Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
Encyclopedia
The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (AC) was a direct reporting agency of the United States Army Air Forces
during World War II
. Its mission was to deal with the German Navy
U-boat
threat.
Squadron
, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, North American B-25 Mitchell
, Lockheed B-34 Ventura, North American O-47
, Douglas A-20 Havoc, and Lockheed A-29 Hudson, and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator
.
immediately after the Pearl Harbor Attack. Initial patrols over the approaches to New York harbor were flown by First Air Force
, I Bomber Command
from Mitchel Field. Patrols over Boston
were flown from Otis Field. However, despite the Battle of the Atlantic raging for the previous two years, the United States was not prepared for war against U-Boats. The United States lacked ships, aircraft, equipment, trained personnel, and a master plan to counter any serious submarine offensive.
The Navy's
air arm in 1941 was as inadequate as its anti-submarine surface fleet. Initially, the Navy had no escort carriers, a type that eventually was very effective against the German submarines. It also lacked aircraft capable of long range patrols over the ocean to attack submarines when sighted. Prewar plans called for the USAAF to support naval forces in case of an emergency. To supplement its meager anti submarine forces, the Navy turned to the USAAF. Air Force doctrine, however, emphasized strategic bombing, and the Army Air Force had no equipment or trained personnel for the specialized job of patrolling against, detecting, and attacking submarines from the air.
Also, the sudden entry of the United States into World War II caught Kriegsmarine
Admiral Doenitz by surprise, with no submarines immediately available to send to American coastal waters. Doenitz quickly allocated five long distance submarines, all he could quickly make ready, to Operation DRUMBEAT, his code name for operations against shipping in U.S. coastal sea lanes. These sailed from Lorient, France, between 23 and 27 December 1941.
On 31 December 1941 a Coast Guard
cutter reported a periscope in Portland Channel, and on 7 January 1942 an Army plane sighted a submarine off the coast of New Jersey
. On that same day the Navy reported the presence of a fleet of U-boats in the waters south of Newfoundland
. The British merchant ship SS Cyclops was sunk off Nova Scotia
on 11 January, 125 miles south-east of Cape Sable
. Cyclops was the first ship sunk in the German U-boat campaign against the East Coast of North America. Three days later the tanker Norness went down southeast of Nontauk Point, Long Island
.
These sinkings of merchant vessels along the Atlantic coast made it clear to the American public the grim realities of war. These attacks on commercial shipping were not only a drain on supply lines of our British Allies, which was perilously thin at best, but the attacks virtually on our Atlantic seaboard threatened the coastal commerce as well. In the remaining days of January 1942, 13 more ships were sunk by U-Boats off the Northeast Atlantic coast.
War had arrived in the territorial waters of the United States.
As soon as the news of Pearl Harbor arrived, the Commander of the North Atlantic Naval Coastal Frontier requested the Commanding General of the USAAF Eastern Defense Command to undertake offshore patrols with all available aircraft. To meet the emergency developing along the northeast coast, the Army and Navy agreed to pool their resources in response to the U-Boat threat. However, the Air Force leadership considered its role in anti submarine war to be temporary, and the major thrust of its efforts remained strategic bombing. Thus the USAAF somewhat reluctantly began flying anti submarine missions.
For nearly 10 months I Bomber Command bore the brunt of the air war along the Atlantic coast against the U-boats. However, the aircraft assembled by First Air Force were approximately 100 two-engine aircraft of various sizes and types largely obsolete. It was, however, all that could be made available.
The Germans between mid January 1942 and the end of June sank 171 ships off the East Coast, many of them tankers. During the first half of 1942, the Allies lost three million tons of shipping, mostly in American waters. The submarine attacks claimed about 5,000 lives, and the loss of irreplaceable cargoes grievously endangered Great Britain's ability to continue the war.
The Air Force I Air Support Command dispatched observation and pursuit (fighter) aircraft on patrol out to 40 miles (64 km) offshore from Portland, Maine
, south to Wilmington, North Carolina
, but usually had fewer than ten aircraft per day on patrol. I Bomber Command relied on its medium B-25 Mitchell
and B-18 Bolo
bombers to fly up to 300 miles offshore and its heavy B-17 Flying Fortress's to cover up to 600 miles out. On the average, I Bomber Command had only three aircraft flying each day from Westover Field, Massachusetts
, and three from Mitchel Field, New York
, not nearly enough to patrol the Naval Eastern Sea Frontier effectively. The aircraft used against the U-boats by First Air Force were generally unsuited for antisubmarine missions. All, with the exception of a squadron of B-17's, were of relatively short range and limited carrying capacity. And all, of course, as yet lacked special detection equipment such as RADAR. The old B-18, though obsolescent, proved to be the most useful in the early months, but even they were at first scarce.
The USAAF obtained the assistance of the Civil Air Patrol
(CAP) to augment I Bomber Command's efforts. Organized a week before the war began, the CAP consisted of civilian pilots willing to fly their own aircraft off the coast to look for submarines and to assist in the rescue of survivors. Receiving only aviation gasoline from the USAAF, the CAP began patrolling on 8 March 1942, eventually establishing 21 stations from Bar Harbor, Maine
, to Brownsville, Texas
. With the help of the CAP, the I Bomber Command flew almost 8,000 hours in March 1942, about as much as in January and February combined. The additional patrols forced German submarines to remain submerged except on the darkest nights.
Most of the I Bomber Command units involved in the antisubmarine war in early 1942 were still in a training status, and those best trained had been taken away for service in the Southwest Pacific or being prepared for deployment to England
. In addition, prewar agreements had assigned overwater operations to the Navy and had placed restrictions on Army overwater flying. So it is scarcely surprising that the Army planes entered on their adopted task with demolition bombs instead of depth charges and with crews who were ill-trained in naval identification or in the best method of attacking submarines.
