9781422280201

As with the Army and Navy, it was World War II (1939–1945) that revolutionized the Air Force. At the outbreak of war, the Army Air Corps had 24,000 personnel and 1,500 combat aircraft, still far below the strength of the European air forces. Realizing this, the U.S. govern- ment embarked on a massive program of expanding its air units. On June 20, 1941, six months before the United States actually entered the war, the Air Corps was renamed the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). During World War II, the USAAF grew to an immense size, peaking in 1944 at around 60,000 combat aircraft, 20,000 support aircraft, and 2,372,292 personnel. U.S. industry also

Boeing B-17 bombers used during World War II.

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