US History/US History (Bureau Development Inc.)(1991).ISO/dp/0039/00391.txt

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$Title{Air Force Combat Units of World War II
Front Matter}
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$Author{Maurer, Maurer}
$Affiliation{USAF}
$Subject{air
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$Date{1986}
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Book:        Air Force Combat Units of World War II
Author:      Maurer, Maurer
Affiliation: USAF
Date:        1986

              Overview of Air Force Combat Units of World War II

This book traces the lineage of each Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force combat
group that was active in World War II.  In addition to serving as a valuable
Air Force history document, it also provides unit commanders with a practical
and accurate source of vital statistics.

Front Matter

Foreword

     Like all chronologies, bibliographies, and encyclopedias, Air Force
Combat Units of World War II serves a very special historical function.  It
traces the lineage of each Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force combat group or
higher organization active in World War II, from its origins to 1956.

     It is a concise official record of those units:  their assignments,
subordinate organizations, stations, commanders, campaigns, aircraft, and
decorations.  But it is more than that.

     As an important source of ready information, this volume not only serves
as a reference tool for historians and researchers; but it also provides
commanders with a corporate memory of vital statistics.  With these facts, a
unit documents its heritage, the basis for unit esprit de corps.

     Originally this volume had been printed in 1961.  Its worth has been
proven, and the demand for it has been great.  With this reprint, it will
continue to serve the United States Air Force in all quarters in years to
come.

                                        Richard H. Kohn
                                        Chief, Office of Air Force History

Preface

     Purpose.  Over a period of several years the USAF Historical Division has
received hundreds of requests for brief histories of Air Force organizations.
Air Force units ask for historical data they can use for the orientation of
new personnel and for building morale and esprit de corps.  USAF Headquarters
and the commands need historical data for organizational planning.
Information officers throughout the Air Force want historical materials for
public relations purposes.  Members and former members of the Air Force are
interested in the units with which they have served.  Government agencies and
private individuals, for various reasons, seek information about Air Force
units and their histories.  As a result of the great demand for and the
interest in such histories, it appeared that a book containing brief sketches
of Air Force combat organizations would be of value as a reference work.  The
task of preparing such a volume was undertaken by the USAF Historical Division
as a phase of its work on World War II.

     Scope.  This book is concerned primarily with the combat (or tactical)
groups that were active during the Second World War.  Although such groups had
numerous designations, nearly all fell within four major categories:
bombardment, fighter, reconnaissance, and troop carrier.  The book covers both
the combat groups that served overseas and those that remained in the United
States.  It also covers combat organizations above the group level.  It does
not deal with provisional organizations or with air base, maintenance, supply,
medical, transport, and other service or support organizations.

     Although this book is devoted exclusively to organizations that were
active during World War II, its coverage of those organizations is not
confined to the World War II period.  Instead, each organization is traced
back to its origin and forward to 1 January 1956, with later activations being
mentioned if they took place prior to the time the draft of the book was
prepared in 1957-1958.

     The organizations are presented under the designations they carried on 2
September 1945.  For each organization there is information concerning
insigne, lineage, operations, assignments, aircraft (for groups only),
components, stations, commanders, campaigns, and decorations.  A guide to the
way these materials are treated is provided in the Explanatory Notes that
follow this Preface.

     Revision.  It is impossible to handle the vast amount of detailed data
used in the preparation of a work of this kind without some errors appearing
in the published volume.  A considerable portion of the material in this book
represents judgments that historians made in their efforts to determine facts
from conflicting data found in various sources.  Because of the nature of the
volume, there was little opportunity to employ the qualifying words and
phrases that historians normally use to indicate weaknesses in their sources
or suggest the possibility of other interpretations of available data.  Like
any historical work, this book is subject to revision in the light of evidence
that may be discovered or may become available in the future.

     Sources.  Most of the sources used in the preparation of this volume are
found in the archives of the USAF Historical Division.  The most important of
these are histories that Air Force organizations at all echelons have
forwarded periodically to the archives in accordance with directives
pertaining to the Air Force historical program.  These histories consist of
narratives, plus supporting documents, such as plans, orders, directives,
operational reports, organizational charts, statistical summaries, and
correspondence.  The narratives and documents for many organizations are
excellent.  Unfortunately, the coverage for some organizations is inadequate
and in some cases is lacking for considerable periods of time.  Coverage is
especially thin, or absent, for the years before 1943, the date the historical
program became operative, and for the period immediately following World War
II, when the program was disrupted by demobilization and by numerous changes
in Air Force organization.  Lower echelons of some commands, as well as
reserve and national guard organizations not in active service, have not
forwarded narratives and documents to the archives.

