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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.
“Churchill”21 pages
F O R E W O R D another atlas. The end sheets provide a general map of the world. Within any given geographic area, the several maps scattered through the text complement one another. In most matters of style this volume follows War Department usage. Dates, unless in quotation, are given thus: 7 December 1941. Time is by the twenty-four-hour system (i.e., I 300 for I:OO P.M.) and is zone (local) time unless otherwise indicated. Military rank is normally given as of the period concerned. The AAF, like the other military arms, has developed its own language-a compound, formidable to the uninitiate, of technical terms, code words, abstruse abbreviations, slang, administrative jargon, and clichks. Because this book is written in the hope of reaching as wide an audience as possible, some effort has been made to translate that language into a more widely used tongue. Per- haps the clichks are hardest to eradicate; it is a pity that too much of The Adjutant General’s phrasing has crept in and too much of the saltier idiom of the hangar line has been deleted. Technical language has been avoided where possible, but there is no exact synonym for “intervalometer,” and the best short expression for a P-47N is P-47N. Code names are used freely, and alphabetical symbols, because they save time and are less likely to clutter up a sentence than are the origi- nals. In theory, at least, both code words and abbreviations are ex- plained on first usage, but for convenience a glossary is appended. In conclusion, the editors wish to acknowledge their heavy indebted- ness to Col. Wilfred J. Paul and Dr. Albert F. Simpson of the Office of Air Force History, Headquarters, United States Air Force. Colonel Paul has at all times placed a t our disposal a mature experience and technical knowledge derived from his service with the Air Corps and the Army Air Forces. H e has prepared the way for our approach to other officers whose special experience promised an answer to trouble- some questions. His office has served as the co-ordinating agency through which editors, authors, and publisher have found it possible to overcome many of the disadvantages inherent in a collaborative effort. And of even greater importance, he has offered the consistent encouragement of a keen and understanding interest in the history and the historian’s own peculiar problems. T o his unfailing assistance must be credited in large part the opportunity to carry through the project as planned. Dr. Simpson, who will appear as one of the con- tributors to later volumes, has stood by to provide the answers to un- anticipated questions and to render aid in all other possible ways. The xxi
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