90-751: The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint Department of Defense combatant command responsible for U.S. security interests in 27 nations that stretch from the Horn of Africa through the Persian Gulf region, into Central Asia. Activated as 9th Air Force on 8 April 1942,
180-501: A Unified Combatant Command . Unlike MAJCOMs, which have a management role, a NAF is a tactical organization with an operational focus, and does not have the same functional staff as a MAJCOM. Numbered air forces are typically commanded by a major general or a lieutenant general . Numeric designations for Numbered Air Forces are written in full using ordinal words (e.g., Eighth Air Force), while cardinal numerals are used in abbreviations (e.g., 8 AF). Units directly subordinate to
270-527: A 4 April 1943 attack against Naples , Italy. In 1960, the remains of eight airmen were found; the body of the ninth crewman was never found. With the move of Ninth Air Force to England in 1943, the 376th was reassigned to Fifteenth Air Force and moved to San Pancrazio Salentino , Italy under the 47th Bombardment Wing . From Italian bases, the unit engaged primarily in long-range missions to targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, and
360-612: A NAF were traditionally numbered 6XX (where XX is the NAF number). For example, the 609th Air Operations Center is a unit subordinate to the Ninth Air Force . This is no longer completely accurate, due to regular reorganization of Wings and Numbered Air Forces. Numbered air forces began as named organizations in the United States Army Air Corps before World War II. The first four NAFs were established as
450-749: A buildup of American air power in the Middle East in January 1942 in response to a request from the British Chief of the Air Staff , but the first units arrived unexpectedly on 12 June 1942. Col. Harry A. Halverson, commanding twenty-three B-24D Liberator heavy bombers and a hand-picked crews (as a force called HALPRO – from " Halverson Project ") was stopped at RAF Lydda en route to China to carry out attacks on Japan from airfields in China, but after
540-585: A command level between major commands and air divisions . Although variations existed, and number air forces were often reassigned, this basic arrangement persisted throughout the Cold War . The role of numbered air forces changed in the 1990s during the Air Force reorganization initiated by Air Force Chief of Staff General Merrill McPeak . The goal of the reorganization was to "streamline, take layers out, flatten (Air Force) organizational charts, while at
630-745: A complicated transfer of lineage, the lineage and history of the Ninth Air Force was bestowed on USAFCENT, and a new Ninth Air Force, which technically had no previous history, was activated. On 20 August 2020, the 9 AF designation was returned to USAFCENT with the deactivation of the 2009 established 9 AF. It has fought in the 1991 Gulf War , War in Afghanistan (OEF-A, 2001–present), the Iraq War (OIF, 2003–2010), as well as various engagements within USCENTCOM. United States Air Forces Central
720-465: A few key officers were held over for continuity. The groups assigned were a mixture of experience, but training would be needed to confront the expected massive movements of troops of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. On 18 April 1944, the IX and XIX Air Support Commands were redesignated, respectively, as IX Tactical Air Command and XIX Tactical Air Command . Between 1 May and the invasion on 6 June,
810-475: A headquarters squadron and four tactical squadrons, the 512th , 513th , 514th and 515th Bombardment Squadrons , intended for the Transcaucasus assignment. The group was constituted on 19 October and activated at midnight 31 October from personnel and equipment of the 1st Provisional Group. The first commander was Col. George F. McGuire, who took charge of the provisional group when Halverson returned to
900-535: A new wing under Pacific Air Forces was the method used for long-term deployments to the South Vietnam and Thailand air bases engaged in combat operations. In addition to these operational deployments, Ninth Air Force units performed a "backfilling" role in Japan and South Korea for PACAF as well as in Italy and Spain for USAFE to replace units whose aircraft and personnel were deployed to Southeast Asia. With
990-919: A peacetime restructuring in March 1946, the United States Army Air Forces were reorganized into three major operating commands: the Strategic Air Command (SAC), the Tactical Air Command (TAC), and the Air Defense Command (ADC). These commands reflected the basic air combat missions that evolved during the war, and each reported directly to General Carl Spaatz , the Commanding General, Army Air Forces. Numbered air forces served as an intermediate headquarters between these commands and
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#17327799397381080-552: A permanent organization. At the same time, the U.S. and British had reached an understanding with the Soviets about establishing an Anglo-American air force in the Transcaucasus to protect its flank in the Middle East. The American contribution was to be one troop carrier group and one "highly mobile" heavy bomber group. Gen. George C. Marshall on 11 October ordered Brereton to create the 376th Bombardment Group , composed of
