Warbird Information Exchange

Question - which is proper usage in reference to WWII - the Army Air Corps or the the Army Air Forces? Or both? I've interviewed numerous WWII veterans, and some say they served in the Air Corps, some in the Air Forces. After reading the Wikipedia entry on the Army Air Corps, it looks like either could be correct, as after June 1941 the overall service was referred to as the Army Air Forces, while the Army Air Corps was considered the combatant arm of the Army Air Forces.

Can anyone clarify this for me?

Thanks,
Zack

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Borrowed from Wikipedia

Lineage of the United States Air Force

Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps 1 August 1907–18 July 1914
Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps 18 July 1914–20 May 1918
Division of Military Aeronautics 20 May 1918–24 May 1918
U.S. Army Air Service 24 May 1918–2 July 1926
U.S. Army Air Corps 2 July 1926–20 June 1941**
U.S. Army Air Forces 20 June 1941–18 September 1947**
United States Air Force 18 September 1947–Present

** The Air Corps became a subordinate element of the Army Air Forces on June 20, 1941, and it continued to exist as a combat arm of the Army (similar to Infantry) until disestablished by Congress with the creation of the U.S. Air Force in 1947.

So in the States you're in the USAAF but ETO, MTO, PTO, etc, you're in USAAC?

Not exactly, Django, it's kind of complicated--and I don't have an exact answer. I do know that all my 2AF airbase and training research refers to the AAF and Air Corps all through the war. I think that flying personnel and those actually involved in training, maintenance, etc of the airplanes are members of the Air Corps, which is a part of the AAF. I would like to find the document that properly defines who is a part of the Air Corps or Air Forces. I await those with more knowledge.

Scott

That just doesn't sound right I think it should be of the Army.
Most AAF, AUS ie Army of the United states.

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My uncle Joe Wall served in WW2 as an MP in Kansas and in aconversation with him a few minutes ago he said that both terms were used as far as he can remember and the only difference to him was that it was used on the paper work. Both ment the same thing to those who served.

Complicated. Corps came to be known in US Civil War as a body of troops composed of several divisions, or a special unit or subdivision of the Army. Prior to WWI, for training and administrative reasons, specialty subdivisions were consolidated down to specific branches of arms, such as Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry, Signal, etc. After WWI, the Air Section was freed from the Signal Corps and given its own Corps, hence Army Air Corps. The term was used to refer to two things, the complete group of men who made up the total of all army aviation units, i.e. "he's in the Air Corps", and the officer and enlisted branch classification, i.e. an officer was referred to as being a Captain, Air Corps, as compared to a Captain, Infantry. The term Air Force was used from before WWI to refer to large bodies of aircraft used for military purposes. Seeking to denote some measure of independence from the Army to which it was officially attached, the Army Air Corps changed its name to Army Air Force at the date referred to. From the veteran standpoint, in numerous interviews I have done, I have heard more people who were in the AAF refer to themselves as "in the Air Force," than Air Corps, and more people who were not in the AAF refer to it as the Air Corps.

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