Fifteenth Air Force
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fifteenth_Air_Force".

15th USAAF patch

The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command. Headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., its main mission is to provide a rapid, tailored, worldwide, air mobility response to combatant commanders’ requirements.

The 15th EMTF reports to the Eighteenth Air Force, which is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

The 15th EMTF extends existing AMC infrastructure, through both in-place employment and rapid forward deployment capabilities, and presents forces to warfighting unified commanders by focusing on meeting the nation’s global air mobility requirements. The 15th EMTF also employs mission-ready command and control, aerial port, and aircraft maintenance personnel, as well as airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation and airfield opening planning, assessment, and execution expertise, to project and sustain combat forces worldwide.

On order, the EMTF commander may deploy as the Director of Mobility Forces (DIRMOBFOR), a Joint Task Force Commander, a Joint Forces Air Component Commander, or any number of roles to rapidly establish air mobility operations in support of contingency efforts, humanitarian operations, exercises and war games.

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Contents

History

Postwar

Fifteenth Air Force was a Numbered Air Force in U.S. Air Force. In its most recent form, it was Air Mobility Command's intermediate echelon for units in the western United States and Pacific theater.

Activated on 31 March 1946 at Colorado Springs, Colorado, assigned to Strategic Air Command. Moved to March AFB, California, on 7 November 1949. Relieved from assignment to Strategic Air Command and assigned to Air Mobility Command on 1 January 1992 at Travis AFB, California.

World War II

15th USAAF patch

Fifteenth Air Force was established on November 1, 1943 in Tunis, Tunisia as part of the United States Army Air Forces in the World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations as a strategic air force and commenced combat operations the day after it was formed. The first commander was General Jimmy Doolittle.

The new air force drew its operational forces from heavy bombers of the IX Bomber Command, the strategic bomber command of the Ninth Air Force which was relocating to the United Kingdom to become a tactical air force in the European Theater of Operations, the Twelfth Air Force, and by a diversion of groups originally intended for the Eighth Air Force.

Moved to Bari, Italy, on 1 December 1943. Operated out of bases in southern Italy, the Fifteenth Air Force, along with the Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command, became the instruments used by the Allies to carry the strategic air offensive to Axis occupied Europe and Germany.

A total of around 2,110 bombers were lost on operations by its fifteen B-24 and six B-17 bombardment groups, while its seven fighter groups claimed a total of 1,836 enemy aircraft destroyed.

Assigned to United States Strategic Air Forces about February 1944. The Fifteenth was de-activated in Italy September 15, 1945.

15AF organization August 1944

5th Bomb Wing (B-17 Flying Fortress)


2 BG 97 BG 99 BG 301 BG 463 BG 483 BG
20 BS 340 BS 346 BS 32 BS 772 BS 815 BS
49 BS 341 BS 347 BS 352 BS 773 BS 816 BS
96 BS 342 BS 348 BS 353 BS 774 BS 817 BS
429 BS 414 BS 416 BS 419 BS 775 BS 840 BS
Based at Amendola (Italie) Based at Amendola (Italie) Based at Tortorella (Italie) Based at Lucera (Italie) Based at Celone (Italie) Based at Sterparone (Italie)
47th Bomb Wing (B-24 "Liberator")
98 BG 376 BG 449 BG 450 BG
343 BS 512 BS 716 BS 720 BS
344 BS 513 BS 717 BS 721 BS
345 BS 514 BS 718 BS 722 BS
415 BS 515 BS 719 BS 723 BS
Based at Manduria (Italie) Based at San Pancrazio (Italie) Based at Grottaglie (Italie) Based at Manduria (Italie)
49th Bomb Wing (B-24 "Liberator")
451 BG 461 BG 484 BG
724 BS 764 BS 824 BS
725 BS 765 BS 825 BS
726 BS 766 BS 826 BS
727 BS 767 BS 827 BS
Based at Castellucio (Italie) Based at Cerignola (Italie) Based at Torretta (Italie)
55th Bomb Wing (B-24 "Liberator")
460 BG 464 BG 465 BG 485 BG
760 BS 776 BS 780 BS 828 BS
761 BS 777 BS 781 BS 829 BS
762 BS 778 BS 782 BS 830 BS
763 BS 779 BS 783 BS 831 BS
Based at Spinazzola (Italie) Based at Pantanella (Italie) Based at Pantanella (Italie) Based at Venosa (Italie)
304th Bomb Wing (B-24 "Liberator")
454 BG 455 BG 456 BG 459 BG
736 BS 740 BS 744 BS 756 BS
737 BS 741 BS 745 BS 757 BS
738 BS 742 BS 746 BS 758 BS
739 BS 743 BS 747 BS 759 BS
Based at San Giovanni (Italie) Based at Cerignola (Italie) Based at Stornara (Italie) Based at Giulia (Italie)
306th Fighter Wing
1 FG 14 FG 82 FG 325 FG 31 FG 52 FG 332 FG
27 FS 37 FS 95 FS 317 FS 307 FS 2 FS 99 FS**
71 FS 47 FS 96 FS 318 FS 308 FS 4 FS 100 FS
94 FS 48 FS 97 FS 319 FS 309 FS 5 FS 301 FS
302 FS
Based at Salsola* (Italie) / P-38 Based at Triolo* (Italie) / P-38 Based at Vincenzo (Italie) / P-38 Based at Lesina (Italie) / P-51 Based at San Severo (Italie) / P-51 Based at Madna (Italie) / P-51 Based at Ramitelli (Italie) / P-51

*Sent to Aghione in Corsica from 10 to 21 August 1944 for Operation DRAGOON (landing in South of France)

**Still a part of 86 FG (12AF) with P-40, P-47 and P-51 as planes

Miscellanous
2641 SGP 154 WRS
885 BS*
859 BS**
Based at ? (?) / B-24 "Liberator" Based at ? (?) / P-38
*Since July 1944
**Since January 1945

Quotes

"I could see omens of the war’s end almost every day in the blue southern sky when, flying provocatively low, the bombers of the American Fifteenth Air Force crossed the Alps from their Italian bases to attack German Industrial targets.” –-Inside the Third Reich, Memoirs of Albert Speer, Hitler's Minister for Armaments

Further reading

  • 50 Mission Crush, by Donald R. Currier, out of print, ISBN 0-94259-743-5
  • B-24 Liberator Units of the Fifteenth Air Force, by Robert F Dorr, Pub NY Osprey, ISBN 1-84176-081-1
  • The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B24s over Germany, 1944-1945 , by Stephen Ambrose, Pub NY Simon & Schuster, 2001.
  • P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Ninth and Fifteenth Air Force, by Jerry Scutts, Pub Osprey, ISBN 1-85532-906-9
  • Bloody Skies: A 15th AAF B-17 Combat Crew, How They Lived and Died, by Melvin W. McGuire and Robert Hadley, Yucca Tree Press, 1993, ISBN 1-881325-06-7
  • Flying Colt: Liberator Pilot in Italy, by Robert S. Capps, Manor House (1997). ISBN 0-9640665-1-3
  • 456th Bomb Group History: Steed's Flying Colts 1943-1945, 456th Bomb Group Association, Turner Publishing (1994). ISBN 1-56311-141-1

It is my clear understanding that the 14th FG was comprised of the 37th FS, the 48th FS and the 49th FS, not the 47th FS. See John Stanaway's "P-38 Lightning Aces of the ETO/MTO" ISBN 1-85532-698-1.

External links

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