1170-544: A quickly assembled organization based in Cairo . The Halverson Project was dissolved and the organization was renamed the 1st Provisional Bombardment Group . Halvorsen returned to the U.S. in August. As early as 7 September, Ninth Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton sought to have the 1st Provisional Bomb Group assigned a tactical designation and number, and a formal table of organization and equipment to make it
1260-455: A separate command. This command was offered to Brereton, who accepted, and the force was constituted, also as Ninth Air Force, on 16 October 1943. During the winter of 1943–1944 Ninth Air Force expanded at an extraordinary rate, so that by the end of May, its complement ran to 45 flying groups operating some 5,000 aircraft. With the necessary ground support units, the total number of personnel assigned to Ninth Air Force would be more than 200,000,
1350-472: A serious view of this assertion in that it violated the Arnold-Portal-Towers agreement that American combat units assigned to theaters of British strategic responsibility were to be organized in "homogeneous American formations" under the "strategic control" of the appropriate British commander in chief. In a memo of 7 September, Timberlake granted that this canon might be justifiably violated in
1440-677: A small staff moved into Grey Pillars [RAF headquarters in Garden City, Cairo ], and thenceforth USAMEAF's bombers operated only under the "strategic" direction of the British. Timberlake headed the organization, with Kalberer as his A-3 and Lt. Col. Donald M. Keiser as his chief of staff."—The Army Air Forces in World War II In the Second Battle of El Alamein under General Bernard Montgomery attacks by British troops depleted
1530-537: A total greater than that of Eighth Air Force. HQ Ninth Air Force extended IX Bomber Command's choice of targets considerably, although first priority for Operation Pointblank [the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) of US and RAF air forces against the Luftwaffe and German aircraft industry] and next priority for Operation Crossbow (codename for operations against German V-weapon sites) targets
1620-593: Is designated as Air Force Northern (AFNORTH) in its role as the air component of the United States Northern Command . Most C-NAFs have an Air and Space Operations Center (AOC) to provide command and control of air and space operations for the supported combatant commander. The table below lists current and historical numbered air forces of the US Air Force, their C-NAF designation (if applicable), their current shield and station, and
1710-692: Is the direct descendant organization of Ninth Air Force, established in 1941. AFCENT was formed as the United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) under Tactical Air Command (TAC). CENTAF initially consisted of designated United States Air Force elements of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) which was inactivated and reformed as USCENTCOM in 1983. On 1 March 2008 USCENTAF was redesignated USAFCENT. It shared its commander with Ninth Air Force until August 2009. Ninth Air Force
1800-688: The 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy), it was the first Consolidated B-24 Liberator group to be based on the European Continent. The group engaged in combat as part of the Ninth , Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces in the Egypt-Libya and Italian Campaigns . The group was awarded Distinguished Unit Citations for operations over North Africa and Sicily , November 1942 – 17 August 1943; Ploiești , Romania, 1 August 1943 and Bratislava , Czechoslovakia, 16 June 1944. The B-24D Lady Be Good
1890-819: The 7th Bombardment Group and other personnel. Some of the B-17s were Pearl Harbor attack and Philippines campaign survivors, which had been assigned to the China Burma India Theater . After the Japanese capture of Burma, the Burma Road was cut so the detachment could not be logistically supported in China. By the end of 1942, all of the squadrons were equipped with B-24 Liberators as the older model B-17s were reassigned to non-combat roles. Operating from bases in Palestine, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia,
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#17327799397381980-572: The Army Ground Forces . However a lack of unity of command in the organizational set-up led to an early discontinuation of the "air support commands" and V Air Support Command was redesignated as Ninth Air Force in April 1942. It moved to Bolling Field , Washington, D.C. , on 22 July and transferred without personnel or equipment to Cairo , Egypt on 12 November 1942. The Ninth Air Force mission comprised: (1) Gain air superiority; (2) Deny
2070-679: The British Eighth Army 's drive across Egypt and Libya, escorting bombers and flying strafing and dive-bombing missions against airfields, communications, and troop concentrations. Other targets attacked were shipping and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia , Sicily , Italy, Crete , and Greece to cut enemy supply lines to Africa. The Palm Sunday Massacre was one noteworthy mission by the P-40 and Spitfire groups. After an Allied air forces command reorganisation effective 18 February 1943,
