WE WENT TO WAR

Part X:  Why We Were There

 The Background of Our Service, Why We Were in the Southwest Pacific Area:
A Review

PART A:  THE SITUATION PREVAILING IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA
BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE 380th  


PART B:   WHY WE MISSED THE MAJOR PART OF THE PHILIPPINES CAMPAIGN

INTRODUCTION

            The members of the 380th Bomb Group Association, the veterans group of those who served with the 380th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 5th Air Force, like their compatriots in all of the other American combat units who took part in World War II, were anxious that the history of their unit during that period be preserved for their families and, indeed, for all future generations. This would include records of all those who served with details of that service, of all of the aircraft they flew and the details of the history of that aircraft, and of all the missions which the unit flew against our enemy, again with all important details.

This series, WE WENT TO WAR, was created to answer this desire.  Previous volumes of the series are the rosters of the 380th (Part I), listing of the aircrews (Part II), identifying the Australians who served with the 380th (Part III), and a listing of the ground and aircrew classifications ( Part IV).  Parts V and VI contain descriptions and missions of the aircraft flown by the 380th in Australia and New Guinea (Part V) and in The Philippines (Part VI).  Information on the ground crews were covered in Part VII and a chronological history of the missions flown will be covered in Parts VIII (Australia/New Guinea) and IX (The Philippines). 

This volume provides a brief history of how the 380th came to be assigned to the South West Pacific Theatre, both from Australia and The Philippines.

            Part A covers the situation in the Southwest Pacific Area prior to the arrival of the 380th, and Part B describes the brief history of the 380th in The Philippines Campaign.
 

CONTENTS:

Part A:  The Situation Prevailing in the Southwest Pacific Area Before the Arrival of the 380th

Part B:  Why We Missed the Major Part of The Philippines Campaign

Appendices:

I

Letter to Lt. General H.H. Arnold from Lt. General G.C. Kenney, 23 January 1943

II

General H.H. Arnold's Letter to General Kenney, March 1943

III

Initial Order to send the 380th Bomb Group to England for duty with the 8th Air Force, 24 March 1943

IV

Change Directive Letters Transferring 380th to the Southwest Pacific, 30 March 1943 - 31 March 1943

V

Orders Sending 380th to Southwest Pacific Area, 30 March 1943

VI

Australian Headquarters Announcement of Assignment of Bomb Group, 9 April 1943

VII

Arrival in Australia of Flight Crews, 23 April 1943

VIII

380th Movement Orders to Australia, Ground Staff, 10 April 1943

IX

Arrival in Northern Territory, Australia, Flight Crews, Undated Letter

X

Orders to Northern Territory, Ground Staff, 20 May 1943

XI

General Kenney's Early Assessment of the 380th Performance, 29 June 1943

References

The Authors
 

ISBN   0-9672447-9-X

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99-73366

Copyright © 2006 by Theodore J. Williams

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photo-copying, recording, or otherwise, for commercial purposes, without the prior written permission of the publisher. However, private use for historical research or related purposes is hereby granted on condition that credit be given to this publication and its authors.

Published by:

Theodore J. Williams
208 Chippewa Street
West Lafayette, IN 47906-2123 USA

Go to the history project/website contents page to connect to the other parts of this history.

Return to the 380th Bomb Group Association homepage

Last updated:  07/08/2012 08:30 PM