Corsair combat reports

[Frank Olynyk]

USN and USMC units did not prepare individual encounter reports (=combat reports). Early in the war, until about August 1943, they prepared Action Reports, which are just textual reports (typed), covering all aircraft in a squadron involved in an action. After that they used Aircraft Action Reports (form ACA-1). This was a five (or more) page preprinted form, with fields to be filled in. The last page(s) were a textual description of the action. They were used by both services, and all squadron types. At the very end of the war (July/Aug 1945, an abbreviated form (ACA-2) was introduced.

The originals of these reports are now at the NARA II facility at College Park, Maryland. For the Navy side, all the VF and VC unit reports have been microfilmed; some of the VB and VT units have also. These are available from the USN Operational Archives. Some of the USMC reports that were held by Operational Archives were also microfilmed, but these are not complete. The complete reports for the USMC are held by the USMC Archives Section in the Washington Navy Yard. At one time they were physically held at the Washington Federal Records Center in Suitland, Maryland; whether they are still there I do not know.

Frank.