308th Bombardment Group B-24 Liberator photo's gallery

   

 

308th Bombardment Group

308th Bombardment Group

Constituted as 308th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 15 Apr 1942. Trained with B-24's. Moved to China early in 1943, with the air echelon flying its planes by way of Africa, and the ground echelon traveling by ship across the Pacific. Assigned to Fourteenth AF. Made many trips over the Hump to India to obtain gasoline, oil, bombs, spare parts, and other items the group needed to prepare for and then to sustain its combat operations. The 308th Group supported Chinese ground forces; attacked airfields, coalyards, docks, oil refineries, and fuel dumps in French Indochina; mined rivers and ports; bombed shops and docks at Rangoon; attacked Japanese shipping in the East China Sea, Formosa Strait, South China Sea, and Gulf of Tonkin. Received a DUC for an unescorted bombing attack, conducted through antiaircraft fire and fighter defenses, against docks and warehouses at Hankow on 21 Aug 1943. Received second DUC for interdiction of Japanese shipping during 1944-1945. Maj Horace S Carswell Jr was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on 26 Oct 1944 when, in spite of intense antiaircraft fire, he attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea; his plane was so badly damaged that when he reached land he ordered the crew to bail out; Carswell, however, remained with the plane to try to save one man who could not jump because his parachute had been ripped by flak; before Carswell could attempt a crash landing, the plane struck a mountainside and burned. The group moved to India in Jun 1945. Ferried gasoline and supplies over the Hump. Sailed for the US in Dec 1945. Inactivated on 6 Jan 1946.

Redesignated 308th Reconnaissance Group (Weather). Activated on 17 Oct 1946. Assigned to Air Weather Service and equipped with B-29's. Inactivated on 5 Jan 1951.

Redesignated 308th Bombardment Group (Medium). Activated on 10 Oct 1951. Assigned to Strategic Air Command and equipped with B-29 aircraft. Inactivated on 16 Jun 1952.

Squadrons. 53d: 1946-1947. 59th: 1946-1947. 373d: 1942-1945; 1951-1952. 374th: 1942-1946; 1947-1950; 1951-1952. 375th: 1942-1946; 1951-1952. 425th: 1942-1946. 512th: 1947-1948, 1949. 513th: 1947-1948, 1949-1950.

Stations. Gowen Field, Idaho, 15 Apr 1942; Davis-Monthan Field, Ariz, 20 Jun 1942; Wendover Field, Utah, 1 Oct-28 Nov 1942; Kunming, China, 20 Mar 1943; Hsirching, China, 10 Feb 1945; Rupsi, India, 27 Jun-15 Oct 1945; Camp Kilmer, NJ, 5-Jan 1946. Morrison Field, Fla, 17 Oct 1946; Fairfield-Suisun AAFld, Calif, 1 Jul 1947; Tinker AFB, Okla, 10 Nov 1949-5 Jan 1951. Forbes AFB, Kan, 10 Oct 1951; Hunter AFB, Ga, 11 Apr-16 Jun 1952.

Commanders. Capt Harris K McCauley, 11 May 1942; Col Fay R Upthegrove, 5 Jun 1942; Maj Leroy A Rainey, 15 Jul 1942; Col Eugene H Beebe, 16 Sep 1942; Col William P Fisher, c. 3 Nov 1943; Col John G Armstrong, 19 Oct 1944; Col William D Hopson, 1 Jul 1945-unkn. Col Richard E Ellsworth, 17 Oct 1946-unkn; Col Hervey H Whitfield, Apr 1946-unkn. Col George L Newton Jr, 5 Nov 1951; Col Maurice A Preston, 10 May-16 Jun 1952.

Campaigns. India-Burma; China Defensive; New Guinea; Western Pacific; China Offensive.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: China, 21 Aug 1943; East and South China Seas, Straits of Formosa, and Gulf of Tonkin, 24 May 1944-28 Apr 1945.

Insigne Shield: Azure, between a pale argent thereon three pallets gules, on the dexter a star of twelve points white, charged with an annulet azure; on the sinister a thundercloud proper with three lightning flashes or; in chief per chevron, inverted and enhanced sable, three bombs points downward or, between a semee of fifteen stars argent. Motto: Non Sibi, Sed Aliis - Not for Self, But for Others. (Approved 29 Aug 1952.)

Pacific Theater Operations - 5AF

The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organization has provided 80 years of continuous air power to the Pacific since its establishment in September 1941.

Fifth Air Force is the Headquarters Pacific Air Forces forward element in Japan, and maximizes partnership capabilities and promotes bilateral defense cooperation. In addition, 5 AF is the air component to United States Forces Japan.

Its mission is three-fold. First, it plans, conducts, controls, and coordinates air operations assigned by the PACAF Commander. Fifth Air Force maintains a level of readiness necessary for successful completion of directed military operations. And last, but certainly not least, Fifth Air Force assists in the mutual defense of Japan and enhances regional stability by planning, exercising, and executing joint air operations in partnership with Japan. To achieve this mission, Fifth Air Force maintains its deterrent force posture to protect both U.S. and Japanese interests, and conducts appropriate air operations should deterrence fail.

History

Fourteen Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses that survived the Battle of the Philippines left Mindanao for Darwin, Australia, between 17 and 20 December 1941, the only aircraft of the Far East Air Force to escape. After its evacuation from the Philippines on 24 December 1941, FEAF headquarters moved to Australia and was reorganized and redesignated 5 Air Force on 5 February 1942, with most of its combat aircraft based on fields on Java. It seemed at the time that the Japanese were advancing just about everywhere. The remaining heavy bombers of the 19th Bombardment Group, based at Malang on Java, flew missions against the Japanese in an attempt to stop their advance. They were joined in January and February, two or three at a time, by 37 B-17Es and 12 LB-30s of the 7th Bombardment Group. The small force of bombers, never numbering more than 20 operational at any time, could do little to prevent the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, launching valiant but futile attacks against the masses of Japanese shipping, with six lost in combat, six in accidents, and 26 destroyed on the ground.

The 7th Bombardment Group was withdrawn to India in March 1942, leaving the 19th to carry on as the only B-17 Fortress-equipped group in the South Pacific. About this time it was decided that replacement B-17s would not be sent to the southwest Pacific, but be sent exclusively to the Eighth Air Force which was building up in England. By May, Fifth Air Force's surviving personnel and aircraft were detached to other commands and the headquarters remained unmanned for several months, but elements played a small part in the Battle of the Coral Sea (7–8 May 1942) when the 435th Bomb Squadron of the 19th Bomb Group saw the Japanese fleet gathering in Rabaul area nearly two weeks before the battle actually took place. Because of the reconnaissance activity of the 435th Bomb Squadron, the US Navy was prepared to cope adequately with the situation. The squadron was commended by the US Navy for its valuable assistance not only for its excellent reconnaissance work but for the part played in the battle.

Headquarters Fifth Air Force was re-staffed at Brisbane, Australia on 18 September 1942 and placed under the command of Major General George Kenney. United States Army Air Forces units in Australia, including Fifth Air Force, were eventually reinforced and re-organised following their initial defeats in the Philippines and the East Indies. At the time that Kenney had arrived, Fifth Air Force was equipped with three fighter groups and five bombardment groups.

Fighter Groups:

8th FG (P-39) Townsville, Australia

35th FG (P-40) Port Moresby, New Guinea

49th FG (P-40) Darwin, Australia

Bomber Groups:

3rd BG (B-25, A-20, & A-24) Charters Towers, Australia

19th BG (Non-Operational. Battle scarred from Philippines & Java) Mareeba, Australia

22nd BG (B-26) Woodstock, Australia

38th BG (B-25) Charters Towers, Australia

43rd BG (B-17 until 1943; B-24 1943–1945) Port Moresby, New Guinea

In addition, Fifth Air Force controlled two transport squadrons and one photographic squadron comprising 1,602 officers and 18,116 men.

Kenney was later appointed commander of Allied air forces in the South West Pacific Area, reporting directly to General Douglas MacArthur. Under Kenney's leadership, the Fifth Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force provided the aerial spearhead for MacArthur's island hopping campaign.

US Far East Air Forces

On 4 November 1942, the Fifth Air Force commenced sustained action against the Japanese in Papua New Guinea and was a key component of the New Guinea campaign (1942–1945). Fifth Air Force engaged the Japanese again in the Philippines campaign (1944–45) as well as in the Battle of Okinawa (1945).

