American Military Aviation: The Indispensable Arm PDF
Preview American Military Aviation: The Indispensable Arm
american military aviation number two Centennial of Flight Series Roger Launius, General Editor AMERICAN MILITARY AVIATION The Indispensable Arm charles j. gross texas a m university press college station & Copyright © 2002 by Charles J. Gross Manufactured in the United States of America All rights reserved First edition The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, z39.48–1984. Binding materials have been chosen for durability. Image on each chapter title page: Republic F-84 thunderjets of the 182d Fighter Bomber Squadron, Texas Air National Guard. Taken from a photograph by Harold Beasley, courtesy of the Warren E. Thompson collection. library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Gross, Charles Joseph American military aviation: the indispensable arm / Charles J. Gross. p. cm.—(Centennial of flight series : no. 2) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-58544-215-1 (cloth)—ISBN 1-58544-255-0 (pbk.) 1. Aeronautics, Military—United States—History—20th century 2. United States. Air Force—History—20th century. I. Title. II. Series. UG633 .G767 2002 358.4'00973'0904—dc21 2002005334 to captain harry j. zinser, usn (Retired), naval aviator and friend, whose quiet heroism as a helicopter pilot flying combat rescue missions during the Vietnam War was an inspiration to all who knew him. CONTENTS List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgments xi List of Abbreviations xiii Introduction 3 Chapter 1. Brigades of Flying Horses 11 Chapter 2. A Golden Age of Innovation 48 Chapter 3. Armageddon 95 Chapter 4. An Age of Limits 142 Chapter 5. Cold Warriors 187 Chapter 6. The Renaissance of American Military Power 218 Chapter 7. The Empire Strikes Out 250 Epilogue 293 Notes 305 Bibliography 337 Index 355 ILLUSTRATIONS Wright Brothers and Lt. Benjamin Foulois, fl Eugene Ely ying from the USS Pennsylvania, ffi ‒ Major General George Owen Squier, chief signal o cer, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and pilots of the famed th Aero Squadron, France, fi Major Reuben Fleet and the rst U.S. airmail, Captain Charles Lindbergh, ca. ff Major General Mason Patrick and Rear Adm. William Mo ett fl Trans-Atlantic ight of U.S. Navy NC- s, USS Langley (CV- ) Army airmail, B- s intercept the Rex, Generals Henry Arnold and George Marshall L- observation plane on the USS Ranger, B- s on a mission to Cologne, Germany fl P- Mustangs in ight over Nazi territory Aircraft on the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway Atomic blast at Hiroshima Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, USMC Berlin Airlift, fl Convair RB- D reconnaissance bomber in ight Aircraft on the USS Essex during the Korean War F- pilots in the Korean War Wounded marines being evacuated by helicopter, Korea, fi fl Ensign Jesse Brown, rst African American to y in combat F- being loaded aboard a C- during the Berlin crisis, P V- inspects a Soviet freighter near Cuba, fl USS Forrestal a ame in the Gulf of Tonkin, Marine Corps close air support in Vietnam, Soldiers leap from a UH- D “Huey” in Vietnam, Colonel Robin Olds and some of his pilots in Vietnam
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