2160-590: The English Channel coast of France. On 4 January 1944 XIX Air Support Command was activated at RAF Middle Wallop to support Patton's Third Army in Europe. In February 1944 the Ninth Air Force underwent a reorganization and several troop carrier groups relocated headquarters. Major General Otto P. Weyland became commanding general of XIX Air Support Command, replacing Major General Elwood R Quesada. The latter assumed dual command of both IX Fighter Command and
2250-722: The Lebanon crisis of 1958 and the 1961 Berlin Wall Crisis. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis , Ninth Air Force units went on war alert, deploying to bases in Florida, being able to respond to the crisis on a moment's notice. During the Vietnam War , detached Ninth Air Force units engaged in combat operations over Vietnam , Cambodia and Laos . The practice of stripping away squadrons and aircraft from their home Tactical Air Command Wings and attaching them indefinitely to
2340-515: The Low Countries and western Germany to keep within range of the advancing battle front before the end of hostilities in May 1945. During Operation Dragoon , the invasion of Southern France in August 1944, two Ninth fighter groups were transferred to the provisional United States/Free French 1st Tactical Air Force supporting the invasion force's drive north. As part of Operation Market-Garden ,
2430-608: The Mississippi River . Initially being equipped with propeller-driven F-51, F-47 and F-82 aircraft during the postwar years, in the 1950s, Ninth Air Force units received the jet-powered F/RF-80 Shooting Star , F-84G/F Thunderjet , F-86D/H Sabre , and F-100 Super Sabre aircraft. Ninth Air Force squadrons and wings were frequently deployed to NATO during the 1950s and 1960s as "Dual-Based" USAFE units, and reinforcing NATO forces in West Germany and France during
2520-831: The Northwest African Troop Carrier Command (NATCC). In February 1943, after the Afrika Korps had been driven into Tunisia , the Germans took the offensive and pushed through the Kasserine Pass before being stopped with the help of both Ninth and Twelfth Air Force units in the battle. The Allies drove the enemy back into a pocket around Bizerte and Tunis , where Axis forces surrendered in May. Thus, Tunisia became available for launching attacks on Pantelleria ( Operation Corkscrew ), Sicily ( Operation Husky ), and mainland Italy . At
2610-713: The War in Iraq ; and, with a more recent start, air refueling and other support in regard to the Yemeni Civil War . Source: Halverson Project The 376th Expeditionary Operations Group was a provisional United States Air Force Air Combat Command unit. It was stationed at the Transit Center at Manas International Airport , Kyrgyz Republic , up until 2014. Originally activated in World War II as
2700-559: The 376th attacked shipping in the Mediterranean and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia, Sicily , and Italy to cut enemy supply lines to North Africa. It struck airfields , marshalling yards , and other objectives in Sicily and Italy after the fall of Tunisia in May 1943. It received a Distinguished Unit Citation for action against the enemy in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sicily, November 1942 – August 1943. Participated in
2790-621: The Air Force Combat Command in 1941. Several of the numbered air forces began as named air forces. Since World War II other named air forces have existed in both operational and support commands. Air Forces Iceland , and the Central, Eastern, Japan, and Western Air Defense Forces, have provided air defense capability. The USAF Special Operations Force controlled operational special forces. The Crew, Flying, and Technical Training Air Forces served Air Training Command both in
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2880-472: The Air Force contribution to United States Space Command , in addition to its Northern Command and Continental NORAD roles. Contains components of the inactivated 24, and 25 AF's. Named Air Forces operate at the same level as Numbered Air Forces. General Headquarters Air Force, the first named air force of the United States Army 's air arm, began operations in 1935. The GHQ Air Force became
2970-533: The Axis tanks and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel began the withdrawal from Egypti. Ninth Air Force had been first constituted as V Air Support Command, part of Air Force Combat Command , at Bowman Field , Kentucky on 11 September 1941. Its responsibility was to direct and coordinate the training activities of National Guard observation squadrons inducted into federal service with those of light bomber units training with
3060-473: The Balkans to bomb factories, marshalling yards, oil refineries , oil storage facilities, airdromes, bridges, harbors, and other objectives. It received a third Distinguished Unit Citation for attacking the oil industry at Bratislava on 16 June 1944. Also flew support and interdiction missions, assisting Allied forces at Anzio and Monte Cassino during February–March 1944, supporting Operation Dragoon ,