Fifth Air Force along with Thirteenth Air Force in the Central Pacific and Seventh Air Force in Hawaii were assigned to the newly created United States Far East Air Forces (FEAF) on 3 August 1944. FEAF was subordinate to the U.S. Army Forces Far East and served as the headquarters of Allied Air Forces Southwest Pacific Area. By 1945, the three numbered air forces were supporting operations throughout the Pacific. FEAF was the functional equivalent in the Pacific of the United States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF) in the European Theater of Operations.

Order of battle, 1945


5AF Order of battle, 1945
V Fighter Command Night Fighter Units V Bomber Command Photo Reconnaissance 54th Troop Carrier Wing
3d ACG (P-51, C-47) 418th NFS 3d BG (L) (B-25, A-20) 6th RG (F-5, F-7) 2d CCG
8th FG (P-40, P-38) 421st NFS 22d BG (M/H) (B-26 – B-24) 71st RG (B-25) 317th TCG
35th FG (P-47, P-51) 547th NFS 38th BG (M) (B-25)   374th TCG (1943 only)
49th FG (P-40, P-47, P-38)   43d BG (H) (B-24)   375th TCG
58th FG (P-47)   90th BG (H) (B-24)   433d TCG
348th FG (P-47, P-51)   312th BG (L) (A-20)    
475th FG (P-38)   345th BG (M) (B-25)    
    380th BG (H) (B-24)    
    417th BG (L) (A-20)    

LEGEND: ACG – Air Commando Group, FG – Fighter Group, NFS – Night Fighter Squadron, BG (L) – Light Bomb Group, BG (M) – Medium Bomb Group, BG (H) – Heavy Bomb Group, RG – Reconnaissance Group, CCG – Combat Cargo Group, TCG – Troop Carrier Group

When the war ended, Fifth Air Force had an unmatched record of 3,445 aerial victories, led by the nation's two top fighter aces Major Richard Bong and Major Thomas McGuire, with 40 and 38 confirmed victories respectively, and two of Fifth Air Force's ten Medal of Honor recipients.

Shortly after World War II ended in August, Fifth Air Force relocated to Irumagawa Air Base, Japan, about 25 September 1945 as part of the Allied occupation forces. The command remained in Japan until 1 December 1950 performing occupation duties.

Korean War

In 1950, Fifth Air Force was called upon again, becoming the main United Nations Command combat air command during the Korean War, and assisted in bringing about the Korean Armistice Agreement that formally ended the war in 1953.

In the early morning hours of 25 June, North Korea launched a sudden, all-out attack against the south. Reacting quickly to the invasion, Fifth Air Force units provided air cover over the skies of Seoul. The command transferred to Seoul on 1 December 1950, remaining in South Korea until 1 September 1954.

In this first Jet War, units assigned to the Fifth Air Force racked up an unprecedented 14.5 to 1 victory ratio. By the time the truce was signed in 1953, Fifth Air Force had flown over 625,000 missions, downing 953 North Korean and Chinese aircraft, while close air support accounted for 47 percent of all enemy troop casualties.

Thirty-eight fighter pilots were identified as aces, including Lieutenant Colonel James Jabara, America's first jet ace; and Captain Joseph McConnell, the leading Korean War ace with 16 confirmed victories. Additionally, four Medals of Honor were awarded to Fifth Air Force members. One other pilot of note was Marine Major John Glenn, who flew for Fifth Air Force as part of an exchange program.

With the end of combat in Korea, Fifth Air Force returned to normal peacetime readiness Japan in 1954.

Cold War

Not only concerned with maintaining a strong tactical posture for the defense of both Japan and South Korea, Fifth Air Force played a critical role in helping the establishment of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force as well as the Republic of Korea Air Force. These and other peacetime efforts lasted a decade before war clouds once again developed in the Pacific.

This time, the area of concern was Southeast Asia, beginning in 1964 with the Gulf of Tonkin Crisis. Fifth Air Force furnished aircraft, aircrews, Support personnel, and supplies throughout the eight years of combat operations in South Vietnam and Laos. Since 1972, the Pacific has seen relative calm, but that doesn't mean Fifth Air Force hasn't been active in other roles. The command has played active or supporting roles in a variety of issues ranging from being first on the scene at the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shoot down in 1983 to deploying personnel and supplies for the Persian Gulf War in 1990.

During this time span, the size of Fifth Air Force changed as well. With the activation of Seventh Air Force in 1986, fifth left the Korean Peninsula and focused its energy on continuing the growing bilateral relationship with Japan.

The Fifth Air Force's efforts also go beyond combat operations. Fifth Air force has reacted to natural disasters in Japan and abroad. These efforts include the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 and Super Typhoon Paka which hit Guam in 1997. Fifth Air Force has reached out to provide assistance to victims of floods, typhoons, volcanoes, and earthquakes throughout the region.

The 432d Tactical Fighter Wing flew F-16s from Misawa Air Base from July 1, 1984 – October 31, 1994. On the inactivation of the wing, its personnel, aircraft, and other assets were used to reform the 35th Fighter Wing.

Present Day

Today, according to the organization's website, major components include the 18th Wing, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan; the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, and the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base. Kadena AB hosts the 18th Wing, the largest combat wing in the USAF. The Wing includes F-15 fighters, KC-135 refuelers, E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, and HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters, and represents a major combat presence and capability in the Western Pacific. The 35th Fighter Wing, Misawa Air Base, Japan, includes two squadrons equipped with the most modern Block 50 F-16 variant, dedicated to the suppression of enemy air defenses. The final formation is the 374th Airlift Wing, at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

According to a 2017 study by two US Navy commanders, in case of a surprise Chinese ballistic missile attack against airbases in Japan, more than 200 U.S. aircraft would be trapped or destroyed on the ground in the first hours of the conflict.

Lineage, assignments, stations, and components

Lineage

Established as Philippine Department Air Force on 16 August 1941

Activated on 20 September 1941

Redesignated: Far East Air Force on 16 November 1941

Redesignated: 5 Air Force on 5 February 1942

Redesignated: Fifth Air Force* on 18 September 1942.

Fifth Air Force is not to be confused with a second "Fifth" air force created as a temporary establishment to handle combat operations after the outbreak of hostilities on 25 June 1950, in Korea. This numbered air force was established as Fifth Air Force, Advance, and organized at Itazuki AB, Japan, assigned to Fifth Air Force, on 14 July 1950. It moved to Taegu AB, South Korea, on 24 July 1950, and was redesignated Fifth Air Force in Korea at the same time. After moving, it apparently received command control from U.S. Far East Air Forces. The establishment operated from Pusan, Taegu, and Seoul before being discontinued on 1 December 1950.

Commands

V Air Force Service: 18 June 1943 – 15 June 1944

V Air Service Area: 9 January 1944 – 15 June 1944

5 Bomber (later, V Bomber): 14 November 1941 – 31 May 1946

V Fighter: 25 August 1942 – 31 May 1946

5 Interceptor: 4 November 1941 – 6 April 1942

Became Army Air Force Infantry unit during Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) (20 December 1941 – 9 April 1942)

Far East Air Service (later, 5 Air Force Base; V Air Force Base): 28 October 1941 – 2 November 1942

Divisions

39th Air Division: 1 September 1954 – 15 January 1968

41st Air Division: 1 September 1954 – 15 January 1968

43d Air Division: 1 September 1954 – 1 October 1957

313th Air Division: 1 March 1955 – 1 October 1991

314th Air Division: 31 May 1946 – 1 March 1950; 1 December 1950 – 18 May 1951; 15 March 1955 – 8 September 1986

315 Air Division (formerly, 315 Composite Wing): 1 June 1946 – 1 March 1950.

Wings

8th Fighter Wing, later 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1950s

18th Wing: 1 Oct 1991-.

35th Fighter Wing: 1 Oct 1994-.

51st Fighter Wing: 1955-September 1986

374th Airlift Wing: 1 Apr 1992-.

432d Tactical Fighter Wing, Misawa Air Base, Japan: July 1, 1984 – May 31, 1991; 432d Fighter Wing from June 1, 1991 - October 31, 1994 (wing personnel and assets thereafter used to reactivate 35th Fighter Wing)

6100th Support Wing, Tachikawa Air Base, Japan: "Brigadier General Thomas R. FORD Replaced Col. Lewis B. MENG as commander of 6100th Support Wing effective" 11 June 1962. "6100 Support Wing was Major Air Command control (MAJCON) unit directly subordinate to Headquarters (HQ) 5 Air Force. Contains.. functions of various subordinate elements of 6100 Support Wing (Kanto Base Command)."

