Audio by NMUSAF PA | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | 12.31.1969
Interdiction means air attack directed at an enemy’s materiel, transport, and other resources before they can be used against friendly forces. During the first year of the Korean War, U.S. Air Force interdiction destroyed trains, bridges, roads and trucks in an effort to slow or halt North Korean transportation. The communists were vulnerable to this kind of attack because of their higher......
Audio by NMUSAF PA | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | 12.31.1969
South Korea, the US, and fifteen other nations contributed military forces to the UN command in Korea. The U.S. force consisted of aviation units from the Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Army. The small South Korean Air Force started the war unable to contribute combat forces, but with Air Force assistance and equipment, fielded combat forces as the war progressed. Great Britain, Australia......
Audio by NMUSAF PA | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | 12.31.1969
When North Korea invaded in June 1950, the U.S. Air Force was, in the words of Chief of Staff Gen Hoyt Vandenberg, a “shoestring air force.” In the Far East, the U.S. Air Force was equipped for the air defense of Japan, but had inadequate resources for combat on the nearby Korean peninsula. To increase its strength, the Air Force mobilized its only available resource—thousands of Air......
Audio by NMUSAF PA | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | 12.31.1969
In Korea, the air superiority fight reflected the end of propeller-driven fighters and the supremacy of jet aircraft. At the beginning of the war in June 1950, the U.S. Air Force Far East Air Forces had the piston-engine F-51D Mustang, the all-weather F-82 Twin Mustang, and the jet-propelled, straight-winged F-80 Shooting Star. Skilled U.S Air Force pilots overwhelmed the inexperienced pilots......
Audio by NMUSAF PA | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | 12.31.1969
The next artifact is an accordion contained in a glass exhibit case. This artifact introduces us to the Kindertransport, a program created in 1938 that allowed 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria and Poland to flee to the United Kingdom. Those children were placed in foster homes, hostels and schools. They were often the only members of their families to survive the......
Audio by NMUSAF PA | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | 12.31.1969
Move to the grouping of photos on the left side of this exhibit. These buildings and places represent “Places of Ha’Shoah” – places where the events of the Holocaust took place. Tucson photographer Cy Lehrer used heavy black borders and film base to enhance the dramatic effect of his imagery. This technique encourages the viewer to experience the starkness of the photo and suggests an......
Audio by NMUSAF PA | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | 12.31.1969
One may say there are really no bad ideas when it comes to research and development of aircraft. Ideas that do not necessarily come to fruition for one project may work out wonderfully for the next. The museum’s Research & Development Gallery honors the pioneering spirit of air power visionaries who have sought through the decades to achieve greater possibilities. Take, for example, the......
Audio by NMUSAF PA | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | 12.31.1969
Probably no other gallery holds more history than the museum’s Presidential Gallery. Nine aircraft that supported presidents, diplomats, visiting heads of state and other dignitaries are spread throughout this exhibit area. The crown jewel of the gallery is a Boeing VC-137C commonly referred to as SAM 26000 [pronounced Sam two-six-thousand]. This was the first jet made specifically for use......
