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The Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. 1 (archived PDF)

Air Force Historical Studies Office · 863 pages · text from the file's own layer

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.

  • p. 75 …In the North Pacific only the narrow Bering Strait separated Siberia from Alaska, and farther south…
  • p. 242 …O R+ POI NT HAWAIIAN I SLA PACIFIC OCEAN 196 o w s U I DS
  • p. 322 …any one of many points in both oceans and along our coast lines and against the…
  • p. 332 …The shots seemed designed to punctuate the President’s statement that “the broad oceans which have…
  • p. 387 …Another Indian Ocean route was proposed that would have connected Mombasa with Ceylon or Bangalore, India…
  • p. 480 …Nimitz as commander in chief of the Pacific Ocean Area, whose responsibilities included the maintenance of…
  • p. 489 …Defense of the South Pacific Route It has been indicated elsewhere that the fear of just…
  • p. 515 …Chester Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Ocean Area, could not know of the debates…
  • p. 537 …Pacific Ocean,’ but the division of command between the Army and Navy in the Pacific naturally…
  • p. 630 …T h e United States was asked to provide additional air strength for the Pacific, to…
  • p. 775 …Transport Cornand‘s Ocean Ferry (London, 1945), pp. 5-19; Summary of Information covering the organization…
  • p. 791 …ON1 Combat Narratives, Early Raids in the Pacific Ocean, I Feb.-ro Mar. 1942; RAAF Intel…
  • p. 797 …This action was to be co-ordinated with an operation in the South Pacific against Tulagi…
  • p. 833 …Headquarters, VIII Bomber Command, High Wycombe Prime Minister Pacific Ocean Area New Caledonia Task Force Plan…
  • p. 850 …336407 3537 356, 3803 395-96, q857 496 India-China Ferry, organization, 508 Indian Ocean, 33…
  • p. 856 …I , 432, 477 Pacific Fleet (US.), 137, 19697, 236, 272-73 Pacific Ocean Area, 419, 452…
N O T E S T O P A G E S 3 8 5 - 9 0
tance. The flight leader took off with
the 8 P-40’s already serviced, preparing
for an attack. The flight of 8 was at-
tacked by 16 ‘0 type fighters and the
ensuing battle lasted from 15-20 minutes.
The flight of 8 P-40’s landed later at
Soerabaja. Word was received that after
the take off, the field was attacked by 31
twin-engined bombers which dropped
bombs on the field destroying the 5 re-
maining P-40’s.” (Sum. of Activities, 5
Feb. 1942.)
64. Capt. Cecil C. Knudsen’s diary, I
Jan-27 Dec. 1942; 19th Gp. Opns. Rec-
ord; History, 17th Pursuit Sq.; Gam-
bonini diary; ltr., Maj. John H. Davies
to CO, 91st Bomb. Sq., 3 Feb. 1942, in
History, 27th Bomb. Gp.; msg. #7, Brett
to AGWAR, 11 Feb. 1942; Fisher report,
as cited in n. 5 0 ; msg., Barnes to CO,
Base #3, Brisbane, 26 Jan. 1942.
65. Fisher report; Lane interview;
History, 17th Pursuit Sq.
66. Msg. # I , Brett to TAG, 2 Feb.
1942; msg. $762, Cairo to T A G , 4 Feb.
IWZ; msg. #13, Brett to T A G , 10 Feb.
1942; msg., Brett to AGWAR, 7 Feb.
