Figure 1.-- President Roosevelt's war plans was to fight a war with massive air power to limit Americn casulties and take advantage of America's industrial might. At the outbreal of the Pacific War there were no Americn air bases within range of the Japanese Home Islands, but the dvelopment of the B-29 meant that Japan could be bombed from China. Thus early U.S. Army Air Corps (AAC) war plans assigned substantial importance to China. And much of the Americam military personnel stationed in China belonged to various AAC formations. A large part of the supplies delivered to China over the Hump were men and supplies for the air campaign. Many of the Americn airmen employed Chinese boys to run errands or help to maintain their quarters. Here are some of the boys photographed by an AAC airman somewhere ib China. The jobs were coveted by the boys not only because of wages, but because contact with the Americans meant access to food. This photograph was taken in August 1944.

American war planning from an early point centered on the use of air power. The impact of Hitler's new Luftwaffe had a powerful influence on American war planning. President Roosevelt response was to lay the groundwork for building a massive air force far beyond Germany's industrial capabilities and hugely greater than Japan's capabilities. This whole process began well before Pearl Harbor, but after Japan plunged America into the Pacific War this whole process went into over drive. American air firmations would span the globe and this included the CBI theater. The United States could supply the largely Cimmonwealth forces fighting n the area through Indian ports and the Indian rail system. China was different. The Japanese controlled all the Chinese ports. The United States operated the 10th, 14th, and 20th Air Firces in the CBI as well as several independent air commands. Supplying these units in India could be done fairly easily after Midway (June 1942), but getting the suplies to China was a dunting undertaking. After the Japanese closed the Burma Road (February 1942), the most formidable geographic barrier in the world stood between the Indian ports and the KMT armies fighting the War. This meant that it was impossible for America to supply and feed China like it did its other allies. Supplies could be delivered to China by air over the Hump, but only a small fraction of the quantity possible by sea and rail could be delivered by air. This meant that difficult priorities had to be established. So American aid to China almost by necesity focussed on the air war. The Hump became an inportant partof the CBI air campaign. Several American Air formation served in the CBI area. And it was ininitally these units from bases in China would bring the war to Japan through a strategic bombing campaign. At the onset of the Pacific War, the prospect of penetrating the Japanese island defense perimiter did not seem favorable.

Flying Tigers (AVG)

President Roosevelt after hearing from Claire Chennault, who Madame Chiang Kai-Shek had hired him to train Chinese pilots, decided to help China build a modern air force. He signed an executive order 1940 which permitted U.S. military personnel to resign so that they could participate in a covert operation to support China (May 1940). This is significant because it was was the first direct American military action to impede Axis aggression. It was taken in the atmospshere of the fall of France and the president deciding to run for a third term. Subsequent Japanese actions beginning with the occupation of northern French Indo-China obly confirmed the President's decision to aid China. And the Magic intelligence from the cracking of the Japanese Diplomatic (Purple code) made it clear that the Japanese public protestratuins of a desire fir peace were a diplomate charade (September 1940). President Roosevelt approved the transfer of Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk fighters to China. They would be included in the Lend Lease Program (1941). The planes were originally slated for the British RAF which was just beginning to brace for the Battle of Britain. America woud eventually produce a phenomenal number of aircraft. At this time, howevr, production was still limited and the U.S. Army Air Corps struggling to obtain needed new aircraft. The President also secretly approved the formation of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) to fly the P-40s. These were the first modern fighters ever deployed in China. The AVG's main task was to protect the Burma Road so that supplied could continue to reach China. The all-volunteer AVG became known as Chennault's Flying Tigers. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor (December 1941) before the AVG could go into action. It thus no longer had to be a covert operation. Although very small, provide the Chinese a creditable air capability for the first time. Initially part of the AVG was deployed on both ends of the Burma Road. The Japanese invasion of Burma forced the Burma contingent to redeploy to China. It also cut off supplies over the Burma Road. The AVG continued to operate with supplies flown in from India over the Himilayas. The P-40s flown by the AVG were on paper no match for the fast, manueravble Japanese Zeros, but they were more robust and had armor protecting the pilots. Chennault developed battle tactics that enabled the Tigers to deal with the Zeros, but their major goal was to intercept the Japanese bombers hammering Chunking. ThecArmy Air Corps and U.S. Navy did not take the AVG seriously and did not adapt Chenault's tactics until losses in the Pacific forced them to adjust tactics. Eventually the AVG was formed into the U.S. 14th Air Force. Some of the Tigersjoined up, Others left China. Many of the new crews honored the AVG by also painting the shark's mouth image and referring to them selves as the Flying Tigers.

