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The Fighting Five-Tenth: One Fighter-Bomber Squadron's The Fighting Five-Tenth: One Fighter-Bomber Squadron’s Experience during the Development of World War II Tactical Air Power by Adrianne Lee Hodgin Bruce A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Auburn, Alabama December 14, 2013 Keywords: World War II, fighter squadrons, tactical air power, P-47 Thunderbolt, European Theater of Operations Copyright 2013 by Adrianne Lee Hodgin Bruce Approved by William Trimble, Chair, Alumni Professor of History Alan Meyer, Assistant Professor of History Mark Sheftall, Associate Professor of History Abstract During the years between World War I and World War II, many within the Army Air Corps (AAC) aggressively sought an independent air arm and believed that strategic bombardment represented an opportunity to inflict severe and dramatic damages on the enemy while operating autonomously. In contrast, working in cooperation with ground forces, as tactical forces later did, was viewed as a subordinate role to the army‘s infantry and therefore upheld notions that the AAC was little more than an alternate means of delivering artillery. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called for a significantly expanded air arsenal and war plan in 1939, AAC strategists saw an opportunity to make an impression. Eager to exert their sovereignty, and sold on the efficacy of heavy bombers, AAC leaders answered the president‘s call with a strategic air doctrine and war plans built around the use of heavy bombers. The AAC, renamed the Army Air Forces (AAF) in 1941, eventually put the tactical squadrons into play in Europe, and thus tactical leaders spent 1943 and the beginning of 1944 preparing tactical air units for three missions: achieving and maintaining air superiority, isolating the battlefield, and providing air support for ground forces. Fighter group and squadron leaders were charged with producing an effective group of fighter pilots capable of moving into the European action with ease. The dissertation focuses on one specific air unit, the 510th Fighter Squadron, the experiences of which exemplify the development of tactical air power in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. ii Acknowledgments I would like to first thank my dissertation committee: Drs. William Trimble, Alan Meyer, Mark Sheftall, and my outside reader Dr. George Crandell. Dr. Trimble’s direction throughout my time as a graduate student at Auburn University and the dissertation process shaped me into a better student and scholar than I hoped was possible. Dr. Meyer’s and Dr. Sheftall’s wealth of knowledge and attention to detail helped pump new blood into the project at precisely the right moment. Dr. Crandell’s contribution to the dissertation process exceeded what is typically expected of an outside reader and I am so grateful for the time he devoted to this project and for his insight and encouragement. This dissertation would not have been possible without the support and participation of Charlie Mohrle, Ralph Jenkins, Stan Davis, Arlie Blood, Harry Sanders, Charlie Appel, and Howard Price—all members of the World War II 510th Fighter Squadron. I am honored these men trusted with me with their stories and sentiments, and I hope I have represented accurately my gratitude for all they and their families sacrificed while in service to our country. I would also like to acknowledge those eighteen members of the World War II squadron who were killed in action: 1st Lt. George L Feucht, 2nd Lt. William E. James, Maj. Clyde V. Knisley, 2nd Lt. Bolesaw Kocienski, 1st Lt. Robert D. Kunz, 1st Lt. Marvin Leinweber, 1st Lt. John A. McNeely, Jr., 2nd Lt. Hugh R. Miller, 1st Lt. Edward T. Mossman, Jr., Lt. Col. Bruce Parcell, 1st Lt. James A. Pelletier, 1st Lt. Merle J. Roth, 2nd Lt. Clifford B. Russell, Capt. Anton Sadowski, 1st Lt. Benjamin F. Savage, 2nd Lt. Charles W. Stark, 1st Lt. Alton O. Swanson, 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Williams. I also have to iii thank the always helpful, patient, and resourceful Sylvester Jackson at the Air Force Historical Research Agency, as well as archivist Archie DiFante and Chief of Circulations Joe Caver. I am fortunate to have as many supportive friends as I do and came to appreciate their support during this process more than I was probably able to convey. I thank Josh Barronton, Abby Sayers, Hector and Hesper Montford, Chuck Wexler, and Zach Wakefield. During our time in the bunker together, you all witnessed some of the greatest moments of my life, academic and otherwise. I thank Margot Morris, Whitney Stites, and Darcy Lown for always assuring me with, “You can do it!” even when they did not always understand what it was I was doing. I thank Tiffany Sippial, “the sister that went before me,” for always encouraging me and for never letting me doubt I could finish. On my best days, it was your voice that rose above