Groups

2nd Combat Cargo Group: October 1944-15 January 1946

Assignments

Philippine Department, U.S. Army, 20 September 1941

US Forces in Australia (USFIA), 23 December 1941

Redesignated: US Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA), 5 January 1942

American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM), 23 February 1942

Allied Air Force, Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), 2 November 1942

Far East Air Forces (Provisional), 15 June 1944

Far East Air Forces, 3 August 1944

Redesignated: Pacific Air Command, United States Army, 6 December 1945

Redesignated: Far East Air Forces, 1 January 1947

Redesignated Pacific Air Forces, 1 July 1957—present

Stations

Nichols Field, Luzon, 20 September 1941

RAAF Base Darwin, Australia, 31 December 1941

Bandoeng, Java, 18 January 1942

Brisbane AAB, Australia,c 1 March 1942

Nadzab Airfield, New Guinea, 15 June 1944

Owi Airfield, Schouten Islands, Netherlands East Indies, 10 August 1944

Bayug Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, c. 20 November 1944

McGuire Field, Mindoro, Philippines, January 1945

Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, April 1945

Hamasaki (Motobu Airfield), Okinawa, 4 August 1945

Irumagawa AB, Japan, c. 25 September 1945

Tokyo, Japan, 13 January 1946

Nagoya, Japan, 20 May 1946

Seoul AB (K-16), Korea, 1 December 1950

Taegu AB (K-2), Korea, 22 December 1950

Seoul AB (K-16), 15 June 1951

Osan AB, Korea, 25 January 1954

Nagoya AB (later, Nagoya AS; Moriyama AS), Japan, 1 September 1954

Fuchu AS, Japan, 1 July 1957

Yokota AB, Japan, 11 November 1974–present

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II

The Pacific Ocean theater of World War II was a major theater of the Pacific War, the war between the Allies and the Empire of Japan. It was defined by the Allied powers' Pacific Ocean Area command, which included most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands, while mainland Asia was excluded, as were the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Borneo, Australia, most of the Territory of New Guinea, and the western part of the Solomon Islands.

It officially came into existence on March 30, 1942, when US Admiral Chester Nimitz was appointed Supreme Allied Commander Pacific Ocean Areas.[1] In the other major theater in the Pacific region, known as the South West Pacific theatre, Allied forces were commanded by US General Douglas MacArthur. Both Nimitz and MacArthur were overseen by the US Joint Chiefs and the Western Allies Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCoS).

Most Japanese forces in the theater were part of the Combined Fleet (連合艦隊, Rengō Kantai) of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), which was responsible for all Japanese warships, naval aircraft, and marine infantry units. The Rengō Kantai was led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, until he was killed in an attack by U.S. fighter planes in April 1943.[2] Yamamoto was succeeded by Admiral Mineichi Koga (1943–44)[2] and Admiral Soemu Toyoda (1944–45).[3] The General Staff (参謀本部, Sanbō Honbu) of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) was responsible for Imperial Japanese Army ground and air units in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. The IJN and IJA did not formally use joint/combined staff at the operational level, and their command structures/geographical areas of operations overlapped with each other and those of the Allies.

In the Pacific Ocean theater, Japanese forces fought primarily against the United States Navy, the U.S. Army, which had 6 Corps and 21 Divisions, and the U.S. Marine Corps, which had only 6 Divisions. The United Kingdom (British Pacific Fleet), New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and other Allied nations, also contributed forces.

Major campaigns and battles

Pacific Theater

Attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941[4]

Battle of Wake Island 7–23 December 1941[5]

Philippines campaign (1941–1942) 8 December 1941 – 8 May 1942

Doolittle Raid 18 April 1942[4]

Battle of Midway 4–7 June 1942[4]

Guadalcanal campaign 7 August 1942 to 9 February 1943

Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign 1943–44

Makin Island raid 17–18 August 1942[6]

Battle of Tarawa 20 November 1943[4]

Battle of Makin 20–23 November 1943

Battle of Kwajalein 14 February 1944[7]

Battle of Eniwetok 17 February 1944[8]

Attack on Truk Island 17–18 February 1944

Mariana and Palau Islands campaign 1944

Battle of Saipan 15 June 1944[9]

Battle of the Philippine Sea 19–21 June 1944[10]

Battle of Guam 21 July 1944[11]

Battle of Tinian 24 July 1944[11]

Battle of Peleliu 15 September 1944[12]

Battle of Angaur 17 September 1944[12]

Battle of Leyte 17 October 1944

Battle of Luzon 9 January 1945

Battle of Iwo Jima 19 February 1945[4]

Battle of Okinawa 1 April 1945[4]

North Pacific Theater

Aleutian Islands Campaign 1942–43

Battle of the Komandorski Islands 26 March 1943[4]

China Burma India Theater (CBI)

China Burma India Theater (CBI) covered the following locations: China, Burma, India (also Thailand, French Indochina).

China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was officially the responsibility of the Supreme Commanders for South East Asia or China. However, US forces in practice were usually overseen by General Joseph Stilwell, the Deputy Allied Commander in China; the term 'CBI' was significant in logistical, material and personnel matters; it was and is commonly used within the US for these theaters.

U.S. and Chinese fighting forces in the CBI included the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the Flying Tigers,[1] transport and bomber units flying the Hump, including the Tenth Air Force, the 1st Air Commando Group, the engineers who built the Ledo Road, the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), popularly known as 'Merrill's Marauders', and the 5332d Brigade, Provisional or 'Mars Task Force', which assumed the Marauders' mission.

U.S. strategy for China

Japanese policy towards China had long been a source of international controversy. Western powers had exploited China through the open door policy, advocated by United States diplomat William Woodville Rockhill, while Japan intervened more directly, creating the puppet-state of Manchukuo. By 1937, Japan was engaged in a full-scale war of conquest in China. The infamous Rape of Nanking galvanized Western opinion and led to direct financial aid for the Kuomintang (Nationalists) and increasing economic sanctions against Japan.

In 1941, the U.S. made a series of decisions to support China in its war with Japan: Lend Lease supplies were provided after President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced the defense of China to be vital to the defense of the United States. Over the summer, as Japan moved south into French Indo-China, the U.S., Britain and the Netherlands instituted an oil embargo on Japan, cutting off 90% of its supplies. The embargo threatened the operations of the Kwantung Army, which had over a million soldiers deployed in China. Japan responded with a tightly co-ordinated offensive on 7/8 December, simultaneously attacking Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, Malaya, Singapore, Hong Kong, Guam, Wake Island, and Thailand.

Japan cut off Allied supplies to China that had been coming through Burma. China could be supplied only by flying over the Himalaya mountains ('The Hump') from India,[2] or capturing territory in Burma and building a new road—the Ledo Road.[3][4]

Burma

In 1941 and 1942, Japan was overextended. Its naval base could not defend its conquests, and its industrial base could not strengthen its navy. To cut off China from Allied aid, it went into Burma and captured Rangoon on 8 March 1942, cutting off the Burma Road. Moving north, the Japanese took Tounggoo and captured Lashio in northern Burma on 29 April. The British, primarily concerned with India, looked to Burma as the main theater of action against Japan and wanted Chinese troops to fight there.[5] The United States conjured up visions of millions of Chinese soldiers who would hold the Japanese then throw them back, while providing close-in airbases for a systematic firebombing of Japanese cities. Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek realized it was all fantasy. On the other hand, there were vast sums of American dollars available if he collaborated. He did so and managed to feed his starving soldiers, but they were so poorly equipped and led that offensive operations against the Japanese in China were impossible. However, Chiang did release two Chinese armies for action in Burma under Stilwell. Due to conflicts between Chiang, the British, Stilwell, and American General Claire Chennault, as well as general ill-preparedness against the more proficient Japanese army, the Burma defense collapsed. Stilwell escaped to India, but the recovery of Burma and construction of the Ledo Road to supply China became a new obsession for him.[6][7]

'On April 14, 1942, William Donovan, as Coordinator of Information (forerunner of the Office of Strategic Services), activated Detachment 101 for action behind enemy lines in Burma. The first unit of its kind, the Detachment was charged with gathering intelligence, harassing the Japanese through guerrilla actions, identifying targets for the Army Air Force to bomb, and rescuing downed Allied airmen. Because Detachment 101 was never larger than a few hundred Americans, it relied on support from various tribal groups in Burma. In particular, the vigorously anti-Japanese Kachin people were vital to the unit's success.'[8]

Detachment 101's efforts opened the way for Stilwell's Chinese forces, Wingate's Raiders, Merrill's Marauders, and the counter-attack against the Japanese Imperial life-line.[9]

Allied command structure

U.S. and Allied land forces

US forces in the CBI were grouped together for administrative purposes under the command of General Joseph 'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell. However, unlike other combat theaters, for example the European Theater of Operations, the CBI was never a 'theater of operations' and did not have an overall operational command structure. Initially U.S. land units were split between those who came under the operational command of the India Command under General Sir Archibald Wavell, as the Commander-in-Chief in India, and those in China, which (technically at least) were commanded by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek,[10] as the Supreme Allied Commander in China. However, Stilwell often broke the chain of command and communicated directly with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff on operational matters. This continued after the formation of the South East Asia Command (SEAC) and the appointment of Admiral Lord Mountbatten as Supreme Allied Commander.

