THOSE WHO SERVED

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THOSE WHO SERVED

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THE
LEADERS

A.A.F. MEDAL OF
HONOR WINNERS

        WHEN THE JAPANESE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR IN 1941, THE UNITED STATES MILITARY WAS NOT THE GLOBAL POWER THAT WE THINK OF TODAY. ON THAT DECEMBER SEVENTH MANY QUESTIONED OUR ABILITY TO FIGHT THE NECESSARY HOLDING ACTIONS AROUND THE WORLD TO GAIN THE TIME NEEDED TO ARM OURSELVES.

        THE ARMY AIR FORCE ENTERED THE WAR WITH AN ENLISTMENT OF 25,000 AND A INVENTORY OF ABOUT 4,000 AIRCRAFT.

        WITH GREAT DETERMINATION THIS FORCE WOULD GROW TO A PEAK WARTIME STRENGTH OF 75,OOO AIRCRAFT AND 2,411,294 OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN. DURING THE PERIOD OF JULY 1, 1940 THROUGH AUGUST 31,1945 THE A.A.F. WOULD ACCEPT A TOTAL OF 229,554 AIRCRAFT AND SUFFER CASUALTIES AMOUNTING TO 115,382, OF WHICH 52,173 DIED.

        DUE TO LEND LEASE DEMANDS THE MANUFACTURING BASE NEEDED TO ENLARGE OUR FORCES WAS ALREADY IN HIGH GEAR. THIS ALLOWED THE A.A.F. TO TRIPLE ITS' AIRCRAFT STRENGTH IN THE YEAR FOLLOWING AMERICA'S ENTRY INTO THE WAR.

        SOME OF THE AIRCRAFT IN PRODUCTION AT THE WAR'S BEGINING, SUCH AS THE B-17, THE B-24 AND THE B-25, WOULD SOLDIER ON WITH GREAT SUCCESS FOR THE DURATION OF THE CONFLICT. ALONG WITH FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS THE P-51, A-26 AND B-29, TO NAME A FEW, THEY WOULD CAPTURE THE HEARTS AND IMAGINATIONS OF THE MEN WHO TOOK THEM INTO COMBAT AND MANY IN GENERATIONS TO COME.

        THE MOST HEAVILY PRODUCED AIRCRAFT OF THE PERIOD WERE THE B-24 (18,188), P-47 (15,485), THE P-51 (14,501), P-40 (13,700), THE B-17 (12,677) AND THE C-47 (10,245). THESE TREMENDOUS NUMBERS WERE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH WIDESPREAD CHANGES IN THE PRODUCTION METHODS OF THE AVIATION INDUSTRY. MANY OF THESE CHANGES, SUCH AS ASSEMBLY LINE PRODUCTION AND STANDARDIZATION OF PARTS, CAME FROM THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY WHICH CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO ALL TYPES OF WAR PRODUCTION. FORD'S WILLOW RUN PLANT WAS THE FORTH LARGEST PRODUCER OF AIRFRAMES DURING THE PERIOD, TURNING OUT 5,476 B-24 BOMBERS IN 1944-45.

        THE PERSONNEL THAT USED AND SERVICED THESE AIRCRAFT WERE A DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE. NINETY PERCENT OF THEM WERE NEW TO THE SERVICE FORM THE BEGINNING OF THE EXPANSION PROGRAM IN JUNE OF 1940. ONE HALF OF THEIR NUMBER SAW SERVICE OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY DURING THE WAR.

        THEY CAME FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS AND ALL PARTS OF OUR NATION. THESE FARMERS, CLERKS AND STUDENTS WERE QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY TURNED INTO PILOTS, NAVIGATORS, GUNNERS AND MECHANICS. ALL OF THESE NEWCOMERS MESHED WITH THE SMALL CORE OF EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL FROM PREWAR DAYS TO FORM THE WORLD'S LARGEST, MOST POWERFUL AIR FORCE.

