Hammel - Air war Pacific : chronology : Americas air war against Japan in East Asia and the Pacific, 1941-1945

A IR W AR P AC IFIC

CHRONOLOGY

AMER ICA S AIR WA R AGA I NS T JAPAN

IN EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

1941 1945

ERIC HAMMEL

Pacifica Military History

Copyright 1998 by Eric Hammel

Jacket design and maps by Carol Moody, Gladstone, Missouri

Books by Eric Hammel

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6 Hours: The Invasion of Tarawa (with John E. Lane)

Chosin: Heroic Ordeal of the Korean War

The Root: The Marines in Beirut

Ace!: A Marine Night-Fighter Pilot in World War II (with R. Bruce Porter)

Duel for the Golan (with Jerry Asher)

Guadalcanal: Starvation Island

Guadalcanal: The Carrier Battles

Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea

Munda Trail: The New Georgia Campaign

The Jolly Rogers (with Tom Blackburn)

Khe Sanh: Siege in the Clouds

First Across the Rhine (with David E. Pergrin)

Lima-6: A Marine Company Commander in Vietnam (with Richard D. Camp)

Ambush Valley

Aces Against Japan

Aces Against Japan II

Aces Against Germany

Air War Europa: Chronology

Carrier Clash

Aces at War

Air War Pacific: Chronology

Aces in Combat

Bloody Tarawa

Marines at War

Carrier Strike

Pacific Warriors: The U.S. Marines in World War II

Iwo Jima: Portrait of a Battle

Marines in Hue City: Portrait of an Urban Battle

The U.S. Marines in World War II: Guadalcanal

The U.S. Marines in World War II: New Georgia, Bougainville, and Cape Gloucester

The U.S. Marines in World War II: Tarawa and the Marshalls

How America Saved the World

For All the American and Allied Airmen

Who Braved Those War-Torn Skies

1stLt First Lieutenant

2dLt Second Lieutenant

A5M IJN Mitsubishi Type 96 Claude fighter

A6M IJN Mitsubishi Type 0 Zero or Zeke fighter

A6M2-N IJN Navy Nakajima Type 2 Rufe floatplane fighter

AAF Army Air Forces

AAFPOA Army Air Forces, Pacific Ocean Area

ABDA American-British-Dutch-Australian Forces

ACV Auxiliary aircraft carrier

Adm Admral

ADVON Advance echelon

AFPAC U.S. Army Air Forces in the Pacific

AirNorSols Aircraft, Northern Solomons

AirPac Aircraft, Pacific

AirSols Aircraft, Solomon Islands

AirSoPac Aircraft, South Pacific

ANZAC Australia-New Zealand Army Corps

ATC Air Transport Command

Avenger RN U.S.-built carrier torpedo/light bomber (TBM variant)

AVG American Volunteer Group (Chinese Air Force)

Azon Azimuth remotely guided bomb

A-20 USAAF Douglas Havoc twin-engine light attack bomber

A-24 USAAF Douglas Dauntless single-engine dive-bomber

A-26 USAAF Douglas Invader twin-engine medium attack bomber

A-31 USAAF/RAF Vultee Vindicator single-engine dive-bomber

A-36 USAAF North American Apache single-engine fighter-bomber

B5N IJN Nakajima Type 97 Kate carrier torpedo/level bomber

B6N IJN Nakajima Jill carrier torpedo/light bomber

B7A IJN Aichi Grace carrier torpedo/light bomber

Beaufighter RAF Bristol 156 twin-engine fighter/night fighter

Beaufort RAF Bristol 152 twin-engine torpedo/light bomber

Black Cat USN night variant of Consolidated PBY twin-engine patrol bomber

Blenheim RAF Bristol 142/149/160 twin-engine light bomber

Boston RAF U.S.-built Douglas twin-engine light bomber (A-20 variant)

BriGen Brigadier General

Buffalo RAF U.S.-built Brewster fighter (F2A variant)