When joint allied command was agreed upon, it was decided that the senior position should be held by a member of the British military because the British dominated Allied operations on the South-East Asian Theatre by weight of numbers (in much the same way as the US did in the Pacific Theater of Operations). Admiral Lord Mountbatten was appointed as the Supreme Allied Commander of South-East Asia forces in October 1943.

Gen. Stilwell, who also had operational command of the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC), a US-Chinese formation, was to report in theory to Gen. George Giffard – commander of Eleventh Army Group – so that NCAC and the British Fourteenth Army, under the command of General William Slim, could be co-ordinated. However, in practice, Gen. Stilwell never agreed to this arrangement. Stilwell was able to do this because of his multiple positions within complex command structures, including especially his simultaneous positions of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia, and Chief of Staff to Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. As SEAC's deputy leader, Stilwell was Giffard's superior, but as operational commander of NCAC, Giffard was Stilwell's superior. As the two men did not get on, this inevitably lead to conflict and confusion.

Stilwell, however, bitterly resisted [taking orders from Giffard] ... To watch Stilwell, when hard pressed, shift his opposition from one of the several strong-points he held by virtue of his numerous Allied, American and Chinese offices, to another was a lesson in mobile offensive-defence.
— William Slim[11]

Eventually at a SEAC meeting to sort out the chain of command for NCAC, Stilwell astonished everyone by saying 'I am prepared to come under General Slim's operational control until I get to Kamaing'.[11] Although far from ideal, this compromise was accepted.[11]

Although Stilwell was the control and co-ordinating point for all command activity in the theater, his assumption of personal direction of the advance of the Chinese Ledo forces into north Burma in late 1943 meant that he was often out of touch with both his own headquarters and with the overall situation.[10]

Not until late 1944, after Stilwell was recalled to Washington, was the chain of command clarified. His overall role, and the CBI command, was then split among three people: Lt Gen. Raymond Wheeler became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia; Major-General Albert Wedemeyer became Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-shek, and commander of US Forces, China Theater (USFCT). Lt Gen. Daniel Sultan was promoted, from deputy commander of CBI to commander of US Forces, India–Burma Theater (USFIBT) and commander of the NCAC. The 11th Army Group was redesignated Allied Land Forces South East Asia (ALFSEA), and NCAC was decisively placed under this formation. However, by the time the last phase of the Burma Campaign began in earnest, NCAC had become irrelevant, and it was dissolved in early 1945.

U.S. Army and Allied Air Forces

After consultation among the Allied governments, Air Command South-East Asia was formed in November 1943 to control all Allied air forces in the theater, with Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Peirse as Commander-in-Chief.[12] Under Peirse's deputy, USAAF Major General George E. Stratemeyer, Eastern Air Command (EAC) was organized in 1943 to control Allied air operations in Burma, with headquarters in Calcutta.[13] Unlike the strained relations and confusion encountered in coordinating Allied ground force commands, air force operations in the CBI proceeded relatively smoothly. Relations improved even further after new U.S. military aid began arriving, together with capable USAAF officers such as Brigadier General William D. Old of CGI Troop Carrier Command, and Colonels Philip Cochran and John R. Alison of the 1st Air Commando Group.[14] Within Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal Sir John Baldwin commanded the Third Tactical Air Force, originally formed to provide close air support to the Fourteenth Army. Baldwin was later succeeded by Air Marshal Sir Alec Coryton. U.S. Brigadier-General Howard C. Davidson and later Air Commodore F. J. W. Mellersh commanded the Strategic Air Force. In the new command, various units of the Royal Air Force and the U.S. Tenth Air Force worked side-by-side. In the autumn of 1943 SEAAC had 48 RAF and 17 USAAF squadrons; by the following May, the figures had risen to 64 and 28, respectively.[13]

At Eastern Air Command, Gen. Stratemeyer had a status comparable to that of Stilwell.[15] Coordinating the efforts of the various allied air components while maintaining relations with diverse command structures proved a daunting task. Part of Stratemeyer's command, the Tenth Air Force, had been integrated with the RAF Third Tactical Air Force in India in December 1943 and was tasked with a number of roles in support of a variety of allied forces. Another component, the US Fourteenth Air Force in China, was under the jurisdiction of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek as China theater commander. Although the India-China Division of the AAF's Air Transport Command received its tonnage allocations from Stratemeyer as Stilwell's deputy, ICD reported directly to Headquarters ATC in Washington, D.C.

In the spring of 1944, with the arrival of command B-29s in the theater, another factor would be added to air force operations. XX Bomber Command of the Twentieth Air Force was tasked with the strategic bombing of Japan under Operation Matterhorn, and reported directly to the JCS in Washington, D.C. However, XX Bomber Command remained totally dependent on Eastern Air Command for supplies, bases, ground staff, and infrastructure support.

After a period of reshuffling, Eastern Air Command's air operations began to show results. In August 1944, Admiral Mountbatten noted in a press conference that EAC fighter missions had practically swept the Japanese air force from Burmese skies. Between the formation of SEAAC in November 1943, and the middle of August 1944, American and British forces operating in Burma destroyed or damaged more than 700 Japanese aircraft with a further 100 aircraft probably destroyed.[16] This achievement considerably reduced dangers to Air Transport Command cargo planes flying in support of the Hump airlift operation. By May 1944, EAC resupply missions in support of the Allied ground offensive had carried 70,000 tons of supplies and transported a total of 93,000 men, including 25,500 casualties evacuated from the battle areas. These figures did not include tonnage flown in the Hump airlift missions to China.[16]

USAAF Order of Battle

Tenth Air Force

  • 1st Air Commando Group (1944–1945)
    Burma, India (B-25, P-51, P-47, C-47)
  • 1st Combat Cargo Group (1944–1945)
    Burma, India, China (C-47, C-46).
  • 2nd Air Commando Group (1944–1945)
    Burma, India (P-51, C-47)
  • 3d Combat Cargo Group (1944–1945)
    Burma, India (C-47).
  • 4th Combat Cargo Group (1944–1945)
    Burma, India (C-47, C-46).
  • 7th Bombardment Group (1942–1945)
    India (B-17, B-24).
  • 12th Bombardment Group (1944–1945)
    India (B-25).
  • 33d Fighter Group (1944–1945)
    India (P-38, P-47)
  • 80th Fighter Group (1943–1945)
    India, Burma (P-38, P-40, P-47)

Transferred in 1944 to Fourteenth Air Force:

  • 311th Fighter Group (1943–1944)
    India, Burma (A-36, P-51)
  • 341st Bombardment Group (1943–1944)
    India, Burma (B-25)
  • 443d Troop Carrier Group (1944–1945)
    India (C-47/C-53)
  • 426th Night Fighter Squadron (1944)
    India (P-61)
  • 427th Night Fighter Squadron (1944)
    India (P-61)

Fourteenth Air Force

  • 68th Composite Wing
    • 23d Fighter Group (1942–1945) (P-40, P-51)
      Formerly American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers".
  • 69th Composite Wing
    • 51st Fighter Group: 1942–1945 (P-40, P-38, P-51).
    • 341st Bombardment Group 1944–1945 (B-25).
  • 312th Fighter Wing
    • 33rd Fighter Group: 1944 (P-38, P-47).
    • 81st Fighter Group: 1944–1945 (P-40, P-47).
    • 311th Fighter Group: 1944–1945 (A-36, P-51).
  • Chinese-American Composite Wing (Provisional) (1943–1945)
    • 3rd Fighter Group (Provisional) (P-40, P-51)
    • 5th Fighter Group (Provisional) (P-40, P-51)
    • 1st Bombardment Group (Medium, Provisional) (B-25)

    Other assigned units:

    • 402d Fighter Group:
      May – July 1943. Assigned but never equipped.
    • 476th Fighter Group:
      May – July 1943. Assigned but never equipped.
    • 308th Bombardment Group:(B-24)
      March 1943 – February 1945

    From Tenth Air Force in 1944–1945:

    • 341st Bombardment Group: (B-25)
      January 1944 – November 1945
    • 443d Troop Carrier Group: (C-47/C-54)
      Aug – November 1945
    • 426th Night Fighter Squadron: P-61)
      1944 – 1945
    • 427th Night Fighter Squadron: (P-61)
      1944 – 1945

    Twentieth Air Force
    (Attached To CBI 1944–1945)

    • XX Bomber Command (1944–45)
      (Kharagpur, India)
      • 1st Photo Squadron
      • 58th Bombardment Wing
        (Chakulia, Kharagpur, Hijli AB, India) (B-29)
        • 40th Bombardment Group
        • 444th Bombardment Group
        • 462d Bombardment Group
        • 468th Bombardment Group

    Twentieth Air Force XX Bomber Command (XX BC) combat elements moved in the summer of 1944 from the United States to India where they engaged in very-long-range Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombardment operations against Japan, Formosa, China, Indochina and Burma. While in India, XX BC was supported logistically by Tenth Air Force and the India-China Division of the Air Transport Command. B-29 groups moved to West Field, Tinian, in early 1945.