3150-774: The Desert Air Force under Air Vice Marshal Harry Broadhurst , and XII Air Support Command under Major General Edwin House were sub-commands of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) under Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham. NATAF was one of the three major sub-commands of the Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) under Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz . NATAF, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) and Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF), formed
3240-512: The IX Air Support Command, which took control of all its fighter and reconnaissance units. HQ IX Air Support Command changed from Aldermaston Court to Middle Wallop. Major General Paul L. Williams , who had commanded the troop carrier operations in Sicily and Italy, replaced Giles in command of IX Troop Carrier Command. The IX TCC command and staff officers were an excellent mix of combat veterans from those earlier assaults, and
3330-643: The Invasion of Southern France in August 1944, aiding the Russian sweep into the Balkans during the fall of 1944, and assisting Allied troops in northern Italy during April 1945. Flying from North Africa and Italy, the Group flew 451 missions, was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations and earned 15 campaign awards. The Liberandos destroyed 220 enemy aircraft in aerial combat and suffered casualties totaling 1479 officers and enlisted personnel and 169 aircraft. With
3420-508: The Mediterranean. In September 1942, RAF Middle East Command 's Senior Air Staff Officer, Air Commodore Philip. Wigglesworth was authorized by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder to select targets for all U.S. heavy bombers. "A development of some importance in the career of USAMEAF manifested itself administratively on 12 October (1942) when orders were cut assigning nine officers to the IX Bomber Command , which organization
3510-708: The Netherlands. In December 1944 through January 1945, Ninth Air Force fighters and bombers were critical in defeating the Wehrmacht during the Battle of the Bulge . Initially American, British, and Canadian air power was grounded by very bad winter weather, but then the bad weather broke, freeing the tactical air forces to help break the back of the Wehrmacht attack. The long smash across France, Belgium, and Luxembourg
3600-496: The Ninth Air Force began to report to RAF Middle East Command (RAFME) under Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas . Additionally, the Ninth's 57th, 79th, and 324th Fighter Groups and its 12th and 340th Bombardment Groups were transferred to the operational control of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham . The Ninth's 316th Troop Carrier Group flew its missions with
3690-576: The Ninth Air Force transferred its entire IX Troop Carrier Command with its fourteen C-47 groups to the 1st Allied Airborne Army in September 1944. Those troop carrier groups flew many of the C-47s and towed CG-4 Waco gliders for the Allied airborne unit drops— Operation Market Garden —to take the bridges northwest of Eindhoven at Son (mun. Son en Breugel), Veghel , Grave , Nijmegen and Arnhem in
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3780-432: The Ninth Air Force was officially assigned to RAF Middle East Command of the Mediterranean Air Command . However, the Ninth's 12th and 340th Bombardment Groups were assigned to the Tactical Bomber Force , the 57th and 79th Fighter Groups were assigned to the Desert Air Force , and the 324th Fighter Group was surprisingly assigned to XII Air Support Command . The Tactical Bomber Force under Air Commodore Laurence Sinclair ,
3870-455: The Ninth flew approximately 35,000 sorties, attacking targets such as airfields, railroad yards, and coastal gun positions. By the end of May 1944, the IX TCC had available 1,207 C-47 Skytrain troop carrier airplanes and was one-third overstrength, creating a strong reserve. Three-quarters of the aircraft were less than one year old on D-Day, and all were in excellent condition. Gliders were incorporated, Over 2,100 CG-4 Waco gliders had been sent to
3960-545: The Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest Air Districts on 19 October 1940 to provide air defense for the United States. These Air Districts were redesignated as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Air Forces, respectively, on 26 March 1941. Over a year after the establishment of the United States Army Air Forces on 20 June 1941, the Arabic numerals were changed to the First , Second , Third , and Fourth Air Forces on 18 September 1942. Other organizations established during this period and that became Numbered air forces include
4050-471: The Philippine Department Air Force (became Fifth Air Force ), the Panama Canal Air Force (became Sixth Air Force ), the Hawaiian Air Force (became Seventh Air Force ), and the Alaskan Air Force (became Eleventh Air Force ). After World War II, the US Air Force continued to use both named and numbered air forces. While named air forces were used in both tactical and support roles, numbered air forces were generally employed only in tactical roles. As part of
