Pursuit of the Torch

<p>The fleet of pursuit aircraft the US Army Air Forces employed in Operation TORCH and the North African campaign was outmatched and much of the time outnumbered. Air commanders asked pursuit pilots to use their aircraft in roles they were not designed to fulfill against more experienced opponents while executing the combined Anglo-American strategy. This study details the decisions and influences that determined the fleet of pursuit aircraft available to the Americans when they landed in North Africa in November 1942. The interwar years were crucial in the formation of the force structure with which the United States entered World War II. When taken together the Great Depression and the American preference for isolationism affected the strength of its armed forces and the Army's air arm was no exception. Additionally the rise to prominence of bombardment aviation forced pursuit aviation to compete for resources against an emerging doctrine that some airmen viewed as a means to achieve service independence. The Air Corps benefitted from the massive rearmament program President Roosevelt launched once he became convinced of America's eventual entry into World War II. However industry was not prepared for a sudden increase in requirements and could not immediately meet demand with the necessary increase in production. Faced with competing demands between quantity and quality the Air Corps and industry favored producing older (but mature) designs to suit a defensive national strategy. Nonetheless the Army Air Forces found ways to employ their aircraft effectively in the skies over North Africa.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>