The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a

Numbered Air Force A Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a major command (MAJCOM) and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squadrons, and groups.

of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

headquartered at

Shaw Air Force Base Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdic ...

, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint T ...

(USCENTCOM), a joint Department of Defense

combatant command A unified combatant command (CCMD), also referred to as a combatant command, is a joint military command of the United States Department of Defense that is composed of units from two or more service branches of the United States Armed Forces, an ...

responsible for U.S. security interests in 27 nations that stretch from the Horn of Africa through the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

region, into Central Asia. Activated as 9th Air Force on 8 April 1942, the command fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

both in the Western Desert Campaign in Egypt and Libya and as the tactical fighter component of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe, engaging enemy forces in France, the Low Countries and in Nazi Germany. During the Cold War, it was one of two Numbered Air Forces of

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

. Co-designated as United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) on 1 January 1983, on 2009 as part of a complicated transfer of lineage, the lineage and history of the Ninth Air Force was bestowed on USAFCENT, and a new Ninth Air Force, which technically had no previous history, was activated. On 20 August 2020, the 9 AF designation was returned to USAFCENT with the deactivation of the 2009 established 9 AF. It has fought in the

1991 Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

(OEF-A, 2001–present), the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

(OIF, 2003–2010), as well as various engagements within USCENTCOM.

History

United States Air Forces Central is the direct descendant organization of Ninth Air Force, established in 1941. AFCENT was formed as the United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) under

(TAC). CENTAF initially consisted of designated United States Air Force elements of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) which was inactivated and reformed as USCENTCOM in 1983. On 1 March 2008 USCENTAF was redesignated USAFCENT. It shared its commander with Ninth Air Force until August 2009. Ninth Air Force was redesignated USAFCENT on 5 August 2009. A new Ninth Air Force was established that date for command and control of CONUS-based Air Combat Command units formerly assigned to the previous Ninth Air Force.

World War II

Establishment

In the summer of 1941 General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ AF) decided to establish commands to direct its

air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

mission in each of its

numbered air force A Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a major command (MAJCOM) and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squadrons, and groups.

s, plus one additional command that would report directly to GHQ AF. These commands were manned from inactivating

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...

, and would initially control only observation squadrons, which would be transferred from the control of the corps and divisions, although they would remain attached to these ground units.Futrell, p 13 GHQ AF organized 5th Air Support Command at

Bowman Field Bowman Field may refer to: Airports * Bowman Field (Kentucky), an airport in Louisville, Kentucky * Bowman Field (Maine), an airport in Livermore Falls, Maine * Bowman Field (Montana), an airport in Anaconda, Montana * Bowman Municipal Airport, an a ...

, Kentucky in September 1941, drawing its personnel and equipment from the

16th Bombardment Wing The 540th Combat Crew Replacement Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last active in 1946 at Colorado Springs, assigned to Continental Air Forces. History Prewar The 16th Bombardment Wing was first activated at Langley Fie ...

, which was simultaneously inactivated.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 464-465 New observation groups were formed, with a cadre drawn from

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. N ...

squadrons that had been mobilized in 1940 and 1941. 5th Air Support Command was redesignated as 9th Air Force in April 1942. It moved to Bolling Field, DC on 22 July and transferred without personnel or equipment to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo met ...

, Egypt on 12 November 1942.

Operations in Western Desert Campaign, 1942–1943

In June 1942, the German

Afrika Korps The Afrika Korps or German Africa Corps (, }; DAK) was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African Campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African colonies, the ...

advance in North Africa forced the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forc ...

to retreat towards Egypt putting British

Middle East Command Middle East Command, later Middle East Land Forces, was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to ...

at risk. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) had already planned for a buildup of American air power in the Middle East in January 1942 in response to a request from the British Chief of the Air Staff, but the first units arrived unexpectedly on 12 June 1942 as Col. Harry A. Halverson, commanding twenty-three B-24D Liberator heavy bombers and a hand-picked crews (a group called HALPRO – from " Halverson Project"), decided to move to Egypt. They had initially been assigned to the

China Burma India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was off ...

to attack Japan from airfields in China, but after the fall of Rangoon the Burma Road was cut, so the detachment could not be logistically supported in China. HALPRO was quickly diverted from its original mission to a new one—interdictory raids from airfields in Egypt against shipping and North African ports supporting Axis operations. 376bg-b24-libya-1943

On 28 June 1942, Major General Lewis H. Brereton arrived at Cairo to command the U.S. Army Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF), which was activated immediately. USAMEAF comprised the Halverson Project, Brereton's detachment (

9th Bombardment Squadron 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 * ...

(Heavy) and other personnel which Brereton brought from India), and the Air Section of the U.S. Military North African Mission. Several USAAF units were sent to join USAMEAF during next weeks in the destruction of Rommel's Afrika Korps by support to ground troops and secure sea and air communications in the Mediterranean. In September 1942, RAF Middle East Command's Senior Air Staff Officer, Air CommodoreTemporary Air Vice Marshal from December 1942 H. E. P. Wigglesworth was authorized by Air Chief Marshal

Sir Arthur Tedder Marshal of the Royal Air Force Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, (11 July 1890 – 3 June 1967) was a senior Royal Air Force commander. He was a pilot and squadron commander in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and he went ...

to select targets for all U.S. heavy bombers. On 1 November 1942, General

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and ...

launched an attack on the ''

'' at

Kidney Ridge The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the ...

. After initially resisting the attack, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel decided he no longer had the resources to hold his line and on 3 November he ordered his troops to withdraw. Allied victory in the

Second Battle of Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented the ...

was accomplished. Ninth Air Force had been first constituted as V Air Support Command, part of Air Force Combat Command, at

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

on 11 September 1941. Its responsibility was to direct and coordinate the training activities of National Guard observation squadrons inducted into federal service with those of light bomber units training with the Army Ground Forces. However a lack of unity of command in the organizational set-up led to an early discontinuation of the "air support commands" and V Air Support Command was redesignated as Ninth Air Force in April 1942. It moved to Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. on 22 July and transferred without personnel or equipment to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

on 12 November 1942. The Ninth Air Force mission comprised: (1) Gain air superiority; (2) Deny the enemy the ability to replenish or replace losses, and (3) Offer ground forces close support in North-East Africa. On 12 November 1942, the US Army Middle East Air Force was dissolved and replaced by HQ Ninth Air Force, commanded by Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton. At that time, the Ninth Air Force consisted of: * IX Bomber Command (Brigadier General Patrick W Timberlake) at Ismailia, Egypt, *

IX Fighter Command The IX Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Erlangen, Germany, wheret was inactivated on 16 November 1945. IX Fighter Command was the primary tactical fighter ...

(Colonel John C Kilborn) en route to Egypt, * IX Air Service Command (Brigadier General Elmer E Adler). By the end of 1942 a total of 370 aircraft had been ferried to the Ninth Air Force. While the great majority were P-40s,

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models ...

s (The original Halverson Detachment (HALPRO), 98th Bombardment Group, 376th Bombardment Group, and RAF units), and B-25 Mitchells (12th) and 340th Bombardment Groups), there were also more than 50 twin-engine transports ( 316th Troop Carrier Group), which made it possible to build an effective local air transport service. Ninth Air Force P-40F fighters ( 57th, 79th, and 324th Fighter Groups) supported the

's drive across Egypt and Libya, escorting bombers and flying strafing and dive-bombing missions against airfields, communications, and troop concentrations. Other targets attacked were shipping and harbor installations in Libya,

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Italy,

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...

, and Greece to cut enemy supply lines to Africa. The Palm Sunday Massacre was one noteworthy mission by the P-40 and Spitfire groups. After an Allied air forces command reorganisation effective 18 February 1943, the Ninth Air Force began to report to RAF Middle East Command (RAFME) under Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas. Additionally, the Ninth's 57th, 79th, and 324th Fighter Groups and its 12th and 340th Bombardment Groups were transferred to the operational control of the

Northwest African Tactical Air Force The Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) was a component of the Northwest African Air Forces which itself reported to the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC). These new Allied air force organizations were created at the Casablanca Conference in ...

(NATAF) under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham. The Ninth's 316th Troop Carrier Group flew its missions with the Northwest African Troop Carrier Command (NATCC). In February 1943, after the ''Afrika Korps'' had been driven into

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, the Germans took the offensive and pushed through the Kasserine Pass before being stopped with the help of both Ninth and Twelfth Air Force units in the battle. The Allies drove the enemy back into a pocket around

Bizerte Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the ca ...

and

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

, where Axis forces surrendered in May. Thus, Tunisia became available for launching attacks on Pantelleria ( Operation Corkscrew), Sicily (

Operation Husky Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

), and mainland Italy. At the time of

, the invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943, Ninth Air Force Headquarters was still based at Cairo in Egypt while the Headquarters of Ninth Fighter Command and IX Bomber Command were stationed at Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya, respectively. During this critical period of World War II when the Allied forces finally left North Africa for Europe, the groups of the Ninth Air Force consisted of: * 12th Bombardment Group at Sfax el Mau, Tunisia with B-25 Mitchells (81st, 82d, 83d, & 434th Bombardment Squadrons) * 340th Bombardment Group at Sfax South, Tunisia with B-25 Mitchells (486th, 487th, 488th, & 489th Bombardment Squadrons) * 57th Fighter Group at Hani Main, Tunisia with P-40F Warhawks (64th, 65th, & 66th Fighter Squadrons) * 79th Fighter Group at Causeway Landing Ground, Tunisia with P-40F Warhawks (85th, 86th, & 87th Fighter Squadrons) * 324th Fighter Group with P-40F Warhawks (314th Squadron at Hani Main, 315th Squadron at Kabrit, Egypt, & 316th Squadron at Causeway). * 98th Bombardment Group with B-24D Liberators (343rd & 344th Squadrons at Lete, Libya; 345th & 415th Squadrons at Benina, Libya) * 376th Bombardment Group at Berka, Tunisia with B-24D Liberators (512th, 513th, 514th, & 515th Bombardment Squadrons) * 316th Troop Carrier Group at Deversoir, Egypt with C-47s, C-53s and DC3s (36th, 37th, & 44th Squadrons at Deversoir, Egypt; 45th Squadron at Castel Benito, Libya). During most of 1943, the Ninth Air Force was officially assigned to RAF Middle East Command of the

Mediterranean Air Command The Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) was a World War II Allied air-force command that was active in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) between February 18 and December 10, 1943 . MAC was under the command of Air Chie ...

. However, the Ninth's 12th and 340th Bombardment Groups were assigned to the Tactical Bomber Force, the 57th and 79th Fighter Groups were assigned to the

Desert Air Force The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 ...

, and the 324th Fighter Group was surprisingly assigned to XII Air Support Command. The Tactical Bomber Force under Air Commodore

Laurence Sinclair Air Vice Marshal Sir Laurence Frank Sinclair, (13 June 1908 – 14 May 2002) was a Royal Air Force officer who was awarded the George Cross for rescuing a severely injured airman from a crashed and burning plane. RAF career Sinclair joined the R ...

, the Desert Air Force under Air Vice Marshal

Harry Broadhurst :''See also Henry Broadhurst for the trade unionist and politician'' Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, (28 October 1905 – 29 August 1995), commonly known as Broady, was a senior Royal Air Force commander and flying ace of the Second Wor ...

, and XII Air Support Command under Major General Edwin House were sub-commands of the

(NATAF) under Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham. NATAF was one of the three major sub-commands of the

Northwest African Air Forces Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) was a component of the Allied Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) during February–December 1943. It was responsible primarily for air operations during the Tunisian Campaign and bombing of Italy. Its command ...

(NAAF) under Lieutenant General

Carl Spaatz Carl Andrew Spaatz (born Spatz; June 28, 1891 – July 14, 1974), nicknamed "Tooey", was an American World War II general. As commander of Strategic Air Forces in Europe in 1944, he successfully pressed for the bombing of the enemy's oil produc ...

. NATAF,

Northwest African Strategic Air Force The Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) was a sub-command of the Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) which itself was a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC). These new Allied air force organizations were created at the Casab ...

(NASAF) and Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF), formed the classic ''tri-force'', the basis for the creation of NAAF in February 1943. Ninth Air Force groups attacked airfields and rail facilities in Sicily and took part in Operation Husky, carried paratroopers, and flew reinforcements to ground units on the island. The heavy bombardment groups (B-24s) of the Ninth also participated in the low-level assault of the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania on 1 August 1943. On 22 August 1943 the following groups were transferred from the Ninth Air Force to the Twelfth Air Force: * 12th Bombardment Group (Medium) at Gerbini, Sicily with B-25s * 57th Fighter Group on Sicily with P-40s * 79th Fighter Group on Sicily with P-40s * 324th Fighter Group at El Haouaria, Tunisia with P-40s and * 340th Bombardment Group (Medium) at Comiso, Sicily with B-25s The 316th Troop Carrier Group was operating under Northwest African Troop Carrier Command with C-47 Dakotas and CG4A Waco Gliders.

Ninth Air Force 1943 to June 1944

Concurrently with the amalgamation of Ninth Air Force formations in the Mediterranean with Twelfth Air Force, plans were afoot in Britain to devolve

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces ...

's medium bomber force to a separate command. This command was offered to Brereton, who accepted "with utmost eagerness", and the force was constituted, also as Ninth Air Force, on 16 October 1943. During the winter of 1943–1944 Ninth Air Force expanded at an extraordinary rate, so that by the end of May, its complement ran to 45 flying groups operating some 5,000 aircraft. With the necessary ground support units, the total number of personnel assigned to Ninth Air Force would be more than 200,000, a total greater than that of Eighth Air Force. HQ Ninth Air Force extended IX Bomber Command's choice of targets considerably, although first priority for

Operation Pointblank Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel para ...

he Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) of US and RAF air forces against the Luftwaffe and German aircraft industry">Combined_Bomber_Offensive.html" ;"title="he Combined Bomber Offensive">he Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) of US and RAF air forces against the Luftwaffe and German aircraft industryand next priority for Operation Crossbow (codename for operations against German V-weapon sites) targets was maintained. U.S. and British Air Forces aimed to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the air and on the ground, to bring about complete air supremacy prior to the invasion of Normandy. Operational missions involved attacks on rail marshaling yards, railroads, airfields, industrial plants, military installations, and other enemy targets in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Other targets were German

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...

defenses along the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...

coast of France. On 4 January 1944 XIX Air Support Command was activated at

RAF Middle Wallop Middle Wallop is a village in the civil parish of Nether Wallop in Hampshire, England, on the A343 road. At the 2011 Census the population was included in the civil parish of Over Wallop. The village has a public house, The George Inn, and a p ...

