Warbirds Online » Blog Archive » This Week In Military Aviation History: 19-25 February

Hello Folks, welcome back to our little weekly get together where we all find out what happened during This Week In Military Aviation History. On the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum Website Message Board I post Today In Military History, which has turned out to be a much broader subject. I have had to sort of specialize in the two World Wars, Korea and Vietnam. This, of course, still includes the aviation portion, but expands to the battles that took place. I’m thinking of including the political portion. Boy, if I keep this up, my shortest post of the day is going to become the longest. But it would be in keeping with one of my goals – Have Fun and Learn Something.
Be Safe,
Tom K.

23 February 1912
The War Department first officially recognized the Military Aviator rating.

21 February 1916
Zeppelin LZ47 was attacked and destroyed in a raid.

19 February 1936
Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell, the United States Army Air Corps’ advocate of air power, died in the Doctor’s Hospital in New York.

24 February 1941
The 2-engine Manchester bomber, was used for the first time during an RAF raid against Brest.

25 February 1941
The Air Defense Force (PVO) was formed in the Soviet Union.

19 February 1942
Under command of Admiral Noguma (Japanese Commander at Pearl Harbor), relays of carrierborne aircraft carried out successful raids on Darwin in Northern Australia, destroying harbor installations and sinking 12 warships including the U.S. destroyer PEARY.

22 February 1942
The first United States Army Air Force (USAAF) headquarters in Europe was established in the United Kingdom with Brigadier General I.C. Eaker commanding.

19 February 1944
The RAF saturated Leipzig, dropping 2,300 tons of bombs, but lost 78 of 823 bombers.

20 February 1944
“Big Week” started with the largest ever daylight raid by the USAAF on Germany as 970 bombers carried out attacks against Hamburg, Leipzig and Braunschweig. The RAF pounded Stuttgart with 2,000 tons of bombs.

24 February 1944
“Big Week” continued with co-ordinated attacks by the RAF and USAAF on the Schweinfurt ball-bearing factory.

19 February 1945
United States Marines, with massive sea and air bombardment support, began landing on Iwo Jima.

20 February 1945
The RAF launched the first of 36 consecutive night raids on Berlin.

21 February 1945
Despite American air superiority, kamikaze planes sank the escort carrier BISMARK SEA and damaged the aircraft carrier SARATOGA.
The U.S. 8th Air Force launched another heavy attack (over 1,000 bombers) against Nurnberg.

22 February 1945
The Allies launched “Operation Clarion”, which consisted of 10,000 air attacks on communications in central Germany.

23 February 1945
The German Air Force sank its last ship of the Second World War; the HENRY BACON belonging to convoy RA64.
U.S. Marines raised the American flag on Mount Surbachi during the Battle for Iwo Jima.

25 February 1945
400 RAF bombers carried out attacks on Dortmund and Rheine.

20 February 1948
The Strategic Air Command received its first B-50 Superfortress bomber. Equipped for in-flight refueling, the B-50 was an improved version of the B-29, with larger engines and a taller tail fin and rudder.

19 February 1957
The Bell X-14 made its first hovering flight.

20 February 1962
The United States’ first earth orbit astronaut was launched into space. Lieutenant Colonel John H. Glenn of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) completed 3 orbits in a flight time of 4 hours 55 minutes 23 seconds.

24 February 1969
An enemy mortar shell struck the AC-47 gunship on which Airman 1st Class John L. Levitow served. Although seriously wounded, he ejected a smoking flare and became the first enlisted airman to win the Medal of Honor in Vietnam.

21 February 1973
Israeli fighters shot down a Libyan Airlines Boeing 727, killing all 104 passengers and crew. Israel claimed the aircraft had flown into restricted airspace over the Sinai Peninsula and that all attempts to communicate with the pilot had failed.

22 February 1974
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Barbara Ann Allen became the first woman transport pilot in the United States Navy.

20 February 1986
A permanently manned space station, the Soviet Union’s “Mir” (Peace) was launched.

19 February 1993
The 64th Flying Training Wing launched its first student sortie in the T-1A Jayhawk trainer aircraft.

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Well, that’s it for this week Folks. See ya in seven.

Posted by Tom Kwiatkowski – 1941 Historic Aircraft Group

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