4140-454: The U.S. Congress declared war on Romania , during the Halverson project (HALPRO) raid against Ploiești – the first U.S. mission against a European target. Thirteen B-24 Liberator heavy bombers under the command of Colonel Harry A. Halverson from RAF Fayid , Egypt, dropped eight bombs into the Black Sea , two onto Constanța , six onto Ploiești, six onto Teișani , and several onto Ciofliceni . In all, three people were killed and damage
4230-576: The UK, and after attrition during training operations, 1,118 were available for operations, along with 301 larger Airspeed Horsa gliders received from the British. On D-Day, IX Troop Carrier Command units flew over 2000 sorties conducting combat parachute jumps and glider landings as part of American airborne landings in Normandy of Operation Neptune. Other Ninth Air Force units carried out massive air attacks with P-51 Mustang , P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers, North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers. Air cover during
4320-430: The United Kingdom, Ninth Air Force units were very mobile, first deploying to France on 16 June 1944, ten days after the Normandy invasion by moving P-47 Thunderbolts to a beach-head landing strip. Because of their short range, operational combat units would have to move to quickly prepared bases close to the front as soon as the Allied ground forces advanced. The bases were called " Advanced Landing Grounds " or "ALGs". On
4410-416: The United States and their units inactivated. Others were assigned to the new United States Air Forces in Europe and were moved to captured Luftwaffe airfields to perform occupation duties. Some transport units relocated to France. Finally, with the mission completed, on 2 December 1945 the Ninth Air Force was inactivated at USAFE Headquarters at Wiesbaden Germany. Following World War II , Ninth Air Force
4500-427: The United States in August 1942. After several weeks, the Soviets declared that they wanted only the aircraft and not British or American crews. None could be spared and the Anglo-American air force proposal was cancelled. Members of the 376th adopted the nickname "Liberandos". Initially, the 376th was formed with the 23 B-24Ds which had flown from Florida, along with a detachment of Boeing B-17D Flying Fortresses from
4590-427: The air and on the ground. Pacific Air Force/FEAF (Rear) controlled both operational and support forces of Far East Air Forces . Air Materiel Force, European Area, and Air Materiel Force, Pacific Area, on the other hand, served primarily as logistics support establishments. Since 2001 United States Air Forces Central has supervised U.S. Air Force elements engaged in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) ; since 2003 for
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#17327799397384680-453: The attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the Army Air Forces to mount retaliatory raids on the Japanese Home Islands . A task force, commanded by Colonel Harry E. Halverson and composed of 231 officers and enlisted men and 23 Consolidated B-24D Liberator bombers, was assembled at Fort Myers Army Air Field , Florida. The unit was given the code name "HALPRO" for Halverson Project . This organization, destined to be
4770-427: The base. Numbered Air Force A Numbered Air Force ( NAF ) is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a major command (MAJCOM) and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squadrons, and groups. A Component Numbered Air Force ( C-NAF ) has the additional role as an Air Force Component Command exercising command and control over air and space forces supporting
4860-437: The case of the 12th Bombardment and 57th Fighter Groups, but he could see no reason why operational control of the 1st Provisional and 98th Groups, comprising four-fifths of the heavy bomber force in the Middle East, should not be vested in American hands. Subsequent negotiations carried the point with the British, who even turned over their 160 Squadron (Liberators) to the operational control of IX Bomber Command. On 12 October
4950-437: The classic tri-force , the basis for the creation of NAAF in February 1943. Ninth Air Force groups attacked airfields and rail facilities in Sicily and took part in Operation Husky, carried paratroopers, and flew reinforcements to ground units on the island. The heavy bombardment groups (B-24s) of the Ninth also participated in the low-level assault of the oil refineries at Ploesti , Romania on 1 August 1943. On 22 August 1943
5040-453: The command fought in World War II both in the Western Desert Campaign in Egypt and Libya and as the tactical fighter component of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe , engaging enemy forces in France, the Low Countries and in Nazi Germany. During the Cold War , it was one of two Numbered Air Forces of Tactical Air Command . Co-designated as United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) on 1 January 1983, on 2009 as part of
