United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific The United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific ( USASTAF ) was a World War II command and control authority of the strategic United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific Theater . History . USASTAF was the Pacific counterpart of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe ( USSTAF ) . Its mission was to coordinate strategic bombing of the Japanese Home Islands during the expected Invasion of Japan . The atomic bombings of Japan made this unnecessary . Establishment . The Joint Chiefs agreed to the established of the USASTAF on 2 July 1945 , it would have a headquarters in Guam and be commanded by General Carl Andrew " Tooey " Spaatz , and consisted of the combat commands ( VII Fighter Command , XXI Bomber Command ) of the Twentieth Air Force and the Eighth Air Force when redeployed from the European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) to Okinawa . General Curtis E . Lemay was appointed Spaatz ' s Chief of Staff . Guam was the headquarters of the XXI Bomber Command and until the arrival of the Eighth Air Force would provide the bulk of men and equipment of the new command . On 16 July the headquarters of the Twentieth Air Force was officially moved from Washington , DC to Harmon Field , Guam ; the headquarters of the XX Bomber Command was inactivated , effective 18 July , and the " Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron , XXI Bomber Command " was redesignated " Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron , Twentieth Air Force " ; thus the Bomber Commands were brought to an end as actual establishments and their wings passed to direct control of Headquarters Twentieth Air Force of which Major General Curtis E . LeMay took command on that date . On the same day the Eighth was reassigned to Okinawa , as a paper transfer as it arrived without men or equipment . Spaatz arrived in theater on 29 July and began organizing his forces — a task he had not completed by the war ' s end . The primary combat missions carried out by USASTAF forces were the firebombing of Japanese cities and industrial targets during June and July 1945 by Twentieth Air Force . No Eighth Air Force combat missions were flown . The atomic bomb ing raids on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were carried out by direct order of USAAF Chief of Staff General Henry " Hap " Arnold " though the 509th Composite Group . Inactivation . On 6 December 1945 USASTAF was abolished by the inactivation of its headquarters and headquarters squadron . Its personnel , equipment and aircraft were assigned to Pacific Air Command , United States Army ( PACUSA ) which was assigned to United States Army Forces , Pacific ( AFPAC ) . PACUSA was reassigned to Tokyo , Japan on 17 May 1946 . The USAAF Air Forces in the Pacific region were reassigned as follows : There was also the Pacific Air Service Command , later Far East Air Service Command which was attached to HQ PACUSA . The USAAF Air Forces in the Pacific region had a total of six very - heavy - bombardment groups , nine fighter groups , two light - bombardment groups , and two troop - carrier groups , along with three tactical reconnaissance , five air - sea rescue , five night - fighter , two liaison , two tow - target , and two very - long - range photographic - reconnaissance squadrons . Although by December 1945 most of these units were in the process of being reassigned to the United States or demobilzing in - theater and the personnel returning to processing centers for discharge .