The United States sought the guidance of Great Britain, which had been waging anti submarine war against Germany since 1939. As suggested by the British, the USAAF and the U.S. Navy established a Joint Control and Information Center in New York City on 31 December 1941. The center tracked the movements of merchant shipping, plotted enemy contacts, and determined the locations of all surface and air anti submarine patrols. However, the two services worked independently in different parts of the same building, each maintaining its own situation plot and receiving intelligence from different sources.
The situation led to the Navy failing to send the information it did receive from the British to I Bomber Command, and the intelligence received not being used in operations against the U-Boats. Even if it were disseminated, intelligence data often lost its usefulness because it was not quickly communicated from Navy to Army organizations or down the chain of command in either service. In large part, this lapse was the result of the chaos and confusion that Army and Navy commands suffered in the first few months of the war. This confusion also led to faulty tactics that usually resulted in unsuccessful attacks on enemy submarines. Attacked submarines often escaped because the aerial and surface attacks were sporadic rather than sustained. Through inexperience, poor training, and lack of adequate forces, both Navy surface forces and USAAF air crews often failed to follow up initial anti submarine attacks.
As the weeks passed, however, the situation began to improve. Air Force planes began to be equipped with depth charges instead of bombs, and primitive RADAR equipment was fitted to the long distance bombers. Training in over water navigation, along with ship recognition took place along with training from the British in anti-submarine attack tactics took place. There was some early success by I Bomber Command. Constant aerial patrolling to as far as 600 miles out to sea restricted opportunities for submarines to operate on the surface.
Until the first USAAF aircraft received RADAR sets in March 1942, the submarines could surface and attack almost at will during dark nights or inclement weather, but the advent of night flights using RADAR to locate surfaced submarines added considerably to the value of the routine anti submarine air patrol. By June 1942, I Bomber Command aircraft had vastly increased sightings of and attacks on German submarines. The first successful USAAF aircraft attack on a German submarine occurred on 7 July 1942, when a Lockheed A-29 Hudson of the 396th Bombardment Squadron attacked a submarine (U-701) seven miles from Cherry Point, North Carolina. According to the after-action report the aircrew "attacked from 50 feet (15 m) at 220 miles per hour (354 km/h), releasing three MK XVII depth charges in train about 20 seconds after the target submerged. The submarine was still visible underwater as the bombs fell. The first hit short of the stem; the second, just aft of the conning tower; the third, just forward of the conning tower. Fifteen seconds after the explosions, large quantities of air came to the surface, followed by 17 members of the crew."
By the late spring of 1942, I Bomber Command was waging full-scale antisubmarine warfare, yet it was still theoretically acting in an emergency capacity in support of Naval forces, and its units might at any time be withdrawn to their normal duties of bombardment. The fact was that in 1942, Air Force units were sorely needed in the Southwest Pacific, and Eighth Air Force
was building up its forces in England
. Both the Pacific as well as European theaters needed every combat aircraft they could find as the means for large-scale production of aircraft had not yet been developed. Also, the antisubmarine patrols was seen by Air Force leaders as a secondary mission.
Also, no system of unified command between the Army Air Forces and the Navy had been set up specifically for joint operations peculiar to antisubmarine warfare. Units of the Army Air Force had been effectively discouraged by the Navy from undertaking practice reconnaissance flights over water beyond the 100-mile limit. Cooperation at the higher levels of the USAAF and the Navy was elusive, partly because of historical rivalry. Between World Wars I and II, the two services had argued bitterly over the roles of their respective air arms, the Navy insisting on responsibility for all missions over the ocean and the Army insisting on controlling all long range, land based aircraft. The jurisdictional problem continued into the war and at times handicapped efforts to counter enemy submarine attacks in American waters.
USAAF General Henry H. Arnold proposed to settle the question in a practical compromise. In a letter to Admiral Ernest King, Chief of Naval Operations, on 9 May 1942, he wrote: "To meet the present situation, I propose to recommend the establishment of a Coastal Command, within the Army Air Corps which will have for its purpose operations similar to the Coastal Command, RAF," operating "when necessary under the control of the proper Naval authority". The virtues of such an organization would, Arnold believed, be many. It would not only do the job, it would also have the flexibility necessary for antisubmarine action, and could readily be decreased as the need decreased, the units then simply reverting to normal bombardment duty without becoming stranded wastefully in a naval program which left no place for them.
In this proposal General Arnold pointed the way to the settlement finally adopted in the creation of the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command.
Another issue was the of the German U-Boat campaign in American waters had spread south to the Gulf of Mexico
and Caribbean Sea
. In addition to the Atlantic coast, where Admiral Doenitz kept about 4 or 5 submarines on patrol, Doenitz deployed several U-Boats into the Gulf and Caribbean for operations. On 16 February, a German submarine sank two tankers off San Nicholas, Aruba
, then moved into the harbor and shelled a refinery, inflicting little damage but killing four people. In February and March, the Germans operated six submarines in the Caribbean Sea, each patrolling for two to three weeks before returning to France.
The situation in the Gulf and Caribbean areas had become so serious that General Arnold requested the Third Air Force
to use its units for antisubmarine patrol during their regular training missions flying over the Gulf. This shift of the German submarine offensive to the Gulf overwhelmed the resources of the Navy and the USAAF. The Air Force antisubmarine operations had begun in December 1941 with operations from four states only, from Bangor, Maine
, to Langley Field, Virginia
. By September 1942 USAAF antisubmarine patrols were operating in seven states, from Westover Field, Massachusetts
to Galveston, Texas
, stretching the limits of First and Third Air Forces to accommodate the antisubmarine mission which was barely adequate to defend against submarines along the Atlantic coast. In addition the commands also were charged with the important training mission of forces to be deployed overseas into the combat theaters.
