Air Force History Collection

This section deals with reports and records pertaining to Air Force History. The time periods of the documents range from the creation of the US5AF in 1947, to date.

Air Force Histories

Continental Air Command Histories

NORAD / CORAD Histories

 (U) 1955 CONAD History Jan – Jun Vol IX.pdf
 (U) 1955 CONAD History Jul – Dec Vol X.pdf
 (U) 1955 CONAD History Jan-Jun Vol VII.pdf
 (U) 1955 CONAD History Jan-Jun Vol IX.pdf
 (U) 1955 CONAD History Jul-Dec Vol X.pdf
 (U) 1955 CONAD History Jul-Dec Vol XI.pdf
 (U) 1956 CONAD-ADC History Jan-Jun Vol VII.pdf
 (U) 1957 ADC History Jan – Jun.pdf
 (U) 1957 ADC History Jan – Jun Vol III.pdf
 (U) 1956 CONAD History Jul 56 – Jun 57.pdf
 (U) 1956-1957 CONAD History Jul 56 – Jun 57 Vol I.pdf
 (U) 1956-1957 CONAD History Jul 56 – Jun 57 Vol II.pdf
 (U) 1956-1957 CONAD History Jul 56 – Jun 57 Vol III.pdf
 (U) 1957 CONAD-NORAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1957 CONAD-NORAD History Jul-Dec Vol II.pdf
 (U) 1957 CONAD-NORAD History Jul-Dec Vol III.pdf
 (U) 1957 CONAD-NORAD History Jul-Dec Vol IV.pdf
 (U) 1956-1957 NORAD CONAD History.pdf
 (U) 1957 NORAD CONAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1958 NORAD CONAD History Jan-Jun.pdf
 (U) 1958 NORAD CONAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1959 NORAD CONAD History Jan-Jun.pdf
 (U) 1959 NORAD CONAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1960 NORAD CONAD History Jan-Jun.pdf
 (U) 1960 NORAD CONAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1961 NORAD CONAD History Jan-Jun.pdf
 (U) 1962 NORAD CONAD History Jan-Jun.pdf
 (U) 1962 NORAD CONAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1963 NORAD CONAD History Jan-Jun.pdf
 (U) 1963 NORAD CONAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1964 NORAD CONAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1965 NORAD CONAD History Jan-Jun.pdf
 (U) 1965 NORAD CONAD History Jul-Dec.pdf
 (U) 1966 NORAD-CONAD History.pdf
 1967 – 1972 NORAD CONAD History [1,375 Pages, 328MB] – These records were donated to The Black Vault by FOIA researcher Cory Newman, and are used here with permission. Special thanks to Mr. Newman for his research and allowing The Black Vault to share it!

 

1940s

 Class Rosters of Various Air Force Schools – Including Roswell Field, 1942 – 1945 [1,617 Pages, 473MB]

 United States Strategic Air Forces In Europe History, Chapter 2, Jan 1942 through January 1945 [95 Pages, 13.9MB]

History of the 22nd Bombardment Group – May 1944 [68 Pages, 24.7MB]

History of the 25th Bombardment Group Aug Sep 1944 [80 Pages, 34MB]

History of the 5th Air Disarmament Group (Provisional) 1944 [96 Pages, 15MB]

History of the 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 29 August 1944 – April 1945 [93 Pages, 32MB]

The Inception, Organization and Functions of Headquarters, U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe, 28 May 1945 [111 Pages, 14.10MB]

 

 1950s

History of the Air Flight Service Center, March Air Force Base, 1 April 1952 – 30 June 1952 [15 Pages, 3MB]

History of the Directorate of Intelligence June 1 – December 31 1952 [13 Pages, 3MB]

History of the 20th Air Division (Defense), 1 July 1957 – 31 December 1957 [96 Pages, 49MB]

History of the 34th Air Division, 1 July – 31 December 1952, & – 30 January 1953  [254 Pages, 60MB]

History of the 34th Air Division, 31 December – 30 June 1953  [187 Pages, 44.1MB]

History of the 36th Air Base Group, 1 March to 30 April 1951 [102 Pages, 18.58MB]

History of the 36th Air Base Group, 1 May to 30 June 1951 [102 Pages, 16.1MB]

History of the 57th Fighter Interceptor Wing, Elmendorf Air Force Base, May – June 1950 [107 Pages, 30MB]

History of the 456th Troop Carrier Wing, Operations Summary and Analysis, 1954-1956 [326 Pages, 75.8MB]

History of the 1909th Airways and Air Communications Squadron, 1 July 1952 – 30 November 1952 [43 Pages, 13MB]