    Timeline

    Early 1942 Stilwell was promoted to lieutenant general and tasked with establishing the CBI.

    25 February 1942 Stilwell arrived in India by which time Singapore and Burma had both been invaded by the Japanese Army.

    10 March 1942 Stilwell is named Chief of Staff of Allied armies in the Chinese theatre of operations.

    19 March 1942 Stilwell's command in China is extended to include the Chinese 5th and 6th Armies operating in Burma after Chiang Kai-shek gave his permission.

    20 March 1942 Chinese troops under Stilwell engage Japanese forces along the Sittang River in Burma.

    9 April 1942 Claire Chennault inducted into U.S. Army as a colonel, bringing the AVG Flying Tigers squadrons under Stilwell's nominal authority.

    16 April 1942 7,000 British soldiers, and 500 prisoners and civilians were encircled by the Japanese 33rd Division at Yenangyaung.

    19 April 1942 The 113th Regiment of the Chinese Expeditionary Force's New 38th Division led by General Sun Li-jen attacked and defeated the encircling Japanese troops rescuing the encircled British troops and civilians. This is historically called Battle of Yenangyaung.

    2 May 1942 The commander of Allied forces in Burma, General Harold Alexander, ordered a general retreat to India. Stilwell left his Chinese troops and began the long evacuation with his personal staff (he called it a 'walk out') to India. Most of the Chinese troops, who were supposed to be under Stilwell's command, were deserted in Burma without knowledge of the retreat. Under Chiang Kai-shek they made a hasty and disorganised retreat to India. Some of them tried to return to Yunnan through remote mountainous forests and out of these, at least half died.

    24 May 1942 Stilwell arrived in Delhi.

    New Delhi and Ramgarh became the main training centre for Chinese troops in India. Chiang Kai-shek gave Stilwell command of what was left of the 22nd and 38th Divisions of the Chinese Army. 1 December 1942 British General Sir Archibald Wavell, as Allied Supreme Commander South East Asia, agreed with Stilwell to make the Ledo Road an American operation.[17] August 1943 US creates a jungle commando unit, similar to the Chindits, to be commanded by Major General Frank Merrill; it is informally called 'Merrill's Marauders'.[18] Exhaustion and disease led to the early evacuation of many Chinese and American troops before the coming assault on Myitkyina.[19]

    21 December Stilwell assumed direct control of operations to capture Myitkyina, having built up forces for an offensive in Northern Burma.

    24 February 1944 Merrill's Marauders, attacked the Japanese 18th Division in Burma. This action enabled Stilwell to gain control of the Hakawing Valley.

    17 May 1944 British general Slim in command of the Burma Campaign handed control of the Chindits to Stilwell.

    17 May 1944 Chinese troops, with the help of Merrill's Marauders, captured Myitkina airfield.

    3 August 1944 Myitkina fell to the Allies. The Marauders had advanced 750 miles and fought in five major engagements and 32 skirmishes with the Japanese Army. They lost 700 men, only 1,300 Marauders reached their objective and of these, 679 had to be hospitalized. This included General Merrill who had suffered a second-heart attack before going down with malaria.

    Some time before 27 August 1944, Mountbatten supreme allied commander (SEAC) ordered General Stilwell to evacuate all the wounded Chindits.

    During 1944 the Japanese in Operation Ichi-Go overran US air bases in eastern China. Chiang Kai-shek blamed Stilwell for the Japanese success, and pressed the US high command to recall him. October 1944 Roosevelt recalled Stilwell, whose role was split (as was the CBI): Lieutenant General Raymond Wheeler became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia. Major General Albert Wedemeyer became Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-shek and commander of the U.S. Forces, China Theater (USFCT).[20] Lieutenant General Daniel Sultan was promoted from deputy commander to become commander of US Forces India-Burma Theater (USFIBT) and commander of the Northern Combat Area Command

    12 January 1945, the first convoy over the Ledo Road of 113 vehicles led by General Pick from Ledo reached Kunming, China on 4 February 1945. Over the next seven months 35,000 tons of supplies in 5,000 vehicles were carried along it.[5]

    Consolidated B-24 Liberator - Operators

     

    B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces

    This is a list of United States Army Air Forces B-24 Liberator combat units during World War II including variants and other historical information. Heavy bomber training organizations primarily under II Bomber Command in the United States and non-combat units are not included.

    The USAAF took delivery of its first B-24As in June 1941, although the B-24D was the first production model delivered in quantity in July 1942. B-24s were assigned to every combat Air Force; at peak inventory, the USAAF had 6,043 B-24 Liberators operating worldwide in September 1944.

    Following the end of World War II, the Liberator was rapidly withdrawn from USAAF service, being replaced by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Literally thousands of Liberators were flown to various disposal units where they were cut up for scrap. Some brand-new late-production B-24Ms from Convair/San Diego and Ford/Willow Run were flown directly from the factory to various reclamation sites such as the scrapyard at RFC Kingman, Arizona in 1945, as the war in Europe had ended and B-29s were doing most of the long-range bombing work in the Pacific.

    Only a few Liberators were still around when the United States Air Force was formed in 1947, most of them being used for various research purposes. The last USAF Liberator, a Ford EZB-24M-20-FO serial number 44-51228 used by the Aeronautical Icing Research Laboratory for ice research, was struck off the rolls in 1953. For a time, it was on display at Lackland AFB, Texas, with the armament and gunner positions restored. It is currently at the American Museum at Duxford Aerodrome, England painted as 44-50492, a B-24M that was assigned to the 392d Bombardment Group, 578th Bombardment Squadron.

    Combat Organizations

    Fifth Air Force

    Originally formed as the Philippine Department Air Force in August 1941; Stationed in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) of the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Operating in the Far East, Australia, New Guinea and Philippines. Participated in halting the Japanese drive in Papua, recovery of New Guinea, liberation of the Philippines and the Battle of Okinawa and Formosa.

        

     

    22nd Bombardment Group

    22nd Bombardment Group

    Transitioned from B-25/B-26 to B-24s at Nadzab, New Guinea in February 1944. Operated from Netherlands East Indies, Philippines, Okinawa. Re-equipped with B-29s, May 1946 on Okinawa

    2d Bombardment Squadron

    19th Bombardment Squadron

    33d Bombardment Squadron

    408th Bombardment Squadron

        

     

    43d Bombardment Group

    43d Bombardment Group

    Equipped with B-17s in 1941; Deployed to Australia March 1942. Transitioned to B-24s at Port Moresby, New Guinea between May and September 1943. Operated from Netherlands East Indies, Philippines, Okinawa. The 63rd BS specialized in sea search and attack. Inactivated 1946

    63d Bombardment Squadron

    64th Bombardment Squadron

    65th Bombardment Squadron

    403d Bombardment Squadron

        

        

     

    90th Bombardment Group

    90th Bombardment Group

    Activated with B-24s in April 1942, Deployed to Australia in November 1942. Operated from Australia, Netherlands East Indies, Philippines, Okinawa. Inactivated 1946

    319th Bombardment Squadron

    320th Bombardment Squadron

    321st Bombardment Squadron

    400th Bombardment Squadron

        

     

    380th Bombardment Group

    380th Bombardment Group

    Activated with B-24s in November 1942; Deployed to Australia. Attached to RAAF until January 1944, then Philippines, Okinawa. Inactivated 1946

    528th Bombardment Squadron

    529th Bombardment Squadron

    530th Bombardment Squadron

    531st Bombardment Squadron

     

      

     

    6th Photographic Group 20th Combat Mapping Squadron

    20th Combat Mapping Squadron

    Activated with F-7As in October 1943 (later flew F-7B/F-7B H2X) Operated from Australia, Netherlands East Indies, Philippines, Okinawa, Occupied Japan. Inactivated 1946

    Sixth Air Force

    Sixth Air Force begin in February 1917, formally established as Panama Canal Air Force in October 1940. Control of USAAF operations in the Caribbean. Primarily flew antisubmarine patrols over both the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean approaches to the Panama Canal.

