A War of Their Own: Bombers over the Southwest Pacific

Published: 1 September 2008
Air & Space Power Journal - Fall 2008

A War of Their Own: Bombers over the Southwest Pacific by Capt Matthew K. Rodman, USAF. Air University Press (http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/aul/aupress), 131 West Shumacher Avenue, Maxwell AFB, Alabama 36112-5962, 2005, 184 pages, $14.00 (softcover). Available free from http://www.maxwell.af.mil/ au/aul/aupress/Books/Rodman/rodman.pdf.

Matthew Rodman, now a major, has written a concise historical study of an inspiring leader’s ability to motivate a team to tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges and prevail. This well-documented book focuses on Fifth Air Force under the leadership of Gen George Kenney from December 1941 through September 1945.

According to a Japanese proverb, “Vision without action is a dream; action without vision is a nightmare.”Although Major Rodman focuses primarily on attack aviation, the important, thought-provoking takeaway for twenty-first-century Airmen is creativity. Because General Kenney had a vision for victory, he could inspire his command to create unconventional approaches for action that would ultimately lead to victory. When Kenney assumed command of the sparse aviation resources in the Southwest Pacific, he became Gen Douglas MacArthur’s joint force air component commander before the term came into vogue.

The Southwest Pacific differed substantially from the European theater. The great distances and lack of industrial strategic targets dictated a different approach to countering Japanese forces. Because the Allies’ “Europe first” policy meant that General Kenney’s forces generally got the “leftovers” of available war materials, they had to adapt equipment and tactics in order to be effective.

Undeterred by these constraints, Kenney inspired creativity and baffled the experts. One of his most trusted officers, Paul “Pappy” Gunn, had already served a full career, had retired from the US Navy, and was running a civilian airline in the Philippines when World War II broke out. The Army “drafted” him, and, because of his current location, Fifth Air Force “inherited” him. Just the type of creative person whom General Kenney could genuinely inspire, Gunn had a special knack for mechanics and flying; his “chemistry” with Kenney allowed them to try new and bizarre concepts for the battle at hand: “Gunn . . . essentially redesigned the medium bombers and light attack aircraft in the [Southwest Pacific Area], giving them the forward firepower that transformed these planes into strafing machines” (p. 41). The modifications were made in-theater at field-maintenance facilities. Gunn’s work led to such creations as a B-25 with 10 forward-firing .50-caliber machine guns. Major Rodman cites a humorous incident from the book General Kenney Reports in which Kenney had the opportunity to silence the experts in Gen Henry “Hap” Arnold’s presence:

One day, during a lull in the conferences, . . . Arnold told me to come to his office. On arrival there I found a battery of engineering experts from Wright Field who explained to me that the idea was impracticable. They tried to prove to me that the balance would be all messed up, the airplane would be too heavy, would not fly properly, and so on.

I listened for a while and then mentioned that twelve B-25s fixed up in this manner had played a rather important part in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and that I was remodeling sixty more B-25s right now at Townsville. Arnold glared at his engineering experts and practically ran them out of the office (p. 83).

The author skillfully reminds the reader that unconventionally modified aircraft, low-altitude and skip bombing, and parafrag bombs and improvised “daisy cutters” are all part of the incredible history of Fifth Air Force. But twenty-first-century Airmen should recognize the creativity that General Kenney inspired in his team. Under his leadership, the adaptation of machines and tactics led to victory. Now engaged in the global war on terror, our Airmen must lead with creativity to fulfill the mission. We must have the vision and willingness to take action to find, fix, and destroy our enemies. Just as Fifth Air Force had to modify equipment and tactics to meet the enemy between 1941 and 1945, so must today’s Air Force adapt to meet an ever-changing, elusive enemy in the war on terror.

With A War of Their Own, Maj Matthew Rodman has penned a great “quick read” for anyone interested in attack aviation in the Southwest Pacific theater of World War II. For a more in-depth study of General Kenney’s brilliant staff inventor, I suggest reading Pappy Gunn by Nathaniel Gunn (Authorhouse, 2004).

Col Warren G. Ward, USAF
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana

Disclaimer

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.

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