U.S. Air Force Survival Handbook

U.S. Air Force Survival Handbook

Author: United States Air Force

Publisher: Skyhorse

Published: 2017-01-17

Total Pages: 1347

ISBN-13: 1510709150

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Ideal for fans of History Alive United States books Survivalist handbook with pieces of Air Force history Essential piece of any aircraft survival kit This Air Force handbook was written to help pilots who find themselves in hostile environments. While it is designed for use in formal Air Force training, it is also useful for the general reader seeking a comprehensive and complete manual of outdoor survival techniques. Any US Army survival kit would also benefit from this handbook. Among other pieces of professional and expert advice, the US Air Force Survival Handbook tells readers about: Finding your way without a map First aid for illness and injury Finding food and water Building a fire Concealment techniques Using ropes and tying knots Survival at sea Signaling for help Animal tracking Predicting the weather Building shelters Released on the 70th anniversary of the US Air Force, this book outlines specific survival threats found in many different types of terrain and how to survive them. It is invaluable to all who enjoy the outdoors and anyone who seeks insight into the training tactics of the US Air Force.


A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force

A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force

Author: Stephen Lee McFarland

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13:

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Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.


First in the Field

First in the Field

Author: Guy Warner

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2011-12-01

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 1844683907

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651 was the first Air Observation Post (AOP) Squadron, formed at Old Sarum on August 1 1941 to work closely with army units in artillery spotting and liaison. It was still part of the RAF but all the pilots, drivers and signalers were from the Royal Artillery, while the RAF supplied the Adjutant, Engineer Officer and technicians. It is therefore the premier Army Air Corps squadron. Its first aircraft were an assortment of Taylorcraft Plus Cs and Ds, three Piper Cubs and a Stinson Voyager. Then later that year all 651s aircraft were replaced by the version of the Plus D manufactured by Taylorcraft in Britain and renamed the Auster I. These were deployed on active service in November 1942, to Algeria and then Tunisia, as part of Operation Torch. Its main duties were the direction of artillery fire, reconnaissance and light liaison. By May 1943 Tunisia was under Allied control and 651 moved to Sicily in support of offensive operations by 8th Army in August. Now equipped with Auster IIIs and flying by night and day, support was given to XIII Corps on the coast of the island, registering targets and directing counter-battery fire, including that of Royal Naval warships. On September 4, it became the first AOP unit to cross the Straits of Messina to participate in the invasion of Italy, again with 8th Army. In May 1944, the Squadron flew in support of 2nd Polish Corps during the capture of Monte Cassino, a major obstacle in the advance of Allied forces on Rome. Throughout the remainder of the war the Auster IVs and Vs of 651 Squadron worked with almost every division in Italy as they came in and out of the front line. Over the years that followed, 651 Squadron served in Austria, Palestine on internal security duties (where a landing was made on the aircraft carrier HMS Ocean in 1947), Eritrea protecting Italian civilians from Shifta bandits, Libya, Iraq during the Persian Oil Dispute, Egypt patrolling the Canal Zone and Cyprus, where in August 1953 HQ and 1910 Flights were the first AOP assets to deploy there. Further marks of Auster were introduced, AOP 6s, 9s and T.7sIn 2000 it was selected as the Attack Helicopter Fielding Squadron to bring the Westland Apache AH.1 into service, in which role it served very successfully for the next three years at Middle Wallop. Then in 2004 it was all change again with a move to RAF Odiham to operate the Defender AL.1 in the ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) support role as part of the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing. Since that time it has been continuously engaged in operations.


Blacks in the Army Air Forces During World War II

Blacks in the Army Air Forces During World War II

Author: Alan M. Osur

Publisher:

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13:

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This book is based upon a Ph. D. dissertation written by an Air Force officer who studied at the University of Denver. Currently an Associate Professor of History at the Air Force Academy, Major Osur's account relates how the leadership in the War Department and the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) tried to deal with the problem of race and the prejudices which were reflected in the bulk of American society. It tells a story of black racial protests and riots which such attitudes and discrimination provoked. The author describes many of the discriminatory actions taken against black airmen, whose goal was equality of treatment and opportunities as American citizens. He also describes the role of black pilots as they fought in the Mediterranean theater of operations against the Axis powers. In his final chapters, he examines the continuing racial frictions within the Army Air Forces which led to black servicemen protests and riots in 1945 at several installations.


Fighter Pilot Gunnery

Fighter Pilot Gunnery

Author: United States Army Air Force

Publisher:

Published: 2020-03-13

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13:

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-The US Air Forces Second World War fighter pilot manual. -Incredibly rare USAAF WW2 fighter pilot manual republished here for the first time since the war. -Completely reset text alongside all the original illustrations (full colour in Kindle edition, mono in the paperback edition). 1944, the aerial war in both European and Pacific Theaters of Operations is raging, you've just gained your USAAF 'wings' and are about to join your Fighter Group as a fighter pilot. A slim booklet, FIGHTER PILOT GUNNERY: HOW TO MAKE YOUR BULLETS HIT! is pressed into your hands by your commander and you are told to study it before you ship out. FIGHTER PILOT GUNNERY does what is says on the tin, and through a text understandable to the layman and over 40 period illustrations and diagrams, explains how to target and shoot down German and Japanese enemy aircraft. The USAAF published numerous instructional manuals for its pilots and aircrew, designed to act as an aide memoire to their training, or as an update to the latest tactical developments. Due to its rarity, FIGHTER PILOT GUNNERY has never before been re-published so, for the first time since the Second World War discover: What is a deflection shot? How do you set the range on your N-9 gunsight? What is the most effective range to fire your fighter aircraft's M-2 Browning .50 machine guns?ABOUT THE AUTHORThe United States Army Air Force (USAAF or AAF) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army during and immediately after the Second World War. It was formed in 1941 as successor to the previous United States Army Air Corps, and was the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force, one of the six armed forces of the United States today. Various departments of the USAAF produced instructional handbooks, manuals and pamphlets such as 'Air Force Manuals' and 'Technical Orders', they were noteworthy for their level of detail, clarity and colourful graphic illustrations. The Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics who produced FIGHTER PILOT GUNNERY was based at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida.