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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
F U N D A M E N T A L B A S E S O F S T R A T E G Y precedence to heavy bombers for defense in this hemisphere and in the Pacific; and in the air assault on Germany, precedence over equip- ment for air support of a large ground force. T h e design for expansion suggested in AWPD/ I was not incompatible with those suggestions, and the air requirements of that plan, as revised in London in Sep- tember, were adopted as the general guide for production. O n 3 January President Roosevelt sent Mr. Stimson a list of muni- tions, with a directive that he achieve the schedules contained therein and consult with the Secretary of the Navy as to allocation between the using services. No relative priorities were suggested. Aircraft goals were as Aircraft T y p e s Target Monthly 1942 I 943 Production Long-range, heavy, and medium bombers I 1 , 3 0 0 3O@Q 3 P J O Light, dive, and scout bombers I 1,000 I 7,000 2 , 0 0 0 Observation and transports -6,700 I 5,000 1 ,500 Pursuits 16,000 38,000 3,500 Total combat 45,000 100,ooo IO,OOO I 5,000 3 1,000 G R A N D T O T A L S 60,000 I 3 I ,000 For 1942,this meant increasing existing schedules from about 46,000 to 60,000. T h e figures for 1943 differed slightly from those sent to Congress by the President on 6 January, which called for 25,000 rather than 31,000 trainer^.'^ In either case they seemed prodigious, espe- cially in view of equally impressive requirements for ground and naval warfare. With any reasonably calculated rate of wastage, the annual production schedules of 60,000 and I 3 1,000 aircraft should easily meet the requirements agreed on a t London-about 60,000 combat and 37,000 training planes for the AAF and 21,000 for the U.S. Navy, plus the British deficit of 13,553. At the suggestion of the AAF, the following schedule of allocations of combat planes was agreed on by the U.S. services, and approved by the President on 14 January:” __ -Trainers 1942 1943 Aircraft T y p e s A r m y N a v y Total Army N a v y Total Long-range, heavy, and medium bombers 9,780 1 , 5 2 0 11,300 26,190 3,810 30,000 Light, dive, torpedo, and scout bombers 7 , 2 7 0 3,730 11,000 9,160 7,840 17,000 Pursuits 14,350 1,650 16,000 30,600 7,400 38,000 3,430 3 , 3 2 0 6,750 12,260 2,740 15,000_ _ _ _ _Observation and transports T O T A L S 34,830 10,220 45,050 78,210 21,790 100,000 247
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