The USAAF, fearing a German or Japanese attack on the Panama Canal
transferred to Sixth Air Force 80 additional fighter aircraft, nine heavy bombers, and four mobile radar sets. In February 1942, Sixth Air Force assumed responsibility for the aerial defense of the Panama Canal. Then in April 1942, when the German submarine threat became evident, Sixth Air Force, cooperating with the Navy, instituted anti submarine patrol flights as far east as Curaçao
. Most flights were by tactical aircraft, such as Bell P-39 Airacobra’s and Northrup A-17A Nomad
's, which could fly only during daylight; lacking radar and trained observers, the pilots had little luck in spotting enemy submarines. On the other hand, Sixth Air Force aircraft occasionally attacked friendly ships and submarines, fortunately without damaging them.
The USAAF in February 1942 organized a provisional force, designated the Antilles Air Task Force
under Sixth Air Force, headquartered at Borinquen Air Base, Puetro Rico. The Task Force (later Command) operated from scattered airfields throughout the Caribbean at Trinidad
, Curaçao, Aruba
, Saint Lucia
, Surinam, British Guiana
, Puerto Rico
, Saint Croix, and Antigua
. Initially it consisted of about 40 B-18 medium bombers, seven Douglas A-20 Havoc light bombers, and various fighter aircraft (P-39s, P-40s). The task force obtained radar equipped aircraft, which vastly increased its anti submarine capability. Prior to July the air crews reported few sightings of or attacks on submarines, but in July and August attacked 20. To supplement these efforts, First Air Force sent six B-18's equipped with radar to the Caribbean. Detachments of B-18's stationed at Trinidad, Curaçao, Dutch Guyana, and British Guyana began operations in June 1942, but these aircraft, lacking radar, could not stem the German efforts in the area during the summer.
On 22 September 1942 the USAAF began to organize the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (AAFAC), using the I Bomber Command as its core for personnel and aircraft. The Air Force had been engaged in anti submarine war for almost a year. During that time it had laid the basis for an effective organization and made plans for a larger anti submarine force. The new AAFAC was constituted on 13 October and activated on 15 October. Simultaneously, I Bomber Command was inactivated the same day.
The principal mission of AAFAC was to be "the location and destruction of hostile submarines wherever they may be operating". As a necessary means to this end it had the secondary mission of training crews and developing devices and techniques. The command was to be a direct reporting agency to the Commanding General, United States Army Air Forces, although its operations on the United States Navy Eastern and Gulf Sea Frontiers were to be conducted under the tactical control of Naval officials. The former I Bomber Command furnished the personnel, aircraft, and equipment for the new organization. By 20 November 1942, the AAFAC had organized the squadrons it had inherited from I Bomber Command into the 25th and 26th anti submarine Wings with headquarters at New York and Miami respectively.
Initially, AAFAC had 19 operational Antisubmarine Squadrons and only 20 B-24 Liberator
s, the aircraft type most useful for long range anti-submarine patrolling. The command grew rapidly until, by September 1943, there were 25 Antisubmarine Squadrons, most being equipped with B-24's modified for anti submarine war. USAAFAC squadrons were eventually located in the Americas from Newfoundland
south to Brazil
, and in Europe
, based in Dorset
, England
, and French Morocco
, with operating units as far east as Tunisia
.
With the increasing number of RADAR-equipped B-24s over the Atlantic coastline and Gulf, the Germans found the hunting more profitable in the area of Trinidad until mid 1943. The AAFAC consequently based B-18 Bolo
s s at Edinburgh Field
, Trinidad
, from early January until August 1943. In November and December 1942, German submarines sank 18 ships. Increased aerial patrols paid off with no losses of friendly ships near Trinidad from January to July 1943. During this time, the USAAF B-18's engaged mostly in convoy escort and coverage missions. In July-August, German submarines sank four merchant vessels. The USAAF anti submarine squadrons, flying both B-24's and B-18's, made six attacks and participated in two killer hunts to foil the enemy offensive in Trinidad waters.
In addition to the Trinidad area, the German submarines operated extensively in the South Atlantic Ocean in 1943, where merchant vessels sailed independently because there was no convoy system. The AAFAC sent a detachment of B-24 aircraft in May from Trinidad
to Natal, Brazil, to patrol the South Atlantic sea lanes at ranges beyond the reach of the Brazilian Air Force
and flew patrols over the South Atlantic Ocean until August 1943.
In October 1941, far to the north, an Air Force detachment of four to six B-17 Flying Fortresses had begun anti submarine patrols over the northwest Atlantic Ocean from RCAF Station Gander
, Newfoundland
. The B-17's were armed with machine guns and bombs but carried no RADAR or depth charges. In July 1942, the 421st Bombardment Squadron
(Heavy), also flying B-17's and with a primary mission of long range bombardment training, replaced the detachment. The squadron cooperated with Royal Canadian Air Force
and United States Navy
organizations in Newfoundland to carry on its secondary mission of anti submarine war. Then, in the fall of 1942, the AAFAC made anti submarine patrol the squadron's primary mission, redesignating it the 20th Antisubmarine Squadron
(Heavy).
During the 1943 Allied Conference in Casablanca
, French Morocco
, the United Kingdom and the United States agreed to deploy B-24 aircraft to patrol the mid Atlantic gap. Modified B-24's, with a radius up to 1,000 miles (1,609 km), could fly day or night in all but the worst weather to detect and attack submarines. The British immediately began operating Liberators, the Royal Air Force designation of the B-24, from bases in Ireland
and Iceland
to cover the eastern part of the gap, but the U.S. Navy did not send any aircraft to cover the western stretches of the mid Atlantic. During February 1943 21 ships totaling almost 200,000 tons were lost, mostly in the western gap. The next month in the Atlantic, the Allies lost 38 ships of 750,000 tons and an escort in four convoys.