5130-511: The continent, many ALGs were built either from scratch or from captured enemy airfields throughout France, the Low Countries and Germany. Ninth Air Force units moved frequently from one ALG to another. By early August most Ninth Air Force operational fighter and bomber groups were transferred to bases in France and assigned to the U. S. Twelfth Army Group . These groups were then assigned to Tactical Air Command (TAC) organizations which supported Army ground units. XXIX Tactical Air Command (XXIX TAC)
5220-454: The control of the corps and divisions, although they would remain attached to these ground units. GHQ AF organized 5th Air Support Command at Bowman Field , Kentucky in September 1941, drawing its personnel and equipment from the 16th Bombardment Wing , which was simultaneously inactivated. New observation groups were formed, with a cadre drawn from National Guard squadrons that had been mobilized in 1940 and 1941. 5th Air Support Command
5310-402: The end of American involvement during the early 1970s, these units were returned in large part to their home Ninth Air Force units in the United States. During the remainder of the 1970s, NATO deployments resumed supporting the COMET, CORONET and CRESTED CAP exercises. These deployments were designed to exercise CONUS based Air Force squadrons long range deployment capabilities and to familiarize
5400-410: The end of the war in Europe, the 376th moved to Harvard Army Air Field , Nebraska, on 8 May 1945, became a very heavy group and began Boeing B-29 Superfortress transition training in preparation for a move to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater . However, with the end of the war in August, the training ended and the unit was inactivated at Grand Island Army Air Field , Nebraska on 10 November 1945. The unit
5490-413: The enemy the ability to replenish or replace losses, and (3) Offer ground forces close support in North-East Africa. On 12 November 1942, the US Army Middle East Air Force was dissolved and replaced by HQ Ninth Air Force, commanded by Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton. At that time, the Ninth Air Force consisted of: By the end of 1942 a total of 370 aircraft had been ferried to the Ninth Air Force. While
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#17327799397385580-404: The facility. Although both George H. W. Bush and President Clinton promised to rebuild Homestead, the BRAC designated the installation for realignment to the Air Force Reserve , and on 1 April 1994, Headquarters, ACC inactivated its base support units and transferred base support responsibility to the Air Force Reserve Command and AFRC's 482d Fighter Wing , effectively ending ACC ownership of
5670-423: The fall of Rangoon the Burma Road was cut, so the detachment could not be logistically supported in China. HALPRO was quickly diverted from its original mission to a new one—interdictory raids from airfields in Egypt against shipping and North African ports supporting Axis operations. On 28 June 1942, Major General Lewis H. Brereton arrived at Cairo to command the U.S. Army Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF), which
5760-402: The famed Operation Tidal Wave , the low-level assault on oil refineries at Ploiești and received another DUC: nearing Ploiești on 1 August 1943 and realizing that it was off course, the group attempted to reach its assigned objective from another direction; by that time, however, enemy defenses were thoroughly alerted and intense opposition forced the 376th to divert to targets of opportunity in
5850-413: The following groups were transferred from the Ninth Air Force to the Twelfth Air Force: The 316th Troop Carrier Group was operating under Northwest African Troop Carrier Command with C-47 Dakotas and CG4A Waco Gliders. Concurrently with the reassignment of Ninth Air Force formations in the Mediterranean to Twelfth Air Force, plans were afoot in Britain to move Eighth Air Force 's medium bomber units to
5940-403: The general target area. On 9 November 1958, British geologists flying over the Libyan Desert spotted an aircraft resting on the sand dunes approximately 400 statute miles (640 km) south of Benghazi , Libya. A ground party reached the site in March 1959 and discovered the plane to be the "Lady Be Good" , a B-24D Liberator of the 514th Bombardment Squadron. The bomber had disappeared after
6030-475: The great majority were P-40s, Consolidated B-24 Liberators (The original Halverson Detachment (HALPRO) , 98th Bombardment Group, 376th Bombardment Group, and RAF units), and B-25 Mitchells (12th) and 340th Bombardment Groups), there were also more than 50 twin-engine transports ( 316th Troop Carrier Group ), which made it possible to build an effective local air transport service. Ninth Air Force P-40F fighters ( 57th , 79th , and 324th Fighter Groups) supported
6120-459: The higher-capability F-15C/Ds and the new F-15E replaced the F-4E in the 4th TFW. With the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) reductions meant the closing of Myrtle Beach AFB and England AFB. MacDill AFB was realigned under Air Combat Command as the headquarters of United States Central Command and United States Special Operations Command , but minus tactical aircraft operations with
