Marine Corps Aviation: the Early Years 1912-1940

Marine Corps Aviation: the Early Years 1912-1940 PDF

Author: Edward Johnson

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2013-06-13

Total Pages: 114

ISBN-13: 9781490435435

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This brief history of Marine aviation from 1912 to 1940 describes the efforts of Marines to secure their own air arm and recounts the early development of the Marine air-ground team.

U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Since 1912

U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Since 1912 PDF

Author: Peter B. Mersky

Publisher: US Naval Institute Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781591145165

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This heavily illustrated work is the only book to describe the entire history of the U.S. Marine Corps' air arm. With hundreds of rare photographs, this fourth edition represents a major redesign and update of the last edition, published more than a decade ago. Chapters include descriptions of early development and training, as well as combat deployments during World War I and in Central America. World War II and Korea, Vietnam, the Balkans, and Southwest Asia campaigns are also well covered. The book's emphasis is on the Marines who made up the air squadrons, developed the aircraft and tactics, and fought the battles as the main support of troops on the ground. The text includes first-person accounts and comments from many participants--aviators and crewmen alike.

Biplanes at War

Biplanes at War PDF

Author: Wray R. Johnson

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2019-04-16

Total Pages: 440

ISBN-13: 0813177065

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Unlike the relative uniformity of conventional warfare, the peculiarities of small wars prevent a clear definition of rules and roles for military forces to follow. During the small wars era, aviation was still in its infancy, and the US military had only recently begun battling in the skies. The US Marine Corps recognized that flexibility and ingenuity would be critical to the successful conduct of small wars and thus employed the new technology of aviation. In Biplanes at War: US Marine Corps Aviation in the Small Wars Era, 1915–1934, author Wray R. Johnson provides a riveting history of the marines' use of aviation between the world wars, a time in which young soldiers were volunteering to fly in combat when flying itself was a dangerous feat. Starting with Haiti in 1915, Biplanes at War follows the marines' aviation experiences in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, China, and Nicaragua, chronicling how marines used aircraft to provide supporting fires (e.g., dive-bombing) to ground troops in close contact with irregular opponents, evacuate the sick and wounded, transport people and cargo (e.g., to assist humanitarian operations), and even support elections in furtherance of democracy. After years of expanding the capabilities of airplanes far beyond what was deemed possible, the small wars era ended, and the US Marines Corps transitioned into an amphibious assault force. The legacy of the marines' ability to adapt and innovate during the small wars era endures and provides a useful case study. Biplanes at War sheds light on how the marines pioneered roles and missions that have become commonplace for air forces today, an accomplishment that has largely gone unrecognized in mainstream histories of aviation and air power.

U.S. Marine Corps Aviation

U.S. Marine Corps Aviation PDF

Author: Peter B. Mersky

Publisher: Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781877853425

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In the 1980's, the Marines are still as air-minded as ever, earning a unique place for themselves in aviation history. They have always excelled in the close support of infantry. In fact, every Marine aviator has been trained to be a rifleman first. This attitude has permeated the history of Marine Corps aviation and have led to the creation of the well-trained, purpose-built combat arm that goes to sea today. Additionally, more than any other service, the U.S. Marines have been quick to adapt and exploit helicopters to assist their infantry in battle. In this, the first history of Marine Corps aviation, Peter Mersky tells about the pilots who carried on the Marine Corps tradition of "first to fight" from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, and the metal airstrip at Khe Sanh in Vietnam. Aircraft of the Marine Corps are illustrated in this story, from the very earliest days to the present, with more than 200 rarely seen photographs and the author's own drawings.

