us army air corps became air force on 20 june 1941.
us army air corps became air force on 20 june 1941.
when did us army air corps become air force?
20 june 1941
the united states army air corps (usaac) was the aerial warfare service of the united states of america between 1926 and 1941. after world war i, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical rift developed between more traditional ground-based army personnel and those who felt that aircraft were being underutilized and that air operations were being stifled for political reasons unrelated to their effectiveness. the usaac was renamed from the earlier united states army air service on 2 july 1926, and was part of the larger united states army. the air corps became the united states army air forces (usaaf) on 20 june 1941, giving it greater autonomy from the army's middle-level command structure. during world war ii, although not an administrative echelon, the air corps (ac) remained as one of the combat arms of the army until 1947, when it was legally abolished by legislation establishing the department of the air force.
united states army air corps
another discontinued commissioning program is the air force's aviation cadet program. originally created by the us army signal corps in 1907 to train pilots for its then-fledgling aviation program, it was later used by the subsequent us army air service, us army air corps and us army air forces to train pilots, navigators, bombardiers and observers through world war i, the interwar period, world war ii, and the immediate postwar period between september 1945 and september 1947. with the establishment of the us air force as an independent service in september 1947, it then became a source for usaf pilots and navigators. cadets had to be between the ages of 19 and 25 and possess either at least two years of college/university level education or three years of a scientific or technical education. in its final iteration, cadets received the pay of enlisted pay grade e-5 and were required to complete all pre-commissioning training and flight training before receiving their wings as pilots or navigators and their commissions as 2nd lieutenants on active duty in the us air force reserve on the same day. aviation cadets were later offered the opportunity to apply for a commission in the regular air force and attend a college or university to complete a 4-year degree. as the air force's afrotc and ots programs began to grow, and with the air force's desire for a 100% college-degreed officer corps, the aviation cadet program was slowly phased out. the last aviation cadet pilot graduated in october 1961 and the last aviation cadet navigators in 1965. by the 1990s, the last of these officers had retired from the active duty regular air force, the air force reserve and the air national guard.
officer (armed forces)