6210-407: The major command (MAJCOM) to which they are currently assigned. Note that the lineage of some numbered air forces is continued by non-NAF organizations (e.g., the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force continues the lineage of the Fifteenth Air Force). Boldface indicates a NAF or C-NAF that is currently active. In May 2022, First Air Force was officially designated as "Air Forces Space" (AFSPACE),
6300-424: The morning amphibious assault by Allied forces on the beaches of France was flown by P-38 Lightnings . With the beaches secure, its tactical air units then provided the air power for the Allied break-out from the Normandy beachhead in the summer of 1944 during the Battle of Cherbourg , Battle for Caen , and the ultimate breakout from the beachhead, Operation Cobra . Unlike Eighth Air Force, whose units stayed in
6390-455: The operational wings and groups. Eleven of the sixteen wartime air forces remained. The Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces were assigned to SAC; the Third, Ninth, and Twelfth Air Forces were assigned to TAC; and the First, Second, Fourth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Fourteenth Air Forces were assigned to ADC. Second Air Force would later be transferred to SAC in 1949. The numbered air forces had both operational and administrative authority, and existed as
6480-724: The parent unit of the 376th Bombardment Group, departed the United States on 20 May 1942 over the South Atlantic ferry route through the Caribbean and Natal, Brazil and across Central Africa and arrived at RAF Lydda in Palestine. However, before the group could depart for India and begin attacks on Japanese targets from a base located in China, the unit learned that its proposed base in China had been captured by Japanese forces. The United States Army Air Forces first dropped bombs on Romania on 12 June 1942, one week after
6570-679: The personnel with the European theatre of operations. During these NATO deployments, exercises with Army infantry and armored units were conducted to enhance the Close Air Support role in Europe. Ninth Air Force Wings in 1979 were: During the 1980s, Ninth Air Force wings upgraded from the Vietnam-Era F-4s and A-7s to newer F-15s, F-16 and A-10 aircraft. First-generation F-15A/B models were later sent to Air National Guard fighter units while Regular Air Force units upgraded to
6660-420: The reassignment of the 56th Fighter Wing to Air Education and Training Command and relocation to Luke AFB , Arizona. The restructuring of USAF CONUS forces by the inactivation of Tactical Air Command and subsequent creation of Air Combat Command realigned Ninth Air Force with new units and new missions. In addition, the effects of Hurricane Andrew at Homestead AFB on 24 August 1992 essentially destroyed
6750-573: The reliable C-47 Skytrain of previous airborne operations, an experiment which ended with the catastrophic loss of 28% of the C-46s participating. Ninth Air Force tactical air support operations were flown over western Germany until the end of hostilities on 7 May. However, once the victory had been gained, the United States plunged into demobilization, just as it had done at the end of the First World War . Most officers and men were sent back to
6840-436: The same time clarifying the roles and responsibilities of essential supporting functions." Numbered air forces were reorganized into tactical echelons focused on operations, and their administrative staff functions were eliminated. This reorganization also reduced the number of major commands, and eliminated the air divisions to place numbered air forces directly in command of operational wings. The role of numbered air forces
6930-607: The time of Operation Husky , the invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943, Ninth Air Force Headquarters was still based at Cairo in Egypt while the Headquarters of Ninth Fighter Command and IX Bomber Command were stationed at Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya, respectively. During this critical period of World War II when the Allied forces finally left North Africa for Europe, the groups of the Ninth Air Force consisted of: During most of 1943,
7020-586: Was activated immediately. USAMEAF comprised the former Halverson Project now the 1st Provisional Bombardment Group, Brereton's detachment ( 9th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) and other personnel which Brereton brought from India), and the Air Section of the U.S. Military North African Mission. Several USAAF units were sent to join USAMEAF during next weeks in the destruction of Rommel's Afrika Korps by support to ground troops and secure sea and air communications in
7110-750: Was activated in France on 15 September 1944, commanded by Brig. Gen. Richard E. Nugent , to support operations of the U.S. Ninth Army . XXIX TAC supported the Ninth Army in the north; IX TAC supported the First Army in the center; and XIX TAC supported the Third Army in the south. Air cover over Allied-controlled areas on the continent was performed by the IX Air Defense Command. Ninth Air Force groups made numerous moves within France,
