American Airpower Comes of Age

ENGLAND, NORMANDY BEACHES, ITALY
aircraft and crews were arriving. As Spaatz optimistically conceded
to Arnold in the first four weeks after his arrival, “we
now have sufficient force in this theater.” 12 During Eaker’s
tenure, the lack of aircraft and trained crews had forced the
use of the fighters almost exclusively in an escort role. As
announced at an Eighth commanders’ meeting in September
1943, given the limited number of both escorts and bombers,
“fighters must escort the bombers whether they bring down
any German fighters or not.” When Spaatz assumed command
of USSTAF, the role of AAF fighters was changed to “meet the
enemy and destroy him rather than be content to keep him
away” from the bombers. 13
Spaatz now enjoyed the relative luxury of being able to use
the fighters in an offensive mode as well as the defensive one
in escorting bombers. Their increased range permitted them to
escort over all of Germany and, if not challenged by the Luftwaffe
in aerial combat, strafe and attack airfields and other
targets of opportunity on their way back to England. As Spaatz
wrote, fighter pilots are now briefed to “shoot up any moving
targets within Germany.” The effectiveness of this new capability
was noted by Maj Gen Adolph Galland, leader of the German
fighter force in the West, who wrote convincingly of the
toll such tactics took on his fighter force. 14 Spaatz also benefited
from many other contributions his predecessor had made
during the formative period of the Eighth. Eaker had struggled
with devising, establishing, and refining procedures and
equipment for formation flying and bombing, escape and evasion,
and air sea rescue, in addition to the laborious and timeconsuming
task of creating and maintaining an in-theater
training program for all new aircrews. The bulk of benefits
gained from the efficient maintenance and repair depots,
which had begun under Eaker, accrued to Spaatz.
Even though Arnold was pleased with the attacks of Big
Week and the first AAF raid on Berlin on 6 March, he retained
his commitment to ensuring that sufficient assets continued
to flow to the Eighth. Learning from Spaatz in March that
there were 200 B-17s without crews and that 500 fighter pilots
were lacking, Arnold ordered his deputy to ensure that the
necessary pilots and crews were en route to England, charac-
135