History of the 2143rd Air Weather Wing, 1 July – 31 December 1952 [144 Pages, 32MB]

History of the 4602nd Air Intelligence Service Squadron, 1 Jan to 30 June 1955 [74 Pages, 3.76MB]

 History of the 4602nd Air Intelligence Service Squadron, 1 July to 31 December 1955 [387 Pages, 103MB]

History of the 4602nd Air Intelligence Service Squadron, 1 January 1956 – 30 June 1956 [29 Pages, 10MB]

History of the 5001st Composite Wing, Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska – 1 January 1957 – 7 April 1957 [409 Pages, 103MB]

 

1960s

History of the Directorate of Administrative Services, 1 July 1960 – 31 December 1960 [905 Pages, 163MB]

History of the Air Force Flight Test Center, 1 January – 30 June 1961 [170 Pages, 16.84MB] – Only the first 167 pages of this document were obtained. The rest is available for purchase, but I was unable to afford the complete document.

History of the 31st Air Division (ADC) April 1 – June 30, 1967 [21 Pages, 3MB]

 History of the 62nd Military Airlift Wing July 1 – December 31, 1969 [224 Pages, 50.8MB]

History of the 78th Fighter Wing (ADC), 1 October 1964 – 31 December 1964 [322 Pages, 101MB]

History of the 4245th Strategic Wing, 1-31 March 1962 [202 Pages, 34.19MB]

History of the 313th Air Division, July-December 1962 [501 Pages, 61.5MB] – These documents detail the Okinawa Incident, October 28, 1962.

History of the 304th Air Rescue Squadron, 1 January – 30 June 1963 [1,984 Pages, 497MB] – UPON ACTIVATION 68/01/26, BECAME AN ACTIVE OPERATING UNIT IN LIEU OF A RESERVE TRAINING SQUADRON. THE CALL TO ACTIVE DUTY WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE SEIZURE OF THE NAVY INTELLIGENCE SHIP PUEBLO BY NORTH KOREA. PUEBLO CRISIS, RESERVE CALL-UP.

History of the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, for the period ending 31 March 1967 [19 Pages, 6MB]

History of the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, for the period ending June 1967 [22 Pages, 6MB]

History of the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, for the period ending 1966 [106 Pages, 31MB]

History of the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, for the period ending 31 December 1965 [115 Pages, 30MB]

History of the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, for the period ending 30 June 1961 [23 Pages, 6MB]

Lessons Learned, Headquarters, 52d Combat Aviation Battalion, 22 September 1969 [54 Pages, 3MB]

1970s

Air Force Museum Semi-Annual History, 1 January 1970 – 30 June 1970 [31 Pages, 12.76mb]

History of the 92nd Bombardment Wing and 92nd Combat Support Group, September 1976 [62 Pages, 12.98mb]

1980s

1. History of the 320th Bombardment Wing, October – December 198f1 [266 Pages, 46.82mb]

 

Oral History Interviews

Oral History Interview with Lt. Col. William Miller [72 Pages, 6.99mb]

Oral History Interview with Maj. Gen. William C. Garland [112 Pages, 15.28mb]

 

Other Related Documents

Aerial Interdiction: Air Power and the Land Battle in Three American Wars [444 Pages]

An Aerospace Bibliography [340 Pages]

Air Force Bases Vol. I: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 [651 Pages, 95 megabytes]

Vol. II: Air Bases Outside of the United States of America [241 Pages]

Air Force Combat Medals, Streamers, and Campaigns [358 Pages]

Air Force Combat Wings: Lineage and Honors Histories, 1947-1977 [366 Pages, 33 Megabytes]

The Air Force Integrates, 1945-1964 [366 Pages, 35 Megabytes]

Air Force Officers: Personnel Policy Development, 1944-1974 [503 Pages, 29 Megabytes]

Air Force Roles and Missions: A History [345 Pages, 27 Megabytes] – This history traces the usage of- and meaning given to- the terms “roles and missions” relating to the armed forces and particularly to the United States Air Force from 1903 to the mid-1990s.

Air Interdiction in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam: An Interview with General Earle E. Partridge, General Jacob E. Smart, and General John W. Vogt, Jr. [114 Pages, 9 Megabytes] – Air leaders relate their war experiences in major interdiction campaigns designed to disrupt the flow of men and supplies to enemy armies. As American officers flying in World War II, the interviewees fought in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Northern France. In Korea and Vietnam, they faced the challenge of limited warfare, in which air power was restrained by national policy.