the others in my head questioning the possibility of getting those three letters behind my name. You are family. I thank Michael Johnson who came to my house for almost two years and wrote with me, inspired me, calmed me, survived a tornado in my hall closet with me, and tolerated me when morning sickness made me a less than ideal writing partner. I pray we remain in each other’s live forever. I am equally fortunate to have the support, love, and understanding of my incredible family. I thank my mother whose personal attachment to this project rivals my own, and whose encouragement during our morning chats enabled me to remember the big picture at moments when I could not see five minutes in front of me. I thank my father who never doubted I could do anything I put my mind to but who also never missed an opportunity to acknowledge the magnitude of the challenges I undertook. To my stepmother Carmen and my stepfather Mike, I extend a special “thank you” for always offering your own perfect combination of guardian and friend. I thank my sisters, Marissa and Rachael, for their love and support. I am so lucky to have you two and I am often at a loss of words when attempting to describe what you all mean to my heart. The inadequateness of “sister” and “friend” is never more evident than when I try to explain how and why I love you as much as I do. To my baby sister Abigail, I hope I have served as another example of what hard work and perseverance can yield. I thank my brothers- in-law, Chris and Rodney, who also happen to be two of my best friends. I would risk doubling this dissertation’s pages to list all the reasons I am thankful for my husband Leo and all the ways in which he made this project possible. I, without a doubt, would not have been able to accomplish everything I have without you. I hope that, as your wife and your best friend, I somehow find a way to honor all that you have done for me. Thank you to my precious son, Lennox. Mama had a lot on her plate and never really figured out how to do everything right at the same time. Thank you for being such a good baby when I had to be more grad student than mama. Finally, thank you to my grandfather. You were everything a granddaughter could ask for and, it turns out, all our nation could ask for as well. I miss you every day and I hope I have done you and your pals proud. v Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………ii Acknowledgments……………………………………………………..…………iii Introduction………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter 1…………………………………………………………………………..8 Chapter 2…………………………………………………………………………41 Chapter 3…………………………………………………………………………50 Chapter 4…………………………………………………………………………80 Chapter 5………………………………………………………………………..111 Chapter 6………………………………………………………………………..146 Chapter 7………………………………………………………………………..175 Chapter 8………………………………………………………………………..193 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...213 References………………………………………………………………………224 vi List of Abbreviations AAC Army Air Coprs AAF Army Air Forces AAFFTC Army Air Forces Flying Training Command ACQE Aviation Cadet Qualifying Examination ACTS Air Corps Tactical School ADGB Air Defense of Great Britain AEAF Allied Expeditionary Air Force ALO Air Liaison Offcier AWPD Air War Plans Division CAS Close Air Support CIC Counter Intelligence Corps ETO European Theater of Operations GHQ General Hedquarters IFF Identify Friend of Foe MEWS Microwave Early Warning System NATOUSA North African Theater of Operations, USA OTU Operational Training Unit POW Prisoner of War vii RAF Royal Air Force, Great Britain RTU Replacement Training Unit SHAEF Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Air Force TAC Tactical Air Command TAC Tactical Air Command TAF Tactical Air Force, Great Britain viii Introduction This dissertation will examine the World War II 510th Fighter Squadron. The narrative illustrates, in tandem with the necessary historical background and context, the unit’s experience during the evolution of the tactical air forces, despite the Army Air Force’s (AAF) overwhelming preference for strategic high-altitude daylight precision bombing doctrine and heavy bombers. Before World War II, the Army opposed the creation of an independent air force, embittering air force leaders who recoiled from the mission of providing air support for ground forces. It is ironic, then, that tactical air power—and the tactical units’ coordination with ground forces—fostered the good will between air and ground commanders that ultimately made air force independence possible. When the war ended, no one could deny the effectiveness of the AAF. Moreover, no Army commander would deny that tactical units were largely responsible for that result, leading Army leaders like Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to conclude that air operations were best left to the air force based on the excellent combat record air power garnered for the Army.
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