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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.
L O S S O F N E T H E R L A N D S E A S T I N D I E S with a four-inch layer of soil to provide a usable though sometimes boggy runway. Local Dutch residents opened their homes to the Americans, who had not enjoyed such “good baths, good food, good whiskey, good beds” since leaving the United States. But there were only two mechanics available for upkeep of the planes, and for four days the crews worked from dawn to late a t night getting their planes into shape. For parts, they cannibalized one of the aircraft, and they lost still another when it came down in Soerabaja Bay. Then after a week of preparation a t Mod jokerto, the remaining seven planes flew to Malang to secure adjustment of shackles and adapters for use of the Dutch There on the fateful 19th of February they were ready for operations. T h e honor of carrying out the initial low-level bombing attack had already gone to the pursuit planes of the 17th Squadron. T w o days earlier, on 17 February, eight of the P-40’s had flown seventy-five miles to Madioen to pick up a bomb load of four zo-kilogram bombs per plane. Another hop, this time of 3 2 5 miles, brought them to Batavia, whence they flew 275 miles across the Java Sea for a bombing and strafing attack on Japanese shipping and aircraft in the region of recently captured Palembang. Though the weather favored the attack, Japanese fighters intercepted so spiritedly that only three of the American planes were successful in breaking through to the targets. Bombs were dropped among enemy landing barges, and the Americans accounted for four of the Japanese fighters with no loss to themselves. All of the P-40’s returned safely to Ngoro the next day.’2 That was the day the Japanese landed on Bali in an action that would effectively cut the ferry route from Australia. T h e prospect of this interference with plans for reinforcement of Java naturally had been a source of great concern to Allied commanders, and as early as I 7 January, General Wave11 had decided to attempt a reinforcement of Timor. By 4 February arrangements had been completed for strengthening the defenses of this key point along the way by sending from Australia an antiaircraft battery, most of an American field ar- tillery regiment, and an additional infantry battali~n.’~But the prob- lem of protecting from air attack the ships on which they were to be transported and other factors delayed their deparrure from Darwin until 1 5 February, when four transports escorted by the US. cruiser Houston and the destroyer Peary-Wave11 and Brett had hoped to provide air cover-sailed for T i m ~ r . ~ ~Unhappily, the convoy was 39’
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