On 18 March a B-24 detachment of the 25th Antisubmarine Wing
established a headquarters at St. John's, Newfoundland
, and began anti submarine patrols on 3 April 1943. By the end of the month the AAFAC had three B-24 squadrons operating from RCAF Station Torbay
and RCAF Gander in Newfoundland. The squadrons engaged in convoy coverage and in broad offensive sweeps ahead of the convoys. In April and May they made 12 sightings of German submarines, which resulted in three attacks, but the B-24's did not sink a submarine.
On 9 July 1943, after several meetings, the Army Air Forces and the U.S. Navy agreed that the AAFAC would withdraw from anti-submarine operations. In accordance with this agreement, the USAAF by 6 October turned over 77 B-24 Liberator
s configured with antisubmarine equipment to the U.S. Navy in return for an equal number of unmodified B-24s known as PB4Y Privateers from the U.S. Navy's allocation. The Navy would then continue to employ both its seaplane and land-based fixed-wing patrol squadrons (VP) and patrol bomber squadrons (VPB) in the antisubmarine warfare mission.
On 31 August the Air Force redesignated the AAFAC as I Bomber Command and assigned it to the First Air Force, and redesignating the antisubmarine squadrons as heavy bombardment squadrons. The 25th and 26th Antisubmarine Wings were inactivated, but the two antisubmarine groups stationed in England and French Morocco, the 479th Antisubmarine Group
at RAF Dunkeswell, England
and the 480th Antisubmarine Group Port Lyautey
, French Morocco
, continued operations into October 1943 before being inactivated.
Thus, the USAAF ended its antisubmarine mission, mostly disdained in spite of its strategic significance as temporary and secondary to the Air Force's responsibilities as a strategic bombing force.
As part of the overall Allied antisubmarine effort, the USAAF significantly affected the outcome of the campaign. In terms of the force available, the USAAF increased its antisubmarine force from a few obsolete observation aircraft, medium bombers, and B-17s, all without radar, to 187 operational B-24 Liberator
s, 80 B-25 Mitchell
s, 12 B-17 Flying Fortresss, and seven Lockheed B-34 Venturas
, most equipped with microwave radar and other detection equipment.
The USAAF's antisubmarine campaign harassed the Germans to the point of ineffectiveness. Even the efforts of the small armed and unarmed Civil Air Patrol
aircraft in the shallow coastal waters contributed to this outcome. The German policy from the beginning of the war was to withdraw from areas that became too dangerous because of heavy aerial patrols.
By May 1943, Germany had lost the strategic initiative in the Battle of the Atlantic. Aircraft had forced the enemy to submerge so frequently and stay down for such extended intervals that their targets escaped and U-boat activity became so handicapped that the returns barely justified the expense.
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Its mission was to deal with the German Navy
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
threat.
Lineage
- Constituted as Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command on 13 October 1942
- Activated on 15 October 1942
- Redesignated I Bomber Command 31 August 1943
- Inactivated on 21 March 1946
- Disbanded on 8 October 1948
Assignments
- Headquarters, United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air ForcesThe United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
, 15 October 1942 - First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, 31 August 1943-21 March 1946
Stations
- 90 Church Street, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 15 October 1942 - Mitchel Field, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, c. 1 October 1943-21 March 1946.
Units
Wing/Group- 25th Antisubmarine Wing25th Antisubmarine WingThe 25th Anti-Submarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in New York City, New York. It was inactivated on 15 October 1943-History:...
, 20 November 1942-15 October 1943
- Stationed at: 90 Church Street, New York, New York
- Patrolled the United States Atlantic CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
- 26th Antisubmarine Wing26th Antisubmarine WingThe 26th Anti-Submarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based at Miami Airport, Florida. It was deactivated on 15 October 1943-History:...
, 17 November 1942-15 October 1943
- 26th Antisubmarine Wing
- Stationed at: 36th St AirportMiami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
, Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625... - Patrolled the United States Gulf Coast and Caribbean SeaCaribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
- 1st Search Attack Group1st Search Attack GroupThe 1st Search Attack Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based in Langley Field, Virginia...
, 17 June 1942-10 April 1944
- Stationed at: Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
- Tested equipment for submarine detection and surface craft
- 2d Bombardment Group, 13-29 October 1942
- Stationed at: Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
- Patrolled the United States Atlantic CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
- 13th Bombardment Group13th Bombardment GroupThe 13 AEG was re-activated by Thirteenth AF as the air component of Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica . The 13 AEG includes the 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and the 139th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron who fly the C-17 and LC-130 aircraft supporting the operation, respectively. ...
, 15 January 1941-30 November 1942
- Stationed at: Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
; Orlando AABOrlando Executive AirportOrlando Executive Airport is a public-use airport located three nautical miles east of the central business district of Orlando, a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
; Westover Field, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... - Patrolled the United States Atlantic CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
- 45th Bombardment Group45th Bombardment GroupThe 45th Operations Group is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 45th Space Wing, stationed at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.-Overview:...
, 1941-8 December 1942
- Stationed at: Savannah AABHunter Army AirfieldHunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
; Grenier Field, New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
; Dover AAF, DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
; Miami AAFMiami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Patrolled the United States Atlantic CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
- 304th Bombardment Group304th Bombardment GroupThe 304th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in Langley Field, Virginia...
. 29 October-30 December 1942
- Stationed at: Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
- Patrolled the United States Atlantic CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
also OTU
- 377th Bombardment Group377th Air Base WingThe 377th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.-Mission:Provide world-class nuclear surety, expeditionary forces, and support to base operations.-Units:...
, 18 October-14 December 1942
- Stationed at: Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
- Patrolled the United States Atlantic CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
- 378th Bombardment Group378th Bombardment GroupThe 378th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in Langley Field, Virginia...
, 18 October-9 December 1942
- Stationed at: Fort Dix AAB, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
- Patrolled the United States Atlantic CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
- 479th Antisubmarine Group479th Antisubmarine GroupThe 479th Antisubmarine Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based at RAF Podington, England...
, 8 July-11 November 1943
- Stationed at: RAF St EvalRAF St EvalRAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
; RAF DunkeswellDunkeswell AerodromeDunkeswell Aerodrome is an airfield in East Devon, England. It is located approximately north of the town of Honiton and northeast of Exeter. It is a busy civilian airfield with a mix of light aircraft, microlights and parachuting....
; RAF PodingtonRAF PodingtonRAF Podington is a former World War II United States Army Air Force base in England. It is located six miles south-east of Wellingborough, in Bedfordshire.-Overview:...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... - Patrolled the Bay of BiscayBay of BiscayThe Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
west of FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- 480th Antisubmarine Group, 21 June 1943-20 January 1944
- Stationed at: Port LyauteyNaval Air Station Port LyauteyNaval Air Station Port Lyautey is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station in Morocco, about 5 km north-northwest of Kenitra ; about 120 km northeast of Casablanca. The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force and the last of US military personnel departed...
, French MoroccoFrench MoroccoFrench Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate... - Based in North Africa, Patrolled Atlantic OceanAtlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
north and west of MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
Squadron
- 4th Antisubmarine Squadron4th Antisubmarine SquadronThe 4th Antisubmarine Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 479th Antisubmarine Group, based at RAF Podington, England...
, 8 June-8 July 1943 - 6th Antisubmarine Squadron6th Antisubmarine SquadronThe 6th Antisubmarine Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 479th Antisubmarine Group, based at RAF Podington, England...
, 8 June-14 August 1943 - 13th Antisubmarine Squadron863d Bombardment SquadronThe 863d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 493d Bombardment Group, based at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota...
, 18 October-9 December 1942 - 17th Antisubmarine Squadron855th Bombardment SquadronThe 855th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 491st Bombardment Group, based at McChord Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 8 September 1945.-History:...
, 18 October-20 November 1942 - 19th Antisubmarine Squadron19th Antisubmarine SquadronThe 19th Antisubmarine Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 479th Antisubmarine Group, based at RAF Podington, England...
, 8 June-11 July 1943 - 20th Antisubmarine Squadron847th Bombardment SquadronThe 847th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 489th Bombardment Group, based at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas...
, 8 February-13 October 1943 - 22d Antisubmarine Squadron, 3-8 March 1943
Aircraft
Antisubmarine Command's units flew such aircraft as Douglas B-18 BoloB-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, North American B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
, Lockheed B-34 Ventura, North American O-47
North American O-47
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002. ISBN 0-7607-3432-1.* Fahey, James C. U.S. Army Aircraft 1908-1946. New York: Ships and Aircraft, 1946....
, Douglas A-20 Havoc, and Lockheed A-29 Hudson, and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
.
Origins
The USAAF began flying antisubmarine patrols along the Atlantic coastEast Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
immediately after the Pearl Harbor Attack. Initial patrols over the approaches to New York harbor were flown by First Air Force
First Air Force
The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, I Bomber Command
XX Bomber Command
The XX Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on July 16, 1945.- History:...
from Mitchel Field. Patrols over Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
were flown from Otis Field. However, despite the Battle of the Atlantic raging for the previous two years, the United States was not prepared for war against U-Boats. The United States lacked ships, aircraft, equipment, trained personnel, and a master plan to counter any serious submarine offensive.
The Navy's
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
air arm in 1941 was as inadequate as its anti-submarine surface fleet. Initially, the Navy had no escort carriers, a type that eventually was very effective against the German submarines. It also lacked aircraft capable of long range patrols over the ocean to attack submarines when sighted. Prewar plans called for the USAAF to support naval forces in case of an emergency. To supplement its meager anti submarine forces, the Navy turned to the USAAF. Air Force doctrine, however, emphasized strategic bombing, and the Army Air Force had no equipment or trained personnel for the specialized job of patrolling against, detecting, and attacking submarines from the air.
Also, the sudden entry of the United States into World War II caught Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
Admiral Doenitz by surprise, with no submarines immediately available to send to American coastal waters. Doenitz quickly allocated five long distance submarines, all he could quickly make ready, to Operation DRUMBEAT, his code name for operations against shipping in U.S. coastal sea lanes. These sailed from Lorient, France, between 23 and 27 December 1941.
On 31 December 1941 a Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
cutter reported a periscope in Portland Channel, and on 7 January 1942 an Army plane sighted a submarine off the coast of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. On that same day the Navy reported the presence of a fleet of U-boats in the waters south of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
. The British merchant ship SS Cyclops was sunk off Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
on 11 January, 125 miles south-east of Cape Sable
Cape Sable
Cape Sable, Florida is the southernmost point of the US mainland and mainland Florida. It is located in southwestern Florida, in Monroe County, and is part of the Everglades National Park. The cape is a peninsula issuing from the southeastern part of the Florida mainland, running west and curving...
. Cyclops was the first ship sunk in the German U-boat campaign against the East Coast of North America. Three days later the tanker Norness went down southeast of Nontauk Point, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
.
These sinkings of merchant vessels along the Atlantic coast made it clear to the American public the grim realities of war. These attacks on commercial shipping were not only a drain on supply lines of our British Allies, which was perilously thin at best, but the attacks virtually on our Atlantic seaboard threatened the coastal commerce as well. In the remaining days of January 1942, 13 more ships were sunk by U-Boats off the Northeast Atlantic coast.
War had arrived in the territorial waters of the United States.
I Bomber Command
For nearly 10 months I Bomber Command bore the brunt of the air war along the Atlantic coast against the U-boats. However, the aircraft assembled by First Air Force were approximately 100 two-engine aircraft of various sizes and types largely obsolete. It was, however, all that could be made available.
The Germans between mid January 1942 and the end of June sank 171 ships off the East Coast, many of them tankers. During the first half of 1942, the Allies lost three million tons of shipping, mostly in American waters. The submarine attacks claimed about 5,000 lives, and the loss of irreplaceable cargoes grievously endangered Great Britain's ability to continue the war.
