Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority - Air Force ...

WAR AGAINST JAPAN
W. Douglass replaced General Hale on April 15, 1944, and commanded the
air force until June 23, 1945, when Maj. Gen. Thomas D. White became its
last wartime commander.
The tactical core of the Seventh Air Force, on its activation, was the
18th Bombardment Wing, redesignated VII Bomber Command, and the old
Hawaiian Interceptor Command, which first became VII Interceptor Command
and was then redesignated VII Fighter Command in May 1942.
Admiral Nimitz, in his capacity as CINCPOA (Commander in Chief, Pacific
Ocean Area), was in theater command of the Seventh Air Force until mid-
July 1945.36
The domain of the Central Pacific is enormous, dotted by 1,000 islands
or atolls, singly or in clusters. From Hawaii southwest to the Gilberts, it is
2,000 miles; from the Gilberts northwest to the Marshalls, 600 miles; from
the Marshalls west to the Carolines, 900 miles; from the Carolines northwest
to the Marianas, 600 miles; and from Iwo Jima west to Okinawa, 1,000
miles. From the beginning of the war until November 1943, the Seventh Air
Force engaged in 35 reconnaissance missions; thereafter, under a series
of Navy task force commanders, it supported six amphibious landing
campaigns: 1) Gilbert and Marshall Islands (Kwajalein, Eniwetok),
from December 1943 to March 1944; 2) Mariana Islands (Saipan,
Tinian, Guam), from March to August 1944; 3) Palau (Peleliu), from
August to December 1944; 4) the Philippines (Leyte), from August to
December 1944; 5) Volcano Islands (Iwo Jima), from January to March
1945; and 6) Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa), from April to June 1945.
Thereafter, the Seventh Air Force took part in the final offensive against
Japan itself.”
Admiral Nimitz’s objective-to seize island air and sea bases and to
secure them against enemy attacks-was achieved by “blanketing attacks
on all enemy airfields within range.” The Seventh Air Force operated
mainly bomber aircraft-B-24s since 1942-but its fighters at various times
included the P-38, P-39, P-40, P-47, P-51, and P-70. The first fighter units
did not appear in the Seventh Air Force order of battle until the Marshall
Islands phase, when 3 of 14 squadrons were made up of fighters (48 P-39s
and 26 P40s) based in the recently conquered Gilberts. No Japanese interceptors
were encountered at Kwajalein after January 30, 1944. At Maloelap
in early February, P-40~ fitted with belly tanks ended Japanese air opposition,
claiming 10 fighters downed and 3 probables, in a matter of minutes.
Seventh Air Force fighters flew 1,058 effective sorties in the Marshalls,
claimed to have destroyed or damaged 29 enemy fighters, and lost 10 of
their own, including 6 to antiaircraft fire, none to interceptors, 2 to noncombat
and another 2 to unknown
During the Marianas campaign (March-August 1944), the Seventh Air
Force began operations with 12 squadrons, only 1 of which consisted of
fighter aircraft, and ended with 3 squadrons of fighters and 2 flights of night
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