B-17 USAAF Boeing Flying Fortress four-engine heavy bomber

B-18 USAAC Douglas twin-engine medium bomber

B-24 USAAF Consolidated Liberator four-engine heavy bomber

B-25 USAAF North American Mitchell twin-engine medium bomber

B-26 USAAF Martin Marauder twin-engine medium bomber

B-29 USAAF Boeing Super Fortress four-engine very heavy bomber

B-32 USAAF Consolidated Dominator four-engine very heavy bomber

C6N IJN Nakajima Myrt carrier reconnaissance aircraft

Cactus Codename for Guadalcanal

Capt Captain

Catalina RAAF U.S.-built Consolidated twin-engine patrol bomber (same as PBY)

CACW Chinese-American Composite Wing

CATF China Air Task Force

CBI China-Burma-India Theater of Operations

CCS AlliedCombined Chiefs of Staff

Cdr Commander

CenCATS USMC Central Pacific Combat Air Transport Service

CinCPac Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Area

CNAC China National Aircraft Corporation

CNO Chief of Naval Operations

Col Colonel

ComAirCactus Commander, Aircraft, Cactus

ComAirForward Commander, Air Forces in the Forward Area

ComAirNorSols Commander, Aircraft, Northern Solomons

ComAirPac Commander Aircraft, Pacific

ComAirSols Commander, Aircraft, Solomon Islands

ComAirSoPac Commander, Aircraft, South Pacific

Comdr Commodore

ComGenSoPac Commanding General, South Pacific (U.S. Army)

Cominch Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet

ComSoPac Commander, South Pacific Area and South Pacific Force

Corsair RN U.S.-built Vought carrier fighter (F4U variant)

CUB USN Base Construction Unit

CV Fleet Aircraft Carrier

CVE Escort Aircraft Carrier

CVL Light Aircraft Carrier

C-45 USAAF Beech twin-engine light transport plane

C-46 USAAF Curtiss Commando twin-engine cargo/transport plane

C-47 USAAF Douglas Skytrain twin-engine cargo/transport plane

C-53 USAAF Douglas Skytrooper paratrooper transport (C-47 variant)

C-54 USAAF Douglas Skymaster four-engine cargo/transport plane

C-87 USAAF Consolidated Liberator four-engine transport (B-24 variant)

D3A IJN Aichi Type 99 Val carrier dive-bomber

D4Y IJN Yokosuka Type 2 Judy carrier dive-bomber

DC-3 U.S.-built Douglas twin-engine airliner (C-47 civilian variant)

E8N IJN Nakajima Type 95 Dave reconnaissance floatplane

E13A IJN Aichi Type 0 Jake twin-float reconnaissance seaplane

E16A IJN Aichi Paul twin-float reconnaissance seaplane

EAC Allied Eastern Air Command

Ens Ensign

F1M IJN Mitsubishi Type 0 Pete observation float biplane

F2A USN/USMC Brewster Buffalo carrier fighter

F4F USN/USMC Grumman Wildcat carrier fighter

F4U USN/USMC Vought Corsair carrier fighter

F6F USN Grumman Hellcat carrier fighter

FAdm Fleet Admiral

FEAF Far East Air Force

Firefly RN Fairey two-seat reconnaissance-bomber/fighter-bomber

FM USN General Motors Wildcat carrier fighter (F4F variant)

FO USAAF Warrant Flight Officer

F-4 USAAF Lockheed Lightning twin-engine photo-reconnissance fighter (P-38 variant)

F-5 USAAF Lockheed Lightning twin-engine photo-reconnissance fighter (P-38 variant)

F-6 USAAF North American Mustang photo-reconnaissance fighter (P-51 variant)

F-7 USAAF Consolidated Liberator four-engine reconnaissance bomber (B-24 variant)

F-13 USAAF Boeing Super Fortress four-engine reconnaissance bomber (B-29 variant)

G3M IJN Mitsubishi Type 96 Nell twin-engine medium bomber

G4M IJN Mitsubishi Type 1 Betty twin-engine medium bomber

Gen General

H2X Allied blind-bombing radar system

H6K IJN Kawanishi Mavis four-engine long-range amphibian reconnaissance bomber

H8K IJN Kawanishi Emily four-engine long-range amphibian reconnaissance bomber