The V Bomber Command is an inactive

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

unit. It was last assigned to

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organ ...

, based at Irumagawa AB, Japan. It was inactivated on 31 May 1946. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the unit initially controlled Fifth Air Force bomber units in the Philippines. It was largely destroyed in the Battle of the Philippines, and withdrew to Australia at the end of December 1941, although elements of some units remained in the Philippines until April 1942. Re-equipped, the command provided command and control authority of Army Air Force bombardment organizations within the Fifth Air Force Area of Responsibility (AOR). Afterward, served with the occupation force in Japan before being inactivated in 1946.

History

Participated in the defense of the Philippines in December 1941. Late in December the remaining bombers and some men were evacuated to Australia, and in January 1942 they were moved to

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

to help delay the Japanese advance in the

Netherlands Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which declared independence on 17 August 1945. Following the Indonesian War of Independe ...

. The command ceased to function in March 1942 (the AAF bombardment organizations in the Southwest Pacific being under the control of American-British-Dutch-Australian Command ( ABDA) and later Allied Air Forces). Headquarters was remanned in September 1942 and shortly afterward it assumed control of AAF bombardment groups in Australia and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. The command served in combat with

until the end of the war. Brigadier General Kenneth N. Walker, who was killed during a mission over

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

on 5 January 1943, was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

; he had repeatedly taken part in combat missions and had developed an effective technique for bombing when opposed by enemy interceptors and antiaircraft fire. After the war the command became part of the occupation force for Japan. Inactivated on 31 May 1946. Disbanded on 8 October 1948.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 5th Bomber Command on 28 October 1941Maurer indicates that the unit was constituted as the "V" Bomber Command. However, the unit was constituted and activated with an arabic number in its name. The use of

roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...

s to designate Army Air Forces combat commands did not begin until September 1942. : Activated on 14 November 1941 * Redesignated V Bomber Command c. 18 September 1942 : Inactivated on 31 May 1946 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 442-443

Assignments

, 14 November 1941 – 31 May 1946

Stations

* Clark Field,

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, Philippines, 14 November 1941 *

RAAF Base Darwin RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The h ...

, Australia, December 1941 *

, January–March 1942 * RAAF Base Townsville, Australia, 5 September 1942 * Jackson Airfield,

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, New Guinea, December 1942 * Nadzab Airfield, New Guinea, 21 February 1944 * Owi Airfield,

Schouten Islands The Biak Islands (, also Schouten Islands or Geelvink Islands) are an island group of Southwest Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea. Th ...

, Netherlands East Indies, c. 15 August 1944 * Bayug Airfield,

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

, Philippines, November 1944 * McGuire Field,

Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of ...

, Philippines, January 1945 * Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, March 1945 * Hamasaki (Motobu Airfield),

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

, August 1945 * Murayama, Japan, October 1945 * Irumagawa AB, Japan, c. 15 January – 31 May 1946

Units

; Wings * 314th Bombardment Wing: 30 May 1946 – 31 May 1946 ; Groups * 3d Bombardment Group: 5 September 1942 – 31 May 1946 * 6th Reconnaissance Group: 10 October 1943 – 1 March 1944 * 19th Bombardment Group: 16 November 1941 – March 1942; September 1942 – 9 December 1942 * 22d Bombardment Group: 5 September 1942 – November 1945 (attached to 309th Bombardment Wing, 1–16 February 1944) * 27th Bombardment Group: c. 20 November 1941 – 4 May 1942 (under operational control of

American-British-Dutch-Australian Command The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, or ABDACOM, was the short-lived supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II. The command consisted of the forces of Austra ...

after c. March 1942) * 35th Fighter Group: 10 November 1945 – 25 May 1946 * 38th Bombardment Group*: 18 January – 1 August 1942 * 43d Bombardment Group: 5 September 1942 – 3 December 1945 * 49th Fighter Group: 10 November 1945 – 1 June 1946 * 71st Reconnaissance Group*: November 1943-1 March 1944 * 90th Bombardment Group: November 1942 – 23 November 1945 * 312th Bombardment Group: 16 January 1944 – 18 October 1945 * 345th Bombardment Group*: 5 June 1943 – 10 December 1945 * 380th Bombardment Group*: May 1943-20 February 1946 * 417th Bombardment Group*: 28 January 1944 – 1 November 1945 * 494th Bombardment Group: operational control 15 December 1944 – 28 January 1945 *Note; Does not include periods detached to combat wings ; Squadrons * 2d Emergency Rescue Squadron, 5 September – 7 October 1944 * 3d Emergency Rescue Squadron: operational control 26 August – 2 October 1944; assigned 21 November 1945 − 31 May 1946 * 8th Photographic Squadron (later 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron): assigned 5 September 1942 – 13 November 1943; attached c. 10 December 1945, assigned c 27 April 1946 – 31 May 1946 * 20th Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 December 1945 – 31 May 1946 * 25th Liaison Squadron: 24 November – 13 December 1943 * 82d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 February – 31 May 1946 * 157th Liaison Squadron: attached 25 November 1945, assigned 25 March – 1 June 1946 * 418th Night Fighter Squadron: attached 10 November 1945 – 20 March 1946 * 547th Night Fighter Squadron: attached 10 November 1945 – 20 February 1946Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 650-651

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{USAAF 5th Air Force World War II 05 Command Bomb Military units and formations disestablished in 1948