Royal Air Force 104th Birthday Reception by Harfield Media

Royal Air Force 104th Birthday Reception Thursday March 31st, 2022 Larz Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.

A royal message of thanks At the conclusion of the First World War, His Majesty King George V sent congratulations to the men and women of the recently formed Royal Air Force and expressed his gratitude for their sacriﬁce

ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

Contents 4

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, British Ambassador to the United States of America THE FORMATION OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE How the world’s first independent air force was established in 1918

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE A look back at more than a century of the RAF’s illustrious service

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE: NOW AND IN THE FUTURE Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston KCB CBE ADC RAF, Chief of the Air Staff

ICONIC AIRCRAFT Histories of three aircraft whose service stories reflect the RAF and USAF relationship DEPUTY COMMANDER CAPABILITY RAF SPECIAL COMMENDATION CITATION Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hamlyn USAF

THE CREATION OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE The early history of the USAF, which has delivered aviation with global vigilance, reach and power since 1947

THE START OF A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP The origins of the USAF/RAF Military Personnel Exchange Program, which continues to enhance understanding between the two Air Forces LIEUTENANT J.R. PAYDEN – THE FIRST EXCHANGE OFFICER The story of a young American who enlisted in the forces as the US entered the First World War and served in Europe at the inception of the Royal Air Force ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION Highlighting the Foundation’s support for the RAF Museum’s educational programs and capital projects THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION SWORDS OF HONOR Recognizing the most outstanding RAF and USAF officers on exchange over the past year SWORDS OF HONOR 2021 CITATIONS Squadron Leader Bonnie Posselt RAF and Captain Robert C. Ippolito USAF RAF MUSEUM 2030 A look at the Museum’s development Strategy 2030, which launches the new RAF Museum Midlands Program

Produced by Harfield Media www.harfieldmedia.com ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

Welcome and introduction Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, British Ambassador to the United States of America WE HAVE COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE the 104th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Lord Trenchard’s success in creating the world’s first independent air force was born out of the enduring recognition that we must be able to fight and win in the air. Ever since its inception, the courage and innovation displayed by the men and women of the Royal Air Force, many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice. have underpinned the very freedoms we enjoy today. Of course, the RAF did not achieve this goal alone. Since the earliest days, it has enjoyed a treasured relationship with the United States’ air forces. Together they have successfully navigated many of the conflicts, crises and tensions throughout the past century and continue to do so today. With echoes of the 1948 Berlin Airlift, when the United States Air Force (USAF) was barely nine months old, it was the combined effort

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of the two air forces that recently undertook one of the largest air mobility events in modern history in Afghanistan. Throughout their shared history, the RAF and the USAF have stood shoulder to shoulder and delivered extraordinary results. The RAF’s motto, Per Ardua Ad Astra – ‘Through work to the stars’ – could not be more apt as we seek ever deeper collaboration in space. The pioneers of the United Kingdom and United States space forces in this new warfighting domain are echoing the foundations laid by those in the air domain over a century ago. This collaboration across both domains is an exemplar of our special bilateral partnership. Lastly, it is fitting that I pay a special tribute to the remarkable men and women of USAF. Celebrating their Service’s 75th anniversary this year, they can be justifiably proud of its tremendous achievements.

Unveiled in 2004, the memorial at St Omer, Longuenesse, northern France (headquarters of the Royal Flying Corps

from 1914-17) bears the Royal Air Force’s motto, Per Ardua Ad Astra – ‘Through work to the stars’ (PHOTO: ALAMY) ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

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The formation of the Royal Air Force There was no ceremony on April 1st, 1918, to mark the formation of the RAF. The country had been at war for over three years when a government investigation into the state of Britain’s air defences led to the creation of a single air force GERMAN AIRSHIP AND AIRPLANE RAIDS ON Great Britain during the First World War had caused public outrage and deep concern among politicians. By 1917, the responsibility for the aerial defence of the United Kingdom remained divided between the War Office and Admiralty. Additionally, no national organization existed to conduct a strategic air offensive against 

Germany. This led the Cabinet to establish a committee to assess the country’s air defences and air organization in general. The committee was formed in July, nominally under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George. In practice, however, it was two Lieutenant Generals who undertook the task: South African Jan Christiaan Smuts led the work,

The new Royal Air Force inherited many aircraft, such as this Sopwith Triplane, now preserved at the RAF Museum ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

