The ''Basic Encyclopedia'' is an encyclopedia of the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

that lists places that are targets for bombing. It was begun in 1946 during the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

as the ''Bombing Encyclopedia'' and included over 80,000 potential targets around the world during the

. It included their B.E. number (which consisted of an eight digit identifier), a brief description, longitude and latitude, elevation, and category (military, industrial, or an airfield). The title was changed to ''Basic Encyclopedia'' in the 1960s or 1970s before its publication ended in 1973. The encyclopedia was computerized and used in the

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) specializing in military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense and the United States In ...

's Automated Installation File.

References

United States Air Force publications Aerial bombing United States Department of Defense publications {{USAF-stub

See also

References