Seventh Air Force
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The Seventh Air Force ( German 7th US Air Fleet ) is an air fleet of the US Air Force (USAF). Emerging from the original Hawaiian Air Force, it was used in World War II from the beginning of the fighting in the Pacific . Together with the 5th Air Force and the 13th Air Force , it formed the USAAF Air Force in the Pacific.
history
By the end of 1941, the Hawaiian Air Force had several squadrons with P-36 , P-40 , B-18 and B-17 in their inventory. After the attack on Pearl Harbor , the ailing Hawaiian Air Force needed restructuring. On February 5, 1942, it was renamed the 7th Air Force. It consisted of:
- VII. Bomber Command
- VII. Fighter Command
- VII. Base Command
The equipment initially consisted of P-38 , P-39 and P-40 fighters as well as B-17 and B-25 bombers . Later P-47 , P-51 and P-61 fighters as well as B-24 bombers and modern attack aircraft of the A-26 type were added. C-47 and C-54 served as transport aircraft, while the role of reconnaissance aircraft was carried out by Lockheed F-5s . The 7th Air Force also had to carry out retraining tasks for newly introduced types. Furthermore, the 7th Air Force served as a supply unit, which had to bring material from Hawaii to the widely spaced bases in the South Pacific and take over the logistics . The main Hickham base in Hawaii also served as a depot and repair location.
The units of the 7th Air Force operated on almost every important location in the Pacific, flew submarine patrols or fighter-bomber missions and provided the air defense of the conquered islands. During the conquest of the islands occupied by the Japanese , she provided air support to the Marines and flew attacks on Japanese targets. The 7th Air Force lost 33 aircraft in the Battle of Saipan . After the capture of Iwojima, the VII. Fighter Command took over the protection of the B-29s of the XXI. Bomber Command and was only reassigned to the 7th Air Force in late 1945. In order to summarize the widely spread combat area of the South Pacific, the Thirteenth Air Force (13th Air Force) was created, which was made up of smaller units and parts of the 7th Air Force.
Composition at the end of the war
- VII FIGHTER COMMAND
- 15th Fighter Group (P-51 H)
- 18th Fighter Group (P-51 H)
- 21st Fighter Group (P-51 H)
- 318th Fighter Group (P-51H)
- 508th Fighter Group (P-51H)
- 548th Night Fighter Squadron (P-61)
- 549th Night Fighter Squadron (P-61)
- VII Bomber Command
- 5th Bombardment Group (B-17, B-24)
- 11th Bombardment Group (B-24)
- 30th Bombardment Group (B-24)
- 41st Bombardment Group (B-25)
- 307th Bombardment Group (B-17 / B-24)
- 319th Bombardment Group (Douglas A-26 Invader)
- 28th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (Lockheed F-5B Lightning)
- 41st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (F-5)
- 9th Troop Carrier Squadron (C-47 / CC-46)
- 163d Liaison Squadron (Stinson L-5 Sentinel)
After the Second World War
Pacific Air Command
On January 1, 1946, the 5th Air Force , the 13th Air Force and the 7th Air Force were merged to form Pacific Air Command , which was later renamed the US Far East Air Force. In addition to the air defense of Hawaii, the bases on Guam, Okinawa as well as in South Korea and Japan were under his command. There were deployments in the Korean War and the Vietnam War before the 7th Air Force was disbanded in 1975.
reactivation
On September 11, 1986, the 7th AF was re-established at Osan Air Base in South Korea and operates several locations there. The equipment includes F-16 , A-10 and U-2
literature
- Mason - Air Force Combat Units Of World War II . Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4
Web links
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