Army Air Forces
in
World War II

Vol. II
Europe: TORCH to POINTBLANK
August 1942 to December 1943

	Prepared Under the Editorship of WESLEY FRANK CRAVEN, Princeton University JAMES LEA CATE, University of Chicago
	By AIR HISTORICAL GROUP               United States Air Force
	WILFRED J. PAUL, COL, USAF, Director AKBERT F. SIMPSON, Air Force Historian

 

Contents

	Forward		v
	I. The North African Campaigns Thomas J. Mayock, Air Intelligence Division
1.	Crisis in the Middle East		3
2.	TORCH and the Twelfth Air Force		41
3.	The Landings and the Race for Tunis		67
4.	The Winter Campaign		105
5.	Defeat and reorganization		132
6.	Climax in Tunisia		166
	II. Origins of the Combined Bomber Offensive Arthur B. Ferguson, Duke University
7.	The Daylight Bombing Experiment		209
8.	The War Against the Sub Pens		242
9.	The Casablanca Directive		274
10.	Over Germany		308
11.	The CBO Plan		348
12.	The Antisubmarine Command		377
	III. Sicily and Southern Italy Albert F. Simpson, Air Historical Group
13.	Pantelleria		415
14.	Conquest of Sicily		446
15.	The Invasion of Italy		488
16.	The Fifteenth Air Force		546
17.	Operations to the End of the Year		575
	IV. Toward OVERLORD Alfred Goldberg, Air Historical Group Arthur B. Ferguson, Duke University
18.	Air Logistics in the ETO		599
		Alfred Goldberg
19.	Build-Up		631
		Alfred Goldberg
20.	POINTBLANK		665
		Arthur B. Ferguson
21.	The Autumn Crisis		707
		Arthur B. Ferguson
	V. Final Reorganization Alfred Goldberg, Air Historical Group Albert F. Simpson, Air Historical Group
22.	Final Reorganization		733
Notes (Footnotes are included/hyperlinked with each chapter.)
Appendix			855
Glossary
Index			865

List of Maps and Charts

BEGINNINGS OF AAF OPERATIONS	Frontispiece
THE DELTA AND RELATED AREAS	12
THE TORCH AREA	44
CASABLANCA AND ORAN AREAS	69
EASTERN ALGERIA AND TUNISIA	80
EL ALAMEIN TO EL AGHEILA	93
BENGASI TO GABES	101
SOUTHERN TUNISIA	133
NORTHERN TUNISIA	197
EIGHTH AIR FORCE TARGETS, AUGUST 1942-JUNE 1943	215
BOMBER combat FORMATIONS, SUMMER 1943	332
PRINCIPAL UNITS OF NORTHWEST AFRICAN AIR FORCES, I JUNE 1943	417
PANTELLERIA	420
PRINCIPAL NAAF TARGETS, 15 JUNE-9 JULY 1943	436
FINAL ALLIED PLAN FOR INVASION OF SICILY	443
AIRBORNE OPERATIONS, HUSKY	448
PRINCIPAL NAAF TARGETS IN SICILY DURING HUSKY,10 JULY-I7 AUGUST 1943	457
ADVANCE OF SEVENTH AND EIGHTH ARMIES, 10 JULY-17 AUGUST 1943	461
PRINCIPAL NAAF TARGETS OUTSIDE SICILY, 10 JULY-17 AUGUST 1943	467
PLOESTI ATTACK, 1 AUGUST 1943	480
PLOESTI ATTACK, 1 AUGUST 1943	480
PLANS FOR POST-HUSKY INVASIONS	490
NORTHWEST AFRICAN AIR FORCES, 15 AUGUST 1943	497
SOUTHERN ITALY, PRINCIPAL RAIL LINES	505
SOUTHERN ITALY, PRINCIPAL ROADS AND AIRFIELDS	508
INVASION OF ITALY	513
PRINCIPAL NAAF TARGETS, 18 AUGUST - 8 SEPTEMBER 1943	515
SALERNO-PAESTUM AREA, 12 SEPTEMBER 1943	522
AIRBORNE OPERATIONS, AVALANCHE, SEPTEMBER 1943	532
ADVANCE OF ALLIED ARMIES IN ITALY, 3 SEPTEMBER-6 OCTOBER 1943	540
ADVANCE OF FIFTH ARMY, 7 OCTOBER-15 NOVEMBER 1943	549
CENTRAL ITALY, PRINCIPAL ROADS AND AIRFIELDS	553
CENTRAL ITALY, PRINCIPAL RAIL LINES	556
TWELFTH AND FIFTEENTH AIR FORCES, 1 NOVEMBER 1943	569
EIGHTH AIR FORCE INSTALLATIONS, JUNE 1944	647
USSTAF AIR SERVICE INSTALLATIONS, JUNE 1944	650
EIGHTH AIR FORCE TARGETS, JUNE-DECEMBER 1943	667
MISSION TO SCHWEINFURT, 14 OCTOBER 1943	700
VIII AIR FORCE SERVICE COMMAND, DECEMBER 1943	745
MEDITERRANEAN ALLIED AIR FORCES, 9 JANUARY 1944	751
U. S. STRATEGIC AIR FORCES IN EUROPE, MAY 1944	753
TWELFTH AND FIFTEENTH AIR FORCES, 15 DECEMBER 1943	839
UNITS OF MEDITERRANEAN ALLIED AIR FORCES, 1 JANUARY 1944	840
EIGHTH AIR FORCE HEAVY BOMBER MISSIONS, 17 AUGUST 1942 - 31 DECEMBER 1943	841-52