to support Patton's Third Army in Europe. In February 1944 the Ninth Air Force underwent a reorganization and several troop carrier groups relocated headquarters. Major General Otto P. Weyland became commanding general of XIX Air Support Command, replacing Major General Elwood R Quesada. The latter assumed dual command of both IX Fighter Command and the IX Air Support Command, which took control of all its fighter and reconnaissance units. HQ IX Air Support Command changed from Aldermaston Court to Middle Wallop. Major General Paul L. Williams, who had commanded the troop carrier operations in Sicily and Italy, replaced Giles in command of IX Troop Carrier Command. The IX TCC command and staff officers were an excellent mix of combat veterans from those earlier assaults, and a few key officers were held over for continuity. The groups assigned were a mixture of experience, but training would be needed to confront the expected massive movements of troops of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. On 18 April 1944, the IX and XIX Air Support Commands were redesignated, respectively, as

IX Tactical Air Command The IX Tactical Air Command was a formation of the United States Army Air Forces. It fought in the European theater of World War II. Its last assignment was at Camp Shanks, New York, where it was inactivated on 25 October 1945. History Formed ...

and

XIX Tactical Air Command The XIX Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The unit's last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force based at Biggs Field, Texas, where it was inactivated on 31 March 1946. During World War II, the mission of th ...

. Between 1 May and the invasion on 6 June, the Ninth flew approximately 35,000 sorties, attacking targets such as airfields, railroad yards, and coastal gun positions. By the end of May 1944, the IX TCC had available 1,207 C-47 Skytrain troop carrier airplanes and was one-third overstrength, creating a strong reserve. Three-quarters of the aircraft were less than one year old on D-Day, and all were in excellent condition. Gliders were incorporated, Over 2,100 CG-4 Waco gliders had been sent to the UK, and after attrition during training operations, 1,118 were available for operations, along with 301 larger

Airspeed Horsa The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British troop-carrying glider used during the Second World War. It was developed and manufactured by Airspeed Limited, alongside various subcontractors; the type was named after Horsa, the legendary 5th-century ...

gliders received from the British.

Order of battle, 6 June 1944

* IX Bomber Command ** 97th Bombardment Wing (Light) ***

409th Bombardment Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest co ...

(

A-20 A20, A 20, A.20 or A-20 may refer to: Vehicles * A-20 Havoc, a U.S.-designed attack aircraft used in World War II * A20 heavy tank, a British tank which did not enter production but of which a downsized version became the A22 Churchill tank * A-20 ...

) **** 640th Bombardment Squadron (W5) **** 641st Bombardment Squadron (7G) **** 642d Bombardment Squadron (D6) **** 643d Bombardment Squadron (??) ***

410th Bombardment Group 41 may refer to: * 41 (number) * one of the years 41 BC, AD 41, 1941, 2041 Art and entertainment * ''41'' (film), a 2007 documentary about Nicholas O'Neill, the youngest victim of the Station nightclub fire * ''41'', a 2012 film by Glenn Triggs * ...

(A-20) **** 644th Bombardment Squadron (5Q) **** 645th Bombardment Squadron (7X) **** 646th Bombardment Squadron (8U) **** 647th Bombardment Squadron (6Q) *** 416th Bombardment Group (A-20) **** 668th Bombardment Squadron (5H) **** 669th Bombardment Squadron (2A) **** 670th Bombardment Squadron (F6) **** 671st Bombardment Squadron (5C) ** 98th Bombardment Wing (Medium) *** 323d Bombardment Group ( B-26) **** 453d Bombardment Squadron (VT) **** 454th Bombardment Squadron (RJ) **** 455th Bombardment Squadron (YU) **** 456th Bombardment Squadron (WT) ***

387th Bombardment Group 387th may refer to: *387th Air Expeditionary Group (387 AEG) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait * 387th EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Company, part of the ...

(B-26) **** 556th Bombardment Squadron (FW) **** 557th Bombardment Squadron (KS) **** 558th Bombardment Squadron (KX) **** 559th Bombardment Squadron (TQ) ***

394th Bombardment Group The 106th Rescue Wing (106th RQW) is a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, New York. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air F ...

(B-26) **** 584th Bombardment Squadron (K5) **** 585th Bombardment Squadron (4T) **** 586th Bombardment Squadron (H9) **** 587th Bombardment Squadron (5W) ***

397th Bombardment Group 397th may refer to: *397th Bombardment Squadron The 7th Reconnaissance Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 69th Reconnaissance Group and is stationed at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, Italy. The ...

(B-26) **** 596th Bombardment Squadron (X2) **** 597th Bombardment Squadron (9F) **** 598th Bombardment Squadron (U2 **** 599th Bombardment Squadron (6B) ** 99th Bombardment Wing (Medium) ***

322d Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

(B-26) **** 449th Bombardment Squadron (PN) **** 450th Bombardment Squadron (ER) **** 451st Bombardment Squadron (SS) **** 452nd Bombardment Squadron (DR) *** 344th Bombardment Group (B-26) **** 494th Bombardment Squadron (K9) **** 495th Bombardment Squadron (Y5) **** 496th Bombardment Squadron (N3) **** 497th Bombardment Squadron (7L) **** 1st Pathfinder Squadron (Provisional) ***

386th Bombardment Group 386th may refer to: * 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces Central *386th Fighter Squadron or 174th Air Refueling Squadron, unit of the Iowa Air National Guard 185th Air Refueli ...

