Osprey Elite 51 : US Army Air Force (2)

While the most conspicuous components of the US Army Air Forces [AAF] in World War II were the air units, there were hundreds of ground units and organisations to support the men in the air. At the war's end the AAF possessed 63,745 aircraft including almost 14,000 heavy bombers, and nearly 17,000 fighters operating from 1,895 air bases around the world. Of over 2,000,000 personnel assigned to the AAF, the vast majority were involved with keeping aircraft flying and supporting the proportionally small numbers of actual flyers. Besides assigned military personnel the AAF also employed thousands of civilians, both in and out of uniform. Most of the service, work, and field uniforms and accoutrements worn by AAF personnel were the same as worn by the rest of the US Army, but there were many unique outfits to meet the AAF's special needs. Uniformed civilians also possessed a variety of unique uniforms and insignia. These general issue and specific uniforms are the subject of this book by Gordon L. Rottman, whose text is backed by plenty of contemporary photographs and 12 full page colour plates by Francis Chin.

Contents

• Introduction
• AAF Organization
• AAF Insignia
• AAF Women Personnel
• AAF Women's Uniforms
• AAF Civilians
• The Plates