Air Transport Units (ATC)

The Air Transport Command (ATC) was an independeny command because its job was to get aircraf from the assembly lines to various numbered airforces both in the United Sttes and oversea. The ATC was at first named the Air Ferrying Command (AFC) because it serviced all of the various operational (numbered combat) air forces, it had to be independent. There was both a Domestic and Foreign Division. Part of the Foreign Division was the Indian-China Command. The AFC at first serviced the 10th Air Force in the CBI. It became the ATC India China Wing (December 1942). Other ATC elements included the Air Catgo Resupply Units, Airways etachments, ICWATC Stations, Army Air Forces Base Units, and the China National Aviation Corporation. The ATC joined with the 10th Air Force to fly the Hump. This was a natural outcome of the ATC's mission of delivering aircraft to the 10th Air Force in China as well as the Chinese Air Force. While there was no ceb=ntralized Hump operation, the ATC would play a major role in flying the hump. The Bomber Boys who dominated the the AAC had focused on strategic bombing. Both developing other aircraft and preparing for other missiins was neglected. Thus the entire transport mission had to be developed in theater on the job.

Combat Cargo Units (CCU)

The CCU was a relative latecomer to the CBI. It resulted from the avalange of aircraft coming off American assembly lines in 1944. The AAC was able to bdeploy substantial numbers of aircraft in the CBI, the lowest priority theater of the war. The 1st Combat Cargo Group was activated (April 1944). They were supplied with the AAC's work horse, the C-47. They flew into theater (August 1944) and began operations a month later (September 1944). There first assignment was to transport supplies and reinforcements to and evacuating casualties from Imphal, Burma which had fought off a major Japanese offensive. The CCU continued with extensive operations in Burma. There were few roads wguch could be used to support the Allied forces driving into Burma. The CCU flw in men and supplies from Indian supply bases. A priority was to transport equipment need to construct and operate airstrips. Other operations included dropping dummy cargoes to misdirect the Japanese awy from Allied offensives and a major paratroops drop on Rangoon (May 1945). and finally the CCU evacuated POWs that had survived the hellish Japanese slave labor camps. The first CCU operations were in Burma, but operations were soon expanded into China. For a short time (Decenber 1944-- January 1945) the group's headquarters was located there. Operations in China included helping to evacuate the air base at Kweilin during the closing phase of the Japanese Ichi-Go offensive (September 1944). They evacuated Chinese troops. They also flew supply missions, including some perilous misions flying supply missions, delivering gasoline and materiel over the Hump. THE CCU was partially re-equipped with C-46s whichbwre better suitted for thevHUMP missions (June 1945). The primarily were involved in transporting men, food, arms, and ammunition to China through the rest of the War.

10th Air Force

The U.S. Army Air Corps established the as 10 Air Force (February 1942), although redesigmated the Tenth Air Force a few months later. It was activated for air operations in the China-India-Burma (CBI) theater, This at first meant tactical units (March 1942-December 1943). The primary tactical force in theater at the tine were the AVG (Flying Tigers) who were legally civilan volunteers. The men were given the choice of joining the new 10th Air Force or returning home. The 10th then shifted to strategic bombing as more men and equipmet reached the CBI. Supplies after reaching India, had to be flown in over the Hump. The primary responsibility for the Hump fell on the 10th Air Force. The crews and planes could fly into China. But then they needed to be supplied with fuel, amunition, bombs, spare parts and other materiel. It was an enormous logistical undertaking. The 10th was the most isolated and difficult to supply of all the Amercan air forces. The Tenth was to be one of the most important of the various AAC combat air forces. American war planning initially involvd launching the strategic bombardment of Japan from Chinese airfields. This was an extrodinarily difficult undertaking as with with the loss of Burma, all the supplies had to be flow into Chima over the Hump. The American seizure of th Marianasa and the Japanese Ichi-Go offensive ended this operation. he Marianass were a secure location and unlike China, very easy to supply. After the major strategic bombing campaign was camcelled, the 10th continued bomber attacks on Japanese military targets in China and resumed command over tactical fighter units (June 1944) through he rest of the War. It then shifted to air transport and troop carrier missions through the end of its operations (December 1945).