(B-26) **** 552d Bombardment Squadron (RG) **** 553d Bombardment Squadron (AN) **** 554th Bombardment Squadron (RU) **** 555th Bombardment Squadron (YA) ***

391st Bombardment Group 391st may refer to: * 391st Bombardment Group, non-flying unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, stationed at Horsham Air National Guard Station *391st Bombardment Squadron, part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida ...

(B-26) **** 572d Bombardment Squadron (P2) **** 573d Bombardment Squadron (T6) **** 574th Bombardment Squadron (4L) **** 575th Bombardment Squadron (O8) *

*** 70th Fighter Wing **** 48th Fighter Group (

P-47 The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomber ...

) ***** 492d Fighter Squadron (F4) ***** 493d Fighter Squadron (I7) ***** 494th Fighter Squadron (6M) **** 367th Fighter Group (

P-38 The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive t ...

) ***** 392d Fighter Squadron (H5) ***** 393d Fighter Squadron (8L) ***** 394th Fighter Squadron (4N) ****

371st Fighter Group 371st may refer to: * 371st Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *371st Engineer Construction Battalion or 371st Engineer Battalion, activated as a Special Service Regiment in the United States Army in 1944 * 371st Fighter Gr ...

(P-47) ***** 404th Fighter Squadron (9Q) ***** 405th Fighter Squadron (8N) ***** 406th Fighter Squadron (4W) ****

474th Fighter Group 474th may refer to: * 474th Air Expeditionary Group, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command *474th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *474th Infantry Regiment (United States) or 74th Infantr ...

(P-38) ***** 428th Fighter Squadron (F5) ***** 429th Fighter Squadron (7Y) ***** 430th Fighter Squadron (K6) *** 71st Fighter Wing ****

366th Fighter Group 366th may refer to: *366th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *366th Division (IDF), also known as the "Path of Fire" Division, a reserve armored division of the IDF *366th Fighter Squadron, inactive United States Air Force ...

(P-47) ***** 389th Fighter Squadron (A6) ***** 390th Fighter Squadron (B2) ***** 391st Fighter Squadron (A8) ****

368th Fighter Group 368th may refer to: *368th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *368th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group (368 EASOG) is a support unit of the United States Air Force *368th Fighter Group or 136th Airlift Wing, unit o ...

(P-47) ***** 359th Fighter Squadron (A7) ***** 396th Fighter Squadron (C2) ***** 397th Fighter Squadron (D3) ****

370th Fighter Group The 370th Fighter Group was a unit of the Ninth Air Force that was located in the European Theater of Operations during World War II.Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units Of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 198 ...

(P-38) ***** 401st Fighter Squadron (9D) ***** 402nd Fighter Squadron (E6) ***** 485th Fighter Squadron (7F) *** 84th Fighter Wing ****

50th Fighter Group 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

(P-47) ***** 10th Fighter Squadron (T5) ***** 81st Fighter Squadron (2N) ***** 313th Fighter Squadron (W3) ****

365th Fighter Group 365th may refer to: *365th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *365th Electronic Warfare Group previously 1st Search Attack Group, United States Army Air Forces unit that served during World War II. 365 EWG was a 'paper' des ...

(P-47) ***** 386th Fighter Squadron (D5) ***** 387th Fighter Squadron (B4) ***** 388th Fighter Squadron (C4) ****

404th Fighter Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky in many East Asian c ...

(P-47) ***** 506th Fighter Squadron (4K) ***** 507th Fighter Squadron (Y8) ***** 508th Fighter Squadron (7J) ****

405th Fighter Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

(P-47) ***** 509th Fighter Squadron (G9) ***** 510th Fighter Squadron (2Z) ***** 511th Fighter Squadron (K4) **

***

100th Fighter Wing 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

**** 354th Fighter Group (

P-51 The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

) ***** 353d Fighter Squadron (FT) ***** 354th Fighter Squadron (GQ) ***** 355th Fighter Squadron (AJ) ****

358th Fighter Group 358th may refer to: * 358th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 358th Fighter Group, inactive United States Army Air Force unit * 358th Fighter Squadron (358 FS), part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force B ...

(P-47) ***** 365th Fighter Squadron (CH) ***** 366th Fighter Squadron (IA) ***** 367th Fighter Squadron (CP) ****

362d Fighter Group 36 may refer to: * 36 (number), the natural number following 35 and preceding 37 * One of these years of Gregorian or Julian calendars: ** 36 BC, 1st century BCE ** AD 36, 1st century ** 1936, 20th century ** 2036, 21st century Arts and entertain ...

(P-47) ***** 377th Fighter Squadron (E4) ***** 378th Fighter Squadron (G8) ***** 379th Fighter Squadron (B8) ****

363d Fighter Group 363rd or 363d may refer to: *363d Expeditionary Operations Group, inactive United States Air Force unit *363d Bombardment Squadron or 19th Antisubmarine Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *363d Fighter Squadron or 164th Airlift Squadro ...

