Research Notes
This page is simply a collection of different research notes that IHF keeps to help us understand some of the records that we are looking at. Think of it like notes in a notebook. Being an online museum, we thought that if these notes were helpful to us, they may also be helpful to other researchers and thus we have made our notes public.
USAAF Project Codes
Much of this information comes from WWII researcher Philip "Flip" Marchese who compiled this information through years of personal research. We are very grateful for his help. The following information comes directly from Flip.
PROJECT CODES
Project codes were a method to allocate aircraft production from the factory to the theater commanders. Ahead of the process was international diplomacy and agreements; CCS/JCS and Army/Navy allocations; a complicated system of war production boards, plant, resource and manpower allocations and the work of several organizations within HQ AAF, Commands and satellite branches and offices. In the end, what mattered was getting requirements met from aircraft plants, commercial modification centers and Air depots to merge with crew requirements to fulfill or replace flying unit complements.
Prior to March 1943, the project codes took several forms. I am not fully knowledgeable of all these methods. Suffice to say that one form was 2 or 3 digit numerical codes; others were 1 or two digits preceded by MK; yet another were mineral or flora code names; and still others were operational code names or projects named after the commander of the movement. By third quarter 1942, five digit, numerical code numbers were in widespread use. I've seen these in the 10000-50000 range and used in connection with the mineral/flora area codes; e.g. 50107 POPPY for an allotment to the South Pacific. I suspect this system potentially was allocated use up to through the 80000 range.
By CY 1943 or perhaps with the AAF reorganization of March 1943, a new five digit system in the 9XXXX range was introduced for overseas projects. This system sometimes used an Alpha suffix, most commonly _R and -S although T and N have been seen. Others quoted as A or H seem to be a misread R. The 9XXXX range was broken down by area as follows:
90001 through 91999 : allocated to the MTO and CBI. The numbers reached into the 911XX or 912XX range by VJ-Day.
92001 through 93999: ETO including Eighth AF and the NE Europe Ninth Air Force. By 1945 the 930XX range was in use. I believe North Atlantic (Iceland/Greenland) garrison requirements are also in this range.
94001 onward was used for the Sixth Air Force areas and 95000 range was likely held in reserve for continuation.
96001 through 97999 was used for the Pacific areas as distinguished from the Asian areas of the air war against Japan. Thus the 5 (SWPA), 7 (CPA/POA), 11 (NPA), and 13 (SPA) numbered air forces were in this range as was the FEAF (5 & 13 AF circa June 1944 and after 16 July 1945,also 7th AF). By 1945, the 97XXX range had been breeched and by V-J Day at least 972XX or perhaps even 973XX range were in use. One will find a few ETO 92XXX requirements diverted to the NPA (11th AF).
98001 and likely 99XXX in reserve: The 20th AF requirements and support to it; later( 16 July 1945) to include the US Strategic Air Forces, Pacific (8th and 20th Air Forces). Included in the early phase is the XX BC (CBI) and the XXI BC (Marianas). The FEAF B-32 of the 312 BG(H) allocations also came through these allotments as did F-7; F-13, C-46; C-109 and other recon and weather planes in support of the 20th AF.
Original overseas organizational unit movements most often did not have a suffix to the project number while Replacement allocations usually were suffixed with an R. The S suffix usually represented a special project, sometimes of secret classification.
Domestic requirements were marked with a DOM XXX alpha-numeric project number and were suffixed with sequential alpha characters. Planes in photo units based out of OK or other special units based in the US would often be seen overseas with DOM projects, e.g.43-4157 DOM 278A to CBI (DAUB). DOM 784A included an A-26B 44-34209 for Columbia SC. Some DOM projects went into storage.
None of the above should be confused with Mod center project codes; base codes, construction or contractor numbers, RCN "last threes" all of which were sometimes stenciled about the noses of AAF planes. By 1945, The Shipping destinations were sometimes stenciled in conjunction with the project numbers near the the manufacturers' data block stenciling; e.g. 96871-R LEFT P-38L-5-LO 44-25xxx) operationally assigned to the 475 FG.
DESTINATION CODES
A word regarding the destination codes... These codes were compiled in a post war document which included both Shipping Destination and Reclamation Location codes. Many researchers overlook the distinction and tend to assign a granularity to the Destination codes which in practice was used only in the reclamation location recording.
Thus LEFT, a SWPA destination continued in use until 1945 and signified a wider area, not merely a location in Aust. Ditto IRON replacements, planes allocated to units throughout the CPA, well beyond Oahu or the Territory of Hawaii (TH).
Base Units
Base Units are another problem area for us because, unfortunately, there is not a lot of information readily available online regarding specific base Units. This information here come from Philip "Flip" Marchese.
The base unit numbers could tell you a lot about what area or command units were assigned to.
1XX Base Units = 1st Air Force
2xx Base Units = 2nd Air Force
3xx Base Units = 3rd Air Force
4xx Base Units = 4th Air Force
The 4 digit Base Units are US command levels in general, Material Command, FTC, ATC, ASC including sub- organizations like Proving Grounds, School of Applied Tactics, Ferry Division.