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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 Wash”17 pages
C O M M I T M E N T S TO C H I N A graphic units, and unfavorable atmospheric conditions combined to make high-altitude bombing of questionable value and argued for the superior speed of the mediums. T h e supply at the time, however, was unequal to the demand, and only in late April was it agreed, in partial concession to his continued requests, that the 7 th Bombardment Group should be converted into a composite group of two heavy and two medium squadrons, the latter to be equipped with B - z ~ ’ s . ~ ~Not until July did the B-25’s arrive in sufficient numbers to permit com- mitment of one of the squadrons to combat. H e also sought fighters superior to the P-40, and received the promise of P-38’s at some in- definite time in the But the Tenth would get along with the P-40 for more than a year, and for a while yet with few of them. Although General Brereton had brought out of Java a few key personnel for the new air force, there were several important posts for which no qualified men were available. Consequently, one of his first acts after assuming command had been to radio Washington asking assignment from the staff of the North African mission in Egypt of Col. Victor H. Strahm to be his A-3 and Brig. Gen. Elmer E. Adler to establish an air service command. T h e assignment of Strahm was promptly approved, but some delay was experienced in securing the transfer of General Adler, who as chief of the air sec- tion of the North African mission since the fall of 1941 had gained a variety of experience which made him especially well qualified to undertake the planning and establishment of air services in the new theater. N o t until 2 6 April did he arrive in India. With him came Lt. Col. Reuben C. Hood, Jr., and Capt. Gwen Atkinson, and on I May, with only Adler, Hood, and Atkinson on hand, the air service command was a c t i ~ a t e d . ~ ~Until the arrival of the convoy from America two weeks later with supplies and additional personnel, the command remained in effect a small planning staff. Meanwhile, to Brereton’s chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Earl L. Naiden, had fallen the task of planning an air transport service from India to China, a problem that took on increasing significance as the Japa- nese pressed forward in Burma. Foreseeing the loss of Rangoon, the W a r Department had directed Brereton shortly after his arrival in India to survey an air route for the movement of supplies from India to Ch~ngking.’~At the time, it was felt that central and northern Burma could probably be defended; and so the problem appeared to be that of providing for an air lift of supplies from Assam in the 497
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