(P-51) ***** 380th Fighter Squadron (A9) ***** 381st Fighter Squadron (B3) ***** 382d Fighter Squadron (C3) *** 303d Fighter Wing **** 36th Fighter Group (P-47) ***** 22d Fighter Squadron (3T) ***** 23d Fighter Squadron (7U) ***** 53d Fighter Squadron (6V) ****

373d Fighter Group The 373rd Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with First Air Force stationed at Mitchel Field, New York. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945. During World War II the group was assigned to Nin ...

(P-47) ***** 410th Fighter Squadron (R3) ***** 411th Fighter Squadron (U9) ***** 412th Fighter Squadron (V5) ****

406th Fighter Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smalles ...

(P-47) ***** 512th Fighter Squadron (L3) ***** 513th Fighter Squadron (4P) ***** 514th Fighter Squadron (O7) ** 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group (F-3/F-5/F-6) ***

30th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron 030 may refer to: * Motorola 68030 * BR-030 * Geographical telephone calling prefixes ** Greater Accra area code, Ghana ** Utrecht, Netherlands ** Berlin, Germany ** Bar Municipality and Ulcinj Municipality Ulcinj Municipality (Montenegrin la ...

*** 31st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron ***

33d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron The 24th Intelligence Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The squadron was first activated as the 24th Observation Squadron during World War II. it conducted aerial reconnaissance traini ...

*** 34th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron *** 155th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron *

IX Troop Carrier Command The IX Troop Carrier Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946. As a component command of the Ninth ...

** 1st Pathfinder Group (Provisional) **

50th Troop Carrier Wing The 50th Troop Carrier Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The wing was formed in 1941 as the 50th Transport Wing, a headquarters fpr air transport organizations of the Air Corps. In 1942, it became a training organization for t ...

*** 439th Troop Carrier Group ( C-47/C-53) **** 91st Troop Carrier Squadron (L4) **** 92d Troop Carrier Squadron (J8) **** 93d Troop Carrier Squadron (3B) **** 94th Troop Carrier Squadron (D8) *** 440th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) **** 95th Troop Carrier Squadron (9X) **** 96th Troop Carrier Squadron (6Z) **** 97th Troop Carrier Squadron (W6) **** 98th Troop Carrier Squadron (8Y) ***

441st Troop Carrier Group The 441st Troop Carrier Group is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was to the 441st Troop Carrier Wing, stationed at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Illinois, where it was inactivated on 14 March 1951. ...

(C-47/C-53) **** 99th Troop Carrier Squadron (3J) **** 100th Troop Carrier Squadron (8C) **** 301st Troop Carrier Squadron (Z4) **** 302d Troop Carrier Squadron (2L) ***

442d Troop Carrier Group 44 may refer to: * 44 (number) * one of the years 44 BC, AD 44, 1944, 2044 Military *44M Tas, a Hungarian medium/heavy tank design of World War II *44M Tas Rohamlöveg, a Hungarian tank destroyer design of World War II, derived from the 44M Tas ta ...

(C-47/C-53) **** 303d Troop Carrier Squadron (J7) **** 304th Troop Carrier Squadron (V4) **** 305th Troop Carrier Squadron (4J) **** 306th Troop Carrier Squadron (7H) **

52d Troop Carrier Wing The 52d Troop Carrier Wing (52 TCW) is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force. It was last assigned to the New York Air National Guard (NY ANG) as the 52d Fighter Wing, being stationed at Westchester County Airport, New York. It was ina ...

*** 61st Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) ****14th Troop Carrier Squadron (3I) ****15th Troop Carrier Squadron (Y9) ****53d Troop Carrier Squadron (3A) ****59th Troop Carrier Squadron (X5) *** 313th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) **** 29th Troop Carrier Squadron (5X) **** 47th Troop Carrier Squadron (N3) **** 48th Troop Carrier Squadron (Z7) **** 49th Troop Carrier Squadron (H2) *** 314th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) **** 32nd Troop Carrier Squadron (S2) **** 50th Troop Carrier Squadron (2R) **** 61st Troop Carrier Squadron (Q9) **** 62d Troop Carrier Squadron (E5) *** 315th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) **** 34th Troop Carrier Squadron (NM) **** 43d Troop Carrier Squadron (UA) **** 309th Troop Carrier Squadron (M6) **** 310th Troop Carrier Squadron (4A) *** 316th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) **** 36th Troop Carrier Squadron (6E) **** 37th Troop Carrier Squadron (W7) **** 44th Troop Carrier Squadron (4C) **** 45th Troop Carrier Squadron (T3) ** 53d Troop Carrier Wing ***

434th Troop Carrier Group 434th may refer to: *434th Air Refueling Wing, one of the key refueling units in the US Air Force Reserve *434th Bombardment Squadron, an inactive United States Air Force unit *434th Fighter Training Squadron (434 FTS), part of the 47th Flying Trai ...