14th Air Force

The 14th Air Force began life as the AVG Flying Tigers. When the AVG was stood down, the few who chose to enlist formed the China Air Task Force (CATF) --a unit of the 10th Air Force (July 1942). Few chose to do so. The CATF was a creation of AAC politics. Claire Lee Chennault was the only senior AAC commander who championed pursuit" or fighter-interceptor aircraft in an orgagnization dominated by the Bomber Boys/Barons led by Gen. Hap Arnold. Denined promotion in the AAC, Chennault retired and ccepted an offer to advise and evnetually lead the Chinese Air Force. He assumed commabd of the Americam Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) when they arrived in Burma and partially deployed in China (December 1941). The AVG was equipped with the Curtis P-40 Warhawk. It had many attribute, but was not as manueveranle as the Japanese Zero. Chennault dveloped air combat tactics that enabled the AVG to achieve excellent results. Because of the AAC'as attitude toward Chennault and lack of cooperation with the Navy, the AAC units in the Pacific as well as the Navy and Marines had to learn these lessons on their own. And again when the AVG was stood down, Chennault was only offered command of a mall unit of the 10th Air Force--the CATF. Chennault's performance with the AVG had attracted enormous public attention. He thus had contact with President Roosevelt as the support of Generalmo Chang Kai-check. The result was an combat command essentully created for him--the 14th Air Firce. President Roosevelt issued a presidentil order estanlishing the 14th Air Force (March 1943. Chennault was given the command and promoted to Major General. The 14th adopted the Flying Tigers designation and symbols. They pursued a highly effective fighter and bomber operations in Japanese occupied China and Indo-China. Operations were conducted in the north from the bend of the Yellow River and Tsinan south to Indochina. Operations were conducted from Chengtu and the Salween River in the west to both East and South China Seas and the island of Formosa in the east. They participated in supplying Chinese forces through the airlift of cargo across The Hump. The 14th Air Force achieved air superiority over China once dominated by Japanese air craft. They established an impressive kill ratio of 7.7 over the Japnese. The post-War assessment is that the 14th Air Force in just 2 years of combat desroyed or damaged some 2,300 Japanese aircraft--more than half achieved in theater. Other achievements were 356 bridges, 1,225 locomotives and 712 railroad cars.

20th Air Force

The Twentieth Air Force was formed (April 1944). Their assignment was to the strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands. Army Air Corps commander General Henry H. (Hap) Arnold was determined to keep the new B-29 Superfortress intended for strategic bombing campaign from being diverted to tactical missions as desired by the CBI commanders. General Arnold plnned to command the 20th himself at the Joint Chiefs of Staff level. He set up the 20th as an entirely autonomous unit and the new B-29s as they came off the assembley lines would be used exclusively for the strategic bombing campaign against Japan. Arnold believed that diverting the B-29s to other misions would imperil the success of the effort. The 20th was also scretly selected to be th operational part of the Manhattan Project. The Japanese disrupted plans with their ICH-go offensive which seized several of the air bases built ny the Chinese for the B-29s. It also became apparnt that shipping men and material to India and flying them over the Hump would be enormously expensive. And that the Marians seized from the Japanese (June-July 1944) offered a far more effective base of operation for the strategic bombing campaign.

Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW)

The 14th Air Force Commander, Maj. Gen Claire Lee Chennault, in addition to the core structure, decided to form a second group, the Chinese-American Composite Wing (CACW). This provided add itional man power as well as supporting the KMT. It consisted of a combined Amercan/Chinese units: 1st Bomber, 3rd Fighter, and 5th Fighter Group. The pilots and air crews came from both the United States and China. The American personnel began arriving (mid-July 1943). The aircraft included late-model P-40 Warhawks (with the Nationalist Chinese Air Force 12-pointed star national insignia, rudder markings, and squadron/aircraft numbering) and B-25 Mitchell medium bombers. Later USAAC-marked P-51 Mustangs began to be assigned to CACW pilots. The firxt were P-51B and C models (late-1944) followed by the advnced D and K models (early-1945). These reduced-weight versions extended the range into Japanese occupied areasnot previously attacked. Th U.S. pilots assigned to the CACW were listed as rated pilots by the Chinese Air Force and authorized to wear the pilot's wings of both countriess. The CACW played an important role in bringing the JAPanese Ichi-go to an end. The CACW bases were locatef near the boundary of Japanese-Occupied China and one "Valley Field" existed in an area within Japanese-held territory. Specific field locations included Hanchung, Ankang, Hsian, Laohokow, Enshih, Liangshan, Peishyi, Chihkiang, Hengyang, Kweilin, Liuchow, Chanyi, Suichwan, and Lingling. Today, the 1st, 3rd and 5th Groups of CACW are still operating in Taiwan, reorganized as 443rd, 427th and 401st Tactical Fighter Wings of the Republic of China Air Force. The CACW plyed an importnt role in the development of the Chinese Air Force.

Created: 4:49 AM 7/6/2016
Last updated: 4:49 AM 7/6/2016