History of the United States Air Force United States Army Air Service, United States Army Air Corps, Billy Mitchell, Hispanics in the United States Air Force, 1st Aerospace Surveillance and Control Squadron, Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, Aeronautical Division - neues Buch

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 82. Chapters: United States Army Air Service, United States Army Air Corps, Billy Mitchell, Hispanics in the United States Air Force, 1st Aerospace Surveillance and Control Squadron, Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps, Project Space Track, Air War Plans Division, 7th Operations Group, Industrial web theory, Bomber Mafia, Revolt of the Admirals, Organization of the U.S. Army Air Service in 1925, 1951 USAF resolution test chart, Division of Military Aeronautics, 2011 Frankfurt Airport shooting, 1st Corps Observation Group, 3d Corps Observation Group, 4th Corps Observation Group, 5th Corps Observation Group, 6th Corps Observation Group, 12th Observation Group, Aircraft Board, Second Army Observation Group, National Defense Act of 1947. Excerpt: The United States Army Air Service (officially the Air Service, United States Army) was a forerunner of the United States Air Force during and after World War I. It was established as an independent but temporary wartime branch of the War Department by two executive orders of President Woodrow Wilson: on May 24, 1918, replacing the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps as the nation's air force; and March 19, 1919, establishing a military Director of Air Service to control all aviation activities. Its life was extended for another year in July 1919, during which time Congress passed the legislation necessary to make it a permanent establishment. The National Defense Act of 1920 assigned the Air Service the status of "combatant arm of the line" of the United States Army, with a major general in command. In France, the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force began combat operations in the spring of 1918. By the end of the war, the Air Service used 45 squadrons to cover 137 kilometers of front from Pont-à-Mousson to Sedan. 71 pursuit pilots were credited with shooting down five or more German aircraft while in American service. Overall the Air Service destroyed 756 enemy aircraft and 76 balloons in combat. 17 balloon companies also operated at the front, making 1,642 combat ascensions. 289 airplanes and 48 balloons were lost in battle. The Air Service was the first form of the air force to have its own organizational structure and identity. Although officers concurrently held rank in various branches, after May 1918 their designation in orders and other official correspondence changed from ASSC (Aviation Section, Signal Corps) to AS, USA (Air Service, United States Army). After July 1, 1920, its personnel became members of the Air Service branch, receiving new commissions. During the war its responsibilities and functions were split between two coordinate agencies, the Department of Military Aeronautics (DMA) and the Bureau of Aircraft Production (BAP), each repo