Organization of the Army Air Arm, 1935-1945

Abstract

Abstract : The year 1935 marked the establishment of the General Headquarters Air Force, the first official recognition that the development of effective airpower necessitated authority for independent action. The purpose of this monograph is to show the organizational growth of the Army air arm from 1935 to September 1945 and to trace the ideas and influences that affects its development. Most significant of these was the continuous effort to attain an autonomous air force, one with a large degree of control over its own affairs internally and the necessary voice in determining its operational activities. Important internal developments included the establishment and implementation of an Air Staff, the application of management devices, the improvement of programming methods, the consolidation of AAF Headquarters offices, and decentralization of command responsibilities.