A history of the United States Air Force.
The purpose of this thesis was threefold. First, to present in a condensed form the most important aspects in the development of the United States Air Force as a major military force, charged with the vital task of helping safeguard the security of the nation. Secondly, to acquaint those not familiar with the history of the United States Air Force with that history in order that they might appreciate more the unsurpassed struggle that this air arm finally won in climbing from the status of an "unwanted stepchild" of the United States Army Signal Corps to the powerful, deterrent force that it is today, an equal partner with the United States Army and the United States Navy in the nation's Department of Defense. Thirdly, to enable the reader to acquire a better appreciation of the important part that the United States Air Force plays in backing United States diplomatic policy in the field of international power politics. This thesis covers the development of the air arm from 1861, when the Union Army used civilian "aeronauts" to spy on the Confederate forces from a captive balloon, through the following eras: the Wright brothers era, the pre-World War I era, World War I, the period between the two world wars, World War II, the post war years, the air war in Korea, and finally the "new look" Air Force of 1954. One chapter is devoted to leaders of the Air Force, past and present, and another covers the history of the Air Force Reserve, whose members are the aerial "Minute Men" of today.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations