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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
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 air force which could absorb in 1943 the tremendous flow of aircraft and aircrews. Just ten days after the 115-group program was au- thorized, the Chief of the Air Staff presented General Arnold with a plan for AAF expansion in 1943, recommending an increase of 109 combat groups.65 By 5 February this 2 24-group program had been accepted in the AAF as a basis for further study.G6The program was not formally approved until July, by which time several changes had occurred in the allocation of groups among the several combat types, and by September 1942 this schedule had in turn been supplanted by the 273-group program. But inasmuch as long-range allocation and deployment plans for some months after ARCADIA were based on anticipated forces of I I 5 groups by 3 I December 1942 and of 2 2 4 groups a year later, it is convenient to summarize here the unit status at the several pertinent dates.G’ Groups Aircraft per G r o u p Author- To be Aviation mented H a n d , 19 19 Jan. Group Increase b y 3 1 Dec. T y p e of Group Strength Strength Jan. 1942 1 9 4 2 Progrum 1 9 4 3 r 9 4 3 1st Aiig- Groups on ized 115- Proposed Attained Heavy Bombardment 35 5s ‘4 2 0 34 3 2 66 Medium Bombardment 57 69 9 5 I 2 6 18 Light Bombardment 57 57 5 3 10 2 0 30 Pursuit 80 10s 26 7 3’ 2 7 58 Transport 35 55 6 6 I 2 I 2 24 TOTALS 70 45 1 1 5 109 224 2 8 -4 16 I 2 - - -lo 5 5 57 -Observation Permanent Machinery for Militlmy Control O n I January I 942, twenty-six nations through representatives assembled in Washington pledged their mutual co-operation against the Tripartite powers to the extent of their respective military and economic resources.68 In manpower and industrial capacity, if not in current military strength, the United Nations were vastly superior to the Axis powers. But whatever public statements might be made about common ideals, the twenty-six members of the new organiza- tion had separate national interests, sometimes widely divergent or even conflicting; material advantages might easily be dissipated by the lack of unity usually inherent in a military coalition. In his address to the Congress on 6 January, President Roosevelt promised that “we shall not fight isolated wars-each nation going its own way.” H e referred to measures already taken to insure cohesive efforts-current military discussions and the unified command in the Southwest Pacific- and said: “There will be a continuation of conferences and consul- 2S I
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