This manuscript is part of a continuing series of historical volumes produced by the Office of Air Force History in direct support of Project Warrior. Since its beginning in 1992, Project Warrior has captured the imagination of Air Force people around the world and reawakened a keener appreciation of our fundamental purpose as Service: to deter war, but to be prepared to find and win should deterrence fail.

In the last decade of the twentieth century, today's United States Air Force marks the fiftieth anniversary of its part in a national effort that opposed a coalition of enemies in a global war. American and allied air forces in the conflict for the first time achieved striking range and effectiveness making air power a force equal to that of traditional armies and navies. The Center for Air Force History has prepared this narrative to commemorate the accomplishments of American air power in World War II and present to the American people a record of valor in the name of freedom. Partial contents include : A Weapon and an Idea ; Europe in Flames ; In Desperate Battle ; Building Air Power ; Defeating Italy and Germany ; Victory Over Japan ; A New Age ; Theater Maps ; Air Forces Lineages.