As one of three branches of the Portuguese Military Machine, the Força Aérea Portuguesa dates back to 1911, when the Army and Navy began to use balloons in its operations. At first the army balloon comany served the branch's telegraphic service and later received a handful of aircraft.
1914 saw both the advent of world war and the Military Aeronautic Service (Serviço Aeronáutico Militar) and the Military School of Aeronautic (Escola Militar de Aeronáutica, EMA), which were later consolidated into the 'Military Aviation Service'.
During WWI, Portuguese Airmen flew in French and British units, and in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, its aircraft became the first to engage the enemy on the African continent when they took on the Germans in their colony of East Africa.
In 1917 the naval air service created its own school and air field near Lisbon, the Maritime Aviation Centre of Bom Sucesso.
In Portugal experienced revolution, I have no idea why. Military aviation played its roll during this conflict and also the Spanish Civil War the following decade. Portugal did not become involved in WWII, and commandeered some allied aircraft entering its airspace. Lisbon itself is featured in in the movie Casa Blanca, as a stop over for refugees fleeing the Nazi's. Portugal joined NATO in 1949.
Finally in 1952, with the formation of the General-Command of the Air Forces, a modern, independent branch of the Air Force takes shape.
Here we see a AT-6A 1609 bearing the roundel of the Portuguese Air Force.
