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Chapter 3: “They Will Be Shot Down as Fast as They Are Put in the Air”
- Texas A&M University Press
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PartI 70 C H A P T E R 3 “TheyWillBeShotDown asFastasTheyArePutintheAir” E arlyintheafternoononFriday,April4,Brig.Gen.HenryB.Clagett easedhiscorpulentframeintoachairasAirViceMarshalHugh Dowdingpreparedtoaddressagroupofsixty-threeofficersassembled inalargeroomatthenewlyestablishedAirDefenseSchoolatMitchel Field,LongIsland.ItwasClagett’stenthdayatthespecialcourseon airdefensearrangedbytheGeneralHeadquarters(GHQ)AirForceto indoctrinateAirCorps,SignalCorps,andCoastArtilleryofficersinthe latestthinkingonthesubject.Alloftheofficersattendingthethree-week course,whichhadbegunonMarch25,weretobeassignedtothevarious armyzonesinthecontinentalUnitedStatesandoverseasterritoriesupon itscompletion.1 Clagettwasbeingpreparedtoassumehisnewpositionasaircommander in the Philippine Department. GeneralArnold had personally pickedtheSelfridgeFieldcommanderforthejobinresponsetoGeneral Grunert’srequestforageneralofficertotakeoverhisgrowingPhilippines airforce.Clagettwouldalsoberesponsibleforsettinguptheislands’aerial defenses,whichexplainswhyhehadbeendetailedtoattendthiscourse.2 AfterDowdingspokebrieflyontheaerialdefenselessonsoftheBattle of Britain, a committee of students responsible for drawing up an air defenseplanfortheHawaiianIslandspresenteditsreporttoDowdingfor hisreaction.TheteamoffourAirCorps,SignalCorps,andCoastArtillery officersexplaineditsplaninfrontofalltheotherattendees.Itcoveredthe integrateduseofSignalCorpsradarunits,theinterceptorforceofpursuit aircraft,andradiocommunications.3 AsinthecaseoftheHawaiianDepartment,committeescoveringother defenseareasintheUnitedStatesandoverseashadpreparedairdefense plansfortheareastowhichtheywereassigned,withtheexceptionofthe ch3 4/2/03,1:03PM 70 Chapter3 71 PhilippineDepartmentcommittee.Thecourse’sorganizershaddecided therewasnotenoughtimetobringinPhilippineDepartmentstaffto attendthecourseanddevelopaplan.ThoseselectedforthePhilippines committeecamefromcontinentalU.S.commandsandwereearmarked forassignmenttotheislands.4 Dowdingmusthavebeendisappointedthatnoaerialdefenseplanfor thePhilippineshadbeenpreparedforhisreview,andcertainlyClagett noless.ButatleastLt.Col.WillisTaylor,thechairmanofthePhilippines committee,wasbeingassignedtotheislandsfromhispreviousstaffposition withClagettatSelfridgeField.Taylorwasconsideredhighlycompetent andwouldbeabletoadviseClagettonhisairdefensecommand duties,theotherpartofthedoubleduty,whichincludedcommandofthe newPhilippineDepartmentAirForce(PDAF).5 InadditiontoTaylor,onlyoneoftheotherfourofficersonthePhilippines Committeewasactuallygoingthereafterthecourse—Maj.Sam Lamb,SignalCorps.TheotherAirCorpsofficeronthecommittee—Capt. Joseph Lee—would be remaining at Mitchel Field, with Capt. Charles Sprague,attendingthecoursefromHamiltonField,assignedinhisstead. Meanwhile,ClagetthadpickedhighlyregardedCol.HaroldH.George, commanderofthe31stPursuitGroupatSelfridgeandaWorldWarIace, toserveashisexecutiveofficer.George,however,wasnotattendingthe MitchelFieldcourse.6 Afewdaysbefore,Clagettwasinformedofanadditionaltaskbeing givenhim.MarshallandArnoldhadpickedhimtocarryoutSecretaryof WarStimson’spromisetoChiangKai-shektosendanAirCorpsgeneral officeronamissiontoChina.Clagett’smissionhadthreeobjectives:to determinetheChineseairforce’scapabilitytoworkincooperationwith theUnitedStatesintheeventofwar,toassesstheadequacyofnewairfields beingconstructed,andtofamiliarizehimselfwiththetacticsand characteristicsoftheJapaneseairforce.Marshallunderlinedthatthemission wouldhaveanimportantpsychologicaleffectontheChinese,showing themthat“wewereconsideringthemaspotentialallies,notbeggarsat therichman’stable.”7 ClagettwasorderedtoreporttoWashingtonimmediatelyafterfinishing thecourseforabriefingonhisadditionalassignment,thusdelaying hisoriginalApril15departuredateforthePhilippines.TheStateDepartment...