Air Leadership [168 Pages, 14 Megabytes] – This book contains the published proceedings of a conference on air leadership held at Bolling AFB in 1984.

Air Power and Warfare : the proceedings of the 8th Military History Symposium, United States Air Force Academy, 18-20 October 1978 [475 Pages, 25 Megabytes]

Air Power in Three Wars (World War II, Korea, Vietnam) [372 Pages, 44 Megabytes] – These are the memoirs of General Momyer, whose 35-year military career spanned three conflicts -World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Momyer reflects on his diverse experience, covering the development of tactical air strategy, command and control of air power, air superiority, interdiction, and close air support of ground forces.

Air Superiority in World War II and Korea: An Interview with General James Ferguson, General Robert M. Lee, General William Momyer, and Lt. Gen. Elwood R. Quesada [125 Pages] – The four generals participate in a group oral history on how American air forces achieved air superiority in World War II and Korea. Extensive notes and a bibliography supplement the lively and informative discussion.

Air Warfare and Air Base Defense, 1917-1973 [426 Pages, 8 megabytes]

Airpower Advantage: Planning the Gulf War Air Campaign 1989 – 1991 [497 Pages, 8 megabytes]

The American military and the Far East : proceedings of the Ninth Military History Symposium, United States Air Force Academy, 1-3 October, 1980 [426 Pages, 19 megabytes]

The American military on the frontier : the proceedings of the 7th Military History Symposium, United States Air Force Academy, 30 September-1 October 1976 [206 Pages, 19 megabytes]

Anatomy of a Reform : The Expeditionary Aerospace Force [111 Pages]

Anything, Anywhere, Anytime: Combat Cargo in the Korean War [42 Pages]

Attempts at Codification of Aerial Warfare [7 Pages, 1.23mb]

The 31 Initiatives: A Study in Air Force-Army Cooperation [177 Pages]

From the History of the Creation of Jet Aviation [20 Pages, 3.4mb]

Pathfinder Operations in the Khmer Republic (1973) [92 Pages, 7.22mb]

Shelters for Civilian Personnel, 10 September 1935 [31 Pages, 4.9mb]

United States Air Force History. An Annotated Bibliography [110 Pages, 7.64mb] – Reports of American aircraft events at Fort Myer, Virginia, in 1908 and published extensively in the United States and Europe, marked the beginning of an immense flood of literature about military aviation and aviators, and air deeds in war and peace. This annotated bibliography on U. S. Air Force history is a sampling of that literature, prepared primarily for the student and scholar.

Winged Shield, Winged Sword: A History of the United States Air Force. Volume 1, 1907-1950 [524 Pages, 7.55mb] – Throughout its first century, military aviation helped advance the interests of the United States. From a curiosity, fragile and of uncertain value, the warplane has become a devastating weapon. Moreover, ballistic missiles and surveillance satellites have joined aircraft in this aerial array. In these two volumes, the authors try to describe and analyze, in the context of national policy and international rivalries, the evolution of land-based air power since the United States Army in 1907 established an Aeronautical Division responsible to the Chief Signal Officer. This work, in addition to commemorating the Air Force’s 50th anniversary, also commemorates almost 100 years of progress in the design and use of aerial weaponry. By placing airmen and their machines in an appropriate context, it provides a clearer understanding of the central role of the Air Force in current American defense policy. Volume I, containing the first 12 chapters, begins with balloons and the earliest heavier-than-air machines. It carries the story through World War II to the establishment of the United States Air Force as a service separate from, but equal to, the Army and the Navy. Volume II picks up the narrative at the Korean War, takes it through the War in Southeast Asia, the Gulf War, to the drawdown following the end of the Cold War. Part I: The Early and Interwar Years, 1907-1939, contains The Roots of U.S. Military Aviation, The Air Service in the Great War, From Air Service to Air Corps — The Era of Billy Mitchell, The Coming of the GHQ Air Force, 1925-1935, and The Heyday of the GHQ Air Force, 1935-1939. Part II: World War II, 1939-1945, contains Reaction to the War in Europe, The Army Air Forces in Desperate Battle, 1941-1942, Building Air Power, The Defeat of Italy and Germany, and Victory over Japan. Part III: Building the Air Force, 1945-1950, contains The Quest for Independence and Framing Air Force Missions.

USAF Withdrawal from Southeast Asia, 1 JANUARY 1970 – 30 JUNE 1971 [102 Pages, 13.84MB] – The evaluations in this document represent the efforts of working groups and critique panels of USAF officers who were knowledgeable in the subjects addressed. They were based on reports, letters, messages, etc. written during the course of the war without benefit of a long term perspective.

 

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