On This Day in History

  1945: Operation VARSITY. An Allied airborne and amphibious assault crosses the Rhine River. More than 2,000 transports and gliders from the IX Troop Carrier Command drop two airborne divisions near Wesel, Germany, in daylight. […]

  1951: Operation TOMAHAWK. In the Korean War’s second airborne operation, and the largest to date in one day, 120 USAF transports drop more than 3,400 troops and 220 tons of materiel behind enemy lines

2006: The C-17 Globemaster III fleet surpasses its millionth flight hour during a mission to evacuate injured US troops from Iraq to Germany.

  2003: Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. c. 9:30 p. m. EST, US forces begin the air war against Iraq with Tomahawk cruise missile strikes.

  1942: The US and Panama sign an agreement for defense sites and air bases in Panama to defend the canal.

  1961: Northrop delivers the first T-38 Talon supersonic jet trainer to Air Training Command at Randolph AFB.

  (X-1A #46-062) 1944: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) recommends development of a jet-propelled transonic research aircraft. This suggestion leads to the Bell X-1.        

  1968: Det 1, 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB picks up the 1,000th downed airman to be rescued since the unit began operations in Southeast Asia.

1990: The combined Lockheed and USAF F-117A Stealth Fighter design team receives the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1989.

  1949: MACKAY TROPHY. Through 2 March, from Carswell AFB Capt James Gallagher and crew fly the 43rd Bomb Group’s B-50 Lucky Lady II (No. 46-010), on the first nonstop around-the-world flight. They fly 23,452