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Lt-Gen Jan Smuts recommended the

creation of a single British air force

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Two airmen aboard a Bristol Fighter of the W/T Establishment

at Biggin Hill, south-east London, in 1918

Non-Commissioned Officers in Royal Flying Corps uniform relax outside their hut in 1918

In January 1918, as the RAF approached its official formation date, Hugh Trenchard was appointed the first Chief of the Air Staff. Formerly an officer in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, becoming second in command at the Central Flying School in 1913. When war broke out, Trenchard became a wing commander, before rising to command the entire Royal Flying Corps in the Field in 1915.

supported by the first head of the Royal Flying Corps, Sir David Henderson. While the committee’s first report, which recommended unifying the air defence of London under a single organization, was important, it was their second report that had lasting significance. This latter report recommended the creation of an Air Ministry and a national air force – the first example of such in military history.

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A Sopwith Camel takes off from HMS Pegasus. RAF aircraft operated from a variety of Royal Navy ships

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Major General Sir Hugh Trenchard,

the first Chief of the Air Staff

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Officers of RAF Cattewater on April 1st, 1918. Most are still wearing

Royal Naval Air Service dress, but two are already in RAF uniform

Michael Offensive. It was important to continue air operations against German forces on land, in the air and at sea. The new RAF supported the British Army on the Western Front and in the Middle East, fought hard for the control of the air, conducted reconnaissance patrols for the Royal Navy, and began a major bombing campaign against Germany. The Royal Air Force played a vital role in the closing months of the war; the first century of RAF history had begun.

Trenchard’s primary objective as Chief of the Air Staff was to ensure the smooth transition from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service to the RAF. Operational ability was more important than ceremony. Although a new badge and uniform were designed, wartime production limits meant there would not be enough to equip everyone in the new service. As the RAF was being formed, allied forces in France were trying to stop the major German

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A brief history of the Royal Air Force More than a century of service has seen the RAF playing a vital role in peace and war, projecting Air Power in Europe and across the world FOUNDED IN THE CRUCIBLE OF THE FIRST World War, the RAF provided tactical air support to the British Army and aerial reconnaissance for the Royal Navy as British air defences were improved and a strategic bombing force to attack Germany was built up. At the armistice, the RAF was the largest air force in the world, although it was soon to be dramatically reduced in size. Surviving several attempts at disestablishment in the 1920s, the 

RAF was used to fight a number of colonial “small wars” and, more significantly, took responsibility for peace enforcement in Iraq, in an early demonstration of the effectiveness and efficiencies that the projection of Air Power could bring. By the mid-1930s, the deteriorating political situation in Europe led to the RAF’s expansion and modernisation. Following the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, Great Britain declared war on Germany, and the RAF

Cooper bombs are loaded under a Sopwith Camel for ground attack operations ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

During the Falkland Islands campaign of 1982, the RAF executed Operation Black Buck, the long-range bombing mission to the Falklands, and conducted ground attack missions from the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers. Additionally, the RAF carried out maritime reconnaissance of the surrounding seas and provided heavy-lift helicopter support to British land forces.

unsuccessfully attempted to help prevent the invasion of France. It was decided to retain a minimum number of fighters in Britain, which proved vital when the Luftwaffe attempted to destroy the RAF in the Battle of Britain. After the RAF’s famous triumph, the British focus shifted to the strategic bombing of Germany and the tactical support to land forces, especially the defeat of German forces on the continent. The Second World War had seen military aviation come of age and the RAF had been employed across the full range of Air Power roles, including the introduction of the first operational allied jet fighter – the Gloster Meteor. After the Second World War, the RAF continued to play a key role, this time in the Cold War. Although the RAF, the USAF and other allied air forces broke the Soviet blockade of Berlin, the threat of a central European invasion remained. Therefore, RAF squadrons were based in West Germany throughout the Cold War, and the RAF carried Britain’s nuclear deterrent for many years. Beyond Europe, there were several interventions, but the trend was a scaling back of deployed forces. The RAF was heavily committed during the Malayan Emergency and, in 1956, saw action during the Suez Emergency. British troops were evacuated by air from Yemen in 1967, while the 1970s saw the RAF make substantial withdrawals from the Far East and the Middle East.

