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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.
“Williams Air Force Base”12 pages
T H E D E F E N S E O F A U S T R A L I A of both the planes and their maintenance, and a seaplane base at Lake Lanao permitted operations from Mindanao by PBY's almost to the end at Corregidor." In what must be regarded under the circum- stances as considerably more than a creditable effort, the 5th Air Base Group and other personnel participating had benefited greatly by prewar plans for an early expansion of air facilities in the Philippines. Slow and untrustworthy communications between the W a r Depart- ment and General MacArthur made it difficult for either to compre- hend fully the other's position. The latter late in January requested of General Wave11 two or three pursuit squadrons, and appeared sur- prised on learning that only sixteen P-40's were currently in operation within the ABDA area." In early February, he still hoped that a car- rier might bring air reinforcements within flying distance of the Philippines, or that A-zq's, P-jg's, and A-20's could be ferried from Australia. With the passage of time, he advanced arguments against the strategy of a build-up of forces on the enemy front, and pointed to the Japanese lines of communication as the enemy's principal weak- ness." Whatever real hope MacArthur may have held for effective resistance in the Philippines, President Roosevelt had decided early in February that the general would be evacuated to Australia. Objec- tions based on a desire to remain with his troops were overruled, and General Brett received directions to provide three B-I 7's for evacua- tion of General MacArthur and his staff. T h e planes took off on I I March, but immediately ran into bad luck. One of them promptly turned back because of engine trouble; a second crashed into the sea off Mindanao, with loss of two members of the crew; the third landed safely at Del Monte, but in poor mechanical condition. Accordingly, Maj. Richard H. Carmichael, commanding officer of the recently arrived 40th Reconnaissance Squadron, at Townsville, received in- structions to prepare four other planes for this special mission. Three of the four, carrying medical supplies for our troops in the Philip- pines, succeeded in taking off from Australia and reached Del Monte safely. General MacArthur, his family, and key members of his staff, among them General George of the interceptor command, had escaped from Corregidor by PT boat and at Del Monte boarded the planes for the 1,500-mile flight to Australia." T h e return flight was executed without mishap, though at the time of MacArthur's landing on Batchelor Field, near-by Darwin was under attack by Japanese It should be remembered that ABDA did not include Australia, except for Darwin. 407
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