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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0667.PDF
Martin XP6M SeaMaster (U.S. Navy). THE WORLD'S AIR FORCES ... York), which trains the Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard,and supervises the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps and the Civil Air Patrol. Of these organizations, the Air NationalGuard is the most important, and it corresponds roughly to our R.Aux.A.F. The A.N.G. was largely pulled into the regular AirForce in 1950, but it is now stronger than ever before, and its strength is once more on a peace-time footing under State control.Since March, 1953, the number of aircraft in the hands of the civilian components of the Air Force has more than doubled,and 44 fighter, light bomber, reconnaissance and troop-carrier wings have been organized. Of the Air National Guard's 87Tactical Squadrons, 62 were jet-equipped a year ago. Overseas U.S.A.F. strength is as great as that based in theU.S.A., and is divided into five Commands. The Alaskan Air Command (Maj. Gen. George R. Acheson, Elmendorf A.F.B.) isequipped with, inter alia, wings of long-range all-weather Scor- pions, which can operate even in the adverse weather conditionsprevalent in the Alaskan and Aleutian region. The Northeast Air Command (Lt. Gen. Glenn O. Barcus, Pepperrell A.F.B.) is anair-defence force loosely integrated with the R.C.A.F., and its baili- wick ranges over the whole area north and east of the N. Americancontinent. Caribbean Air Command (Maj. Gen. Reuben C. Hood, Jr., Albrook A.F.B., Canal Zone) controls a strong complexof bases and operational formations extending around the north coast of S. America, and across to Puerto Rico, Cuba and otherWest Indian islands. Military exercises are frequently held in this region, and the great range of the U.S.A.F. Missile TestCenter extends into the Atlantic off Caribbean's eastern border. Far East Air Force (Gen. Earle Partridge, Tokyo) has a strengthof 14 Wings. The United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) is one of thelargest of all overseas commands (Lt. Gen. William H. Tunner, Lindsey A.F.B., Wiesbaden). All U.S.A.F. activities in Europecome under the jurisdiction of this headquarters, with the excep- tion of S.A.C.'s training programmes in England and N. Africa.The chief units of USAFE are the 12th Air Force in Germany and France, the 3rd Air Force in the United Kingdom, the 5thAir Division in French Morocco, the 80th Air Depot Wing at Nouasseur, French Morocco, the 73rd Air Depot Wing atChateauroux, France, and the 85th Air Depot Wing at Erding Air Depot, Germany. Included in 12th Air Force are numerous Wings of tacticalaircraft, including RF-80s, F-86Fs, F-86Ds, F-84Gs, F-84Fs, and B-57s. Most of this strength is based along the line of the greatnew NATO bases west of the Rhine. From the NATO point of view—which is of primary importance, operationally—this AirForce is a part of the 4th Allied Tactical Air Force. In the United Kingdom there are three U.S.A.F. Commands:the 3rd Air Force and 7th Air Division (Maj. Gen Roscoe C. Wilson and Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Musgrave, Jr., respectively,South Ruislip, Middlesex) and the Northern Air Material Area (Brig. Gen. Troup Miller, Jr., Burtonwood, Lanes.). The 3rdA.F. combat units include the 49th Air Division (B-45s and F-84Fs), the 406th F/I Wing (F-86Ds and F-86Fs), and the 582ndAir Resupply Group (which is essentially a support unit, equipped with C-119s, SB-29s and SA-16s). The 7th Air Division isan operational organization under the direct control of S.A.C. The United States Navy AS MIGHT be expected, the air strength of the U.S. Navy isvery great; in fact, this Service incorporates the third largest "air force" in the world, the only larger flying Services being the AirForces of the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. Naval aviation in America has no separate mission or operational organization, but forms anintegral part of the Navy as a whole. Units from every Naval and Marine Corps formation areorganized into Task Forces—self-sufficient, with global mobility and able to tackle virtually any military assignment. The sectionsof U.S. Naval aviation which put to sea therefore have the same operational organization as the U.S. Fleets, which is currentlyas follows: the First Fleet (Admiral Felix B. Stump, with Vice- Admiral Harold M. Martin as Air Commander) is in the Pacific;the Second Fleet (Vice-Admiral John H. Cassady, with Vice- Admiral Fredk. W. McMahon as Air Commander) is in theAtlantic; the Sixth Fleet (Vice-Admiral Ralph A. Oftsie) is in the Mediterranean and other European waters, and would be placedat the disposal of SACEUR (p. 615) in time of war; and the Seventh Fleet (Vice-Admiral Alfred M. Pride) is in the Far East. The above Fleets account for a major part of the striking power—particularly the short-range power—of Naval aviation. All the large, long-range aircraft, together with flying boats, transports 665FLIGHT.. 13 May 1955 Douglas A4D-1 Skyhawk (U.S. Navy). Douglas A3D-I Skywarriors (U.S. Navy). Douglas AD-4W Skyraiders (U.S. Navy). Sikorsky HSS-1 (left) and Bell HSL-1 (U.S. Nav Grumman S2F-I Sentinel (U.S. Navy). (Below) Lockheed P2V-3 Neptune and K-blimp (U.S. Navy).
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