Marine Corps Aviation

Marine Corps Aviation PDF

Author: Edward C. Johnson

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2014-06-18

Total Pages: 118

ISBN-13: 9781500235710

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This brief history of Marine aviation from 1912 to 1940 describes the efforts of Marines to secure their own air arm and recounts the early development of the Marine air-ground team. The story is drawn from official reports, documents, and personal correspondence, as well as from published historical works. It also draws heavily upon the transcribed reminiscences of notable Marine aviators collected and preserved by the Oral History Section of the History and Museums Division. From 1912, when First Lieutenant Alfred A. Cunningham became the first Marine to fly, through 1940, a handful of dedicated Marines worked to keep their Corps abreast of the progress of military aviation and to create an air arm specifically dedicated to supporting Marines in their amphibious mission. From a few daring men and a handful of primitive aircraft in 1912, Marine aviation grew into a force which met the test of combat in World War I. During the 1920s and 1930s, Marine aviators gradually developed a permanent organization and acquired aircraft of increasing reliability and improving performance. In small wars and expeditions in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and China, Marine fliers devised new techniques for supporting Marine infantry in combat, and they demonstrated the value of aviation in reconnaissance and in the movement of men and supplies over rough and usually roadless terrain. With the creation of the F1eet Marine Force in 1933, Marine aviation received formal recognition as an element of the amphibious air-ground team, and in the fleet landing exercises of the late 1930s began developing the doctrines and tactics which would make close air support a reality in World War II. The traditions of excellence and versatility established by these early Marine fliers lived on in the skies of Korea and Vietnam and remain vital today. This study of the formative years of Marine aviation is based on official reports and documents in the archives and holdings of the History and Museums Division and on personal memoirs and correspondence, as well as published historical works. It draws heavily on the writings of such pioneers of Marine aviation history as Robert L. Sherrod and Major Edna Loftus Smith, USMCR, and has benefited significantly from the efforts of such organizations as the First Marine Aviation Force Association and the Marine Corps Aviation Association to preserve the memory and record of early Marine aviation.

U.S. Marine Corps Aviation - Early Years 1912-41

U.S. Marine Corps Aviation - Early Years 1912-41 PDF

Author: U. S. Military

Publisher:

Published: 2018-05-16

Total Pages: 83

ISBN-13: 9781982919696

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In any historical appreciation of Marine Corps Aviation, there are two factors which make Marine Aviation unique. The first is the close relationship between Marine and Naval Aviation, and the second is the unchanging objective of Marine Aviation to provide direct support to Marine ground forces in combat. One of the reasons for the partnership between Marine and Naval Aviation is the commonality which they have shared since their very beginnings. Both are under the umbrella of the Department of the Navy and there is an interlocked approach to planning, budgeting, procurement and operations, at all levels from Washington to the major fleet, field and base commands. All aviators of the naval establishment, whether Marine or Navy, are trained in the same training commands, in the same equipment, and by the same instructors and technicians, under the same syllabi. This adds up to the closest bond between two major air forces. The second factor - the basic objective of Marine Aviation: to support Marine Corps operations on the ground - speaks for itself. While there have been a few variations in some aspects of Marine Aviation planning, there has never been a departure from this objective. Marine Aviation was officially born on May 22, 1912, when First Lieutenant Alfred A. Cunningham, USMC, reported to the camp "for duty in connection with aviation." This was several months after the Naval Aviation Camp was established at Annapolis in 1911, manned by Lieutenants T. G. Ellyson, John Rodgers and J. H. Towers, plus mechanics and three aircraft. There was much talk at the time of an emerging mission for the Marine Corps of the "occupation and defense of advance bases for the fleet." The Advance Base School had been commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and Cunningham was among the first Marines to be assigned. In the spring of 1912, Lt. Cunningham was ordered to Annapolis for flight instruction. A second Marine was soon assigned to the school, First Lieutenant Bernard L. Smith, followed by Second Lieutenant William M. Mcllvain in December, and First Lieutenant Francis T. Evans in June 1915. On March 31, 1916, First Lieutenant Roy S. Geiger reported to Lieutenant Commander Henry C. Mustin at Pensacola. Each of these five Marines, all eager to "learn the new," had his own concept of how this new arm could enhance the effectiveness of Marine Corps operations. They were the prewar nucleus of Marine Aviation. CONTENTS * I. The Early Years: 1912-1941 * The First Marine Aviation Force * First Marine Aviation Force in France * Survival: 1919-1920 * Expansion and Training * II. World War II * Wake Island * Battle of Midway * The Road Back * The Solomons Campaign * Central Pacific Operations * The Philippines * Okinawa * The Occupation of Japan and Demobilization * III. Post-WW II Operations * IV. Korean War * Chosin Reservoir * V. Technological Development * VI. Southeast Asia Involvement * VII. Pressing on Toward the 1980s