AFTER THE COLD WAR The post-Cold War period saw the RAF become smaller, but more flexible. In 1991, after Saddam Hussein’s forces invaded Kuwait, the RAF played a significant role in the Gulf War air campaign. With Kuwaiti sovereignty restored, the RAF played its part in enforcing the Iraqi no-fly zones. Operations in the Balkans predominated in the mid and late 1990s, while the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan demanded much of the RAF during the early years of the 21st century. The intervention in Libya and the ongoing operations against Daesh in Iraq and Syria have been the Service’s last major actions before its 100th anniversary. With the formation of UK Space Command in 2021, the RAF embarks on its second century as a world-class air and space power Service. 

A Royal Air Force F-35B with the intakes open for the

lift fan, enabling short take-off and vertical landing

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The Royal Air Force: Now and in the Future Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston KCB CBE ADC RAF, Chief of the Air Staff Address to the Global Air Chiefs’ Conference, July 14th, 2021 (excerpts) followed in March 2021 by the publication of the Integrated Review, Defence Command Paper and Defence and Security Industrial Strategy. Across these announcements, I would offer three important themes. Firstly, the uncertain, complex and dynamic international context, with fast-evolving threats becoming ever more sophisticated and proliferating widely. Secondly, in this era of chronic instability, a UK prepared and able to act on the world stage as a problem-solving, burden-sharing nation, amplifying our influence through deeper relationships and partnerships. And thirdly, that this Government could not be clearer in its view of the integral role of the UK Armed Forces in UK national power. As those themes played out over the last year, the Royal Air Force position was very clear: air and space power gives our Government the choice and ability to act and signal strategically on a global stage, at range, at speed, precisely, with minimal political risk and maximum political choice. Day after day, our people demonstrate the utility of air and space power, protecting our skies and patrolling our seas, bolstering our NATO allies, monitoring threats to our critical interests in space, on operations in Mali or taking the fight to Da’esh in their sanctuaries in Syria and Iraq. We would, I think, all recognise an increasingly unstable world of persistent challenge and competition, whether that is Chinese expansionism or Russia’s adventurism in Eastern Europe. Across all our respective areas,

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE IS 104 THIS YEAR, and back in 1918 the RAF was the 20th century’s original tech start-up company. Our people were innovators and disrupters who had discovered this amazing new technology, understood its limitless potential, and had to rebel against the organisations they were part of at that time – the British Army and the Royal Navy – to properly harness that technology. Well, that innovative and disruptive gene is still in our Royal Air Force DNA. In November 2020, our Prime Minister announced a £24.1 billion/$33 billion increase in Defence funding over the next four years,

ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

and equipment we operate. To achieve that, I have clear orders to build the next-generation RAF that is fit and ready for the future by overhauling our culture, driving forward cutting-edge equipment programmes and making tough calls to retire equipment that has increasingly limited utility in a modern battlespace. None of this is easy, but as aviators and guardians, technological innovation is in our DNA, likewise multi-domain and multi-national integration. Over the next four years, £2 billion will be invested in driving transformation across the enterprise, embedding the crucial cutting-edge tools, practices and digital infrastructure needed to deliver a next-generation system with our international partners. We will also focus research and development spending on ground-breaking technology including artifical intelligence, autonomy, software and laser weapons. Space services have critical utility for land, maritime, air and cyber operations, and so must

the strategic context is increasingly complex, and dynamic, and the pace of change is extraordinary, supercharged by leaps in technology. If we fail to respond, and respond at pace, we will cede the advantage to our adversaries. My good friend General C.Q. Brown, the US Air Force Chief of Staff, is very clear about that when he challenges the USAF to “accelerate change or lose”, because, he says, ‘If we don’t change, if we fail to adapt, we risk losing the certainty with which we have defended our national interests for decades.” We must be ready to face the threats of the future because we can no longer assume unchallenged access to the Air and Space Domains. The threats we face are increasingly sophisticated, with new combat aircraft, missiles and stealth technology challenging our air superiority. Space is now a contested domain. So, we have to radically overhaul how we are organised, our training, our bases and the aircraft

ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

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The RAF and Zero Petroleum were recently awarded

