1943 DOWN UNDER WW-II US Army Air Force AAF YEARBOOK AUS. & New Guinea

1943 - Original (Not a Re-Print) US 5th Army Air Force yearbook. "DOWN UNDER" South-west Pacific Area, published in Sydney, Australia. With some modererate wear, no rips or damage, includes nose-art photos & original period photo tipped in. History: Constituted as V Bomber Command on 28 Oct 1941. Activated in the Philippines on 14 Nov 1941.

Participated in the defense of the Philippines in Dec 1941. Late in Dec the remaining bombers and some men were evacuated to Australia, and in Jan 1942 they were moved to Java to help delay the Japanese advance in the Netherlands Indies. The command ceased to function in Mar 1942 (the AAF bombardment organizations in the Southwest Pacific being under the control of American-British-Dutch-Australian Command and later Allied Air Forces). Headquarters was remanned in Sep 1942 and shortly afterward it assumed control of AAF bombardment groups in Australia and New Guinea. The command served in combat with Fifth AF.

After the war the command became part of the occupation force for Japan. Inactivated on 31 May 1946. Disbanded on 8 Oct 1948. Clark Field, Luzon, 14 Nov 1941; Darwin, Australia, Dec 1941; Java, Jan-Mar 1942; Townsville, Australia, 5 Sep 1942; Port Moresby, New Guinea, Dec 1942; Nadzab, New Guinea, 21 Feb 1944; Owl, Schouten Islands, c. 15 Aug 1944; Leyte, Nov 1944; Mindoro, Jan 1945; Clark Field, Luzon, Mar 1945; Okinawa, Aug 1945; Murayama, Japan, Oct 1945; Irumagawa.

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