    6th Bombardment Group

    Received LB-30s (March 1942) and B-24Ds (September 1942); 6th BG reassigned to United States in November 1943; B-24s remained with various 6th AF squadrons under VI Bomber Command until 1946

    3d Bombardment Squadron

    25th Bombardment Squadron

    29th Bombardment Squadron

    74th Bombardment Squadron

    395th Bombardment Squadron

    397th Bombardment Squadron

    Seventh Air Force

    Initially formed as the Hawaiian Air Force in October 1940. Operated primarily in Central Pacific Area (CPA) of the Pacific Ocean Areas under USN control until July, 1945 when assigned to FEAF.

       

       

     

    11th Bombardment Group

    11th Bombardment Group

    Transitioned from B-17s to B-24s at Hickam Field, Hawaii Territory in April 1943. Operated in Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, Northern Marianas Islands, Okinawa. Inactivated 1945

    26th Bombardment Squadron

    42d Bombardment Squadron

    98th Bombardment Squadron

    431st Bombardment Squadron

       

     

    30th Bombardment Group

    30th Bombardment Group

    Received LB-30s in 1941, B-24s in 1942 at March Field, California Moved to Pacific, 1943. Operated in Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, Northern Marianas Islands. Inactivated 1946

    27th Bombardment Squadron

    38th Bombardment Squadron

    392d Bombardment Squadron

    819th Bombardment Squadron

       

     

    494th Bombardment Group

    494th Bombardment Group

    Activated with B-24J in December 1943. Operated in Palau Islands, Okinawa. 373 BS attached, July 1945 to provide sea search capabilities to VII BC, FEAF. Inactivated 1945.

    864th Bombardment Squadron

    865th Bombardment Squadron

    866th Bombardment Squadron

    867th Bombardment Squadron

    86th Combat Mapping Squadron

    Received F-7A/Bs at Wheeler Field, Hawaii Territory, early 1944. Operated from Kwajalein, Saipan, Eniwetok, Palawan. Inactivated 1946

    Tenth Air Force

    Constituted February 1942. Moved to India March–May 1942. Primary USAAF Air Force in the China-Burma-India theater.

       

     

    7th Bombardment Group

    7th Bombardment Group

    Formed September 1918; deployed to Philippines September 1940. withdrawn to Australia late December 1941; combat in Java Jan-March 1942 deployed to India. Transitioned from B-17C/Ds to B-24s at Karachi, March 1942. Inactivated December 1945.

    9th Bombardment Squadron

    436th Bombardment Squadron

    492d Bombardment Squadron

    493d Bombardment Squadron

    Eleventh Air Force

    Formed February 1942. Based in Alaska Territory. Engaged in combat with B-24s during Aleutian Campaign (1942–1943). First B-24 raid on Japanese Home Islands in 1943.

     

    28th Composite Group

    28th Composite Group

    Received LB-30s and B-24s at Elmendorf Field, Alaska, 1942. Inactivated October 1945

    21st Bombardment Squadron

    36th Bombardment Squadron

    404th Bombardment Squadron

    Thirteenth Air Force

    Formed on December 14, 1942. Operated primarily in South Pacific Area (SPA) of the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO)

        

     

    5th Bombardment Group

    5th Bombardment Group

    Unit formed in 1915. Large number of B-18s and B-17C/Ds destroyed during Pearl Harbor Attack. Surviving B-17s sent to New Hebrides in 1942. Re-equipped in Hawaii with B-24s and redeployed in August 1943. Stationed in Solomon Islands, Admiralty Islands, Netherlands East Indies, Schouten Islands, Molucca Islands, Philippines. Transitioned to RB-29s in 1946.

    23d Bombardment Squadron

    31st Bombardment Squadron

    72d Bombardment Squadron

    394th Bombardment Squadron

        

     

    307th Bombardment Group

    307th Bombardment Group

    Established with B-17s in April 1942; transitioned to B-24s at Hickam Field, November 1942. Stationed in Solomon Islands, Admiralty Islands, Netherlands East Indies, Philippines. Transitioned to B-29s in 1946

    370th Bombardment Squadron

    371st Bombardment Squadron

    372d Bombardment Squadron

    424th Bombardment Squadron

    868th Bombardment Squadron

    Established in July 1943 with SB-24 RADAR aircraft; assigned directly to 13th AF Headquarters. Flew low level, anti-shipping strikes under the cover of darkness. Also flew as pathfinders for high-altitude bombers. Special missions were flown against land targets at night and one of the intentions was to prevent the Japanese from sleeping. Stationed in Solomon Islands, Admiralty Islands, Schouten Islands, Netherlands East Indies, Philippines, Okinawa. Inactivated December 1945

    Fourteenth Air Force

    Formed out of the American Volunteer Group in March 1943 in Kunming, China. Primary United States Air Force in China as part of the China-Burma-India Theater

       

     

    308th Bombardment Group

    308th Bombardment Group

    Formed with B-24s in April 1942; deployed to China in March 1943. Inactivated October 1945

    373d Bombardment Squadron

    374th Bombardment Squadron

    375th Bombardment Squadron

    425th Bombardment Squadron

    Twentieth Air Force

    Constituted April 1944. Primarily equipped with Boeing B-29 Superfortresses but there were two reconnaissance squadrons equipped with B-24s and F-7s that were stationed on the Northern Mariana Islands. Both units reported to XXI Bomber Command Headquarters.

    3d Reconnaissance Squadron

    Active September 1944-September 1945. Flew photographic, electronic, and weather reconnaissance missions in Western Pacific.

    55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron

    Activated as 655th Reconnaissance Squadron, January 1945; redesignated June 1945. Flew weather reconnaissance flights for XXI Bomber Command headquarters target and route planning for bombardment missions. Inactivated April 1946.

    Consolidated B-24 Liberator

    National origin:- United States
    Role:- Heavy bomber, Anti-submarine warfare, Maritime patrol aircraft
    Manufacturer:- Consolidated Aircraft
    Designer:- Consolidated Aircraft
    First flight:-
    Introduction:- 1941
    Produced:- 1940 - 1945
    Status:- Retired 1968 (Indian Air Force)[1]
    Number built:- 18,188[2]
    Variants:- Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express, Consolidated Liberator I
    Developed into:- Consolidated R2Y, Consolidated B-32 Dominator
    Primary users:-  United States Army Air Force;  United States Navy;  Royal Air Force;  Royal Australian Air Force

    Specifications (B-24J)

    Data from Quest for Performance,[57] Jane's Fighting aircraft of World War II,[58] General Dynamics aircraft and their predecessors[59]

    General characteristics

    Crew: 11 (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, radio operator, nose turret, top turret, 2 waist gunners, ball turret, tail gunner)
    Length: 67 ft 2 in (20.47 m)
    Wingspan: 110 ft (34 m)
    Height: 17 ft 7.5 in (5.372 m)
    Wing area: 1,048 sq ft (97.4 m2)
    Aspect ratio: 11.55
    Zero-lift drag coefficient: CD0.0406
    Frontal area: 42.54 sq ft (3.952 m2)
    Airfoil: root: Davis (22%); tip: Davis (9.3%)[60]
    Empty weight: 36,500 lb (16,556 kg)
    Gross weight: 55,000 lb (24,948 kg)
    Max takeoff weight: 65,000 lb (29,484 kg) plus
    Fuel capacity: 2,344 US gal (1,952 imp gal; 8,870 l) normal capacity; 3,614 US gal (3,009 imp gal; 13,680 l) with long-range tanks in the bomb bay; Oil capacity 131.6 US gal (109.6 imp gal; 498 l) in four self-sealing nacelle hopper tanks
    Powerplant: 4 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-35 Twin Wasp, R-1830-41 or R-1830-65 14-cylinder two-row air-cooled turbosupercharged radial piston engines, 1,200 hp (890 kW) each
    Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard, 11 ft 7 in (3.53 m) diameter constant-speed fully-feathering propellers