(C-47/C-53) **** 71st Troop Carrier Squadron (CJ) **** 72d Troop Carrier Squadron (CU) **** 73d Troop Carrier Squadron (CN) **** 74th Troop Carrier Squadron (ID) *** 435th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) **** 75th Troop Carrier Squadron (SH) **** 76th Troop Carrier Squadron (CW) **** 77th Troop Carrier Squadron (IB) **** 78th Troop Carrier Squadron (CM) *** 436th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) **** 79th Troop Carrier Squadron (S6) **** 80th Troop Carrier Squadron (7D) **** 81st Troop Carrier Squadron (U5) **** 82d Troop Carrier Squadron (3D) *** 437th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53) **** 83d Troop Carrier Squadron (T2) **** 84th Troop Carrier Squadron (Z8) **** 85th Troop Carrier Squadron (9O) **** 86th Troop Carrier Squadron (5K) ***

438th Troop Carrier Group 438th may refer to: * 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (438 AEAG), assigned to the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing of USAFCENT, stationed at Kabul Airport, Afghanistan *438th Air Expeditionary Group, provisional unit assigned to United States Ai ...

(C-47/C-53) **** 87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X) **** 88th Troop Carrier Squadron (M2) **** 89th Troop Carrier Squadron (4U) **** 90th Troop Carrier Squadron (Q7) * IX Air Force Service Command ** 1st Advanced Air Depot Area *** 1st Tactical Air Depot *** 2d Tactical Air Depot *** 3d Tactical Air Depot ** 2d Advanced Air Depot Area *** 4th Tactical Air Depot *** 5th Tactical Air Depot *** 6th Tactical Air Depot ** 1585th Quartermaster Truck Regiment ** 31st Transport Group ** IX Air Force Intransit Depot Group ** 13th Replacement Control Depot ** 20th Replacement Control Depot ** Signal Battalion (HC) * IX Engineer Command ** 922d Engineer Aviation Regiment ** 924th Engineer Aviation Regiment ** 925th Engineer Aviation Regiment ** 926th Engineer Aviation Regiment * IX Air Defense Command ** 1/8 Antiaircraft Group ** 51st Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade ** 52d Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade

Operations in Europe 1944–1945

American World War II senior military officials, 1945

On D-Day, IX Troop Carrier Command units flew over 2000 sorties conducting combat parachute jumps and glider landings as part of

American airborne landings in Normandy The U.S. airborne landings in Normandy were the first U.S. combat operations during Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies on June 6, 1944, during World War II. Around 13,100 American paratroopers of the 82nd and 1 ...

of Operation Neptune. Other Ninth Air Force units carried out massive air attacks with

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

fighter-bombers,

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

and

Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in th ...

medium bombers. Air cover during the morning amphibious assault by Allied forces on the beaches of France was flown by

P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...

s. With the beaches secure, its tactical air units then provided the air power for the Allied break-out from the Normandy beachhead in the summer of 1944 during the

Battle of Cherbourg The Battle of Cherbourg was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. It was fought immediately after the successful Allied landings on 6 June 1944. Allied troops, mainly American, isolated and captured the fortified port, which wa ...

Battle for Caen The Battle for Caen (June to August 1944) is the name given to fighting between the British Second Army and the German in the Second World War for control of the city of Caen and its vicinity during the larger Battle of Normandy. The battle ...

, and the ultimate breakout from the beachhead,

Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the United States First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take ...

. Unlike Eighth Air Force, whose units stayed in the United Kingdom, Ninth Air Force units were very mobile, first deploying to France on 16 June 1944, ten days after the Normandy invasion by moving P-47 Thunderbolts to a beach-head landing strip. Because of their short range, operational combat units would have to move to quickly prepared bases close to the front as soon as the Allied ground forces advanced. The bases were called " Advanced Landing Grounds" or "ALGs". On the continent, many ALGs were built either from scratch or from captured enemy airfields throughout France, the Low Countries and Germany. Ninth Air Force units moved frequently from one ALG to another. By early August most Ninth Air Force operational fighter and bomber groups were transferred to bases in France and assigned to the U. S. Twelfth Army Group. These groups were then assigned to Tactical Air Command (TAC) organizations which supported Army ground units. XXIX Tactical Air Command (XXIX TAC) was activated in France on 15 September 1944, commanded by Brig. Gen.

Richard E. Nugent Richard Emmel Nugent (December 12, 1902 – November 5, 1979) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who, among other positions, commanded the XXIX Tactical Air Command supporting the Ninth Army during World War II. His fir ...

, to support operations of the

U.S. Ninth Army The Ninth Army is a field army of the United States Army, garrisoned at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States Army Service Component Command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM). Activated just eight weeks be ...

. XXIX TAC supported the Ninth Army in the north; IX TAC supported the First Army in the center; and XIX TAC supported the Third Army in the south. Air cover over Allied-controlled areas on the continent was performed by the IX Air Defense Command. Ninth Air Force groups made numerous moves within France, the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

and western Germany to keep within range of the advancing battle front before the end of hostilities in May 1945. During

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence ( Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, ...

