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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.
“Pacific Ocean”16 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 B-26’s groped in the fog and mist for the carriers. At 0845 on the 4th, a PBY of Pawing 4, piloted by Lt. Marshall C. Freerks, USNR, had reported contact with three enemy vessels, including one or two car- riers, a t a point approximately 160 miles southwest of Umnak, and in response to this report, six B-17’s and one LB-30 took off from Kodiak, headed for Cold Bay, where they would refuel and carry on the search.13* At the same time, the B-26’s of the 73d Bombardment Squadron (M), which were awaiting orders at Elmendorf, were directed to move out to Forts Randall and Glenn, and the 77th’~B-26’s were on the two forward fields ready to attack when ordered. Already, on the 3d, Captain Meals had taken off twice from Fort Glenn with a flight of B-26’s but had seen nothing, and one B-26 had crashed on land- ing a t Umnak when its landing gear collapsed, sending the torpedo tumbling end over end down the runway.135 On the 4th, the B-26’s were out again, in response to Lieutenant Freerks’ report which reached Umnak at 0900. From Umnak, Captain Meals’ flight of five B-26’s ran into an area of low ceiling and fog, which forced the planes to return a t I 355 without locating the target; but from Cold Bay, another flight of five B-26’s was out to search, this one under Col. William 0. Eareckson. Again the flight missed the target, except for the plane piloted by Capt. George W. Thornbrough, who had lost the main formation. Captain Thornbrough found the enemy force, made his run on the Ryujo, and dropped his torpedo so close that it fell over on the far side of the vessel where it failed to exp10de.l~~Thornbrough was keenly disappointed, and though he had been ordered to await the other planes at Umnak, he flew back to Cold Bay where he rearmed, this time with 500-lb. A P bombs, refueled, and returned to the attack. Some time later he was heard over Cold Bay, where he was “on top” but despite every effort could not be guided in. Several weeks later, his smashed plane was found east of Fort Ra~~dall.’~’It was not easy to find the enemy’s ships in the fog and clouds. On the afternoon of the 4th, Captain Dunlop of the 36th Squadron led out a flight of five B- I 7’s and one LB-30 from Cold Bay on a flight which lasted from 1545 to 2145, but the aircrews saw nothing. Lt. Thomas F. Mansfield, taking off later, was joined by Capt. Jack L. Marks, and these two located the enemy task force. Marks pulled up into the overcast to drop five bombs blindly, while Mans- field went down to minimum altitude and headed for a cruiser. This 468
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