    Performance

    Maximum speed: 297 mph (478 km/h, 258 kn) at 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
    Cruise speed: 215 mph (346 km/h, 187 kn)
    Stall speed: 95 mph (153 km/h, 83 kn)
    Range: 1,540 mi (2,480 km, 1,340 nmi) at 237 mph (206 kn; 381 km/h) and 25,000 ft (7,600 m) with normal fuel and maximum internal bomb load
    Ferry range: 3,700 mi (6,000 km, 3,200 nmi)
    Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,500 m)
    Rate of climb: 1,025 ft/min (5.21 m/s)
    Time to altitude: 20,000 ft (6,100 m) in 25 minutes
    Lift-to-drag: 12.9
    Wing loading: 52.5 lb/sq ft (256 kg/m2)
    Power/mass: 0.0873 hp/lb (0.1435 kW/kg)

    Armament

    Guns:
    Guns: 10 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in 4 turrets and two waist positions
    Bombs:
    Short range (400 mi [640 km]): 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg)
    Long range (800 mi [1,300 km]): 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg)
    Very long range (1,200 mi [1,900 km]): 2,700 pounds (1,200 kg)

    Avionics

    not known

     Flight Simulators
     

       IL-2 Sturmovik 'Cliff's of Dover' Blitz - has no 3D model

       IL-2 Great Battles Series IL-2 - has no 3D model

       DCS World - has no 3D model

     

     

     Angaur Island Caroline Islands Map

     Kwajalein Atoll Map

     

        CBI Notes

    1. Rossi, J.R. (1998). 'The Flying Tigers – American Volunteer Group – Chinese Air Force'. AVG.
    2. Bliss K. Thorne, The Hump: The Great Military Airlift of World War II (1965)
    3. Michael Schaller, The U.S. Crusade in China, 1938–1945 (1982)
    4. Barbara W. Tuchman, Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45 (1971) ch 10
    5. Donovan Webster, The Burma Road: The Epic Story of the China–Burma–India Theater in World War II (2003)
    6. Tuchman, Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45 (1971) ch. 12–14
    7. Bernstein, Richard (2014). China 1945 : Mao's revolution and America's fateful choice (First ed.). New York. pp. 39–44. ISBN 9780307595881.
    8. Central Intelligence Agency. Behind Japanese Lines in Burma: The Stuff of Intelligence Legend (2001).
    9. Peers, William R. and Dean Brelis. Behind the Burma Road: The Story of America’s Most Successful Guerrilla Force. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1963, back cover.
    10. Chapter XIX: The Second Front and the Secondary War The CBI: January–May 1944. The Mounting of the B-29 Offensive in Maurice Matloff References Page 442
    11. Slim 1956, pp. 205–207.
    12. L, Klemen (1999–2000). 'Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Edmund Charles Peirse'. Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
    13. Roll of Honour, Britain at War, The Air Forces in Burma http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Cemeteries/Rangoon_Memorial/html/air_forces_in_burma.htm
    14. Masters, John. The Road Past Mandalay, Bantam Press (1979), pp. 146–148 and 308–309
    15. Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation: Overseas Commands – Iraq, India and the Far East Archived 6 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
    16. Mountbatten, Admiral Lord Louis, Address to the Press, August 1944 http://www.burmastar.org.uk/aug44mountbatten.htm Archived 29 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
    17. Adrian Fort, Archibald Wavell: The Life and Death of the Imperial Servant (2009)
    18. Edward Young, Merrill's Marauders (2009)
    19. assault on Myitkyina town Archived 9 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
    20. Wedemeyer, Albert C. (1958). Wedemeyer Reports! Autobiography.

        Consolidated B-24 Liberator Notes

    1. Quote: 'One of the primary reasons we decided to go with the 'A' model, vs the LB-30, was that this airplane was originally a B-24A.''[52]

        Consolidated B-24 Liberator Citations

    1. Allan, Chuck. 'A Brief History of the 44th Bomb Group.'chuckallan.com.
    2. Hillenbrand 2010
    3. Green 1975, p. 84.
    4. Hillenbrand 2010, p. 64.
    5. Donald 1997, p. 266.
    6. Birdsall 1968, p. 40.
    7. Taylor 1968, p. 463.
    8. Hendrix, Lindell ('Lin'), 'Requiem for a Heavyweight', Wings, February 1978, A Sentry Magazine, page 20.
    9. Byrne, John A., The Whiz Kids: The Founding Fathers of American Business and the Legacy They Left Us, Currency Doubleday, Page 50
    10. March 1998, p. 63.
    11. Smith, Harry V. et al. 'Escape from Siam.' rquirk.com.
    12. Green 1975, p. 85.
    13. Winchester 2004, p. 57.
    14. Giorgerini, Giorgio (2002). Uomini sul fondo : storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi. Milano: Mondadori. pp. 518–20. ISBN 8804505370.
    15. The Secret War, by Brian Johnson, Pen And Sword Military Classics, 1978, ISBN 1-84415-102-6
    16. Garner, Forest. 'The Consolidated B-24 Liberator.' uboat.net.
    17. Lord 1967, p. 279.
    18. Levine 1992, pp. 14–15.
    19. Weal 2006, p. 16.
    20. Reynolds, George. 'The AZON Project.' 458bg.com,
    21. Marion. 'Old China Hands, Tales & Stories – The Azon Bomb.' Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine oldchinahands.
    22. Freeman 1984, p. 176.
    23. Parnell 1993, pp. inside cover, p. 91.
    24. http://home.att.net/~jbaugher2/b24_27.html Consolidated C-109
    25. Baugher, Joe. 'Consolidated C-109'. USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers: The Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 16 August 1999.
    26. Autry, Gene with Herskowitz, Mickey. (1978). Back in the Saddle Again. Doubleday & Company, Inc. ISBN 038503234X Page 85
    27. RAAF Museum website A72 Avro Lincoln
    28. 'Indian Ocean – New Guinea – Kangaroo Service – 1950–1946.' Flight Global website, 16 November 1950.
    29. Isemonger, L.
    30. Gilman and Clive 1978, p. 314.
    31. Gordon 2008, p. 479.
    32. St. John, Philip A. (1990). The Liberator Legend: The Plane and the People. Turner Publishing Company. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-938021-99-5.
    33. Johnsen, Frederick (1996). Consolidated B-24 Liberator – Warbird Tech Vol. 1. Specialty Press. ISBN 978-1580070546.
    34. Francillon 1988, p.26
    35. Francillon 1988, p.580
    36. Peck, Merton J. & Scherer, Frederic M. The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis (1962) Harvard Business School p.619
    37. Nolan, Jenny. 'Michigan History: Willow Run and the Arsenal of Democracy.' Archived 4 December 2012 at archive.today The Detroit News, 28 January 1997.
    38. Wegg 1990, pp. 82–83.
    39. Dorr and Lake 2002, p. 129.
    40. 'Ol 927: CAF's B-24A Liberator.' Archived 16 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Warbird Digest, Issue 15, July–August 2007, pp. 17–30.
    41. Andrade 1979, p. 60.
    42. Baugher, Joe. 'Consolidated PB4Y-1.' USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers: The Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 18 August 1999.
    43. Wegg 1990, p. 90.
    44. Robertson 1998
    45. Loftin, L.K. Jr. (1985), Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft. NASA SP-468, NASA Scientific and Technical Information Branch,
    46. Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1989). Jane's Fighting aircraft of World War II (1995 ed.). New York: Military Press. pp. 215–216. ISBN 0517679647.
    47. Wegg, John (1990). General Dynamics aircraft and their predecessors (1st ed.). Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. pp. 82–90. ISBN 0-87021-233-8.
    48. Lednicer, David. 'The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage'. m-selig.ae.illinois.edu.
    49. 'Walter Matthau'. The Telegraph. 3 July 2000. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
    50. Hillenbrand 2010[page needed]
    51. Mullen, Cassius; Byron, Betty (2015). Before the Belle. Page Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-1-68213-622-5.
    52. Margolick, David. 'Zamperini’s War.' The New York Times, 19 November 2010.
    53. 'Damnyankee'.' amazon.com.
    54. 'B-24D-53-CO 'Shady Lady' Serial Number 42-40369'. pacificwrecks.com.

