Luke Air Force Base (Images of America) - Softcover

Griset, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1467104701 ISBN 13: 9781467104708

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC), 2020

Synopsis

Luke Air Force Base, created in less than a year from desert scrub and farmland, stands some 20 miles west of Phoenix. On March 31, 1941, months before the United States entered World War II, construction began. That summer, the Army Air Corps named Luke Field after World War I hero and triple ace Frank Luke Jr. Some pilots from Luke Field's first class flew from airfields in Hawaii during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. From the beginning, Luke Field trained fighter pilots, as it does today. Over the years, Luke Air Force Base was home to 14 primary fighter aircraft, graduated over 60,000 students, and accounted for millions of training flight hours. Of the pilots who trained at Luke Field, a number became aces, including the all-time US leading ace, Maj. Richard I. Bong. For decades, Luke Air Force Base has been home to more fighter aircraft than any other base in the United States, earning the moniker "Fighter Country."

About this title

About the Author

Author Rick Griset selected the best images from Luke Air Force Base's extensive historical photographic archives and called on the base's records and most knowledgeable people to narrate this visual flight through the history of Luke Air Force Base.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC)
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1467104701
• ISBN 13: 9781467104708
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160