II Bomber Command

The II Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command heavy bomber units assigned to Second Air Force. Following the entry of the United States into World War II, it flew patrols off the northwest Pacific coast. However, its main efforts soon began organizing and training heavy bomber units and aircrews. By 1943, the command had become the only command under Second Air Force conducting operational training, and on 6 October 1943 it was disbanded as redundant and its functions absorbed by Second Air Force or transferred to the bomber commands of the other continental air forces.

History

Initial operations

GHQ Air Force (GHQ, AF) had been established with two major combat functions, to maintain a striking force against long range targets, and the air defense of the United States. In the spring of 1941, GHQ, AF reorganized its Northwest Air District as 2nd Air Force. To carry out its mission of training and maintaining a strike force, 2nd Air Force organized 2nd Bomber Command at Fort George Wright, Washington in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor.Maurer, p.439

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the command began to perform antisubmarine and air defense patrols along the Pacific coast. Although off shore patrols continued to some degree until May 1943, by early 1942, it had become apparent that having two commands responsible for air defense in the Western Theater of Operations was impractical, and 4th Air Force assumed responsibility for air defense of the entire Pacific coast. Later in 1942, the Navy was able to assume the air antisubmarine mission entirely.

Unit and crew training

As the United States entered World War II it found that its traditional system of splitting off cadres from existing groups, with the groups performing "self training" to become combat ready was inadequate for the huge expansion of the Army Air Forces (AAF) taking place. Old groups needed to be kept at or near full strength so that they could deploy overseas or perform air defense duties in the US and it was hard to spare experienced aircrew to act as instructors. Instead, planners began to look at the Operational Training Unit (OTU) system of the Royal Air Force as a model. This system provided additional training on unit tactics, rather than concentrating on individual proficiency. In January 1942, the commander of 3d Bomber Command, Follett Bradley, urged the adoption of the OTU system.

In early February 1942, the OTU program was adopted for 2nd and 3rd Air Forces, and it was expected that these two air forces would be able to manage the AAF's unit training program. Units designated as OTUs, referred to as "parent" units, would be brought up to full strength, and then a "satellite" unit would be added and also brought up to full strength. During World War II, the unit trained most heavy bomber (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator) bombardment groups. The command's wings specialized in a single phase of training: Phase I (individual training); Phase II (crew training) and Phase III (unit training).

At about the same time, the command began to implement the Replacement Training Unit system. to train replacement aircrews for overseas deployment. This replaced the system by which experienced personnel were withdrawn from units in the United States for overseas assignment with one in which oversized units were formed expressly to train aircrews for deployment. This training became the most important training for heavy bomber units by 1943.White, pp. 16-17

Disbanding the command

However, by 1943, the command had become redundant. 2nd Fighter Command had transferred its air defense mission to 4th Fighter Command and in the fall of 1942, had transferred to the Southwest Pacific Theater as V Fighter Command. 2nd Air Support Command transferred to Third Air Force when the AAF decided to concentrate all light bomber, medium bomber, and reconnaissance under Third's control at the beginning of 1943. As the only remaining operational command in Second Air Force, II Bomber Command became an extra layer of command. Even earlier, during 1942, it had functioned more like a staff agency than as an independent command. It was disbanded in October 1943. At about the same time, some heavy bomber training was transferred to the other three continental air forces to make possible additional combined training between fighter and bomber units.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 2nd Bomber Command on 4 September 1941Maurer indicated the unit was constituted as the "II" Bomber Command. However, the unit originally held an arabic number in its designation. Only in September 1942, did the Army establish that command