8th AF Redeployment, Sumer 1945

[JohnB]

I'm reading the excellent Twilight of the Gods, the War in the Western Pacific, 1944-45, the final book in Ian W. Hill's excellent trilogy of the war in the Pacific.

In it, he mentions the final thrust to cripple Japan would come not only by carrier and B-29 forces, but by deployment of "thousands" of aircraft (he specifically mentions B-17s) from Europe, the 8th AF in particular.
I'm still reading the book, but so far he's mentioned it twice, not in terms that the European forces and equipment were planned or scheduled to go, but that they in fact, had gone.

We all know the reconstituted 8th, equipped with B-29s, eventually did make it to the Pacific, and were on the verge of combat operations when the war suddenly (for everyone not privy to the atomic bomb) ended.

However, I have never read that any of the fighters or bombers used in Europe (as stated by Toll), ever made the trip to the Pacific.
Anyone know different?

Last edited by JohnB on Thu Oct 15, 2020 7:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

[junkman9096]

I've noted and seen mention of this quite often. I've got a whole bunch of photos of 8th AF P-47's repainted in the late war colors of P-51 units. Apparently these high-time airframes were issued to Mustang groups in anticipation of them being re-equipped with P-47N's and being transferred to the Pacific. I've never understood why. If a combat unit had an entire combat history with the Mustang, why not send them to the Pacific with the aircraft they have experience with? Was range that different?

[Randy Wilson]

I'm away from my library but I think that the P-47N had an extra 200 gallons in the wings. If I remember correctly, they added four 25 gallon tanks in each wing around the landing gear stowage area. Again, from memory.

Randy

[Todd Hackbarth]

JohnB,

I know you have already seen the response that I made on another thread back in February of 2017, but I thought I would repost it here:

According to the 1988 book: "Superfortress - The B-29 and American Air Power" by General Curtis E. Lemay and Bill Yenne, B-17s were indeed scheduled to be based on Okinawa in order to bomb targets in Japan.

"At this time, (July 16, 1945), there were 3692 B-17s in the USAAF, most of which had been assigned to the USSAFE and which would now be deployed to Okinawa via the Eighth Air Force. There were also 4986 B-24s in the USAAF. ... General Hap Arnold had been to Okinawa in June and now was impatient to see a thousand B-17s there as soon as possible!"

My late father, Marvin W. Hackbarth, was in the USAAF 8th Air Force and assigned to the 4th Aircraft Repair Unit (Floating). His Liberty ship, Brigadier General Asa N. Duncan, was anchored off Okinawa, ready to support the B-17s (and P-51s & B-29s) when the war ended. General Doolittle landed on the Duncan in a Sikorsky R-4 helicopter for a unit inspection and lunch! Google Project Ivory Soap.

Todd

[junkman9096]

I'm away from my library but I think that the P-47N had an extra 200 gallons in the wings. If I remember correctly, they added four 25 gallon tanks in each wing around the landing gear stowage area. Again, from memory.

Randy

I was aware that the P-47N was the longer ranged version but P-51's were perfectly capable of flying from Iwo Jima. And in the interim Okinawa had been captured. Was Okinawa designated for B-29s only leaving Iwo for fighters-thus using the P-47N's somewhat greater range from there? I just don't know.

[JohnB]

Todd..
I understand what your are saying, the generals planned aircraft from Europe, but in the first 90 days following VE day, none (or few) seem to have moved.
If the expected invasion of Japan set for early 1946, you'd think some of the aircraft and units would have made the move by late summer to get them ready for combat a few months later. (As an aside, I'm not sure there was the physical room for the B-17/24 groups on the Marianas since the place was packed with B-29s).

Instead, we got planes flown back to the U.S. to places like Kingman and Walnut Ridge for eventual scrapping and personnel demobilized. I know my father, a b-17 pilot and recent arrival to the 15th AF, was given a non-flying job in Italy for a few months, nobody to him to hustle and fly a '17 to the Pacific.

I've never seen photos of ex 8-15th AF B-17/24s on any of the islands...had anyone?