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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 Invaders”15 pages
N O T E S T O P A G E S 4 0 0 - 4 0 6 Karl Truesdale, Jr., to Tom, 17 Mar. ‘942. 1 1 0 . The principal sources for the pursuit statistics are the History, 17th Squadron and the Digest of the Air Phase in the Philippines, in AAG om- 800, Misc. Phil. Fisher report, Lane interview, Gambonini diary, and the messages from the theater provide addi- tional documentation. I I I . 19th Gp. Opns. Record. Early reports of claims were quite unreliable, particularly as they concerned shipping. It should be pointed out that from De- cember 1941 through 5 March 1942, in both the Philippines and the NEI, JANAC credits all army aircraft (US., British, Dutch, Australian) with no more than three minesweepers, four passenger or cargo vessels, and one “converted salvage” vessel sunk, and a part in sink- ing two other cargo vessels. A recapitula- tion of bombers destroyed was made by the Command and General Staff School, dated 1 2 May 1945, in order to deter- mine if any bombsights fell into the hands of the enemy. This study lists the thirty-eight planes destroyed in Java, but breaks them down somewhat differently: six shot down, six lost by accident, twenty destroyed on ground by enemy action, five destroyed upon evacuation, and one in manner unidentified. In addi- tion it lists six destroyed in Australia between 28 December and 3 March. 1 1 2 . Msg., Fort Mills to AGWAR, 19 Mar. 1942; msg. #Aquila 5 , Brereton to AGWAR, 29 Mar. 1942; Tactical Lessons from Aircraft in Combat, 2 7 Mar. 1942, Doc. 2 2 , in History, Fifth Air Force, Pt. I ; interviews with Maj. Frank P. Bostrom, 5 Dec. 1942; Maj. Edward C. Teats, 5 Dec. 1942 [ ? I ; Capt. H.C. Smelser, 6 Apr. 1942; Lt. Robert A. Trenkle, 7 Apr. 1942; Capt. E.S. Green, 6 Apr. 1942; msg. #ABDA 456, Java to T A G , 19 Feb. 1942; msg. #ABDA 37DX, Java to TAG, 17 Feb. 1942. I 13. Smelser interview. 114. History, 27th Bomb. Gp.; inter- view with Maj. John Davies, 9 Dec. 1942; msg., Adams to C G USAF, Darwin, 5 Jan. 1942. 1 1 5 . Fisher report; msg. # z from Ban- 7 ‘4 doeng, 1 2 Feb. 1942; msg. $17, Java to T A G , 19 Feb. 1942; msg. #389, Adams to C G USAFIA, 22 Feb. 1942; report by Lt. Col. William Lane, Information of Tactical Value on Japanese Navy “0” Fighters, in AFSHO files. NOTES TO CHAPTER I . Msg. #4zz, sans origine to Mar. 1942. 2 . Navy msg. #ABDA 74 USNA, Melbourne, 25 Jan. 1942; msg. # z z , Chungking to T A G , 26 Jan. 1942; msg. #IS, Java to AGO, 13 Feb. 1942; msg. #483, sans origine to T A G , 4 Mar. 1942; Biennial Report, C/S to Sec. of War, I July 1941-30 June 1943. 3. Msg. #z95, Melbourne to AGWAR, 20 Feb. 1942; msg. #600, Wainwright to T A G , 2 6 Mar. 1942. 4. Statements of Maj. David L. Obert (14 May 1945), Maj. Stewart W. Robb (30 Nov. 1944), and Maj. Ben S. Brown ( 2 5 Oct. 1944); History, 24th Pursuit Gp.; Allison Ind, Bataan, the Judgment Seat (New York, 1944), pp. 213ff. 5 . Obert statement. 6. Msg. #205, MacArthur to T A G , 5 Feb. 1942; msg. $413, Fort Mills to AGO, 4 Mar. 1942; msg., Arnold to MacArthur, 4 Mar. 1942; GO 39 and 40, Hq. USAFFE, 1 2 Mar. 1942; combat report of Capt. William M. Rowe, in A-2 Library; History, 24th Pursuit Gp. The Joint Army and Navy Assessment Com- mittee does not confirm the sinking of these vessels. “Bataan Diary of Major Achille C. Tisdelle,” ed. by Louis Mor- ton, Military Ajfairs, XI (Fall, 1947), 139- 40, makes note of the mission as follows: “Our combination-bomber-attack-pursuit -P-40 airforce was on a party for the Nips in Subi [ Subic Bay] last night, each plane carrying a hundred pound bomb, plus smaller bombs. They got the Nips with their pants down and sank two freighters and one tanker. Observers on Mount Samat stated that it was a lovely show. Only two of the three P-40’s re- turned. So, now we have two airplanes only.” 7. History, 24th Pursuit Gp.; Robb I r TAG, z to AL-
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