     Other important sources were papers of the Air Service, the Air Corps,
and the Air Staff of Army Air Forces; numbered letters of the War Department
and the Department of the Air Force; general and special orders; reports and
staff studies; statistical digests; organizational directories; personnel
rosters; and station lists.

     Monographs prepared by the USAF Historical Division and by the historical
offices of the various commands were very useful.  Another secondary source of
great value was the USAF Historical Division's seven-volume history, The Army
Air Forces in World War II, edited by W. F. Craven and J. L. Cate, and
published by the University of Chicago Press.

     Acknowledgments.  This volume is, in a large measure, the work of Miss
Mary Frances Morgan (M.A., University of Georgia), Miss Merlin Elaine Owen
(M.A., Tulane University), Mr. Sam H. Frank (M.A., Florida State University),
Mr. Herman A. Higgins (M.A., Peabody College), Mr. Richard C. Lukas (B.A.,
Florida State University), and Mr. Wesley P. Newton, Jr. (M.A., University of
Alabama).  These young graduate students, who joined the USAF Historical
Division in the summer of 1957, were well qualified for the task of conducting
the research and preparing the draft of the book.  Each had excellent training
in history and historical methodology.  Each proved to be a first-class
researcher.  But these historians brought more than technical competence to
their job.  They had enthusiasm for their work, a vast store of good humor,
and the personal qualities that enable people to work together in the finest
spirit of cooperation.  When this team broke up in the summer of 1958, Miss
Morgan and Mr. Newton stayed on for another year to finish the draft and
assist with the editing.

     Many other persons contributed to the production of this volume.  Miss
Marguerite Kennedy and her staff in the archives of the USAF Historical
Division provided numerous services that expedited the research.  Mr. David
Schoem of the Air University Historical Liaison Office in Washington assisted
with many administrative matters.  Mr. Gordon W. Benson and members of his
staff furnished copies of the unit history cards maintained by the
Organization Branch, Directorate of Statistical Services, Headquarters USAF.
Miss Eleanor Cox, Chief of the Heraldic Section, Directorate of Military
Personnel, Headquarters USAF, assisted by Miss Anna D. Osso of the Heraldic
Section, supplied the insignia and their descriptions.  Dr. Chauncey E.
Sanders, Mr. Robert T. Finney, Dr. Wilson Howell, Dr. Edith C. Rodgers, Major
Ruth P. Boehner, Lieutenant James D. Secor, Lieutenant Eugene Pascuzzi, and
other members or former members of the USAF Historical Division who at various
times were associated with the Division's unit history program, prepared many
unit histories that supplied valuable data for this volume.  Mrs. Lois L. Lynn
maintained the voluminous files required for the project and typed the various
drafts of the book.  Although this brief note can not name all the persons who
assisted in one way or another, it should mention two men whose interest and
support were vital to the project:  Col. G. C. Cobb, Director of Research
Studies Institute during the time the book was being written; and Dr. Albert
F. Simpson, Chief, USAF Historical Division.

                                        15 September 1959

Explanatory Notes

     These notes, which are designed as an aid to the use of this volume, are
keyed to the various kinds of information presented in the historical sketches
of the combat organizations.


     Heading.  The heading gives the numerical and general functional
designation of the organization at the end of World War II.

     Insigne.  The insigne is the last one approved prior to the end of World
War II if such an insigne was available.  If the organization had no insigne
at that time but had one approved after the war, the latter is shown.  A
regulation issued in 1953 required each combat group to use the insigne of the
combat wing of the same number; consequently, in this book wing insignia are
given for some groups.

     Lineage.  The lineage, which was traced through official documents, is
presented in a narrative that also covers the major activities of the
organization.  Organizational actions (e.g., activation, redesignation, etc.)
relating to lineage are highlighted by means of italics.  Minor redesignations
(e.g., a change from Bombardment Group, H to Bombardment Group, Heavy), as
well as organizational changes that had no effect on lineage, were omitted.
The terms used to describe actions that establish the lineage of Air Force
organizations are defined in Appendix I:  Organizational Terms.

     Operations.  The narrative for each group gives a brief summary of the
organization's major activities, especially its combat operations.  A general
statement concerning major functions or area of operations is provided for
organizations above the group level.

     Assignments.  The narrative includes information concerning the
organization's assignments, or its attachments for operational control.  For
World War II, this information is generally restricted to the numbered air
forces with which the organization operated; for the post-World War II period,
it is usually confined to the major command.  Because of peculiarities and
changes in the Air Force structure between 1946 and 1950, assignments to Air
Defense, Tactical Air, and Continental Air Command during that time are, as a
general rule, not shown.  In references to Air National Guard (ANG)
organizations, names of states, shown as abbreviations in parentheses,
indicate allotments of headquarters.

