Army Air Forces
in
World War II

Contents

Forward		v
I. The Crisis in the South and Southwest Pacific Richard L. Watson, Duke University Kramer J. Rohfleisch, San Diego State College
1.	New Guinea and the Solomons		3
Richard L. Watson, Duke University Kramer J. Rohfleisch, San Diego State College
2.	The Battle for Guadalcanal		37
Kramer J. Rohfleisch, San Diego State College
3.	The Thirteenth Air Force		61
Kramer J. Rohfleisch, San Diego State College
4.	The Papuan Campaign		92
Richard L. Watson, Duke University
5.	Battle of the Bismarck Sea		129
Richard L. Watson, Duke University
6.	Huon Gulf and Peninsula		163
Richard L. Watson, Duke University
II. Target Rabaul Kramer J. Rohfleisch, San Diego State College James C. Olson, Nebraska State Historical Society Capt. Berhardt L. Mortensen, Air Force Historical Division
7.	The Central Solomons		203
Kramer J. Rohfleisch, San Diego State College
8.	Bougainville		245
Kramer J. Rohfleisch, San DIego State College
9.	The Gilberts and Marshalls		281
James C. Olson, Nebraska State Historical Society
10.	Rabaul and Cape Gloucester		311
Capt. Bernhardt L. Mortensen, Air Force Historical Division
III. The North Pacific Harry L. Coles, Ohio State University
11.	The Aleutians Campaign		359
IV. China-Burma-India Herbert Weaver, Vanderbilt University Lee Bowen, Air Force Historical Division
12.	The Tenth Air Force		405
Herbert Weaver, Vanderbilt University
13.	Problems of Command		435
Herbert Weaver, Vanderbilt University Lee Bowen, Air Force Historical Division
14.	The Pattern of India-Burma Operations, 1943		460
Herbert Weaver, Vanderbilt University
15.	Allied Offensive in Burma		494
Lee Bowen, Air Force Historical Division
16.	Fourteenth Air Force Operations, January 1943-June 1944		518
Herbert Weaver, Vanderbilt University
V. Pacific Junction Frank Futrell, Air Force Historical Division Capt. Bernhardt L. Mortensen, Air Force Historical Division James C. Olson, Nebraska State Historical Society
17.	The Admiralties		549
Capt. Bernhardt L. Mortensen, Air Force Historical Division Frank Futrell, Air Force Historical Division
18.	Hollandia		575
Frank Futrell, Air Force Historical Division
19.	Final Victory in New Guinea		615
Frank Futrell, Air Force Historical Division
20.	The Marianas		671
James C. Olson, Nebraska State Historical Society Capt. Bernhardt L. Mortensen, Air Force Historical Division
Notes (Footnotes are included/hyperlinked with each chapter.)
Glossary
Index			793

