Was It the Air Corps or Army Air Forces in WW II?
By C. C. Elebash Colonel (Retired), U.S. Air Force – January 2002 (used by permission) A group of Northwest Florida citizens are planning the construction of a World II Memorial. The memorial will honor soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines of all military services. It will be located on Pensacolas Bayfront Parkway adjacent to a World War I Memorial and the WallSouth Vietnam Memorial. The following question arose during planning for the memorial: should Army aviation in WW II be identified as the Air Corps or as the Army Air Forces? This is not a new question. It is a frequently asked question by people interested in the history of military aviation. The following paragraphs explain the situation. U.S. Army personnel have traditionally been assigned to branches: Infantry, Artillery, Air Corps, Quartermaster Corps, Corps of Engineers, etc. Branches were generally responsible for training and materiel, although their roles changed from time to time. Operational commands, such as combat d
