General Kenney Reports; A Personal History of the Pacific War

Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1986. Reprint Edition. Trade paperback. good. xviii, 594 pages. Wraps. Maps. Index. Small stains inside rear cover, some spotting and wear to cover edges. USAF Warrior Studies. In July 1942, Kenney received orders to take over the Allied Air Forces and Fifth Air Force in General Douglas MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Area. MacArthur had been dissatisfied with the performance of his air commander, Lieutenant General George Brett. Offered a choice between Kenney and Major General James Doolittle, MacArthur chose Kenney. Kenney reported to MacArthur in Brisbane on 28 July 1942, and felt that MacArthur did not understand air operations, but recognized that he somehow needed to establish a good working relationship with him. When he asked MacArthur for authority to send people he considered "deadwood" home, something that his superiors in Washington, D.C. had refused to give, MacArthur enthusiastically approved. In Australia, he found two talented, recently arrived brigadier generals, Ennis Whitehead and Kenneth Walker. Kenney reorganized his command in August, appointed Whitehead as commander of the V Fighter Command and Walker as commander of the V Bomber Command. George Churchill Kenney (6 August 1889 - 9 August 1977) was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II. He is best known as the commander of the Allied Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), a position he held from August 1942 until 1945. Kenney served on the Western Front with the 91st Aero Squadron. He was awarded a Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross. He was responsible for the acceptance of Martin NBS-1 bombers built by Curtis, and test flew them. He developed techniques for mounting .30 caliber machine guns on the wings of an Airco DH.4 aircraft. In 1940, Kenney became Assistant Military Attaché for Air in France. As a result of his observations during the early stages of World War II, he recommended significant changes to Air Corps equipment and tactics. In 1942, he assumed command of the Allied Air Forces and Fifth Air Force in MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Area. Under Kenney's command, the Allied Air Forces developed innovative command structures, weapons, and tactics that reflected Kenney's orientation towards attack aviation. The new weapons and tactics won perhaps his greatest victory, the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, in March 1943.