The Air Force I Air Support Command dispatched observation and pursuit (fighter) aircraft on patrol out to 40 miles (64 km) offshore from Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, south to Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, but usually had fewer than ten aircraft per day on patrol. I Bomber Command relied on its medium B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
and B-18 Bolo
B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
bombers to fly up to 300 miles offshore and its heavy B-17 Flying Fortress's to cover up to 600 miles out. On the average, I Bomber Command had only three aircraft flying each day from Westover Field, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and three from Mitchel Field, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, not nearly enough to patrol the Naval Eastern Sea Frontier effectively. The aircraft used against the U-boats by First Air Force were generally unsuited for antisubmarine missions. All, with the exception of a squadron of B-17's, were of relatively short range and limited carrying capacity. And all, of course, as yet lacked special detection equipment such as RADAR. The old B-18, though obsolescent, proved to be the most useful in the early months, but even they were at first scarce.
The USAAF obtained the assistance of the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
(CAP) to augment I Bomber Command's efforts. Organized a week before the war began, the CAP consisted of civilian pilots willing to fly their own aircraft off the coast to look for submarines and to assist in the rescue of survivors. Receiving only aviation gasoline from the USAAF, the CAP began patrolling on 8 March 1942, eventually establishing 21 stations from Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
, to Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
. With the help of the CAP, the I Bomber Command flew almost 8,000 hours in March 1942, about as much as in January and February combined. The additional patrols forced German submarines to remain submerged except on the darkest nights.
Most of the I Bomber Command units involved in the antisubmarine war in early 1942 were still in a training status, and those best trained had been taken away for service in the Southwest Pacific or being prepared for deployment to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In addition, prewar agreements had assigned overwater operations to the Navy and had placed restrictions on Army overwater flying. So it is scarcely surprising that the Army planes entered on their adopted task with demolition bombs instead of depth charges and with crews who were ill-trained in naval identification or in the best method of attacking submarines.
The United States sought the guidance of Great Britain, which had been waging anti submarine war against Germany since 1939. As suggested by the British, the USAAF and the U.S. Navy established a Joint Control and Information Center in New York City on 31 December 1941. The center tracked the movements of merchant shipping, plotted enemy contacts, and determined the locations of all surface and air anti submarine patrols. However, the two services worked independently in different parts of the same building, each maintaining its own situation plot and receiving intelligence from different sources.
The situation led to the Navy failing to send the information it did receive from the British to I Bomber Command, and the intelligence received not being used in operations against the U-Boats. Even if it were disseminated, intelligence data often lost its usefulness because it was not quickly communicated from Navy to Army organizations or down the chain of command in either service. In large part, this lapse was the result of the chaos and confusion that Army and Navy commands suffered in the first few months of the war. This confusion also led to faulty tactics that usually resulted in unsuccessful attacks on enemy submarines. Attacked submarines often escaped because the aerial and surface attacks were sporadic rather than sustained. Through inexperience, poor training, and lack of adequate forces, both Navy surface forces and USAAF air crews often failed to follow up initial anti submarine attacks.
As the weeks passed, however, the situation began to improve. Air Force planes began to be equipped with depth charges instead of bombs, and primitive RADAR equipment was fitted to the long distance bombers. Training in over water navigation, along with ship recognition took place along with training from the British in anti-submarine attack tactics took place. There was some early success by I Bomber Command. Constant aerial patrolling to as far as 600 miles out to sea restricted opportunities for submarines to operate on the surface.
Until the first USAAF aircraft received RADAR sets in March 1942, the submarines could surface and attack almost at will during dark nights or inclement weather, but the advent of night flights using RADAR to locate surfaced submarines added considerably to the value of the routine anti submarine air patrol. By June 1942, I Bomber Command aircraft had vastly increased sightings of and attacks on German submarines. The first successful USAAF aircraft attack on a German submarine occurred on 7 July 1942, when a Lockheed A-29 Hudson of the 396th Bombardment Squadron attacked a submarine (U-701) seven miles from Cherry Point, North Carolina. According to the after-action report the aircrew "attacked from 50 feet (15 m) at 220 miles per hour (354 km/h), releasing three MK XVII depth charges in train about 20 seconds after the target submerged. The submarine was still visible underwater as the bombs fell. The first hit short of the stem; the second, just aft of the conning tower; the third, just forward of the conning tower. Fifteen seconds after the explosions, large quantities of air came to the surface, followed by 17 members of the crew."
By the late spring of 1942, I Bomber Command was waging full-scale antisubmarine warfare, yet it was still theoretically acting in an emergency capacity in support of Naval forces, and its units might at any time be withdrawn to their normal duties of bombardment. The fact was that in 1942, Air Force units were sorely needed in the Southwest Pacific, and Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
was building up its forces in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Both the Pacific as well as European theaters needed every combat aircraft they could find as the means for large-scale production of aircraft had not yet been developed. Also, the antisubmarine patrols was seen by Air Force leaders as a secondary mission.
Also, no system of unified command between the Army Air Forces and the Navy had been set up specifically for joint operations peculiar to antisubmarine warfare. Units of the Army Air Force had been effectively discouraged by the Navy from undertaking practice reconnaissance flights over water beyond the 100-mile limit. Cooperation at the higher levels of the USAAF and the Navy was elusive, partly because of historical rivalry. Between World Wars I and II, the two services had argued bitterly over the roles of their respective air arms, the Navy insisting on responsibility for all missions over the ocean and the Army insisting on controlling all long range, land based aircraft. The jurisdictional problem continued into the war and at times handicapped efforts to counter enemy submarine attacks in American waters.
