Army aviation in the Philippines Far East Air Force (United States)

o-19 observation aircraft @ nichols field in 1932

the air forces in philippines component of army s philippine department, , army air corps in continental united states, operated under split authority. nominal head air officer, philippine department, staff member did not exercise command of operational units. actual command of operational forces (the 4th composite group) resided group commander, reported through chief of staff commanding general of philippine department, , through air officer chief of air corps. installations , airfields maintained service forces assigned philippine department, on neither officer had authority.

maintenance of defensive status quo of philippine department mandated provisions of 1922 conference on limitation of armament, although air power not mentioned in terms. between 1924 , 1931, when deliveries of new aircraft ceased because of great depression, department received first-line equipment including martin nbs-1 (1924-1930); keystone lb-5 (1929-1931); , keystone b-3a (1931-1937) bombers; , boeing pw-9 (1926-1931) , boeing p-12e (1930-1937) fighters. primary observation aircraft after retirement of dh-4 thomas-morse o-19 (1931-1937). after 1931 4th composite group became dumping ground aircraft had become obsolete or worn out, discarded units in both continental united states , hawaiian department.

by september 1939 aggressive threat of japanese imperial ambitions philippines recognized united states, army , navy @ odds on strategic stance countering it. air board determined in keeping war department policy air defenses of islands not strengthened modernization or expansion, tacitly accepting philippine department sacrifice force. on 31 may 1940, maj. gen. george c. grunert, mustang officer had entered army during spanish–american war, took command of philippine department. first dissatisfied staffing, equipment, , level of training of department, in particular air forces, , intensively lobbied war department modernization , reinforcements. of thirteen fields available use throughout islands, clark field considered first rate facility, , small number of total fields made dispersal during wartime impossible.

grunert s air force in july 1940 consisted of 28 boeing p-26a peashooter fighters (out of 34 shipped philippines in 1937), 17 martin b-10 bombers, 10 douglas o-46 observation planes (the newest planes in department), 5 1920s-vintage zo-19e observation craft (the z modifier indicated unfit front-line duty , used trainers), , 3 fabric-covered biplanes used liaison, transport, , courier duties. group had 26 of 51 pilots authorized table of organization , equipment. in limited response grunert s requests, on 5 august 1940 army chief of staff gen. george c. marshall approved upgrading of grunert s antiaircraft defenses, followed presidential authorization on 18 october personnel transfer of 2 fighter units, 17th , 20th pursuit squadrons, fly 52 seversky p-35s diverted consignment embargoed sale sweden. these measures considered war department one-shot operations , not shift in defense policy philippines.

the senior air corps officer in philippines col. col. harrison h. c. richards, department air officer. col. lawrence s. churchill, commanding 4th composite group, year junior in rank. cooperation , approval richards, west pointer, necessary accomplish support tasks 4th group, many officers felt withheld information churchill , deliberately sabotaged group operations. while both colonels fifty-one years old in 1941, neither had confidence of grunert, possibly because of open animosity each displayed against other. in march 1941, grunert wrote marshall requesting general officer transferred manila command department s air force.

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