I have initiated activity to get our platforms 100% synthetic aviation fuel-ready, and I am determined we will have our first zero-emission aircraft operational by the end of this decade. These new approaches are environmentally friendly and sustainable. The RAF is rightly proud of its reputation for excellence and our history of defending the UK and our allies. Whilst our aircraft, equipment and technology are essential to what we do, it is the enduring quality and talent of our people that give the RAF its decisive edge. That is as true today and into the future as it has ever been; so there can be no higher priority than ensuring we can continue to attract, recruit and sustain the highly skilled and diverse workforce we need from across every part of the UK population. The innovative and disruptive gene that is in our aviator DNA is needed now more than ever because the rate of technological change is extraordinary, supercharged by leaps in digital and quantum technology. Our ability to think differently, challenge the status quo and innovate is fundamental to success.

with a Guinness World Record for completing the world’s first successful flight using only synthetic fuel 

Formed on April 1st, 2021, UK Space Command

continues the UK’s commitment to the Combined Space Operations initiative with its international partners

be a truly integrated domain across Defence. In lock step with Strategic Command, the Royal Air Force is responsible for the command and control of space operations, developing space capability and generating a space workforce. To meet that responsibility I was delighted to establish the UK Space Command and its new headquarters at RAF High Wycombe. Doctrinally, I think almost all of us now recognise Space as an operational domain in its own right. It underpins almost every aspect of life in the Information Age, which means we must put space at the forefront of future thinking But a rapidly growing priority is environmental sustainability. Climate change is a transnational challenge that threatens global resilience and our shared security and prosperity.

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Iconic aircraft Spitfire

“I should like an outfit of Spitfires for my squadron” – Luftwaffe General Adolf Galland to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during the Battle of Britain THE SPITFIRE IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE Battle of Britain and the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, but US involvement with the aircraft is less well known. American pilots joined three Eagle squadrons before the US entered the war and were flying Spitfires by August 1942. As the USAAF took command of US units in the UK, the squadrons continued to fly their Spitfires, with white American Stars painted over the roundel, beginning the US Spitfire journey. When the 31st and 52nd Fighter Groups arrived in England during the summer of 1942, they were equipped with RAF Spitfire MkVs, and eventually over 600 served with the US – one of very few foreign aircraft to do so. Their first significant engagement was providing air support to the tragic Dieppe Commando Raid, on August 19th, 1942, by stopping German bombers from disrupting the landings, but at extraordinary cost – the allies lost 108 aircraft.

The US Spitfire squadrons were subsequently repositioned to support the US landings in North Africa and became critical to subsequent operations against the German Desert Forces. One of these squadrons (301) provided combat air patrol over Roosevelt and Churchill’s Casablanca conference in January 1943 and, as the Allies forced the enemy off North Africa and began pushing through Sicily and into Italy, the US Spitfire squadrons remained throughout. By March 1944, the US Spitfire squadrons began to receive Mustangs, much to the pilots’ annoyance. The 31st carried out a farewell fighter sweep over Rome on March 26th, destroying one, while the 52nd shot down three 109s on their final Spitfire mission, escorting bombers over Orvieto. Both Fighter Groups continued to Serve with distinction for the remainder of the war; between them the two groups, flying Spitfires, claimed 346 kills and established 13 Spitfire aces.

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P-51 Mustang “When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up” – Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring ON THE BRINK OF WAR IN 1939 AND WITH its aviation industries operating at capacity, the UK approached the North American Aviation (NAA) Company to build Tomahawks. NAA chief designer Dutch Kindelberger said they could design a better aircraft faster, with the same engine, and a contract was signed for 320 aircraft on May 29th, 1940. The prototype P-51 Mustang first flew on October 26th, 1940, handling well and with significant range. Despite limited high-altitude performance, the aircraft went into production and was on the front line in Europe by January 1942, undertaking tactical reconnaissance and groundattack. Eventually, 620 North American Mustang Mk 1s were built, remaining in service until 1945. In May 1942, a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine was fitted to address the aircraft’s high-altitude performance issues, and the new variant was in-service with the 8th and 9th Air Forces by the winter of 1943, with 944 of these aircraft also provided to the RAF under ‘lend lease’. The P-51 proved to be the ideal bomber escort, progressively replacing all other aircraft in this

role and increasingly operated independent of the bombers taking the fight to the enemy. By May 1945, the P-51s had claimed almost 5,000 kills, about 50% of the USAAF claims for the European theater. The demand in Europe for P-51s delayed their arrival to the Pacific Theatre, but by March 1945 they were stationed on Iwo Jima to escort B-29s, increasingly dominating the fighter attack role over Japan until the end of the war. After the Second World War, the P-51 was back in the thick of the fight as the Korean War began. Its endurance was unmatched by more modern jet fighters, and operations from the Japanese mainland continued until airfields were retaken in Korea. The P-51 transitioned into the Reserves after the Korean War, with the last retiring from the West Virginia Air National Guard in 1957. 

