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Tacloban strip \\";IS not sC'ITiccab1c, but O\Tr 100 pLlIlCS bounced ;mel skidded in 011 the roJ!£;h field. some cuelit!; lip like this \\"ildcat, Frantic activity on Tucloh.m strip is shown ill this photo;uph taken In Vlnjor [nh.mscu who .ilso snapped other photr». Oil this pa;c, ---,~ Sunbaked engineers \I"orkCl] flil!ollsh to IJII"h t hc: strip in t inic fm t l«. tirst ,\,\!" LlllelillL;s, Photo shO\n joh just about complctcd. fore a refucling truck "';IS alongside, Senice crews "'CIT on the spot with boml» and lxlt . of :;0 edI!llT :1 III III unition. Others pitched ill to m.ik« elllergelle\, rep;lirs to d;lInagcd "heels and "ings, ;\rlllorers (lehl/ed bombs in crashed pLlIles cvcu ,,11I!e they hurru-r]. Vvhcncvcr there "as a br icf letup be!\lecn Lmdings, engineers went (lilt aeross the strip wit h gLiders .mcl rollers, pulhng off «nlv "lien the \\'heels of iucomius; p]anes touched the ground y:mls a w.rv. ,\n cu urgenn' eoutrol tower ,,"as in operation less th.m two hours .iftcr the i onvtrucr iou h.rd heglln, VOl' more thn n five hours opeLI tiollS personnel S:It :1 top the u n protected pLI tfor m ignoring ack .ick and enelllY strafing, '1'0 gct them in and get thcin into the air again in fighting condition "as the ,illgle thought of hundreds of ",orking CIs, and they did, TIle tIrst pl.u«: h.id lauded at 0830, 'I'\H) hours later 'iq planes \\"LTe reId:' to take off :Igain. gas tlllks tilled. np.ur: made. with boml», .md .muuunition for their guns. Duriut; a period of less th.m 20 homs 'l'aclob;lll strip, which had bccu declared u nscrviccablc th.it morning. had h.unllcd more than 20() Lmdings .md t:Ike-offs, But there ":IS more to lx- clone h:" the .rvia tiou ellgil1cns who had lost :1 d.rv in aclcl it iou to tl u: sdhlck eillscd bv the \\'ea I' .mcl tca I' on the strip, :\ nother IIiC',ht of h hor faccd thcin. with the t.i -k of bnllg SCICLI! tlJ()I!S;lnd fed of l.rnclillg nLlh th.it h.ul lucn ru-Iuxl :lsllorC from sllips in the hurbor. '\01' \\':lS there rest for the slTlicc sqlLldron :111
PART II: OUR AIR TASK FORCE The origins of the first Philippine Assault Air Task force go back to the Buna campaign. Here's how this streamlined organization works When the first ,\:\1" com h.rt pLIlles-a squ.idr on of P- ::Ss -arrileel in the Ph ilippiucs thcv found an opcr.rtiona l and service organization already estahlished. lrom the moment of LIlldlllg they were able to go mt o operation agaimt the cncuiv. An hour after'laneling on A plus 7, the first P-::Ss, refueled and sen iced, took off on patrol. AIllong then: I\'as }'Iaj. Richard Bong, \lho got IllS first Jap ()\IT the Phihppine, with in the hour, got hlo more a fell' elays later, hringillg lu-, score to 33 enullY planes dc-.t iovcd in aerial combat. During their first elay the [.ightlllllgs downed si:-.:J;IP planes. 011 the follo\\]ng dav, October 29, this handful of fighters took over all' cover for the Philippine lsl.md operation, Before a week II';IS out their score \las an even 'iO, This lIas possible only because the ::OSth Bomb \\"ing, ~LTlmg as an .ur task force, had laid the ground work, set "P operations, estthhsheel service and supply facilities, gathered intelligence, and was operating a com p lctc connuunic.rtions network. An .iirclrun rc squadron \I'as on the job. An air force surgical hospital capable of perforIlling nw)or surgen' was ready, The air liaison part:' with the 30Sth kid been set with their air-grounel communication since A plus -t, and contact had been established with five air liaison parties att.ichcd to various iuf.mtrv and art illcrv units, Intelligence on (nullY activities .md air strength had been uccumulatcd . Around this nucleus was heing built the First Philippine ,\ssault Air Task Force. The first few davs, our fighters were const.mtlv in the air. Several import.mt rcconuu issaucc missions were f10\\'l1 at the request of our ground troops, Concentrations of enemy troops were bombed, and escorts \In'C furnished for small :'\a\'al craft on coastal operations, Advice from the front line that a [ap Photo Joe had covered a strategic highlvay was passed on to the fighters, enabling them to be on the alert tor a bombing attack, The first Jap bomber force in strength was turned back bv four P-38s which downed three escorts, Weather deLl\'C~1 the .u rivul of other air units from the 'ith Air Force, (t wasn't until A plus II that C--t 7 transport planes came in escorted hv our P- ::8s from the southern Ph ilippines. Their cargo lIas food for the figh ter units, their return mission the evacuation of seriously wounded. Later in the day came the first contingent of 1)-61 night fighters. Two more strips had been secured. Aviation engineers under armed eOl1\'oy fought their Il'ay through a sea of mud within range of [up snipers to reach them. Laudins; strips had to he filled in. operation control set up, service facilities brought up, The air tusk force Il'as sh(m'ing its normal growth from fighters to light bombers and then to medium bomhcrs. The morning of ;'\'0\',2 an intelligence report carne in that smile 60 Jap bombers with fighter escort were on their wav. '\ine P-::Ss scrambled to meet them. 1':I'en'one raised his eves to the skies, \vaiting for the acr ial devastation th.it seemed to be incvit.iblc. :\othing happened. Then carne the heartening message that our few fighters had met a strong formation of P-38s curoutc to reinforce Lcvtc, The two joined forces. Three of the Japs were shot do;\'n over Lcvtc Gulf, the others turned tail. All this was an air t.i sk force in operation. Air battles must he based on plodding work on the groun(l. build ing up the ha ttlc opera t iouul orga n iza tion wi thout II'h ich a nair DECEMBER,1944 force can neither f1y nor fight. The initial mission of the 3()Sth Os opcrutioual organl/,ation of the Fust .vir Task Force \\'as set forth by its eOlllluaneling otliccr. Col. ])alid \V. l l utt-h iusou. in a terse order of the d.iv. lirvt, in coujuuct ion with carrier b.ixcd pl.mc-; the xI''!' will provide local cover over 'laclob.m and Dulag area,. Second, furnish airground coord in.: tion IIi th the Sixth :\n IIv when req ucstcd. Th irei, conduct nigh t figh tcr pa