WW2 2nd Report of the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces

For sale is a WW2 Publication titled the; “Second Report of the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces to the Secretary of War, February 27th 1945, published in the United States of America by the government printing office reprinted by his majesty’s stationary office london 1945”. 

  This publication states;   “It is once more the obligation of the AAF to submit a report of its activities to the American people from which it draws its fighting men, its airplanes, and its strength. In the pages that follow there are pictured, with a somewhat broad brush, the world-wide operations in which the AAF has been engaged, the means by which these operations have been sustained, and the objectives which lie ahead. This report is necessarily devoted to the Army Air Forces and their operations. However, the AAF does not for a moment forget that the AAF is one part of a well-balanced team, one element in the mighty combination of force which has been brought to bear against the Axis by the United States and the Allies. If this report does not set forth in detail the prodigious efforts and magnificent achievements of the Army Ground Forces, the Army Service Forces, the Navy and the Marine Corps of the United States, the Royal Air Force and the other Allied Forces, it is not for lack of recognition. It would be presumptuous to attempt in these brief pages to describe and interpret the activities, operations, and accomplishments of the AAF's sister services. That task is left to those who speak with the requisite knowledge and authority. Let the reader of this report remember that no accomplishment described in these pages is exclusively that of the AAF; it is the result of the combined efforts and contributions of the Armed Services and civil populations of the United States and the Allied Nations. This is essentially a combat narrative, written at a time when the air effort is reaching its peak in the European theater, and is being accelerated to the limit of our ability in the Pacific. It is a narrative which endeavors to explain through illustrative or typical activities the course of the war as affected by the course of the air war, to evaluate what has been achieved, and to outline the role played by the AAF in full cooperation with our Ground Forces, Service Forces, Navy and Marine Corps, and with our Allies. The first Report of the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces to the Secretary of War, published 4 January 1944, described the growth and development of the AAF prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, our training and plane-production program, our combat accomplishments in 1942 and 1943. This report is devoted to the combat and certain other activities of the AAF since 4 January 1944. During the past months the results of the Nation's great war effort have been obvious on the grim fighting fronts. What the Allied Forces have accomplished during 1944 will stand for generations as a warning to dictators to "beware the fury of a patient man." Yet, it must be clear to every American, while the war is still far from won, that the price of freedom from the conspiracies and assaults of international gangsters is eternal vigilance and the possession of men and weapons capable of destroying an enemy promptly before he destroys us. This document contains military information such as AF plans for D-Day in France that could not be released previously for reasons of military security. The enemy has now felt the impact of many projected operations, and if he is not already in possession of the particular information that he may glean from this report, he is welcome to it, for there is little he can now do about it. While much of the enemy's strength, strategy, and disposition has been revealed by his actions in combat, there are many things we do not know about him, and it would be folly to pretend that we do. Only historians can have the perception of the exact nature and demands of a great battle after it has been fought. But what is now unavailable for this narrative in cold military analysis may be offset by this first-hand story of fighting a war as its responsible officers have to fight it--with the men, knowledge, and weapons at their command. It is impossible, within the brief scope of this report, to give full credit to all individuals and organizations inside and outside the AAF who have made its accomplishments possible. We are especially indebted to the Chief of Staff, General Marshall, and to Mr. Robert A. Lovett, Assistant Secretary of War for Air. One could also refer to the Air Staff, to the personnel of our continental Air Forces, to the men operating isolated overseas posts, to the WACs, to those who man the production lines, to the scientists working on developments in the many laboratories of the United States, to the mechanics working at all hours and in all climates from the cold of Alaska to the heat of Assam, to the military and civilian personnel scattered all over the world, living in quonsets, warehouses, or bamboo huts, working behind desks or stock piles, seeing to it that the men and matériel get there in good condition and on time. In every way possible, the effort has been made to let all these people know the value of their work, but in the broader sense no medals, no awards, no public thanks can possibly give these people as much as they have given to help win this war.”   This is in good condition.    This will be sent via Royal Mail 1st class signed for and dispatched within two working days.