The Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) was a component of the Northwest African Air Forces which itself reported to the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC). These new Allied air force organizations were created at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 to promote cooperation between the British Royal Air Force (RAF), the American United States Army Air Force (USAAF), and their respective ground and naval forces in the North African and Mediterranean theater of World War II . Created on February 18, 1943, the NATAF and other MAC commands existed until December 10, 1943, when MAC was disbanded and the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were established.
11-2862: Acting Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham , who had been air officer commanding Western Desert Air Force became the commander of NATAF. and the WDAF became part of the new NATAF The components of NATAF at the time of the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) on July 10, 1943, are illustrated below. No. 2 Squadron , Supermarine Spitfire No. 4 Squadron , Spitfire No. 5 Squadron , Curtiss Kittyhawk 522nd Squadron , North American A-36 Mustang 523rd Squadron , A-36 Mustang 524th Squadron , A-36 Mustang No. 12 Squadron , Douglas Boston light bomber No. 21 Squadron , Martin Baltimore light bomber No. 24 Squadron , Boston No. 3 Squadron RAAF , Kittyhawk No. 112 Squadron RAF , Kittyhawk No. 250 Squadron RAF , Kittyhawk No. 260 Squadron RAF , Kittyhawk No. 450 Squadron RAAF , Kittyhawk 525th Squadron , A-36 Mustang 526th Squadron , A-36 Mustang 527th Squadron , A-36 Mustang No. 55 Squadron , Baltimore No. 223 Squadron , Baltimore No. 1 Squadron SAAF , Spitfire No. 92 Squadron RAF , Spitfire No. 145 Squadron RAF , Spitfire No. 417 Squadron RCAF , Spitfire No. 601 Squadron RAF , Spitfire 58th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 59th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 60th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk - 99th Squadron , P-40, Detached No. 18 Squadron , Boston No. 114 Squadron , Boston No. 81 Squadron , Spitfire No. 152 Squadron , Spitfire No. 154 Squadron , Spitfire No. 232 Squadron , Spitfire No. 242 Squadron , Spitfire 314th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 315th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 316th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 84th Squadron , A-20 Havoc light bomber 85th Squadron , A-20 Havoc 86th Squadron , A-20 Havoc 97th Squadron , A-20 Havoc No. 43 Squadron , Spitfire No. 72 Squadron , Spitfire No. 93 Squadron , Spitfire No. 111 Squadron , Spitfire No. 243 Squadron , Spitfire 307th Squadron , Spitfire 308th Squadron , Spitfire 309th Squadron , Spitfire 81st Squadron , North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber 82nd Squadron , B-25 Mitchell 83rd Squadron , B-25 Mitchell 434th Squadron , B-25 Mitchell 64th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 65th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 66th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 486th Squadron , B-25 Mitchell 487th Squadron , B-25 Mitchell 488th Squadron , B-25 Mitchell 489th Squadron , B-25 Mitchell - 85th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 86th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk 87th Squadron , P-40 Warhawk No. 40 Squadron SAAF , Detachment, Spitfire No. 60 Squadron SAAF , de Havilland Mosquito No. 1437 Flight RAF , Mustang For Operation Husky, No. 242 Group RAF , originally
22-692: A component of NATAF in February 1943, was assigned to the Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF). At the same time, Air Headquarters, Western Desert became known as Desert Air Force . All of the fighter units of Desert Air Force formed No. 211 (Offensive Fighter) Group commanded by Air Commodore Richard Atcherley on April 11, 1943, in Tripoli. The 99th Fighter Squadron (one of the Tuskegee Airmen units)
33-571: A position higher than the current rank held. When addressing an individual with an acting rank, the person should be addressed as if the full rank were held. For example, a member who is an acting master seaman would be addressed as "Master Seaman Smith", and not "Acting Master Seaman Smith" ("acting" is a designation, not a rank). In writing, the acting nature of the rank may or may not be spelled out, so that forms such as "acting captain", "captain (acting)" or "captain" are used. Documents dealing with rank, seniority and promotion will tend to spell out
44-420: Is a designation that allows a soldier to assume a military rank —usually higher and usually temporary. They may assume that rank either with or without the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade, depending on the nature of the acting promotion. An acting officer may be ordered back to the previous grade. This situation may arise when a lower-ranking officer is called upon to replace a senior officer, or fill
55-530: The Navy grew before Congress took action to permanently increase the number of officers. Outside of the United States and not part of a fleet or squadron, the commanding officer of the ship was allowed to appoint officers to a higher rank in the case of death on board the ship. The officer was temporarily appointed to the higher rank, appended "acting" to his new rank, wore the uniform of the higher rank, and
66-521: The United States, acting appointments were not allowed unless specifically authorized by the Department of the Navy. In most other cases, only the commander-in-chief of a fleet or squadron would be authorized to appoint an officer to fill a vacancy, and this order would be subject to approval of the Department of the Navy. In this way, the Department of the Navy was able to fill vacancies while
77-699: The acting nature of the rank, and informal documents will tend to avoid it, but there is no general rule. In the United States Navy , acting appointments were common during the 19th century. The number of commissioned naval officers at each rank in the Navy was fixed by Congress, so it was difficult to fill vacancies if the number of officers needed to man ships exceeded that fixed number of officers allowed by Congress. Acting appointments were also common with warrant officers and ratings, although neither were subject to congressional approval and were simply temporary assignments. The regulations stated that in
88-534: The duties of a higher grade officer, except that their pay, rank and uniform remained at the lower grade. Similar to the many brevet ranks in the Union Army , acting appointments were extremely common during the American Civil War . Congress authorized the Department of the Navy to purchase vessels and appoint acting or volunteer officers to man them until the end of the conflict. By the end of
99-708: The war in North Africa with the end of the Tunisia Campaign . In recognition of XII Air Support Command's operations in Sicily, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower presented Major General Edwin House with the Legion of Merit and saying that "...for the first time established the application of a tactical air force operating in support of an American Army." Acting rank An acting rank
110-408: Was addressed and paid at the higher rank. When the ship returned to the United States, or joined a fleet or squadron, the appointment was subject to review by the commander-in-chief of the fleet or squadron or the Department of the Navy. Another type of temporary appointment was an "order to perform". This was issued in a similar manner to an acting appointment for a lower grade officer to perform
121-559: Was assigned to the XII Air Support Command on May 28, 1943, and subsequently attached to the 33rd Fighter Group. The actual squadron assignments and detachments varied throughout the war depending on the specific needs of the air force. The table above illustrates the squadron assignments and commanders for the important period of World War II when the Allies prepared to invade Italy ( Operation Husky ), having just won
SECTION 10
#1732779553717#716283