        Consolidated B-24 Liberator Bibliography:

    • Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
    • Axworthy, Mark. Third Axis Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945. London: Arms & Armour, First edition 1995. ISBN 978-1-85409-267-0.
    • Birdsall, Steve. The B-24 Liberator. New York: Arco Publishing Company, Inc., 1968. ISBN 0-668-01695-7.
    • Birdsall, Steve. B-24 Liberator in Action (Aircraft number 21). Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1975. ISBN 0-89747-020-6.
    • Birdsall, Steve. Log of the Liberators. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1973. ISBN 0-385-03870-4.
    • Blue, Allan G. The B-24 Liberator, A Pictorial History. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1976. ISBN 0-7110-0630-X.
    • Bowman, Martin. The B-24 Liberator 1939–1945. Norwich, Norfolk, UK: Wensum Books Ltd, 1979. ISBN 0-903619-27-X.
    • Bowman, Martin. Combat Legend: B-24 Liberator. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd, 2003. ISBN 1-84037-403-9.
    • Craven, Wesley and James Lea Cate. US Army Air Forces in World War II: Vol. I: Plans & Early Operations, January 1939 to August 1942. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1949.
    • Currier, Donald R. Lt. Col. (Ret). 50 Mission Crush. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Burd Street Press, 1992. ISBN 0-942597-43-5.
    • Davis, Larry. B-24 Liberator in Action (Aircraft number 80). Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1987. ISBN 0-89747-190-3.
    • Donald, David, general editor. Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
    • Dorr, Robert F. and Jon Lake. 'Warplane Classic: Consolidated B-24 Liberator: Part 1'. International Air Power Review, Volume4, Spring 2002. Norwalk: Connecticut, USA: Airtime Publishing, pp. 126–163. ISSN 1473-9917.
    • Ethell, L. Jeffrey. Aircraft of World War II. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. ISBN 0-00-470849-0.
    • Francillon, René. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume I. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1988. ISBN 0-87021-428-4.
    • Freeman, Roger. B-24 at War. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1983. ISBN 0-7110-1264-4.
    • Freeman, Roger. Mighty Eighth War Manual. London: Jane's Publishing Company Limited, 1984. ISBN 0-7106-0325-8.
    • Gann, Ernest K. Fate Is The Hunter. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1986. ISBN 0-671-63603-0.
    • Gardner, Brian (1984). 'Flight Refuelling... The Wartime Story'. Air Enthusiast. No. 25. pp. 34–43, 80. ISSN 0143-5450.
    • Gilman, J. D. and J. Clive. KG 200. London: Pan Books Ltd., 1978. ISBN 0-85177-819-4.
    • Gordon, Yefim. Soviet Air Power in World War 2. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland, Ian Allan Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-1-85780-304-4.
    • Green, William. Famous Bombers of the Second World War. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1975. ISBN 0-385-12467-8.
    • Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. New York: Random House, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4000-6416-8.
    • Isemongers, Lawrence.The Men Who Went to Warsaw. Nelspruit, UK: Freeworld Publications, 2002, ISBN 0-9584388-4-6.
    • Job, Macarthur. 'Misadventure at Mauritius.' Flight Safety Magazine, January–February 2000.
    • Johnsen, Frederick A. Consolidated B-24 Liberator (WarbirdTech Volume 1). North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-58007-054-X.
    • Johnsen, Frederick A. B-24 Liberator: Combat and Development History of the Liberator and Privateer. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1993. ISBN 0-87938-758-0.
    • Johnsen, Frederick A. Bombers in Blue: PB4Y-2 Privateers and PB4Y-1 Liberators. Tacoma, Washington: Bomber Books, 1979. No ISBN.
    • Levine, Alan J. The Strategic Bombing of Germany, 1940–1945. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1992. ISBN 0-275-94319-4.
    • Lord, Walter. Incredible Victory. New York: Harper & Row, 1967. ISBN 1-58080-059-9.
    • March, Daniel J., ed. British Warplanes of World War II. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1-874023-92-1.
    • McDowell, Ernest and Richard Ward. Consolidated B-24D-M Liberator in USAAF-RAF-RAAF-MLD-IAF-CzechAF & CNAF Service, PB4Y-1/2 Privateer in USN-USMC-Aeronavale & CNAF Service. New York: Arco Publishing Company, Inc., 1969. ISBN 0-668-02115-2.
    • Nelmes, Michael V. Tocumwal to Tarakan. Australians and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Belconnen, Australia: Banner Books, 1994. ISBN 1-875593-04-7.
    • Moyes, Philip J. R. Consolidated B-24 Liberator (Early Models). Kidlington, Oxford, UK: Vintage Aviation Publications Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-905469-70-4.
    • North, Tony and Mike Bailey. Liberator Album, B-24's of the 2nd Air Division 8th Air Force. Volume 1: The 20th. Combat Bomb Wing. Norwich, Norfolk, UK: Tony North, 1979. No ISBN.
    • North, Tony and Mike Bailey. Liberator Album, B-24's of the 2nd Air Division 8th Air Force. Volume 2: The 14th. Combat Bomb Wing. Norwich, Norfolk, UK: Tony North, 1981. No ISBN.
    • Odgers, George. Air War Against Japan 1943–1945 (Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3– Air). Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1968.
    • O'Leary, Michael. Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-023-4.
    • Parnell, Ben. Carpetbaggers America's Secret War in Europe. Austin, Texas: Eakin Press, 1987, revised edition 1993. ISBN 978-0-89015-592-9.
    • Prins, François (Spring 1994). 'Pioneering Spirit: The QANTAS Story'. Air Enthusiast. No. 53. pp. 24–32. ISSN 0143-5450.
    • Robertson, Bruce. British Military Aircraft Serials: 1878–1987. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1998. ISBN 978-0-904597-61-5.
    • Scearce, Phil. Finish Forty and Home: The Untold World War II Story of B-24s in the Pacific. Denton, Texas: University of North Texas Press, 2011. ISBN 978-1-57441-316-8.
    • Shacklady, Edward. Classic WWII Aviation: Consolidated B-24. Bristol, UK: Cerberus Publishing Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-84145-106-1.
    • Shores, Christopher, 'History of the Royal Canadian Air Force', Toronto, Royce Publications, 1984, ISBN 0-86124-160-6.
    • Taylor, John W. R. 'Consolidated B-24/PB4 Y Liberator.' Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
    • Wagner, Ray. American Combat Planes. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1968. ISBN 0-385-04134-9.
    • Ward, Richard and Eric A. Munday. USAAF Heavy Bomb Group Markings & Camouflage 1941–1945, Consolidated Liberator. Reading, Berkshire, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1972. ISBN 0-85045-128-0.
    • Weal, John. Bf 109 Defence of the Reich Aces. Oxford, UK: Osprey, 2006. ISBN 1-84176-879-0.
    • Wegg, John. General Dynamic Aircraft and their Predecessors. London: Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-833-X.
    • Wilson, Stewart. Boston, Mitchell & Liberator in Australian Service. Weston Creek, Australia: Aerospace Publications, 1992. ISBN 1-875671-00-5.
    • Wilson, Stewart. Military Aircraft of Australia. Weston Creek, Australia: Aerospace Publications, 1994. ISBN 1-875671-08-0.
    • Winchester, Jim. 'Consolidated B-24 Liberator.' Aircraft of World War II: The Aviation Factfile. Hoo, Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-639-1.

        Consolidated B-24 Liberator further reading:

        Magazine References: +

    • Airfix Magazines (English) - http://www.airfix.com/
    • Avions (French) - http://www.aerostories.org/~aerobiblio/rubrique10.html
    • FlyPast (English) - http://www.flypast.com/
    • Flugzeug Publikations GmbH (German) - http://vdmedien.com/flugzeug-publikations-gmbh-hersteller_verlag-vdm-heinz-nickel-33.html
    • Flugzeug Classic (German) - http://www.flugzeugclassic.de/
    • Klassiker (German) - http://shop.flugrevue.de/abo/klassiker-der-luftfahrt
    • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://boutique.editions-lariviere.fr/site/abonnement-le-fana-de-l-aviation-626-4-6.html
    • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://www.pdfmagazines.org/tags/Le+Fana+De+L+Aviation/
    • Osprey (English) - http://www.ospreypublishing.com/
    • Revi Magazines (Czech) - http://www.revi.cz/

        Web References: +

    • Air Force Historical Research Agency website https://www.afhra.af.mil/
    • Ancestry https://www.fold3.com/
    • NARA National Archives https://catalog.archives.gov/
    • B-24 database https://www.b24bestweb.com/
    • IWM https://www.iwm.org.uk/
    • Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/

    USAAF Military History Section

    USAAF Chronology and War Diaries 1941-1942 1943 1944 1945

    United States Army Air Force - USAAF units

    USAAF Combat Units

     

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