Enlisted History Flashcards
The USAF can trace its origins to the establishment of the Aeronautical Division, to when?
1 August 1907
Enlisted Airmen historically comprised ___% of America’s air forces?
80%
WWI dates?
1917-1918
When the first shots of the Great War were fired in Europe in August 1914, the 1st Aero Squadron mustered how many officers, enlisted, and aircraft?
12 officers, 54 enlisted men, and 6 aircraft
By the end of 1915, the 1st Aero Squadron had how many officers, enlisted, and aircraft?
44 officer, 224 enlisted, and 23 airplanes
In what year was the 2nd Aero Squadron added? Where was the 2nd Aero Squadron assigned duties?
1916 ; The Philippines
When the U.S declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917, there were 24 aero squadrons, but only the ___ Aero Squadron was fully manned , equipped, and organized>
First
WWI: Why did congress refuse to appropriate funds for Army aeronautics, as the war in Europe dragged on?
- The Army had no plan to enable them building an air force and did not send trained observers to Europe
- General Staff Officers were so out of touch with modern aerial warfare requirements that their main complaint about air prsnl was the disrespectful manner in which the flying officers flouted regulations by refusing to wear cavalry spurs while flying air planes.
WWI: Tradition dictated that pilots be drawn from the rank of commissioned officer, but the aviation section soon realized the need for trained enlisted personnel to serve as what?
- Supply and construction
- Photo reconnaissance and radio
- Mechanics
WWI: Where were the two largest mechanic technical schools located? And were later trained where?
St Paul MN and Kelly Field TX.; Great Britain and France
WWII years?
1939-1945
In 1939, what President asked for $300 millions for military aviation?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
In 1938, during the signs of war in Europe, the Army’s air arm was divided into two command organizations, what were they? And the total force had less than how many enlisted members?
Army Air Corps and GHQ Air Force: 20K
In what year did congress pass the first peacetime conscription law in US history?
1940
From 1939 until 1941, the concept of training did not chain, but the scale did. How?
Training centers expanded and multiplied. The air corps could not find enough housing or qualified instructors and relied on private schools (15 civilian schools)
More than how many enlisted airmen served in the USAAF during the largest war ever?
2 million
When was the Womens auxiliary Air Corps (WAAC) created?
May 1942
Top priority for assignment of WAACs was to serve at?
AC warning service stations
WAAC was changed to Womens Air Corp (WAC) when?
Spring 1943
Where did the women in the WAC serve at?
clerical and admin, topographers, medical, chemists, and even aircraft machanics
The Air Force became a distinct service in what year?
1947
On 11 May 1949, Air Force Letter 35.3 was published, mandating what?
black Airmen be screened for reassignment to formerly all white units according to qualifications.
On what date was the first atomic bomb dropped on Japan? Where? What flight was it?
6 August 1945; Hiroshima; flight of the Enola Gay
On what date was the second atomic bomb dropped on Japan? Where? What flight was it?
9 August 1945; Nagasaki; flight of Bocks Car
What were the dates for the cold war?
1948-1991
In what year did the big three meet to discuss post war division of Europe? Although the meeting did not go well it laid the foundation for what?
1945; United Nations
Who is the Big three?
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, and President Franklin D Roosevelt
Who vetoed the dismantling and destruction of existing nuclear weapons and prevention of further production of nuclear weapons, ultimately resulting in five decades of cold war?
Soviet Union
What was the arguably the airpowers single-most decisive contribution to the Cold War?
The Berlin Airlift
How long was the Luftbruke (Berlin Airlift) used to deliver supplies to Berlin?
15 months
The airlift came of age during what war?
WWII
Who led the Hump Airlift over the Himalayan mountains to supply China during WWII?
Major General William Tunner (remember by tunnel=bridge)
What dates were the Korean War?
1950-1953
North Korea invaded South Korea on what date, and left the AF ill prepared for conventional war in a remote corner of the world?
25 June 1950
Who led the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) during the Korean War?
General George Stratemeyer (remember by setting Korea straight)
What jets did not have the ability to reach Korea from Japan?
F 80
The first aerial combat between the US and North korea took place over where? On what date?
Kimpo; 27 June 1950
On 29 June, B-26 gunner________shot down a North Korean YaK-3, recorded as the first such victory of the war?
SSgt Nyle S. Mickley
What planes did gunners fly on for the first several months of the Korean War? and through the war?
B-26; B-29
On 15 Sept 1950, US forces, led by the First Marine Division successfully landed at _____, near Seoul, South Korea, effectively cutting off North Korean Army supply lines, threatening its rear?
Inchon
The US Eighth Army launched its own offensive from _____a day later and retreated stalled North Korean offensives?
Punsan
The B-52 performed a number of missions not even considered before the Korean war, to include?
interdiction, battlefield support, and air superiority (counter airfield)
Who scored the first of 27 B-29 victory on MiG-15’s?
