Air War WW2 Portal 
8th Air Force Europe in May 1942
SATURDAY, 2 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): Major General Carl
Spaatz is designated 8th Air Force commander.
TUESDAY, 5 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): Major General Carl
Spaatz assumes command of HQ 8th Air Force at Bolling Field, Washington, DC.
MONDAY, 11 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): The transport SS ANDES
docks in the UK, carrying about 1,800 personnel for various 8th Air Force units.
This is the first large shipment of AAF troops to the UK.
TUESDAY, 12 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): 39 officers and 348
enlisted men of HQ and the bomber, interceptor and service commands arrive
at High Wycombe, England where the VIII Interceptor Command sets up HQ.
WEDNESDAY, 13 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): Flying personnel of
the 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light), VIII Bomber Command, the first US
bomb unit sent to the UK, arrive at Newport, UK without aircraft.
THURSDAY, 14 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): Major General Ira C
Eaker is designated commander of Detachment, HQ 8th Air Force in addition
to his duties as Commanding General VIII Bomber Command. Brigadier General
Frank O'D Hunter assumes command of VIII Interceptor Command.
15th Bombardment Squadron (Light), VIII Bomber Command, arrives at Grafton
Underwood, England without aircraft.
FRIDAY, 15 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): HQ VIII Bomber
Command transfers from Daws Hill to High Wycombe, England.
SUNDAY, 17 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): Detachment, 8th Air
Force, with the help of the VIII Bomber Command staff, issues a directive
defining its mission, which is the organization, training and supplying of
units advanced echelons of 8th Air Force to prepare for immediate
operations upon arrival of tactical elements of the 8th. 50 US intelligence
officers arrive in the UK for training by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber
Command.
TUESDAY, 19 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): Detachment, HQ 8th
Air Force under Major General Ira C Eaker, assumes control of all AAF
organizations in the British Isles.
SATURDAY, 23 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): Agreement is reached
on a plan to transfer the repair depot at Burtonwood, UK to US forces
following a period of joint control to begin at the end of Jun 42;
Burtonwood later becomes the greatest AAF depot overseas.
SUNDAY, 24 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO) (8th Air Force): VIII Air Force Base
Command, under overall logistical control of Service of Supply, is given
primary responsibility for all supply and maintenance peculiar to the AAF,
thus leaving much logistical autonomy to the Army Air Forces in Britain
(AAFIB).
TUESDAY, 26 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO): Lieutenant General Henry H "Hap"
Arnold, Rear Admiral John H Towers and Air Chief Marshall Sir Charles F
Portal attend an Anglo-American air conference in London. Topics of
discussion include allocation of aircraft and the establishment of US air
forces in the UK. The meeting begins at 10 Downing Street with Prime
Minister Winston S Churchill.
SATURDAY, 30 MAY 1942
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO): During conferences with Air Chief
Marshall Sir Charles F Portal, Lieutenant General Henry H "Hap" Arnold
presents "Programme of Arrival of US Army Air Forces in the United Kingdom"
providing for 66 combat groups, exclusive of observation squadrons, by Mar
43.
Source:
COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
Jack McKillop
USAF (Airways and Air Communications Service)
1955-59
used sources by McKillop:
AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History,
Headquarters USAF, 1961, ISBN 0-912799-02-1
COMBAT SQUADRONS OF THE AIR FORCE, WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force
History, Headquarters USAF 1982
THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by the
Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1973