1942; msg. #ABDA 181, ABDACOM to
Magruder, z Feb. 1942; Brady interview.
67. 19th Gp. Opns. Record; msg.
#231, Brett to Marshall, 7 Feb. 1942; Lt.
Col. John A. Rouse’s diary, 7 Dec. 1941-
2 s Nov. 1942. Entries in the FEAF
Summary of Activities through February
provide chiefly an incomplete record of
combat operations. An entry for 3 Feb-
ruary shows an aircraft status of 10 B-
17’s and 3 LB-~o’s, of which “all but one
B-17 and one LB-30 were on missions as
scheduled,” and for 4 February, the
notation reads as follows: “Available:
seven P-~o’s, eight B-17’s (undergoing
routine maintenance) and one LB-30.”
68. 19th Gp. Opns. Record; msg. $ 2 ,
from Bandoeng, 9 Feb. 1942; msg. $ 2 5 ,
Java to TAG, 9 Feb. 1942; G O 2 7 and
35, GHQ SWPA, I and 16 Sept. 1942;
GO 4, 1 1 , 20, 26, 37, 38, and 5 2 , Fifth
Air Force, 6, 30 Sept., 1 2 , 31 Oct., 2 7
Nov., z and 16 Dec. 1942.
69. Brady interview; 19th Gp. Opns.
Record; 19th Gp. Diary.
70. Msg., ABDACOM #o135, 17 Feb.
1 9 4 2 ; msg. #IO, Java to AGWAR, 18
7 1 1
ABDACOM, 10 Feb. 1942. T h e W a r
Department replied to one complaint
that unit loading had been studied and
was not considered practicable in view of
the shipping situation. (Msg. #1/249,
Adams to C G USAFIA, 1 5 Jan. 1942.)
55. History, 7th Bomb. Gp.
56. Msg., Melbourne to TAG, sgd.
Clagett, 9 Jan. 1942; ltr., Lt. Robert H.
Ode11 to AC/S, G--2, 27 Jan. 1942.
57. Brady interview; msg., Wagner,
Mahoney, Strauss to [WD], I Feb. 1942,
Doc. 65, in History, Fifth Air Force, Pt.
I ; msg., Lee to US. MA, 4 Jan. 1942,
Doc. 805, ibid.
58. Weller, “Luck to the Fighters,”
pp. 269, 280; History, Fifth Air Force,
Pt. 2 , I Jan.4 Mar. 1942.
59. History, 17th Pursuit Sq.; msg.,
Hq. USAFIA, Melbourne to CO Hq.
USA, Brisbane, 1 2 Jan. 1942, Doc. 958,
in History, Fifth Air Force, Pt. I .
60. History, 17th Pursuit Sq.; Lt. Col.
W.A. Sheppard and Maj. E.B. Gilmore
statement, I Feb. 1945; Weller, “Luck to
the Fighters,” pp. 281-83; interview with
Maj. Alan D. Moore, 2 0 Jan. 1944.
61. Msgs. in History, Fifth Air Force,
Pt. I : Brereton to Wavell, z z Jan. 1942,
Doc. 159; Brereton to CO, Base #3, 24
Jan. 1942, Doc. 975; Brereton to CO,
RAAF, Station Amberley, 24 Jan. 1942,
Doc. 978; Brereton to CO, Base # z ,
Townsville, 26 Jan. 1942, Doc. 980; Brett
to Hq. USAFIA, 27 Jan. 1942, Doc. 983;
Brett to AGWAR, I Feb. 1942, Doc. 165.
See also interview with Lt. Col. William
Lane, Jr., 15 May 1944.
62. Lane interview; diary of Maj.
Paul B. Garnbonini, 29 Jan. to I Mar.
1942.
63. See sources in n. 62 and also msg.
#25, Java to TAG, 9 Feb. 1942; msg. # I ,
from Bandoeng, 6 Feb. 1942; GO 12, Hq.
Allied Air Forces, 2 5 May 1942; GO 2 5 ,
GHQ SWPA, 27 Aug. 1942; History,
17th Pursuit Sq.; msg. #ABDA 256, 9
Feb. 1942, ABDACOM to Arnold. Early
reports to FEAF headquarters indicated:
“A flight of 13 P-40’s took off from
Koepang and landed at Den Passar.
While servicing was in progress at Den
Passar a plane was sighted in the dis-

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