Corporal Harry Lavene (remember by sounds like laughing in a way that Koreans might say it…La Vene that he shot them down)
Who was the tail gunner who shot down 2 MiG’s on 12 April 1951, a feat that was unmatched by any other gunner?
Sergeant Billie Beach (remember by beached two MiGs)
On 27 September 1950, President Truman authorized U.S forces to pursue the beaten North Korean Army north of what parallel?
38th Parallel
What were the years for the Cuban Missile Crisis?
1962
In what year did Fidel overthrow the dictator of Cuba, initially promising free elections but later turn Cuba into a socialist dictatorship?
1959
What president authorized the CIA to plan an invasion of Cuba using Cuban exiles as troops?
Eisenhower
What was the purpose of the Bay of Pigs invasion?
To have Cuban exiles along with an invasion overthrow Castro and install a pro US government
What President ordered the Bay of Pigs invasion?
President Kennedy
When was the Bay of Pigs invasion?
mid-April 1961
After the failure of Bay of Pigs, who increased economic and military aid to Cuba?
Soviet Union
In October 1962, what aircraft from McCoy AFB, FL flew over Cuba and what was its purpose?
U-2; altitude reconnaissance to determine if there were Intermediate and medium range ballistic missile complexes
On 15 October, what was confirmed in Cuba?
Aerial photos indicated Cuba and the Soviet Union had been constructing launch pads, that when completed, could employ a nuclear missile with a range of 5K miles
Eleven days after the confirmed aerial photo of launch pad construction in Cuba, what Aircraft flew low altitude reconnaissance flights, verified data gathered from U2, and gathering pre-strike intelligence?
RF-101s and RB-66s
Many on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) favored invasion, but Kennedy, although still an act of war, did what instead?
Imposed a naval blockade of the Island to prevent anymore material from reaching Cuba
Who declared the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) would not observe the illegal blockade of American forces surrounding Cuba?
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev
On 27 October1961, who shot down a U2?
Cuban Air Defenses
Who piloted the downed U2 used for reconnaissance over Cuba?
Major Rudolf Anderson (remember by Rudolph-flying and leading the way for US)
The US decided not to invade Cuba in the exchange for what?
Removal of Soviet Missiles from Cuba and secretly agreed to remove US missiles in Turkey.
What were the years for the War in South-east Asia?
1950-1975
The Truman administration did not pursue total victory in Korea in part to?
Maintain emphasis on Western Europe
In the 1950s, the US involvement in Vietnam began as what?
cold war operations
Vietnam was essentially whose battle?
the French
What prompted Truman to intervene in Vietnam?
the post WWII policy of containment of communism
On 3 August 1950, where was the first AF presence in Vietnam?
Saigon
By 1952, the United States supplied ___ of the cost of the French military effort in Vietnam?
one-third
AF priorities in Vietnam were?
construction of airfields and barracks and intel gathering
In April 1953, the Viet Mihn (under Ho Chi Mihn’s direction) advanced into Laos and menaced Thiland. Pres Eisenhower loaned what planes to the French?
C-119s and additional cargo planes.
After loaning the C-119s to the French in Vietnam, the US realized the French air units were unmanned. On January 31 1945, US officials sent ___airmen to service aircraft at Tourane and Do Son Airfield near Haiphong?
300
On 7 Feb 1965, the Viet Cong attacked Camp Holloway near Pleiku, killing how many Americans? How did the US respond?
eight; Operation Flaming Dart
What operation initiated series of strikes against military barracks near Dong Hoi in North Vietnam, as well as other targets.
Operation Flaming Dart (remember by tried to Dart out of the barracks but I couldn’t because I was flaming)
On March 2 1965, US increased airstrikes against northern Vietnam target. This was the first sustained bombing campaign of the war against North Vietnam, last through 1968. What operation was this?
Operation Rolling Thunder
About ____ AF personnel served in Vietnam in May 1965, and by the end of that year the numbers had ____? As 1968 drew to a close, _____Airmen had served in the country of Vietnam.
10K; doubled; 58K
In Vietnam, air force gunners flew aboard what types of AC?
gunships as well as B-57s and B-52s
In 1972, B-52 tail gunner _______, shot down an enemy MiG, the first of two confirmed shootdowns by enlisted Airman in Vietnam
SSgt Samuel Turner (remember by Turner…over of a MiG)
Their were two confirmed shootdowns of MiG’s by enlisted Airman in Vietnam. Credit for the fifth overall MiG kill during Linebacker II, also went to an enlisted member who was?
A1C Albert E. Moore (remember by enlisted can hit MOORE)
During the Vietnam war, enlisted personnel served on gunships as both?
aerial gunners and loadmasters
Who earned the Silver Star for helping defend Bien Hoa during North Vietnamese Tet Offensive of 1968?
SSgt William Piazza, 3rd police squadron. (remember by piazza sounds like an Italian word for police)
When was Kennedy assassinated and who took over his position?
November 22 1963; Lyndon B Johnson
In 1969, which president announced it was his primary goal to end the conflict in southeast asia?