        WE MUST NOT FORGET THAT THIS POWERFUL ORGANIZATION WAS ALSO SERVED BY A LARGE GROUP OF CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES. 500,000 WORKERS AT A.A.F. STATIONS, UNSKILLED LABORERS TO HIGHLY SKILLED TECHNICIANS, CONTRIBUTED NOTABLY TO THE GROWTH AND ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE AERIAL FIGHTING MACHINE.

        BEFORE THE LADIES OF THE INTERNET BECOME ANGRY I MUST ALSO MENTION THE WOMEN WHO SERVED THE A.A.F.. FEMALE PERSONNEL DID INDEED PERFORM FLYING DUTY AS PART OF THE WAFS, WOMEN'S AUXILIARY FERRYING SQUADRONS. THE A.A.F. WAS SO HESITANT ABOUT ENLISTING WOMEN THAT THIS ORGANIZATION WAS FORMED AS AN ARMY SUPERVISED BRANCH OF THE CIVIL SERVICE. THE FEMALE PILOTS WERE PUT THROUGH A STEPPED UP TRAINING. SOMETIMES FACING SIXTEEN HOUR DAYS THEY DRILLED, STUDIED COMMUNICATIONS, MAP READING AND TRAINED ON SINGLE AND TWIN ENGINE AIRCRAFT. DESPITE THE TRAINING AND THE FACT THAT AS PILOTS THEY WERE FASTER AT INSTRUMENTS AND SMOOTHER WITH CONTROLS THAN THE MEN, THE WAFS WERE CONFINED TO FERRYING AIRCRAFT FROM FACTORIES TO A.A.F. BASES.

        THE WOMEN OF THE ARMY AIR FORCE WERE UTILIZED IN THE SAME MANNER AS COUNTERPARTS IN THE OTHER SERVICES. THEY WERE PRIMARILY A MEANS OF FREEING MORE MEN FOR COMBAT BY TAKING UP SUPPORT POSITIONS. THOUGH THIS MAY SEEM DEMEANING TO US TODAY, WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THIS TOOK PLACE NEARLY SIXTY YEARS AGO. GIVEN THAT SOCIETIES PRECONCEPTIONS OF WOMEN, THE MORE THAN 200,000 FEMALES ON ACTIVE DUTY WAS A TRUE BREAKTHROUGH.

        THE GROUP OF PHOTOGRAPHS THAT FOLLOW ARE DEDICATED TO THE PEOPLE THAT DID SO MUCH TO HELP THE A.A.F. IN ITS' BATTLE. THEY CERTAINLY INCLUDE ALL MEMBERS OF THE OTHER U.S. ARMED FORCES AND THE SUPERB FORCES OF OUR ALLIES. LESS OBVIOUS AT TIMES ARE THE MEN AND WOMEN OF INDUSTRY AND BUSINESS THAT PROVIDED THE WEAPONS, TOOLS AND ECONOMIC BASE WITH WHICH TO FIGHT A GLOBAL WAR. WE MUST ALSO GIVE THANKS TO THE FAMILIES THAT BACKED THEIR SOLDIERS, GIVING THEM A REASON TO FIGHT AND A REASON TO GET BACK HOME. THE U.S. ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ALSO ANSWERED THE CALL WITH SPECIAL SHOWS ON THE FIGHTING FRONTS, RECORDINGS, RADIO SHOWS AND THE EVER PRESENT PIN UP. THE GENERAL POPULATION OF THIS NATION PUT UP WITH MANY INCONVENIENCES, FOOD AND GASOLINE RATIONING BEING VERY VISIBLE.

        THOUGH THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO THE ARMY AIR FORCE, WE MUST NOT FORGET THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE ENTIRE FREE WORLD. THE ALLIES FOUGHT AGAINST A STRONG AND TERRIBLE ENEMY THAT WOULD FORCE ITS WARPED VISION OF THE WORLD ON ALL THAT THEY COULD CONQUER. THOUGH THE UNITED STATES LOST IN EXCESS OF 300,000 DEAD, A TERRIBLE COST, THE WORLD TOLL OF LIFES LOST NEARS 60,000,000. LET US NEVER FORGET THESE NAMELESS MILLIONS, LET US NEVER REPEAT THIS TERRIBLE, THOUGH INTERESTING PERIOD OF HISTORY.