USAAF General Henry H. Arnold proposed to settle the question in a practical compromise. In a letter to Admiral Ernest King, Chief of Naval Operations, on 9 May 1942, he wrote: "To meet the present situation, I propose to recommend the establishment of a Coastal Command, within the Army Air Corps which will have for its purpose operations similar to the Coastal Command, RAF," operating "when necessary under the control of the proper Naval authority". The virtues of such an organization would, Arnold believed, be many. It would not only do the job, it would also have the flexibility necessary for antisubmarine action, and could readily be decreased as the need decreased, the units then simply reverting to normal bombardment duty without becoming stranded wastefully in a naval program which left no place for them.
In this proposal General Arnold pointed the way to the settlement finally adopted in the creation of the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command.
Gulf and Caribbean operations
- See Also: Antilles Air CommandAntilles Air CommandThe Antilles Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico...
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. In addition to the Atlantic coast, where Admiral Doenitz kept about 4 or 5 submarines on patrol, Doenitz deployed several U-Boats into the Gulf and Caribbean for operations. On 16 February, a German submarine sank two tankers off San Nicholas, Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, then moved into the harbor and shelled a refinery, inflicting little damage but killing four people. In February and March, the Germans operated six submarines in the Caribbean Sea, each patrolling for two to three weeks before returning to France.
The situation in the Gulf and Caribbean areas had become so serious that General Arnold requested the Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
to use its units for antisubmarine patrol during their regular training missions flying over the Gulf. This shift of the German submarine offensive to the Gulf overwhelmed the resources of the Navy and the USAAF. The Air Force antisubmarine operations had begun in December 1941 with operations from four states only, from Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, to Langley Field, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. By September 1942 USAAF antisubmarine patrols were operating in seven states, from Westover Field, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, stretching the limits of First and Third Air Forces to accommodate the antisubmarine mission which was barely adequate to defend against submarines along the Atlantic coast. In addition the commands also were charged with the important training mission of forces to be deployed overseas into the combat theaters.
The USAAF, fearing a German or Japanese attack on the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
transferred to Sixth Air Force 80 additional fighter aircraft, nine heavy bombers, and four mobile radar sets. In February 1942, Sixth Air Force assumed responsibility for the aerial defense of the Panama Canal. Then in April 1942, when the German submarine threat became evident, Sixth Air Force, cooperating with the Navy, instituted anti submarine patrol flights as far east as Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. Most flights were by tactical aircraft, such as Bell P-39 Airacobra’s and Northrup A-17A Nomad
Northrop A-17
The Northrop A-17, a development of the Northrop Gamma 2F was a two seat, single engine, monoplane, attack bomber built in 1935 by the Northrop Corporation for the US Army Air Corps.-Development and design:...
's, which could fly only during daylight; lacking radar and trained observers, the pilots had little luck in spotting enemy submarines. On the other hand, Sixth Air Force aircraft occasionally attacked friendly ships and submarines, fortunately without damaging them.
The USAAF in February 1942 organized a provisional force, designated the Antilles Air Task Force
Antilles Air Command
The Antilles Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico...
under Sixth Air Force, headquartered at Borinquen Air Base, Puetro Rico. The Task Force (later Command) operated from scattered airfields throughout the Caribbean at Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, Curaçao, Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, Surinam, British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Saint Croix, and Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
. Initially it consisted of about 40 B-18 medium bombers, seven Douglas A-20 Havoc light bombers, and various fighter aircraft (P-39s, P-40s). The task force obtained radar equipped aircraft, which vastly increased its anti submarine capability. Prior to July the air crews reported few sightings of or attacks on submarines, but in July and August attacked 20. To supplement these efforts, First Air Force sent six B-18's equipped with radar to the Caribbean. Detachments of B-18's stationed at Trinidad, Curaçao, Dutch Guyana, and British Guyana began operations in June 1942, but these aircraft, lacking radar, could not stem the German efforts in the area during the summer.
AAF Antisubmarine Command
- See Also: 1st Search Attack Group1st Search Attack GroupThe 1st Search Attack Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based in Langley Field, Virginia...
The principal mission of AAFAC was to be "the location and destruction of hostile submarines wherever they may be operating". As a necessary means to this end it had the secondary mission of training crews and developing devices and techniques. The command was to be a direct reporting agency to the Commanding General, United States Army Air Forces, although its operations on the United States Navy Eastern and Gulf Sea Frontiers were to be conducted under the tactical control of Naval officials. The former I Bomber Command furnished the personnel, aircraft, and equipment for the new organization. By 20 November 1942, the AAFAC had organized the squadrons it had inherited from I Bomber Command into the 25th and 26th anti submarine Wings with headquarters at New York and Miami respectively.
Initially, AAFAC had 19 operational Antisubmarine Squadrons and only 20 B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s, the aircraft type most useful for long range anti-submarine patrolling. The command grew rapidly until, by September 1943, there were 25 Antisubmarine Squadrons, most being equipped with B-24's modified for anti submarine war. USAAFAC squadrons were eventually located in the Americas from Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
south to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, based in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, with operating units as far east as Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
With the increasing number of RADAR-equipped B-24s over the Atlantic coastline and Gulf, the Germans found the hunting more profitable in the area of Trinidad until mid 1943. The AAFAC consequently based B-18 Bolo
B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
s s at Edinburgh Field
Carlsen Air Force Base
Carlsen Air Force Base is a former United States Army Air Forces World War II airbase on Trinidad, consisting of two landing strips, "Edinburgh" and "Xeres"...
, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, from early January until August 1943. In November and December 1942, German submarines sank 18 ships. Increased aerial patrols paid off with no losses of friendly ships near Trinidad from January to July 1943. During this time, the USAAF B-18's engaged mostly in convoy escort and coverage missions. In July-August, German submarines sank four merchant vessels. The USAAF anti submarine squadrons, flying both B-24's and B-18's, made six attacks and participated in two killer hunts to foil the enemy offensive in Trinidad waters.
