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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. 2 THE UNIVERSITYOF CHICAGOPRESS, CHICAGO8 LONDON The University of Toronto Press, Toronto 5, Canada Copyright 1948 by…
  • p. 48 …An Associated Press dispatch of 10 October gave a contemporary judgment of the importance of this…
  • p. 55 …Air Service (Corps) found it difficult to press vigorously for reorgani- zation and, by default, leadership…
  • p. 56 …In 1919the W a r Department was pressing for a drastic revision of the military establishment…
  • p. 61 …It held that there was no danger of an air attack on the United States and…
  • p. 64 …GHQ Air Forcq a trial than to press for more radical measures, and Howell’s group…
  • p. 75 …Powerful air attacks resolutely pressed home could never be completely stopped, but their effects could best…
  • p. 98 …based air operations in defense of the United States and its overseas posses~ions.’~T w…
  • p. 99 …General Westover’s report concluded that “all Air Force units could be concentrated on either coast…
  • p. 130 …the Admiralty began to press for control of naval air units, while the army attempted to…
  • p. 149 …basic and advanced Responsibility for crew and unit train- ing was vested in the GHQ Air…
  • p. 164 …A m y air units in the Territory existed primarily for the defense of this and…
  • p. 176 …no military alliances were made which would commit the United States to war; the plans only…
  • p. 278 …There were also grounds for hoping that heavy bomber units now based on Darwin might increase…
  • p. 285 …From 1938 the United States had invoked sanctions against Japan in the form of moral em…
  • p. 287 …Over-all Strategy and lmmediate Deployment On 2 2 December, the press announced dramatically the arrival…
  • p. 289 …ground units sent in that direction were not destined for immediate combat. No major invasion of…
  • p. 323 …Seizure of bases in Canada or Mexico for later attacks on the United States. Capture of…
  • p. 366 …United state^,^ and the British them- selves were forced to withdraw some pilots from combat units…
  • p. 380 …Upon the request of the Ferrying Command, the State Depart- ment again pressed for an answer…
  • p. 397 …the summer and fall, first as the United States Middle East Air Force and later as…
  • p. 430 …Attempts had been made to replace these obsolete craft by purchase from the United States, but…
  • p. 440 …But as the Japanese pressed forward the Americans were given no opportunity to get set. The…
  • p. 463 …personnel that would be reassigned to infantry units whose rosters already included many representatives of the…
  • p. 552 …pines and more recently of American air units operating in the Netherlands East Indies, he was…
  • p. 560 …Moreover, examination proved that most of the basic equipment of the units, including badly needed trucks…
  • p. 563 …Grady arrived from the United States for a comprehensive survey of Indian resources with reference to…
  • p. 564 …TO C H I N A graphic units, and unfavorable atmospheric conditions combined to make high…
  • p. 607 …Thus the AAF units engaged in the anti-U-boat war became almost a t once…
  • p. 628 …Army air bombardment units would operate offensively in collaboration with the Royal Air Force, primarily against…
  • p. 658 …was to operate in the United Kingdom.14' All air units initially based there were to…
  • p. 683 …of the units of the infant Eighth until their departure for the United Kingdom several months…
  • p. 691 …The RAF proposed that American fighter units be integrated with its own under a plan eventually…
  • p. 748 …533.) By 1928he was (Patrick, United States in the Air, pp. 190-91.) 38. Charges of…
  • p. 770 …y.W D Press Release, 2 1 June 1941. 9 1 . AR 95-5, 3a. 92…
  • p. 857 …Presque Isle, 344, 347-49, 641, 644-45 Press comment: B-17, 662-63; danger of…
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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