A Supermarine Mk356 Spitfire, which now forms

part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight 

RAFMAF’s P-51D Mustang ‘Donald Duck’ is on

display at the RAF Museum in Hendon, London

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Dakota “Four things won the Second World War – the bazooka, the Jeep, the atom bomb and the Gooney Bird” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower FOLLOWING A TWO-HOUR PHONE CALL THAT cost US$90 in the early 1930s, the Donald Douglas company were persuaded by American Airlines (AA), to develop the Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST) for transcontinental US flights. With its first flight in 1935, its potential for military use was immediately recognised. Early operations for these modified DC-3s (termed C-47s) were flights over the Himalayas to resupply Chinese forces in their fight against the Japanese, and in April 1942 to carry 8,000 gallons of aviation fuel intended for the Doolittle Raiders. Two months later, the C-47 was the first aircraft to land on Midway Island following the Battle of Midway, and earned its name ‘the Gooney Bird’ after the albatross, a native of the island. Dakotas became increasingly important for the Allied war effort, ultimately underpinning aspects of the most significant combined operation ever undertaken by UK and US forces on D-Day. The first Allied soldier landing at Normandy on June 6th, 1944, was a pathfinder 

dropped from a C-47, and over 13,000 men were dropped that day by C-47s. The aircraft also towed gliders that landed soldiers and equipment across the Normandy battlefield throughout the day. After the war, Dakotas remained in service with USAF and the RAF, again coming to the fore during the joint operation known as the Berlin Airlift, which commenced in June 1948 and lasted 11 months. The C-47s were joined in the airlift by the C54 Skymaster to deliver two million tons of supplies to save the city from submission to the Russians in the East. One of the airlift’s most famous pilots – Gail ‘Hal’ Halvorsen, known as the Candy Bomber – dropped handkerchief parachutes with chocolate for the children of the city. This combined airlift mission remained unmatched until the recent extraction from Afghanistan. Thousands of surplus C-47s were converted to civilian airline use, with some in operation until 2012. The Dakota continued to serve with the RAF until 1970, and one aircraft flies today as part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Dakota ZA947 “KWICHERBICHEN” paradropped supplies on the eve of D-Day ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hamlyn Deputy Commander Capability RAF Special Commendation LIEUTENANT COLONEL IAN HAMLYN was the first United States Air Force (USAF) Exchange Officer to be embedded within the Royal Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RAF RCO). Hamlyn’s influence on the organization began long before his tour. As a member of the USAF RCO, Hamlyn volunteered as an ad-hoc advisor and provided unique insight and practical advice, accelerating the establishment of the RAF RCO. This injection of pace allowed for the rapid delivery of ARMA (advanced radio frequency countermeasures to the front line) and SIREN (sustainable advanced infrared countermeasure). Throughout his tour, Hamlyn provided vision, and challenge that increased value realisation. In particular, he was the lead for two projects within the Future Combat Air System Technology Initiative: PYRAMID (a £200 million Open Mission System initiative); and the Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Air (LANCA) project. Both required a novel approach in order to deliver within a challenging timescale, and Hamlyn‘s unrivalled, collaborative team spirit and personal sacrifice was key to early success. He went on to lay the foundations for the next phase, which will result in delivery of a flying platform that has the potential to fundamentally change the way UK Combat Air operates and delivers effect. Hamlyn’s valuable capability experience, nuanced insight, personal sacrifice and team spirit cemented him as a vital founding member of the RCO during his tenure, where he steered

projects and delivered outputs far in excess of that expected of his substantive rank. Lt Col Hamlyn’s impact, influence and commitment are most worthy of formal recognition.