List of Illustrations

		Facing
DESERT AIR WAR		94
	Housekeeping Squadron Headquarters
SANDSTORM		94
AIRFIELD CONSTRUCTION IN AFRICA		120
	Breaking Ground Three Days Later
MEDIUMS IN AFRICA		120
	B-25 Mitchells B-26 Marauders
THE RUGGED B-17		120
	This One Got Back Part of the Crew Bailed Out
USS Ranger DELIVERS P-40's TO AAF IN AFRICA		120
HEAVY BOMBERS HIT AMMO SHIP, PALERMO, 22 MARCH 1943		184
THE END OF THE Trieste, 10 APRIL 1943		184
	24 B-17's at 18,750 Feet Bomb Cruiser Anchored in Anti-sub Net	184
	Bombs Hit Cruiser Cruiser Sinks Next Day Photo Reconnaissance Shows Cruiser Sunk, Giving Off Air Bubbles and Oil Slicks
HEAVY BOMBERS HIT AMMO SHIP OFF BIZERTE, 6 APRIL 1943		184
SEQUEL TO FLAX:B-25's ATTACK AXIS TRANSPORTS		192
B-17 ANTISHPPING STRIKE OFF BIZERTE		248
	Two Ships Sighted One Ship Sunk
GERMAN SUB PEN, LORIENT		248
EIGHTH AIR FORCE ATTACK ON LORIENT, 17 MAY 1943		248
BATTLE CASUALTIES, EIGHTH AIR FORCE.		248
BATTLE CASUALTIES, EIGHTH AIR FORCE.		248
INTERROGATION, 381ST GROUP, SUMMER 1943		248
INTERROGATION, 381ST GROUP, SUMMER 1943		248
B-17 combat FORMATION		344
B-17 combat FORMATION		344
B-17 combat FORMATION		344
B-17 CONTRAILS		344
PANTELLERIA		424
	Air Attack on the Island Wreckage on Marghana Airfield
AIRBORNE OPERATIONS IN HUSKY		424
	Sicily Bound Wrecked CG-4A Glider
FIRST AAF ATTACK ON ROME, 19 JULY 1943		456
B-17 INTERIOR		456
TACTICAL OPERATIONS		462
	Attacking Motor Transport Bridge-busting
POSTHOLING		462
PLOESTI, 1 AUGUST 1943: THE ASTRA ROMANA REFINERY		482
MUD IN SUNNY ITALY		482
MUD IN SUNNY ITALY		482
MUD IN SUNNY ITALY		482
FOG AND MUD IN ENGLAND		616
FOG AND MUD IN ENGLAND		616
EIGHTH AIR FORCE BOMB DUMPS		616
EIGHTH AIR FORCE BOMB DUMPS		616
B-17 MILK RUN		616
EIGHTH AIR FORCE IN RURAL ENGLAND		616
EIGHTH AIR FORCE IN RURAL ENGLAND		616
HANGAR QUEEN		648
P-47 DRIVE-AWAY FROM AN ENGLISH PORT		648
P-47 DRIVE-AWAY FROM AN ENGLISH PORT		648
MAINTENANCE		648
	Second Echelon Third Echelon
FOURTH ECHELON MAINTENANCE		648
FOURTH ECHELON MAINTENANCE		648
FOURTH ECHELON MAINTENANCE		648
MARIENBURG MISSION, 9 OCTOBER 1943		696
	Strike Photo Recon Photo