AAF Report, “Prepared for the United States Army Air Forces”, “By the Office of Strategic Services”, “American Combat Film from Army Air Forces Army Signal Corps”, “This is an Official Report by General H.H. Arnold Commanding General Army Air Forces”,

“At the beginning of this film, Army Air Forces Commanding General H H Arnold Explains that the United States currently has the largest air force in the world, which was not the case at the beginning of the war. Prior to the release of this film, Arnold states, many of the facts presented in the picture were withheld from the public for security reasons, but now some of these facts will be revealed to the public as a record of achievements: On 7 Dec 1941, afte the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, only 176 American planes remain in the entire Pacific area. Even before the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had requested the production of 50,000 planes per year, so many bombers with technological advances were being produced. With the start of American involvment in the war, the training of new pilots becomes a priority. Schools for new recruits provide ground and air training. WASPS, women trained as pilots, deliver new airplanes to home bases and work as mechanics. Next, the organization and structure of the Air Force is described: The basic unit of the Air Force is the squadron. Four squadrons make up a group, three groups make up a wing, five wings make up an air division, and four divisons make up a bomber or fighter command”