trol. lourth. fumixh courier service. Fif th , furnish cover for 1''1' bo.rts. The air task force origmated with Ccncr.il J(enne:' at the time of the Bun.i cuupaigu in early I ()-t:;, The original \\'as called the Buna Air Task Force, ]31' Fcbru.u, I (H-t. three air task forces IILTe operating, and three hOln'b ,,'mgs-the ::08th, ::()9th, 310th authorized as their operations headquarters organization. The need for air task forces came with the rapid advance of our air forces through 1\ell' Cuinca. In order to correlate activities of ClIO, the Allied air force, and the Australian Imperial I'ore;, General Kcnncv found it essential to maintain a hc.ulqu.ntcrs in Brisbane. As air .ict ivitv spread from AllStralia into ~ell' Cu inca , the Br ixb.mc headquarters became too remote for d:fiCIent operational control. To rcmcdv this an advance echelon of the 'ith Air Force, "ADVO:\," \\'as established at Port ~Ioresh\'. with Xla]. Gen. Ennis C. \\'hitehead as Kenney's clcputv conun.mdcr. Our advance gained momentum, and January 19-t:: saw the f.ill of Buua. A more forward operational base \\'as required to correlate the activities of the advance air combat units. ,\D\'O:\' ulrcadv found itself too far in the rear. The Buna Air Task Force \\'as created in ?\ larch 19-t:: operating out of Dobndur.i. This obviated crossing the Owen St.mlcv range. which eliminated 7'i miles of treacherous, to\\'Cring mountains and added conxidcrablv to the operational efficiency of our combat clements. So successful was this iunov.ition in the air war that the air task force bcc.unc an integral part of the Southwest Pacific Air Force. As conceived hv Ccncral Kenney, an air task force has no rear echelon. It is purely an operational organi/,ation streamlined to the utmost. ha\'ing no ndm inistrat ivc functions. Flexible. not burdened with the routine and details of administration, its organization can perform an air force mission more efficiently and with fewer aircraft. uircrcws and ground crews. Organization is of the cellular unit tvpc. Air echelons and service units arc added as the practical need arises, far from the 5th Air Force. These nnits arc attached to the air task force for a particular operation only. \\'hen an area has been secured for routine air activitv, the attached air and ground units return to their parent organi/ation, The air force takes O\'Cr the operation. The air task forcc retires for a brief rest to prepare for the next aerial threat. During its period of activitv the air task force assumes operational control of all air .ictivitv inherent in an air force. includ ing a prelude of sa tura tion hom hi ng where necessary, air patrol, attacks on shipping, rcconn.ussancc. tactical bombing and strafing, An air task force h.is all the functions of an air force propcr except those of ndm inist r.rtiou. wh ic]: are prone to make a headquarters tophc.ivv and opcratiouallv clumsv. It has the basic headquarters. en~ineering, chemical warfare, psychological warfare, signal. ordn.mcc, medical and (Continued 011 pa£;c 4t)) 1
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~J 1 AIR FOftCES * OCTOBER 1944
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Rendezvous Who Is He? Dear Editor:
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[us: ,dlat is tIle AAI'I'DC~ It is
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oads and bridges and military imtal
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Here's how controllers direct the p
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sengcr and courier service in areas
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GET WISE Here are a few of the easi
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Airborne soldiers. shown here durin
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Smoke in background is fruin [up.ui
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It has pronounced step characterist
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TIIC{"II""IIIi; ;lItidc j, till' I/
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OCTOBER,1944 The first thing the a\
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YOUR ENEMY All ;Iirer;!ft fllillg o
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->",i" .""tJnil'et hj/'- By Col. Do
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28 011 BOll~aiIldk is quicklv unloa
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the plane landed, a jccp would driv
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THE PHiliPPINES DISTANCES SHOWN IN
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The economic system of the Philippi
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The AAF's homing pigeons are recogn
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Our aviation engineers had to fight
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---- technique • -- - --- . RUNWA
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High Intensity Controlled Lighting
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Attached to a flyer's ear, the Oxim
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Automatic Pilot Trainer-A new train
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3 5 7 Surprised by the friendliness
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TIM ELY A D V ICE FRO M THE A I R I
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R.6 I:>:CJ: the AAF S helicopter, t
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SS I. You on the left, Buddy, appea
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ever .nrivc at a fir',t ~Iid stut i
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p:rinted on the outvi.lc wrt l: ,ih
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tanks and truck-borne infantry and
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FIGHTER CONTROL (Colltilltled from
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Property of tDe Library ARMY INDtJS
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For the Record I)e:lr h!Jtlll Rende
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he Allie's into German-held of the
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H Combat may make you Lazy By Maj.
