August 6, 1945
1945: Flying his “Enola Gay” B-29 from Tinian Island, Col Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. and his crew drop the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on Hiroshima. This photo shows the officers on the mission, with Tibbits […]
August 5, 1950
1950: MEDAL OF HONOR. Maj Louis J. Sebille, the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron Commander, dies near Hamchang, Korea, when he crashes his severely damaged F-51 into an enemy position. Major Sebille posthumously received the first
August 4, 1964
1964: North Vietnamese torpedo boats attack US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. On 7 August, Congress authorizes President Johnson to use all measures to assist South Vietnam. That decision leads to a buildup of
August 3, 1942
1942: The US begins work on its top secret Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb. The photo shows the Hanford B Reactor, the first full-size weapons-grade plutonium production reactor in the world.
July 30, 1971
1971: The last C-133 Cargomaster is retired from Travis AFB to the aircraft graveyard at Davis-Monthan AFB to end a chapter in military airlift history. It fell victim to the jet age and the jumbo
July 28, 1943
1943: MEDAL OF HONOR. Flight Officer John C. “Red” Morgan receives the medal for saving his B-17 and crew. Lt Gen Ira Eaker does the presentation. Citation: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2899/morgan-john-c.php. On 6 March 1944, the German’s shoot
July 27, 1953
1953: KOREAN WAR ENDS. UN and Communist representatives sign an armistice at Panmunjom. When it ended, US pilots enjoyed a 10-1 edge in air-to-air combat. Air Force casualties number 1,729.
July 24, 1990
1990: The landing of SAC’s Boeing EC-135 Looking Glass Airborne Command Post at Offutt AFB ends 29 years of continuous operation with over 250 million miles of accident-free flying.
July 23, 1948
1948: The Military Air Transport Service deploys men and equipment to establish an Airlift Task Force in Germany to relieve Berlin. Maj Gen William H. Tunner commands the Task Force operations under USAFE’s operational control.