and Dornier Do17 twinengine bombers to pound Warsaw - Junkers Ju87 Stuka dive bombers to attack ground forces and terrorize refugees
During World War II, the speed of the German advance and the ruthlessness of the bombing of Rotterdam shocked the
West. German paratroopers and glider forces surprised Belgium’s famed Eban Emael fortress, considered the strongest in
_______. (1.9.3.)
Europe
Following the defeat of France in June 1940, the victorious Luftwaffe faced Britain’s Royal Air Force in the Battle of
Britain. This was significant because: (1.9.4.)
it was the first allair
campaign in history
What was the first allair
campaign in history? (1.9.4.)
the Battle of Britain
Although the German Air Force was numerically superior to the Royal Air Force, it suffered from serious weaknesses:
(1.9.5.)
- poor intelligence
- the forces in France badly needed rest and refitting
- German training, equipment, and experience was illsuited
for a longrange
strategic air campaign
During World War II, the British exploited a breakthrough in code breaking with the use of the Enigma machine. Any
information gained from Enigma was top secret and known as _______. (1.9.5.)
ULTRA
When Hitler abandoned his planned invasion of Britain and Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated, “Never in the
field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”, he was referring to: (1.9.6.)
the Royal Air Force Fighter Command
The fall of France galvanized President Roosevelt’s resolve to fight Nazi tyranny. He turned to airpower as a major
weapon because: (1.9.7.)
many Americans had isolationist sentiments
Until December 1940, the United States built aircraft at a rate of only 800 per month. By 1942, American factories
produced 47,800 aircraft, and by 1944, an astronomical 96,300 planes. A key to Allied victory was _______. (1.9.7.)
American industrial production
During World War II, in order to manage growing American airpower, a major reorganization created the United
States Army Air Forces. The appointed Commanding General was _______. (1.9.8.)
General Henry “Hap” Arnold
This doctrinal blueprint provided the conceptual framework for the American air effort in World War II. It reflected
1930s Air Corps Tactical School doctrine of using massive force to destroy the enemy’s will and capability to fight
through longrange
strategic bombardment. (1.9.8.)
Air War Planning Document 1
Although it was the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines that brought the U.S. into World War II,
America’s primary focus was on: (1.9.9.)
the war in Europe and the defeat of Germany
As America entered World War II, the Royal Air Force tried to persuade the U.S. Army Air Forces to switch to night
operations, like those of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command. To U.S. Army Air Forces leaders, night bombing was:
(1.9.10.)
- ineffective
- inefficient
- indiscriminate with regard to civilian casualties
U.S. Army Air Forces leaders considered night bombing to be ineffective, inefficient, and indiscriminate with regard
to civilian casualties. As a result, World War II’s Combined Bomber Offensive, codenamed Operation PointBlank,
consisted of: (1.9.10.)
American precision daylight bombing and British night area bombing