     Aircraft.  The narrative for each group supplies information concerning
the aircraft used by the organization.

     Organizational Components.  The major combat elements are listed
immediately following the narrative.  The list shows only the components at
the first subordinate echelon in any particular period.  Components were
omitted in some cases in which the structure of the subject organization
changed frequently and the assignments of components usually were of brief
duration.  Attached components, as well as service and support elements, were
omitted.  Components of national guard organizations are given only for those
periods in which the guard organizations were on extended active service.

     Only numerical designations are shown if the functional designations
(e.g., fighter, bomber) of the components and subject organization were
similar.  For components assigned during World War II, the numerical
designation shown is the one in use at the end of the war.  If the numerical
designation of a component changed during the period of assignment to the
subject organization, the former or later designation is supplied in
parentheses.

     A semicolon separating dates indicates that the subject organization was
inactivated.  A comma indicates that the component was relieved of assignment
and later reassigned during a period in which the subject organization
remained active.

     Stations.  The list of stations shows the locations and movements of the
organization.  Temporary stations are not listed.  The name given for each
base is the one in use at the time the organization arrived.  Webster's
Geographical Dictionary was used as the primary authority for the spelling of
place names.  For places not listed there, the NIS Gazetteers were used.  For
places not given in either of those sources, it was necessary to rely on
station lists and other Air Force documents.  Geographical place names, rather
than base names, are generally shown for stations overseas.  If the
organization moved frequently, as some organizations did in the Mediterranean
and Pacific areas during World War II, countries, rather than specific places,
are shown.  Stations for national guard organizations are given only for those
periods in which the guard organizations were on extended active service.

     A single date indicates the arrival of the organization's headquarters
or, if that could not be determined, the arrival of the first major element of
the organization.  Where double dates are given, the second date, if followed
by a semicolon, shows when the organization (or the first major element) began
an extended movement either overseas or within a theater; if followed by a
period, the second date indicates that the organization was inactivated.

     Commanders.  The list of commanders gives the names of the organization's
commanding officers, the highest rank held by each during the period of
command, and the date each assumed command.  As a general rule, temporary or
acting commanders are not shown.  Because of difficulties encountered in
obtaining data concerning commanders of reserve and national guard
organizations, commanders of such organizations are shown only for those
periods the organizations were on extended active service.

     Where double dates are shown, the second date, if followed by a period,
indicates that the organization was inactivated; if followed by a semicolon,
the second date indicates that there is, or may be, a gap in the list of
commanders.

     Campaigns.  The campaigns listed are those in which the organization
participated, the determination in each instance being based upon a careful
analysis of the organization's operations.  If the listing shows
Asiatic-Pacific Theater or European-African-Middle Eastern Theater, the
organization served, but was not engaged in combat, in the theater.  If the
listing includes American Theater, the organization either served in the
theater area outside the United States, or was stationed in the United States
for a total time of one year or more.  The theater is not shown if any
campaign in the theater is listed.  When some components of the organization
were engaged in activities that could not be attributed to the entire
organization, those activities are not covered by the list of the
organization's campaigns.  For example, if a squadron on detached service from
a group in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater served in combat in the
Asiatic-Pacific Theater, the campaigns listed for the group do not include the
Asiatic-Pacific campaigns in which the squadron participated.  A list of all
the campaigns in which Air Force organizations have participated is provided
in Appendix II:  Theaters and Campaigns.

     It should be emphasized that the listings in this book are for groups,
wings, divisions, commands, and air forces rather than for the headquarters of
these organizations or for the squadrons.  Consequently, units are cautioned
not to use the listings in this volume as the basis or authority for claiming
or displaying service streamers.  The Awards Branch, Personnel Services
Division, Directorate of Military Personnel, Headquarters USAF is responsible
for determining what service streamers each unit is entitled to display.

     Decorations.  Under decorations are listed the citations and other awards
made to the organization.  In cases where citations were found to be suitable
for such treatment, they are mentioned in the narrative in connection with
operations (as well as listed under "Decorations") in order to provide
additional data about the activities covered by the citations.  In many
instances dates for citations have been omitted or have been revised and set
in brackets because the dates given in orders pertaining to the citations are
obviously incorrect.  For example, the dates given in an order may extend over
a period before or after the organization was engaged in the activity for
which it was cited.  Information concerning the various citations and other
awards that have been bestowed on organizational elements of the Air Force is
provided in Appendix III:  Decorations.

     As in the case of the campaigns, the listings in this volume are not to
be used by units as the basis or authority for claiming or displaying
streamers and other devices that represent awards.  The Awards Branch
determines the awards to which each unit is entitled.