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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.
“United Press”36 pages
T H E B A T T L E L I N E I N T H E P A C I F I C be organized from the 301st and 303d heavy groups in the Second Air Force. T h e estimated date of departure from the West Coast was 30 May, with completion of movement scheduled for z June. Actually, the sixteen crews were drawn from the 303d Group; and after the emergency had passed, these crews returned to the Second Air Force, leaving their B- I 7’s in Hawaii.85 In the ten-day period following the establishment of the alert, the old B-18’s flew their search missions, carrying on the work of the newer B- I 7’s which now were held on the ground, loaded with 500- and 600-lb. demolition bombs, in anticipation of their employment as a striking force. O n the I8th, General Emmons had on hand for his 5th and 11th Bombardment groups a total of only 34 B - I ~ ’ s ,7 of which were older “C” and “D” models and were regarded as being insufficiently armed for combat. However, through the period of the alert, the VII Bomber Command received a steady influx of B-17’s, with the result that by the last day of May it had in commission 44 out of 56 available B-17’s, 14 of 16 B-18’s, 4 of 6 B-26’s, and 5 of 7 A-20%. For local defense, VII Fighter Command had in commission I O I P-40’s out of 134 in the area, 17 P-39’s of 22, and 2 2 obsolete P-36’~of ~ 8 . ’ ~ Actually, fresh planes were coming out more rapidly than existing squadrons could absorb them; no less than 60 B-17’~arrived in the period from 18 May to 10June. These bombers, arriving from the mainland in the morning, were taken immediately to the shops of the Hawaiian Air Depot, where their extra fuel tanks used on the flight out from the West Coast were removed, auxiliary tanks were installed in the radio compartment, and equipment and armament were checked. Within 24 hours these new planes were turned over to the tactical units, but time was running out; there would be no oppor- tunity to train all the crews in the operation of their new weapons. For example, the heavy increase made it necessary to convert the 72d Bombardment Squadron from a B- I 8 unit to a B- I 7 squadron, a proc- ess which began on 4 May, but the 72d was not fully equipped until approximately two days prior to commitment to actual combat. Obvi- ously it could not be trained adequately.” At Midway, Marine ground forces worked night and day to prepare the defenses of the islands, and Marine Aircraft Group 2 2 (MAG-22) based on Midway was brought up to strength to include 28 fighters and 34 dive bombers.*’ T h e primary aim of Midway’s air commander, Capt. Cyril T. Simard, USN, under whom all AAF planes operated, 455
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