History of the United States Air Force

The United States Air Force became a separate military service on 18 September 1947 with the implementation of the National Security Act of 1947.[1][2] The Act created the National Military Establishment, later renamed the United States Department of Defense, which was composed of four of the five branches, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and a newly created Air Force.[3] Prior to 1947, the responsibility for military aviation was divided between the Army for land-based operations and the Navy and Marine Corps for sea-based operations from aircraft carrier and amphibious aircraft. The Army created the first antecedent of the Air Force on 1 August 1907, which through a succession of changes of organization, titles, and missions advanced toward eventual separation 40 years later. The predecessor organizations leading up to today's U.S. Air Force are:

  1. ^ The primary source used for the history of the USAF prior to 1946 is Bernard C. Nalty. Winged Shield, Winged Sword: A History of the United States Air Force (Air Force History and Museums Program, 1997), online
  2. ^ U.S. Intelligence Community (October 2004). National Security Act of 1947 Archived 12 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 14, 2006.
  3. ^ U.S. Department of State(2006). National Security Act of 1947. Retrieved April 14, 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Records of the Army Air Forces (AAF)". National Archives.gov. Retrieved 22 November 2010.


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