American Military Aviation In The 20th Century

The evolution of American planes throughout World War II. Topic:The evolution of American planes throughout World War II Question:How did the development of new planes affect the course of world war II. Thesis: Our evolution of plane designs and styles for the allies allowed better bombing and more victorious missions.

The weapons used in World War II drastically changed from the weapons used in World War I. Assault rifles changed from bolt action which were used later back in the late 1800’s to semi and fully automatic weapons that were made at the beginning of World War II and to be used throughout the rest of the war. The tanks also were upgraded putting bigger and better lightweight machine guns at the top to keep enemies down while infantry advanced (Crowl and Love 163). The advancement in the aviation department increased heavily, by time the war approached the Pacific, the Americans had several different type of aircrafts for certain duties. They had medium bombers, heavy bombers, fighter bombers, and fighters (Crowl and Love 158).

“Never before had so much brain-power been focused on a single problem.”(Laurence qtd. in “Eyewitness”). Many inventions can be said to have changed the world, and the way it worked. Only a core few of these many inventions can be said to change air warfare, and few of those are as game-changing as the B-29 Superfortress by Boeing. The B-29 was the plane that dropped the atomic bombs in World War Two (“bomber”). The plane by Boeing was used most in World War Two as a strategic long-range bomber. This invention revolutionized the concept of war, and war is a factor in all life on planet earth. The B-29 bomber changed warfare by sparking the innovation of aircraft technology, saving lives, and allowing more power to be carried by the means

In chapter eight of Sherry’s novel “The Rise of American Air Power.” Sherry writes about the obsession war generals had with air warfare during the 20th century. He brings up the time Roosevelt decided to use atomic bombs in World War II against Japan and how he wanted to drop these bombs over Japan by aircraft carrier. The technological aspect behind this mission is complicated and made Roosevelt ‘fantasize’ about becoming more advanced in technological warfare. However, some of these improvements left others up in arms, the use of telegraphs left war generals upset about how they were always being interrupted by their superiors during missions. Another advancement that led soldiers up in arms was the operational commands. Operational Commands were in charge of running the airways and pilots would always complain about how they would interfere air battles and cause a distraction. However, Operational Commands had their perks like the use of radar to detect any

By mid-1942, World War II was looking bleak for the Allied powers. The German Wehrmacht was blitzing through Soviet Russia, the Luftwaffe had laid waste to much of London, Rommel was about to take Africa, and the Japanese nearly had control of the Pacific. Fortunately, as the Axis started running low on materiel, America was increasing the Allied supply dramatically. This enormous production capacity displayed by the U.S. was the product of their new military-industrial complex, as plants across the country geared up production of weapons and combat vehicles and the government began pumping resources into the creation of new military-oriented production facilities. The American

This large conflict started because of many different heriffic events(John J. McCloy para.7). Bombs were a major threat and killed hundreds of thousands of people in the war. Many organizations were developed so scientists could create bombs and rockets in a new and improved way. Rockets were developed to be lightweight and have the ability to put

World War I, although originating in Europe, affected people on a global scale. Advancements in technology across the globe were at a peak, and flying was at the forefront. Later in the war capabilities in the air, whether offensive or defensive, would play a pivotal role in the successes and failures across all avenues of combat.

Imagine that you are a pilot in World War II fighting for the Allies. You and your bomber squad are flying over enemy territory below, and are just at the point of pressing a button, which will unleash havoc on the ground below. This, was quite a common theme in World War II, as bombings from both the Axis and Ally side happened extremely often. The bomber plane was heavily changed in World War 2, and the journey of evolution that it has taken is truly fascinating.

“At the time of our entry into World War I America was ill prepared for large scale warfare with large movements of whole Armies. The U.S. Army was not prepared with its Artillery and had no heavy artillery guns to speak of” (Hartwell, 2017). During World War I, the Coast Artillery Corps was subject to rapid changes and unit realignments. This signified the beginning of a seamless transition to what would eventually give birth to Air Defense Artillery. The French and British had provided the United States Army with its initial Artillery weapons resulting in no American Artillery brought to the front. Production quickly started on American versions of their foreign Artillery counterparts currently used in

In the year 1945, a nuclear explosion test was set off in New Mexico which was a turning point for the United States military. Due to this new development, the U.S was able to end World War Two by dropping two nuclear bombs after the attack of Pearl Harbor by Japan. One bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, while the other was dropped on Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed and many more injured; forcing Japan to surrender.

The Aviation Branch of the U.S. Army, as we know it today, did not exist at the turn of the 1800 to 1900 centuries. The military did use a Balloon Corps and Detachment for the Civil and Spanish-American Wars respectfully. However, the Army deactivated both organizations after their usage in the campaigns. These artillery spotters and reconnoiters were helpful. However, the leadership did not see a usage for them outside of war. Therefore, it would take someone understanding the potential of air power to open a door for its peacetime usage. This occurred with the birth of the Signal Corps.

On August 6, 1945, the American plane “Enola Gay” dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bomb caused mass destruction and wiped out over 96% of the city. However, even after the disastrous bombing, Japan refused to surrender, so two days later, the second American atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city Nagasaki. Afraid of even more of the powerful bombings, the Japanese agreed to surrender on August 14,1945 (Race for the

By the time the U.S. had come to the conclusion to act on the decision of dropping the hydrogen bomb it had been at war in the Pacific theatre since 1942. Whereas the successful operation in the African and European theatre took less than two years with Germany’s surrender on May 7, 1945, the Japanese continued to ferociously fight. The United States tired of war, did not want to continue the bloody battle. The war in the pacific was horrific compared to Europe. The Pacific was characterized by its cruel and desperate battles with some often leading to hand to hand combat. This left the U.S.

The harbinger of Death was finally at the command of humankind. The arguably darkest days of armed conflict, characterized by the brightest of lights, was a result of unlocking the power of the atom. In an instant and a flash, at the Trinity test site, the nuclear age was born. The United States Army had its bomb, but the bomb was just the beginning. The United States Army Air Forces realized not only the tactical advantage of wielding such power, but the most effective means of exercising that power. The inception of the 509th Composite Group, 1st Atomic Bombardment coupled with the advent of the B-29 Superfortress offered the United States the means to devastate Japan, destroy their will to fight, and ultimately silence the Japanese

Towards the end of the War the airplane becomes a practical device of war being able to carry weapons. Anthony Fokker and Louis Bleriot create the most successful of early modern biplanes known as the D-VII and D-VIII. Biplanes are eventually taken over by the monoplane, or one wing. This new design allowed for faster flight and better visibility for the pilot. Air-cooled engines lead the way for commercial aircraft, and Boeing introduces the first modern airliner the 247. Airplanes are effected the greatest by supply and demand of war. New styles of war begun to emerge so did new and improved types of aircraft. The population of the U.S. also begun to grow which leads to the modern most sophisticated commercial airliner the 777. Most aircraft improvements are found in the military and intelligence field. The most high tech aircraft known today for such things as spying are the SR-71 Blackbird, and the U-2 Spy plane. The most complicated and best aircraft performance is still held by the space shuttle and probably always will be. The last 200 years have seen incredible changes in aircraft from the man with wings to heavier than air flying machines that can travel at supersonic speeds.