United States Army Air Force

The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force.

The AAF was a component of the United States Army, which in 1942 was divided functionally by executive order into three autonomous forces: the Army Ground Forces, the Services of Supply (which in 1943 became the Army Service Forces), and the AAF. Each of these forces had a commanding general who reported directly to theChief of Staff of the United States Army. The AAF controlled all parts of military aviation formerly distributed among the Air Corps, General Headquarters Air Force, and ground forces corps area commanders, and thus became the first air organization of the U.S. Army to control its own installations.

The USAAF remained a part of the United States Army until the United States Air Force came into being in September 1947.

United States Army Air Force in Days of Infamy
The USAAF received a rude shock when the Japanese entered World War II on December 7th 1941, when all their planes were destroyed on the ground in both Hawaii and the Philippines. They were constantly beaten back across the Pacific all the way to Australia.

Despite the Japanese cutting the supply lines to Australia, the USAAF was still able to get more aircraft and by early 1943, had wrestled superiority of the air away from the Japanese and were now bombing the southern coast of New Guinea as heavily as they could.

United States Army Air Force in Worldwar
The USAAF had been engaged with elements of the German and Japanese air forces when the Race invaded in mid 1942. Like all air forces, they were quickly knocked onto the defensive against the Race's more advanced air craft, but still kept up the attack, reserving most of their air craft for VIP transport, CAS duties or interception.