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..... -; ... The results of two yea
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Production charts show the disaster
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all key points of the factory's 3-+
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HE Fortresses T wings to the took o
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';:'4"'~' .~~~c ~)'~ ~J ~~~ ~" . "
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'l'h is was a YClr ago, but these a
Page 88 and 89: Pulling in His Ne-:I:. Reeelit de,c
Page 90 and 91: When a radio operator makes a mista
Page 92 and 93: Lifeline to the US,S R BY HERBERT R
Page 94 and 95: Ten o'clock of a December morning a
Page 96 and 97: THE MAN WITH THE PRIVATE BREEZE By
Page 98 and 99: THE AIR WAR IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFI
Page 100 and 101: STANDARD FLIGHT INSTRUMENT PANEL E
Page 102 and 103: It 11c:l!,illg l.ot h sidc
Page 104 and 105: , , ,CO:-iTI:-iUI:D ]'\o\\', pacbgi
Page 106 and 107: technique ••• CO]\;Tl:"UED Ne
Page 108 and 109: INSTRUMENT PANEL (Continued from Pa
Page 110 and 111: LIFELINE TO THE US S R ( Cout iuucc
Page 112 and 113: F\lr:RCF'\~CY FOUrp\lr:,\'T luvpcct
Page 114 and 115: 50 COMBAT MAY MAKE YOU LAZY (Contin
Page 116 and 117: EN of the AAF-including the hundred
Page 118 and 119: .I In. ]~rhO:S-':cl the'mll-it:IIT
Page 120 and 121: August 7. Patton kept moving his he
Page 122 and 123: l'Iiavigation Training En Masse. Th
Page 124 and 125: "WE arc not going to bubble over wi
Page 126 and 127: A wood block support; injured legs
Page 128 and 129: Burma. A Japanese light antiaircraf
Page 130: ~ ~,C"= =~=.~7~~ ---,- .... _._. __
Page 134 and 135: HOW ,SHARP ARE YOU? A 'hoto Test of
Page 136 and 137: .. ' Back to the Philippines PART I
Page 140 and 141: All Tile Illftl, \\ ,(("d If iii, ,
Page 142 and 143: :lIe fbttle of Hrit.un. IC\i" intru
Page 144 and 145: Underground. ,'~ group of worried m
Page 146 and 147: volunteers between the agcs of II .
Page 148 and 149: I f By Capt. Greer Williams Air SlI
Page 150 and 151: Flaming debris (If njllI, ])1]]1:ll
Page 152: ground fire the pilot should look f
Page 155 and 156: two weeks: Cincinnati. one week: Pi
Page 157 and 158: At 5.000 fed. the pilot opened the
Page 159 and 160: cardboard bombs on their choice of
Page 161 and 162: turn to Traffic Scction, Crcnicr Fi
Page 163 and 164: Oil refineries arc gooel targets, T
Page 165 and 166: Tile air campaign to choke off fuel
Page 167 and 168: fallen into Allied hands, thus maki
Page 169 and 170: Hamburg i lPolilz IMagdeburg 1 I r
Page 171 and 172: He's the guy who holds the life of
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Page 178 and 179: 46 V4ba\'s vnong V4itbtbis pictUfe1
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Page 182 and 183: j ._3 Thirteen days after the 13th
Page 184 and 185: THE ABC OF D-DAY When an invasion i
Page 186 and 187: By all AIR F( )RCl-: ()\"t'rsc;/s S
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The fighters called for help and th
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A jeep, laden with leftover explosi
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THE ABC OF D-DAY t Cont inu.xl [r o
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By Capt. E. E. Churchill co, isu. A
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- ~ --'fftJMlGa ~II.I - , • - '--
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We're more than 2,300,000 individua
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