List of Maps and Charts

Pacific Theaters Frontispiece

New Guinea and the Solomons 5

Island Chains of the South Pacific 12

Solomon Islands 39

Northwest Corner of Guadalcanal 54

Papuan Peninsula 95

Buna Area 109

Principal American Air Bases, November 1942 115

Huon Gulf Area 175

Central Solomons 205

Guadalcanal Airfields 216

Enemy Defenses, Munda Field 230

Bougainville 247

Gilbert and Marshall Islands 285

Rabaul and Gazelle Peninsula 313

New Britain 315

Alaska and the Aleutian Islands 362

North Pacific Ocean 393

Allied and Japanese Main Lines of Communication, 1942-1943 408

India-Burma Sector 462

Railway Transportation in Burma 470

Burma Operations, November 1943-May 1944 496

CBI Battle Area, November 1943-May 1944 533

Admiralty Islands 556

Eastern Manus and Los Negros Island 560

Hollandia Strikes, 30 March-16 April 1944 593

Japanese and Allied Airfields, April 1944 600

Aitape Area 606

Wakde-Sarmi Area 618

Wakde Islands 627

Schouten Islands 633

Noemfoor Island 653

The Sansapoor Area 662

Pacific Battle Area, Spring 1944 673

List of Illustrations

Facing

The Prize of Guadalcanal 62

Japanese Airstrip, Lunga Point, 7 August 1942

Henderson Field, August 1944

Port Moresby 62

The Harbor

Wards (8-Mile) Drome

The Buna Area 94

Buna Mission

Sanananda Track

Papua Airstrips 94

Kokoda, July 1942

Dobodura, February 1943

Hit 'em High, Hit 'em Low 142

Direct Hit by B-24

A-20 at Mast Height

Battle of the Bismarck Sea 142

Wounded Destroyer

Low-Level Attack on Freighter

Kenney's B-25's Get a Japanese Corvette 142

First Pass

On the Mark

Death of a Sally, Bismarck Sea 142

Death of a Sally, Bismarck Sea 142

Enemy Bases Under Attack 174

Salamaua

Wewak

Nadzab: Paratroop Landing, 5 September 1943 174

Fifth Air Force Maintenance 174

Sheet Metal Shop, Port Moresby

B-25 "Strafer"

New Guinea Manpower 174

As Tractor

As Steamroller

Bougainville 254

Pre-invasion Bombing

Beachhead

Airfield Development at Bougainville

Airfield Development at Bougainville

Airfield Development at Bougainville

Air Evacuation of Casualties 286

By Thirteenth Air Force C-47

By Liaison Plane in New Guinea

Seventh Air Force: "One Damned Island After Another" 286

Nauru

Wotje

Rabaul: Revetments, Vunakanau Airfield 334

Rabaul, 2 November 1943 334

Parafrags along the Docks

One Maru Down

Direct Hit

Phosphorus Bombs on Airfield

Isolation of Kavieng 334

Attack on Convoy off Kavieng

Direct Hit on Destroyer off Kavieng

Maintenance: Heavy Bombers 422

Ladd Field, Alaska

Los Negros

Fighters for China 422

Flying Tiger over China

Chinese and American Pilots

Airlift to China 438

C-87 Returns from China to Texpur

C-46 over the Hump

General Stratemeyer's Bosses 438

Airfield Construction, CBI 494

Cheng-kung, China

India Base

Control Towers, CBI 494

Kunming, China

Jorhat, India

Enemy Communications in Burma 494

Attack on Train, Mandalay-Yeu Railway

Bombing Meza Bridge, 30 January 1944

7th Bombardment Group En Route to Burma Target

Supply in Forward Areas 590

Open Dumps, Bougainville

Engineer Supplies, Los Negros

Hollandia: Knockout of Enemy Air Power, 30 March-3 April 1944

Hollandia: Knockout of Enemy Air Power, 30 March-3 April 1944

Hollandia: Knockout of Enemy Air Power, 30 March-3 April 1944

Camp Areas 590

Mud at Finschhafen

Laundry and Shower at Hollandia

D-Day for Green Islands; B-25's En Route to Rabaul Pass Invasion Fleet 590

AAF Fighters 622

P-39 Airacobras, Makin

Refueling P-38 Lightning, Middelburg

Defensive Measures 622

Lookout on New Caledonia

Portable Radar, Noemfoor

Dispersal, Espiritu Santo

Antiaircraft Emplacement, Sansapor

Postholing Enemy Airstrips 622

But, New Guinea

Wotje Atoll

Rescue Operations 654

By PBY, Hermit Island

By Submarine, off Los Negros

P-47 Pilot, Noemfoor

Air Supply by C-47 654

Advance Strip, New Guinea

Airtrain to Finschhafen

Cargo Loading, Stirling Island

Supply Drop, Bougainville

Noemfoor: Paratroop Landing 654

High-Altitude Bombing 686

Thirteenth Air Force, Biak

5th Bombardment Group, Yap

Kwajalein as an American Base, April 1944 686

Seventh Air Force over Truk

The Enemy Scores 686

A-20 Hit by Flak, Kokas

B-24 Hit by Bomb, Funafuti