Page:Legislative History of the AAF and USAF.djvu/50

 �This Page Declassified lAW EO12958 Legidation During the Wr Years Chief of Staff under the Secretary of War. All had headquarters in Washington. The AAF itself was reorganized The duties, functions, and powers of the com- manding general, Air Force Combat Com- mand, and of the Chief of Air Corps, were transferred to the Commanding General, Army Air Forces. The Air Force Combat Command, which had already virtually ceased to ernst as a combat agency, was eliminated in conformance to the newly stated rammort of the Army Air Forces, which was "to procure and maintain eqmp- merit pecuhar to the Army Ar Forces, and to provide air forces units properly or- gainzeal, trahued, and equipped for combat operations." Procurement and related func- tions were to be performed as directed by the Under ecretary of War. The msmon of the Serwces of Supply was considerably modified in its relatmns with the AAF: t was instructed to provide the requisites for military activities except those "peculiar to $Aue Army Air Forces. " To run the revamped mihtary estab- lishment the following military leaders were appointed: Gert. George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, Lt. Gert. Leslie J. MeNtor, Com- manding General, Army Ground Forces; Maj. Gem Brehon B. Sometroll, Command- mg General, Serwces ol Supply; and Maj. Gen. Henry H Arnold as Commanchng General, Army Air Forces. The General Staff was reduced in size and streamhned; t now consisted about equally of ground, services oi supply, and air orce personnel. Each command also had its own staff. Thus, by the reorganization of 9 March 1942, the Army Air Forces had at last achmved theo- retical autonomy. This autonomy, however, could only be temporary, for the First War Powers Act and Executive Order No. 9082 iLxed the terminal date of the reorganiza- tion as six months after the end of the cur- rent war. "s Apparently the AAF, under the new or- gamzationai setup, was to be primarily a supply ad training agency only indirectly concerned with combat operations and stra- tegic planning, with the jurisdiction of its commanding general limited to certain umts wthm the United States. Actually, the statement of its msmon was only a paper restrictmnthe AAF took an equal part wth the Army Ground Forces m com- bat operations and also played a vital role in strategic planning.  General Arnold, as Chief, AAF, and Act- mg Deputy Chief of Staff for Ar, had un- doubtedly played an mportant personal role in the mapping o air strategy m the early days of the war, as had some of his key subordinates. The 9 March restatement of the mission of the AAF was intended to withdraw that organization from the busi- ness of maknng strategm decisions. It was intended that the large delegations of air officers on the War Department General Staff should give ar problems the proper attentmn m strategic planning. It turned out, however, that frequently--and in- creasmgly--the derruled planning was left to the Ar Staff. The recognition of the importance of air power as a wtal factor m the conduct of any major military operation made t necessary for the commanding general ef the AAF to have a deftrote and chrect influence in both the planning and operational stages of combat activities. This ws recogmzed n large degree early in 1942 when General Arnold, along with General Marshall, Adm. William D, Leahy (Chief of Staff to the President), and Adm. Ernest J. King (Chief of Naval Operatrans), was appointed a mem- ber of the newly established Joint Chiefs of Stff, which was formed to resolve military and related political and economic matters oœ mutual concern. Later, General Arnold also became a member of the Combined Chiefs of Staff, formed when the Joint Chiefs of Staff combined with accrechted Washington representatives of the British Chiefs of Staff. Thus the commanding gert* exal of the AAF took an mportant part in the formulation of high strategy Recog- nition of the vital role of airpower also came in the summer of 1943 when the War Department stated: "Land power and air power are coequal and interdependent orces; neither s an aumllary of the other " The new autonomous position of the AAF remained wrtualiy unchanged throughout the war 4 THIS PAGE Declassified lAW EO12958