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The creation of the United States Air Force Formed in 1947, the USAF has its origins some four decades earlier, and since its inception has delivered aviation with global vigilance, reach and power Congress in July 1947 and called for the creation of a National Military Establishment, led by a Secretary of Defense, with three departments: for the US Navy, the US Army and, most importantly, a new department for an independent US Air Force (USAF). The US National Security Act of July 26th, 1947, was signed by President Harry Truman on board a Douglas VC-54C called Sacred Cow – the first Air Force One. It took effect on September 18th, 1947, thus creating the USAF. Spaatz became the first USAF Commanding General. The USAF can trace its origins to 1907, when the US Army created an Aeronautical Division

“It is my earnest hope that throughout the years our countries will not lose that spirit of kinship, with its mutual trust and close cooperation which was further developed and cemented during World War II.” THE WORDS ABOVE WERE WRITTEN BY General Carl Spaatz, Commanding General of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), to Marshal of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Lord Trenchard on July 29th, 1947, in response to Trenchard’s congratulations after hearing about the passage of the ‘Unification Bill’. The bill to which Trenchard referred was passed by the Senate and US House of 

A visit of RAF Lancaster crew with B-17 crew of the 751st Bombardment Squadron, Glatton, England in 1944 ROYAL AIR FORCE 104TH BIRTHDAY RECEPTION

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An RAF Sentry AEW.1 receives fuel from a USAF KC-

135 Stratotanker during operations over Syria and Iraq 

A Tornado GR.1 of 14 Squadron at Nellis Air Force

Base, Nevada, being readied for a training exercise

as part of its Signal Corps. The Aeronautical Division, created less than four years after the first heavier-than-air flight conducted by the Wright brothers, handled all matters about flight, eventually evolving into the US Army Air Service in 1918. After US entry into the First World War in 1917, US Army aviation played a major role in victory and proved its worth as an arm of service. The strategic potential of air power was not lost on its advocates, and throughout the interwar years various officers, such as Henry ‘Hap’ Arnold, pushed for greater autonomy for the US Army Air Corps, which the Air Service had become in 1926. That greater autonomy was eventually recognized in 1942, when General Arnold, Commanding General of the USAAF, became a member of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, alongside the Chief of Staff of the US Army and the Chief of Naval Operations. This marked an important point in the march to independence for the USAF. During the Second World War, the USAAF became the largest air force in the world and played a significant role in the defeat of the Axis powers. Aircraft of the USAAF served on operations from Europe to the Pacific and formed part of a joint effort with the US Army and Navy. The USAAF also worked in close partnership with allied air forces – in particular, the RAF. This relationship is best represented by the close

working partnership developed between the two air forces in the conduct of the Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, had experience of both the need for control of the air over the battlespace and the impact that the global reach of air power had on the outcome of the Second World War. As such, he recognised the need for a unified command structure for US armed forces – a view echoed by President Harry S. Truman, which resulted in the 1947 National Security Act. Since gaining independence, and by exploiting the key characteristics of air power, speed, reach and height, the USAF has continued to deliver air power by providing global vigilance, global reach and global power. The USAF has seen action in all the main US conflicts, from the Berlin Airlift of 1948 through to operations today in places including Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, often in conjunction with principal partners such as the RAF. This partnership continues with the formation of the US Space Force and the RAF’s Space Command – the importance of which was stressed recently by General James H. Dickinson, Commander US Space Command on a recent visit to the UK when he stated: “Our allies and partners are the greatest advantage we have, and the UK remains one of our closest allied in all domains.”

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The start of a special relationship The origins of the USAF/RAF Military Personnel Exchange Program, which continues to enhance mutual understanding between the two Air Forces “Neither the sure prevention of war, nor the continuous rise of world organization will be gained without what I have called the fraternal association of the English-speaking peoples. This means a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States of America. Fraternal association requires the continuance of the intimate relations between our military advisers, leading to common study of potential dangers, the similarity of weapons and manuals of instructions, and to the interchange of officers and cadets.”

Leader J A G Slessor, son of Air Marshal Sir John Slessor. In his end-of-tour report, he concluded: “I can only add that I hope that the frequent interchange of personnel between our two countries will be the means of our maintaining the friendship of so many officers, their families and civilians whom we have come to know so well. I share the conviction shared by my predecessor that the Exchange Scheme is an invaluable program and it is clearly vital that the presence of exchange officers should be continued.” Seventy years on from Churchill’s speech, his vision of “intimate relations between our military advisers, leading to common study of potential dangers, the similarity of weapons and manuals of instructions, and to the interchange of officers and cadets” remains valid and will do so for many years into the future.