7200-578: Was again changed in 2006 with the implementation of the Component Air Force (C-NAF) concept. Some numbered air forces have an additional mission as the Air Force Component Command exercising command and control over air and space forces supporting a Unified Combatant Command . C-NAFs have a second designation to identify their role. For example, First Air Force , a numbered air force assigned to Air Combat Command ,
7290-483: Was assigned to the 514th Bombardment Squadron. The 376th is the lead Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling unit for Afghanistan operations. Other USAF aircraft supporting the mission include Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs . The 376th Bombardment Group has its origins in the British Mandate of Palestine , as a result of the buildup of American air power in the Middle East in January 1942. Following
7380-629: Was conducting a test of assigning its tactical squadrons directly to its wings, and the group's personnel were detached to wing headquarters. When the new organization became permanent in June 1952, the group was inactivated. Manas Air Base operations began 16 December 2001 and included the 86th Contingency Response Group from Ramstein Air Base , Germany as well as contractors and French engineers. Since then it has hosted forces from Australia, Denmark, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain and
7470-505: Was maintained. U.S. and British Air Forces aimed to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the air and on the ground, to bring about complete air supremacy prior to the invasion of Normandy . Operational missions involved attacks on rail marshaling yards, railroads, airfields, industrial plants, military installations, and other enemy targets in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Other targets were German Atlantic Wall defenses along
7560-654: Was minor. Halverson would be awarded the Silver Star for leading the Ploesti raid. To make matters worse, the German Afrika Korps under General Erwin Rommel was poised to attack Allied forces in Egypt. HALPRO was quickly diverted from its original mission to a new one again: interdictory raids from airfields in Egypt against shipping and North African ports supporting Axis operations as part of United States Middle East Air Forces (USMEAF) on 20 June 1942,
7650-465: Was reactivated on 28 March 1946 at Biggs AAF , Texas. After several relocations, on 20 August 1954, Ninth Air Force Headquarters was assigned to Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina , where it remains today. The postwar Numbered Air Forces were components of the new major command structure of the United States Air Force , and Ninth Air Force became one of the tactical air forces of the new Tactical Air Command . Ninth Air Force commanded TAC Wings east of
7740-585: Was redesignated USAFCENT on 5 August 2009. A new Ninth Air Force was established that date for command and control of CONUS-based Air Combat Command units formerly assigned to the previous Ninth Air Force. In the summer of 1941 General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ AF) decided to establish commands to direct its air support mission in each of its numbered air forces , plus one additional command that would report directly to GHQ AF. These commands were manned from inactivating wings , and would initially control only observation squadrons, which would be transferred from
7830-476: Was redesignated as 9th Air Force in April 1942. It moved to Bolling Field , DC on 22 July and transferred without personnel or equipment to Cairo , Egypt on 12 November 1942. In June 1942, the German Afrika Korps advance in North Africa forced the British Eighth Army to retreat towards Egypt putting British Middle East Command at risk. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) had already planned for
7920-436: Was redesignated the 376th Reconnaissance Group and activated at Gravelly Point , Virginia on 23 May 1947. The wartime 512th and 513th Squadrons were assigned to the group and equipped with B/WB-29s. The unit operated as a weather reconnaissance group until its inactivation on 20 September 1948. The unit once again became a bombardment unit and was activated under Strategic Air Command in 1951. However, Strategic Air Command
8010-566: Was the highlight of the existence of the 9th Air Force. In the spring of 1945, Ninth Air Force troop carrier units flew airborne parachute and glider units again during Operation Varsity , the Allied assault over the Rhine River on 24 March 1945. Operation Varsity was the single largest airborne drop in history. The operation saw the first use of the Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando transport in Europe, operating with
8100-416: Was then and for a month afterwards unofficial. This command had its roots in a discussion on 5 September between Tedder's senior air staff officer, Air Vice Marshal H. E. P. Wigglesworth, and G-3 officers of USAMEAF, during which Wigglesworth asserted that he had control, delegated by Tedder, over the target selection for the U.S. heavy bombers. Col. Patrick W. Timberlake, G-3 of Brereton's staff, took
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