 The plan called for a bomber force of 98 medium , heavy and very heavy bomber groups , totaling 6 @,@ 834 aircraft . Sixteen fighter groups would defend the bombers ' bases . Should this bomber force prove insufficient to defeat Germany without a major land offensive , provision was made for a tactical air force of 13 light bomber groups , two photo reconnaissance groups , five fighter groups , 108 observation squadrons and 19 transport groups . In retrospect , this part of the plan represented a considerable underestimate . The plan required 2 @,@ 164 @,@ 916 personnel , including 103 @,@ 482 pilots . At the moment though , the United States had , as General Arnold put it , " plans but not planes " . Due to poor security , verbatim extracts of AWPD @-@ 1 were published in the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers on 4 December . 
