Building the Air Force

<p>As Chief of the Army Air Service from 1921 to 1927 Major General Mason Patrick led the establishment of the Air Service as an institution and pushed forward recognition of air power doctrine as a major part of warfare. He assumed command with the air arm in chaos after the demobilization following World War I and tackled problems in two main areas: doctrine and the fight for autonomy and laying the bureaucratic foundation for the continuance of branch as an institution. Working within established channels as opposed to the public rhetoric of air power zealots such as Brigadier General Billy Mitchell Patrick made major strides in advancing the Air Service toward its goal of independence. The Air Corps Act of 1926 was Patrick's crowning achievement proving his abilities as a leader worthy of study.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>