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This is Volume One of The Army Air Forces in World War II, titled Plans and Early Operations, January 1939 to August 1942, edited by Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate. The University of Chicago Press first published it in 1948, and the Office of Air Force History reprinted it in 1983. The front matter explains how the AAF historical program was set up during the war. The index covers Pacific, Atlantic and European operations, and nothing in the text concerns unidentified aerial phenomena.
“The Wash”17 pages
T H E A I R C O R P S P R E P A R E S F O R W A R , 1 9 3 9 - 4 1 not a fit substitute for unity of command. In March, Secretary of W a r Henry L. Stimson directed that action be taken to place the air arm under a single commander. Shortly thereafter, the office of As- sistant Secretary of W a r for Air was revived with Robert A. Lovett, who since December had served as special assistant on air matters, as the first incumbent. His able energies were directed to two major tasks: promotion of aircraft production and streamlining the organiza- tion of the Army air arm.39 T h e resulting reorganization, which be- came effective on 2 0 June 1941,created the Army Air Forces. T h e AAF was superior to the Air Corps and to the Air Force Combat Command (AFCC), the agency replacing the GHQ Air General Arnold, as Chief of the Army Air Forces, was made directly responsible to the Army Chief of Staff and was given the responsibility for establishing policies and plans for all Army aviation activities. In accordance with a W a r Department policy toward decentralization of staff work, the Chief of the AAF was provided with an air staff to assist in formulating policy. General Arnold also retained his position of Deputy Chief of Staff, thus serving as the principal contact be- tween the AAF and the W a r Department General Staff. Under Gen- eral Arnold's jurisdiction, the new Chief of the Air Corps, Maj. Gen. George H. Brett, and the commanding general of the Air Force Com- bat Command, Lt. Gen. Delos C. Emmons, were made responsible for service and combat functions, re~pectively.~' T h e reorganization of June 1941marked a notable gain for the air arm, yet in actual practice a number of defects soon appeared. T h e line of responsibilities between service and combat elements was not distinctly drawn, nor were relationships between the AAF and the War Department clearly defined. Both the AAF and the W a r Depart- ment continued to study the possibilities of further improvements. On the eve of war it had become clear that the most successful solu- tion would involve a radical reorganization of the military establish- ment, with the AAF enjoying virtual autonomy within the W a r Department. Such a change was to come early in the war.42 T h e trend toward autonomy, like the appropriations and authoriza- tions for expansion, was symptomatic of the growing official recog- nition of the decisive importance of air power in national defense. Secretary of W a r Stimson, testifying before a joint congressional committee in August 1940, gave expression to the new attitude: " 5
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