THE ABOVE WORDS ARE TAKEN FROM Winston Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, delivered in Fulton, Missouri, on 5th March, 1946, articulating the need for an exchange of personnel in order to glean mutual understanding. Five years later, the USAF/RAF Military Personnel Exchange Program was created with the creation of 50 exchange posts in each Air Force. Participation in the Program is on a selective basis. To be considered, an individual must be well versed in the current practices, technical training and doctrine of their organization, and be particularly qualified through experience for the exchange position to be occupied. Moreover, the individual must have demonstrated capabilities for future positions of greater responsibility and must possess the grade, skill, training and academic qualifications required. One of the early exchange officers at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs was Squadron

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Air Marshal Sir John Slessor and General Hoyt

Vandenberg were the first guardians of the Military Personnel Exchange Program

RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION

Lieutenant J.R. Payden – the First Exchange Officer Joseph Raymond Payden enlisted in the forces as the United States entered the First World War, and was serving in Europe at the inception of the Royal Air Force IN JUNE 1917, J.R. PAYDEN ENLISTED IN the U.S. Army Signal Corps Aviation Division, which was attached to the Royal Flying Corps. Two months later, he crossed the Atlantic to begin final training at Oxford University with the ‘American Aviation Detachment’, which consisted of men from all over the United States whose main purpose was to join a flying force. In the summer of 1918, J.R. received his wings and was posted to Courbon, France. His role involved testing aircraft and assembling planes for bombing, along with ferrying planes to front-line squadrons. The initial experience of pilots with combat aircraft brought home to the Americans what the veterans from advanced training had tried to tell them – it took courage just to fly the machines, let alone fight in them. Structural failures were common. J.R continued to fly Sopwith Camels, as well as the De Havilland, with the Royal Air Force after its formation on April 1st, 1918. The Sopwith Camel was one of the best-known British fighters during the First World War and shot down 1,294 enemy aircraft during the conflict. It was, however, particularly infamous for its extremely vicious spinning characteristics, which resulted in 3,285 pilots dying from non-combat incidents. The pilots jokingly said they would receive a ‘wooden cross, Red Cross or a Victoria Cross’. At times, American squadrons would be invited to dine at British airfields. These were enjoyable affairs because the allies not only had the best planes, but also the best food and best pianos. From these meetings came the traditions

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J.R. Payden received his wings during the summer

of 1918 and was posted to Courbon, France

the American pilots borrowed for their own. They noted their allied counterparts had a certain style and chivalry – they saw the flag-raising and lowering ceremonies as a show of pride, and they instituted strict observance of such rituals in their own squadrons. Some even copied toasts ‘to the King’ at evening meals, because ‘raising one’s glass to the president’ did not seem ‘nearly so grand’. After the war, J.R. graduated from Yale in 1920 and took up a role with Union Carbide. He traveled extensively in the Far East for the company, seeing the region’s countries emerge from their colonial pasts, before the turmoil of the Second World War. J.R Payden died in 1976, aged 79.

RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION

Royal Air Force Museum American Foundation How fundraising in the US supports the RAF Museum’s educational programs and capital projects, keeping the heritage of the British and American air forces alive FOUNDED IN JULY 2002, THE ROYAL AIR Force Museum American Foundation (RAFMAF) is a non-profit and registered charitable organization. Its basis is the celebration of the shared values that have joined together the fighting airmen and airwomen of our two great nations in the past, present and future in the spirit of close cooperation and understanding. The Foundation exists to ensure the shared aviation heritage of the US and the UK is kept alive in the memories of our two nations and, by preserving this heritage, inspire future generations to careers in aerospace and technology, particularly though education initiatives. It places great emphasis on bilateral education programs and projects, especially those that honor and benefit American and British collaboration, and our heritage initiatives reflect this partnership. The unique story of UK-US integration commenced in 1941 with the establishment of

the first of seven British Flying Aircrew Training Schools in the US, and the Foundation funded the digitising of documents and photographs from the No. 1 Flying Training School in Terrell, Texas. This has preserved the history of the thousands of Second World War British cadets who learned to fly at six civilian training schools in the United States. In concert with that effort, the Foundation also funded a technical apprenticeship program in the UK to provide the necessary work on the digital and audio development of this media. This makes the unique story of UK-US aircrew training come alive for visitors to the Museum. Reflecting our mission, and in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the formation of the United States Air Force (USAF), the Foundation supported the permanent display of the Memphis Belle at the USAF Museum at Wright Paterson Air Force Base. That same year, and as part of the RAF

RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION

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amassed some 17,050 flying hours – a true combat veteran, having flown 1,023 sorties during tours of duty with the USAF over Iraq. Through its heritage work, the Foundation also invests in the future and, in 2018, established the RAFMAF Learning Fund. Annually, this funds projects and programs that can be accomplished by many levels of age/scholarship/individuals or groups in a variety of formats – scholarly research papers, articles and/or artworks – that reflect the Foundation’s mission and vision. The only prerequisite is that the selected work must directly relate to, and reflect, the enduring joint relationship between the USAF and the RAF in theaters of war and during peacetime. In pursuing its mission during the pandemic, RAFMAF has continued to focus on education, providing support to the Museum’s online learning initiative, along with printed educational sheets inserted into emergency food parcels distributed from the Museum during the pandemic. Supported by the RAFMAF Learning Fund, the Museum added to its bank of RAF Stories by collecting and sharing interviews around the theme of the RAF and joint activities in space.

The mural to remember cadets from the RAF and US

Air Forces at the No. 1 BFTS Museum in Terrell, Texas 

The RAF Museum’s ‘Gate Guardian’ is a Supermarine

Spitfire Mk XVI, liveried in the colours of 601 Squadron 

The Foundation supported the USAF’s loan of a

retired MQ-1 Predator to the RAF Museum in London

Museum’s Centenary program, the Foundation funded a 601 Squadron Trail at the Museum at Hendon. Formed in 1925 at Hendon, the squadron’s battle honors most notably include the Battle of Britain, and the first Americans to fly in the Second World War were members of this squadron. Amongst other restoration projects, the Foundation aided the recovery of the last Dornier 17 bomber from the seabed in the Goodwin Sands – a tremendously complex project that utilized ground-breaking techniques for underwater recovery and conservation, the latter being carried out at the RAF Museum’s site at RAF Cosford. As a reflection of the continuing association, the Foundation facilitated the loan from the USAF of a General Atomics MQ-1B Predator remotely piloted aircraft for display. The arrival of this unique airframe in the Museum’s ‘New Age of Uncertainty’ exhibition marked the end of a long journey that started in 2013, after it had

Find out more about the Foundation and how you can support its work at www.rafmaf.com

RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION

Swords of Honor Each year, the RAF Museum American Foundation recognizes the contributions of Exchange Officers from either side of the Atlantic

EVERY YEAR THE RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN Foundation (RAFMAF) recognizes the contributions of the top Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Air Force (USAF) officers serving in exchange assignments on both sides of the Atlantic. Since the first Sword was presented in 2009, the Foundation has honored 21 RAF and USAF Exchange Officers for outstanding contributions to the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that exists between our two air forces. This year, we offer our congratulations to Squadron Leader Posselt, RAF, and Captain Ippolito, USAF, as they become the 22nd and 23rd recipients of these significant awards. Within the Exchange Officer corps of 2021, their outstanding contributions clearly reflected the values that our veterans, and the Foundation, share: Service, Excellence, Integrity and Courage. Throughout the past decade the Foundation has been honored to host the ‘Spirit of the Battle of Britain’ Banquet, in Washington, D.C., where our veterans and exchange officers are celebrated, but it has been challenging to assemble such an

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2020 Sword of Honor winners Capt Katie Broyles

USAF and Grp Capt Andrew Lloyd RAF with Gen Arnold Bunch (left), Cdr Materiel Command USAF, and Mr Alan Gogbashian (right), British Consul General, Chicago

event over the past two years. Thus, the occasion of the RAF’s birthday provides the Foundation with the opportunity to publicly thank Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston KCB CBE, Chief of Staff of the RAF, for his help with our efforts to preserve the heritage of the USAF and the RAF and keep it alive in the memories of our two great nations. That mission of support has not changed and presenting these Swords is a welcome opportunity to reinforce our enduring thanks, and, while safety requirements have restricted our traditional event, it is important that we honor the outstanding service of the Exchange Officers of 2021. With our sponsors, RAFMAF will continue to keep our combined and shared histories of air power alive as we look forward to celebrating our unique achievements in Space at our next Banquet on October 26th, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

RAF MUSEUM AMERICAN FOUNDATION

Swords of Honor 2021 Squadron Leader Bonnie Posselt RAF Captain Robert C. Ippolito USAF