In addition to the Trinidad area, the German submarines operated extensively in the South Atlantic Ocean in 1943, where merchant vessels sailed independently because there was no convoy system. The AAFAC sent a detachment of B-24 aircraft in May from Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
to Natal, Brazil, to patrol the South Atlantic sea lanes at ranges beyond the reach of the Brazilian Air Force
Brazilian Air Force
The Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
and flew patrols over the South Atlantic Ocean until August 1943.
In October 1941, far to the north, an Air Force detachment of four to six B-17 Flying Fortresses had begun anti submarine patrols over the northwest Atlantic Ocean from RCAF Station Gander
CFB Gander
Canadian Forces Base Gander , is a Canadian Forces Base located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force and is home to air/marine search and rescue operations that cover a vast swath of the western North Atlantic and southern Arctic...
, Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
. The B-17's were armed with machine guns and bombs but carried no RADAR or depth charges. In July 1942, the 421st Bombardment Squadron
847th Bombardment Squadron
The 847th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 489th Bombardment Group, based at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas...
(Heavy), also flying B-17's and with a primary mission of long range bombardment training, replaced the detachment. The squadron cooperated with Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
and United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
organizations in Newfoundland to carry on its secondary mission of anti submarine war. Then, in the fall of 1942, the AAFAC made anti submarine patrol the squadron's primary mission, redesignating it the 20th Antisubmarine Squadron
847th Bombardment Squadron
The 847th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 489th Bombardment Group, based at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas...
(Heavy).
During the 1943 Allied Conference in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, the United Kingdom and the United States agreed to deploy B-24 aircraft to patrol the mid Atlantic gap. Modified B-24's, with a radius up to 1,000 miles (1,609 km), could fly day or night in all but the worst weather to detect and attack submarines. The British immediately began operating Liberators, the Royal Air Force designation of the B-24, from bases in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
to cover the eastern part of the gap, but the U.S. Navy did not send any aircraft to cover the western stretches of the mid Atlantic. During February 1943 21 ships totaling almost 200,000 tons were lost, mostly in the western gap. The next month in the Atlantic, the Allies lost 38 ships of 750,000 tons and an escort in four convoys.
On 18 March a B-24 detachment of the 25th Antisubmarine Wing
25th Antisubmarine Wing
The 25th Anti-Submarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in New York City, New York. It was inactivated on 15 October 1943-History:...
established a headquarters at St. John's, Newfoundland
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, and began anti submarine patrols on 3 April 1943. By the end of the month the AAFAC had three B-24 squadrons operating from RCAF Station Torbay
St. John's International Airport
St. John's International Airport is an international airport located northwest of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada that serves the St. John's Metro Area and the Avalon Peninsula. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by St...
and RCAF Gander in Newfoundland. The squadrons engaged in convoy coverage and in broad offensive sweeps ahead of the convoys. In April and May they made 12 sightings of German submarines, which resulted in three attacks, but the B-24's did not sink a submarine.
Inactivation
To be effective, the U-Boat hunt involved close cooperation among the operational forces of the Army Air Forces and the Navy. Unfortunately, this cooperative attitude did not lessen inter-service rivalries concerning organization, control, and the use of land-based aircraft. The Army Air Forces deemed the Navy's continuing operational control of its aircraft an intolerable situation, especially since the Navy kept most of the AAFAC's aircraft on endless patrols off the East Coast looking at long stretches of water without any submarines.On 9 July 1943, after several meetings, the Army Air Forces and the U.S. Navy agreed that the AAFAC would withdraw from anti-submarine operations. In accordance with this agreement, the USAAF by 6 October turned over 77 B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s configured with antisubmarine equipment to the U.S. Navy in return for an equal number of unmodified B-24s known as PB4Y Privateers from the U.S. Navy's allocation. The Navy would then continue to employ both its seaplane and land-based fixed-wing patrol squadrons (VP) and patrol bomber squadrons (VPB) in the antisubmarine warfare mission.
On 31 August the Air Force redesignated the AAFAC as I Bomber Command and assigned it to the First Air Force, and redesignating the antisubmarine squadrons as heavy bombardment squadrons. The 25th and 26th Antisubmarine Wings were inactivated, but the two antisubmarine groups stationed in England and French Morocco, the 479th Antisubmarine Group
479th Antisubmarine Group
The 479th Antisubmarine Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based at RAF Podington, England...
at RAF Dunkeswell, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the 480th Antisubmarine Group Port Lyautey
Naval Air Station Port Lyautey
Naval Air Station Port Lyautey is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station in Morocco, about 5 km north-northwest of Kenitra ; about 120 km northeast of Casablanca. The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force and the last of US military personnel departed...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, continued operations into October 1943 before being inactivated.
Thus, the USAAF ended its antisubmarine mission, mostly disdained in spite of its strategic significance as temporary and secondary to the Air Force's responsibilities as a strategic bombing force.
As part of the overall Allied antisubmarine effort, the USAAF significantly affected the outcome of the campaign. In terms of the force available, the USAAF increased its antisubmarine force from a few obsolete observation aircraft, medium bombers, and B-17s, all without radar, to 187 operational B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s, 80 B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
s, 12 B-17 Flying Fortresss, and seven Lockheed B-34 Venturas
Lockheed Ventura
The Lockheed Ventura was a bomber and patrol aircraft of World War II, used by United States and British Commonwealth forces in several guises...
, most equipped with microwave radar and other detection equipment.
The USAAF's antisubmarine campaign harassed the Germans to the point of ineffectiveness. Even the efforts of the small armed and unarmed Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
aircraft in the shallow coastal waters contributed to this outcome. The German policy from the beginning of the war was to withdraw from areas that became too dangerous because of heavy aerial patrols.
By May 1943, Germany had lost the strategic initiative in the Battle of the Atlantic. Aircraft had forced the enemy to submerge so frequently and stay down for such extended intervals that their targets escaped and U-boat activity became so handicapped that the returns barely justified the expense.