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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 Invaders”15 pages
T H E A R M Y A I R F O R C E S I N W O R L D W A R I 1 These figures included British contract and lend-lease orders, and since those were more numerous in Army-type planes, the division between the services was not as disparate as the table indicates. Allocation among the several United Nations was reserved for a fuller study of the problems involved. For the present, however, there was need of an immediate adjust- ment in the allotment of planes according to current estimates of pro- duction rates. In each of the allocation agreements made or suggested before 7 December, the requirements of the AAF had been subordi- nated to those of the British. T o the extent that such a policy had put tactical planes into the hands of an air force actually combating the common enemy, it was justified. With the United States now in the war, however, that policy had to be revised to provide for the AAF's immediate combat needs and for its approved expansion. The issue was raised at the beginning of ARCADIA, when on 24 December Admiral Stark announced that in the future US. heavy bombers sent to the United Kingdom would be manned by American crews, and, when possible, be in organized units. Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal pointed out that this was not in accord with previous arrangements, but he was assured by General Arnold that the proposal would not prejudice existing agreements, details of which were to be worked out Those details were incorporated into the so-called Arnold-Portal Agreement, signed on 1 3 January 19~f2.~*The docu- ment listed by categories and by months the specific number of planes to be made available to Great Britain during 1942 from US. produc- tion. The totals called for 589 heavy bombers, 1,744medium bombers, 2,745 light bombers, 4,050 pursuits, 402 observation planes, and 852 transports." Trainers were dealt with elsewhere, The allocations were * The full text of the agreement reads as follows: Subject: Allocation of Airplanes-1942. The following allocation of planes to Britain from production in the United States is agreed upon: H.B. Jan. '5 Feb. 47 Mar. 20 Apr. 2 0 May 40 June 45 J ~ Y '9 Aug. 64 M.B. 65 65 94 I 80 I 80 I 8 0 I 80 200 L.B. '73 19' '70 17' 271 241 30' 258 Observation Transport 39 52 150 '25 '05 27 45 80 43 I12 coma.
Document, cited by the archive. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 863 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.