Air Command and Staff College Air Univer

Expeditionary Air Forces' Roots in the Past: Cactus Air Force Air Command and Staff College Air Univer

Publisher Marketing: This book is primarily a description of the state of aircrew training and the maintenance and logistics practices employed by an early example of an Expeditionary Air Force: the Cactus Air Force on Guadalcanal in 1942. Secondarily it compares the training, maintenance and logistical problems dealt with by Cactus personnel with the modern AEF now in development. Information for WWII-era Cactus Air Force issues was obtained by literature review and archive research. Current AEF information is from open sources and is widely available. Problems faced and solved by Cactus Air Force are lessons learned that we may be able to use to save time, money, and lives as we develop AEF concepts. The book examines and enumerates Cactus problem areas and some of their solutions. The lack of training for the crews who arrived on Guadalcanal, codenamed "Cactus," on 20 and 22 August 42 caused a number of pilots to lose their lives. The lack of preparation for the conditions they would be working and living under dramatically affected how the maintenance was handled. Enemy activity prevented the initial supply stocks from disembarking, and subsequent sustainment operations were chronically threatened. The greatest assets the Cactus Air Force people had were a diehard attitude and a will to win. The technological leap forward from World War II to today has essentially eliminated the problems of the type the Cactus personnel faced, but the potential for problems may exist within the three areas covered. The Cactus experience seems to suggest that as long as the AEF attitude is right, nearly any problem encountered can be overcome.