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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.
“Roosevelt”53 pages
N O T E S T O P A G E S 2 1 1 - 1 3 history.) It should be noted that both Colonel Fry’s and Major Heald’s state- ments were made more than two years after the events being described. A pos- sible explanation for the differences in time stated is that Tash’s B-17 was sent to Clark Field merely to have certain repairs made on his plane as is stated in the 19th Group Operations Record, and that the order received from Clark Field was not related in any way to the out- break of hostilities. 49. History, 24th Pursuit Gp.; G O X I , Hq. Fifth Air Force, 30 Sept. 1942; Statement of Personal Experience, made by Lt. Col. W.A. Sheppard and Maj. E.B. Gilmore at the request of historical personnel, I Feb. 1945; Ind, Bataan, pp. 103-4. See also n. 45 above. 50. GO 17, Hq. FEAF, 2 3 Feb. 1942; G O 2, Hq. Southwest Pacific Command, Lembang, 1 5 Feb. 1942; G O 48, Hq. USAFFE, 21 Dec. 1941; GO 5 2 , Hq. Fifth Air Force, 18 Dec. 1942; Fisher report; Brady interview, as in n. 25; interview with Col. Cecil E. Combs by author, 19 Jan. 1945; History, 19th Bomb. Gp., App. A; Lt. Col. William J. Ken- nard, Report on Philippine and Aus- tralian Activities, 14 Nov. 1942; interview with Lt. Gen. Richard K. Sutherland by W.D. Edmonds, 4 June 1945. 5 1 . Fisher report; History, 24th Pur- suit Gp.; msg. # 1 1 3 3 , Manila to WD, 8 Dec. 1941; msg. # 1 1 3 y , Manila to WD, recd. 9 Dec. 1941; memo for S/W by Spaatz, C/AS, 8 Dec. 1941; Robb, Shep- pard and Gilmore, and Obert statements (see n. 2 1 and n. 49); Ind, Bataan, pp. 102-6. 52. Available records of the two squadrons, the 28th and 30th, which were a t Clark on 8 December, state that the B-17’s were “dispersed” at the time of the attack. Col. W.P. Fisher, commander of the 28th Squadron in December 1941, has stated that it was standard opera- tional procedure for his aircraft to go to their assigned positions as soon as they landed, and that they were dispersed on this occasion. On the other hand, dis- persal facilities had not been completed, and it was impossible to provide com- plete security from air attack. (History, 689 fifty-four “land attack planes” and thirty- four fighters participated in the attack on Clark, while an equal number of bombers and fifty fighters struck at Iba. (See Operations of the Japanese Navy in the Invasion of the Philippines.) 46. History, 24th Pursuit Gp.; His- tory, Fifth Air Force, Pt. I, p. 12; GO 48, Hq. USAFFE, 2 1 Dec. 1941; statement, as in n. 2 1 , of Maj. Stewart W. Robb, formerly of 34th Sq. T h e flight leader of the 34th Squadron states that its eighteen P-35’~took to the air and pro- ceeded to Clark Field without orders. (Maj. Ben S. Brown statement, 2 5 Oct. 1944, in V Fighter Command docs.) 47. History, 19th Bomb. Gp., App. B (19th Gp. Operations Record). It will be recalled that the B-17’s for several days had been flying regular reconnais- sance missions which had on occasion taken them to within three miles of the coast of Formosa. On this morning Carpenter was patrolling the waters east of Luzon. (Fisher interview, 17 June 1947; History, 19th Bomb. Gp., App. A.) 48. 19th Gp. Operations Record; G O 16, Hq. FEAF, Bandoeng, 1 2 Feb. 1942. On 18 April 1944, Col. R.L. Fry, who was executive officer of the 5th Air Base Group at Del Monte in December 1941, made the following statement: “In re- sponse to orders from Clark Field at 0400 hours 8th December, one B-17 under Lieutenant Tash took off from Del Monte at 0945 for Clark Field to have a camera installed so that a photographic mission could be flown over Formosa.” (Doc. 8, in History, Fifth Air Force, Pt. I, App. II.) This indicates that the order from Clark Field was sent to Del Monte immediately after word was received that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. But it should be pointed out that Maj. E.H. Heald, who in December 1941 had helped to set up communications for the 5th Air Base Group, stated in May 1944 that “at the time of the attack upon the Philippines” he received the “first mes- sage radioed to Del Monte from General Headquarters” at approximately 0630, and that five minutes later another ar- rived from Colonel Eubank. The first message read: “Hostilities have begun. All Airdromes alert.” (Doc. 17, same
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