Thirteenth Air Force

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Thirteenth Air Force - Emblem.png

The Thirteenth Air Force ( German  13th US Air Fleet ) was an air fleet of the US Air Force . It was founded in 1942 and used in combat operations in the Pacific. Together with the 5th Air Force and the 7th Air Force , it formed the air force of the United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific. The 13th Air Force was also known as the Jungle Air Force and was one of the few air fleets that was never stationed on the mainland of the United States or in Hawaii. The nickname is based on the fact that during World War II it often operated from airfields cut into the lush vegetation of the South Pacific islands.

history

The 13th Air Force was founded in December 1942 on the Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield in New Caledonia . After the Battle of Midway , the next goal of the American units in the Pacific was the conquest of the islands held by the Japanese up to the reconquest of New Guinea and the Philippines. In addition to the associations of the Navy and the Marines , it was associations of the 7th Air Force and 13th Air Force that supported so-called island jumping. On January 13, 1943, the 13th Air Force was ready to take part in the beginning island hopping . Stops were the Solomon Islands , the Gilbert and Marshall Islands , the Mariana Islands and Palau .

composition

The equipment consisted of P-38 Lightning , P-39 Airacobra , P-40 Warhawk and P-61 Black Widow fighters as well as B-17 Flying Fortress , B-24 Liberator , B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauder bombers. C-46 Commando and C-47 Dakota served as transport aircraft . P-70 was a night fighter version of the A-20 and P-400 a variant of the P-39. In the vast expanses of the Pacific, the B-24 - because of their greater range compared to the B-17 - and the P-38 - because of the possibility of coming home in a single-engine flight - proved to be extremely useful.

  • XIII Fighter Command
18th Fighter Group (1943-47) (P-40F, P-39, P-38, P-61, P-70)
347th Fighter Group (1942-45) (P-39, P-38, P-40, P-400)
6th Night Fighter Squadron (February - September 1943) (P-70, P-38)
419th Night Fighter Squadron (April-November 1943) (P-38, P-61)
550th Night Fighter Squadron (1944-46) (P-61)
  • XIII Bomber Command
5th Bombardment Group (1943-46) (B-17, B-24)
11th Bombardment Group (1943) (B-17, B-24)
42d Bombardment Group (1943-45) (B-25, B-26)
307th Bombardment Group (1943-45) (B-17, B-24)
868th Bombardment Squadron (1944-45) (B-24)
  • 4th Reconnaissance Group (1943-45) (F-5 (P-38))
  • 7th Radio Squadron (mobile radio stations)
  • 403d Troop Carrier Group (1943-46) (C-46, C-47)

Calls

The units of the 13th AF operated on almost every important location in the Pacific and, together with the F4F of the naval aviation, provided the air defense of the conquered island of Guadalcanal . During the conquest of the islands occupied by the Japanese, she provided air support to the Marines and flew attacks on Japanese targets. One of the most famous missions was the interception of the squadron, which Admiral Yamamoto had on board, by P-38 of the 339th Fighter Squadron of the 347th Fighter Group.

Stations

P-39 at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal

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 the Pacific Air Command, which was later renamed the US Far East Air Force.

Korean War

During the Korean War, the 13th Air Force was composed as follows:

  • 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing / Group ( F-80 )
  • 21st Troop Carrier Squadron ( C-54 )
  • 6204th Photo Mapping Flight (R B-17 )

Deactivation

After the Korean War, the 13th AF only had logistical tasks and at the end of 2012 it was dissolved.

literature

  • Masonry. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II . Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4