Nixon
In 1972, while the US was training Vietnamese Air Forces and withdrawing from Vietnam, who took advantage of the decreased ground patrols in Vietnam and crossed a demilitarized zone, ultimately breaking down peace talks?
Communist forces of the National Liberation Front
President Nixon ordered ___days of continuous bombing of Vietnamese cities, in response to the National Liberation Front crossing a demilitarized zone?
11
What mission was the 11 day bombing of Vietnamese cities with B-52s, in response to the National Liberation Front crossing a demilitarized zone?
Linebacker II
What did Linebacker II accomplish?
It broke the deadlock and allowed for renegotiations with the Northern Vietnamese. This allowed for a ceasefire agreement on 28 January 1973.
What was the result of the negotiations with the Northern Vietnamese on 28 January 1973?
a cease-fire agreement
On what date did the Vietnam Military Draft end?
27 January 1973
When did the last troop leave the country of Vietnam?
29 March 1973
What is one of the first known humanitarian airlifts known?
Army AC flying out of Kelly Field TX dropped food to victims of the Rio Grande flood in 1919
Many early domestic humanitarian flights were flown in response to what kind of emergencies?
Winter Emergencies
In March 1923, Aberdeen Proving Ground MD sent airplanes to bomb an ice jam on what river?
Delaware river
In March 1923, an AC from Chanute Field IL dropped food to stranded people on South Fox Island in what lake?
Lake Michigan
Before the USAF was established, army aircraft flew humanitarian missions to foreign nations. In February 1939, they delivered what to earthquake victims where?
medical supplies; chile
In the midst of WWII, a B-24 from a base in Guatemala dropped a life raft with _____to a destroyer escorting a British AC carrier. This prevented what?
Diphtheria vaccine; a shipboard epidemic
In May 1945, B-17s delivered food to hungry people in the Netherlands during what operation?
Operation Chowhound
In 1956 and 1957, the Military Air Transport Service airlifted ___ Hungarian refugees to the United States during what Operations?
10K; Operations Safe Haven I and II
In May 1960, earthquakes followed by volcanic eruptions, avalanches, and tidal waves ripped through southern Chile leaving nearly 10K people dead and a quarter of a million homeless. Durin the month long “____”, the US airlifted over 1K tons of material to the stricken area.
amigos airlift
American’s commitment to Southern Vietnam led to many relief flights during the 60s and 70s. The largest aerial evacuation in history included what operations?
Operations Babylift, New Life, Frequent Wind, and New Arrivals
What 1991 operation provided more than 7000 tons of blankets, tents, food, and more to displaced Kurds and airlifted thousands of refugees and medical personnel, following the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War when Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein attacked the Kurdish population in Northern Iraq
Operation Providing Comfort
What operation consisted of the AF airlifting 3000 tons of supplies to Bangladash, following a 1991 typhoon?
Operation Sea Angel
What operation in 1992 and 1993, provided 6000 tons of food, medicine, and other cargo to republics of the former Soviet Union?
Operation Provide Hope in 1992 and 1993
October of 1983, in Grenada a military coup arrested/assassinated Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, imposed a 24 hour shoot-on-sight curfew and closed an airport. Pres. Regan authorized an invasion by 1900 Marines and Army rangers to rescue hundreds of US citizens attending medical school on the island. AC-130 gunships were used in this operation…Operation what?
Operation Urgent Fury
This individual was praised for his actions in pulling a paratrooper back into a plane during Operation Urgent Fury. A C-130 banked sharply avoiding anti-aircraft fire, and threw a paratrooper out the plane. The paratroopers static line fouled and left the trooper still attached to the AC.
Sergeant Charles Tisby
The National Security Decision Directive 138, signed on 3 April 1984 by Pres Regan, established what priniciple?
a U.S policy of preemptive and retaliatory stirkes againsts terrorists.
What country did we raid in 1986, in response to terrorist attacks in Berlin led by Qadhafi?
Libya
What president formally opened the Panama Canal on 12 July 1915?
Woodrow Wilson (remember by in a WOOD boat ROWing down the canal)
In 1989, Pres George H.W Bush invaded panama to eliminate organized resistance from Panama leader/drug trafficker Manuel Noriega and bring him to Miami for trial. What was the nam eof this operation?
Operation Just Cause
Operation Just Cause was the largest and most complex air operation since when?
Vietnam
On the first night of Operation Just Cause, ___Aircraft flying ___feet above the ground dropped off ____troops, which was the largest air drop since when?
84 Aircraft; 500 feet, 5000 troops; since WWII
In Operation Just Cause, the airdrop featured the first Air Force personnel use of what item, during a contingency?
Night Vision Googles
Operation Just Cause involved more than ____aircraft?
250
How many days did it take us to eradicate threats during Operation Just Cause? and on what date did Noriega surrender and was escorted to the US for trial?
6; 3 January 1990
In what year did the Gulf War 1 take place?
1990