, the invasion of Southern France in August 1944, two Ninth fighter groups were transferred to the provisional United States/Free French 1st Tactical Air Force supporting the invasion force's drive north. As part of

Operation Market-Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

, the Ninth Air Force transferred its entire IX Troop Carrier Command with its fourteen

C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in f ...

groups to the

1st Allied Airborne Army The First Allied Airborne Army was an Allied formation formed on 2 August 1944 by the order of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. The formation was part of the Allied Expeditionary Fo ...

in September 1944. Those troop carrier groups flew many of the C-47s and towed CG-4 Waco gliders for the Allied airborne unit drops—

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

—to take the bridges northwest of

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Veghel,

Grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

and

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It i ...

in the Netherlands. In December 1944 through January 1945, Ninth Air Force fighters and bombers were critical in defeating the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

. Initially American, British, and Canadian air power was grounded by very bad winter weather, but then the bad weather broke, freeing the tactical air forces to help break the back of the Wehrmacht attack. The long smash across France, Belgium, and

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...

was the highlight of the existence of the 9th Air Force. In the spring of 1945, Ninth Air Force troop carrier units flew airborne parachute and glider units again during

Operation Varsity Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest a ...

, the Allied assault over the

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

River on 24 March 1945. Operation Varsity was the single largest airborne drop in history. The operation saw the first use of the

Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...

transport in Europe, operating with the reliable C-47 Skytrain of previous airborne operations, an experiment which ended with the catastrophic loss of 28% of the C-46s participating.

Postwar demobilization

Ninth Air Force tactical air support operations were flown over western Germany until the end of hostilities on 7 May. However, once the victory had been gained, the United States plunged into demobilization, just as it had done at the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. Most officers and men were sent back to the United States and their units inactivated. Others were assigned to the new

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

and were moved to captured Luftwaffe airfields to perform occupation duties. Some transport units relocated to France. Finally, with the mission completed, on 2 December 1945 the Ninth Air Force was inactivated at USAFE Headquarters at

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

Germany.

Cold War

: ''see also:

Nineteenth Air Force The Nineteenth Air Force (19 AF) is an active Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force. During the Cold War it was a component of Tactical Air Command, with a mission of command and control over deployed USAF forces in support of Unit ...

Following

, Ninth Air Force was reactivated on 28 March 1946 at Biggs AAF, Texas. After several relocations, on 20 August 1954, Ninth Air Force Headquarters was assigned to

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

, where it remains today. The postwar Numbered Air Forces were components of the new major command structure of the

, and Ninth Air Force became one of the tactical air forces of the new

. Ninth Air Force commanded TAC Wings east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

. Initially being equipped with propeller-driven F-51, F-47 and

F-82 The North American F-82 Twin Mustang is the last American piston-engined fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the North American P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter ...

aircraft during the postwar years, in the 1950s, Ninth Air Force units received the jet-powered F/RF-80 Shooting Star, F-84G/F Thunderjet, F-86D/H Sabre, and

F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

aircraft. Ninth Air Force squadrons and wings were frequently deployed to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

during the 1950s and 1960s as "Dual-Based" USAFE units, and reinforcing NATO forces in West Germany and France during the

Lebanon crisis of 1958 The 1958 Lebanon crisis (also known as the Lebanese Civil War of 1958) was a political crisis in Lebanon caused by political and religious tensions in the country that included a United States military intervention. The intervention lasted for aro ...

and the 1961 Berlin Wall Crisis. During the 1962

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the Unite ...

, Ninth Air Force units went on war alert, deploying to bases in Florida, being able to respond to the crisis on a moment's notice. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, detached Ninth Air Force units engaged in combat operations over

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

and Laos. The practice of stripping away squadrons and aircraft from their home Tactical Air Command Wings and attaching them indefinitely to a new wing under

Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam ( ...

was the method used for long-term deployments to the South Vietnam and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

air bases engaged in combat operations. In addition to these operational deployments, Ninth Air Force units performed a "backfilling" role in Japan and South Korea for PACAF as well as in Italy and Spain for USAFE to replace units whose aircraft and personnel were deployed to Southeast Asia. With the end of American involvement during the early 1970s, these units were returned in large part to their home Ninth Air Force units in the United States. During the remainder of the 1970s, NATO deployments resumed supporting the COMET, CORONET and CRESTED CAP exercises. These deployments were designed to exercise CONUS based Air Force squadrons long range deployment capabilities and to familiarize the personnel with the European theatre of operations. During these NATO deployments, exercises with Army infantry and armored units were conducted to enhance the Close Air Support role in Europe. Ninth Air Force Wings in 1979 were: * 1st Tactical Fighter Wing (F-15A/B) (FF)

Langley Air Force Base Langley Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Hampton, Virginia, adjacent to Newport News. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1 ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

4th Tactical Fighter Wing The 4th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Ninth Air Force. It is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, where it is also the host unit. The wing is one of two Air Force uni ...

(F-4E) (SJ)

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

23d Tactical Fighter Wing The 23rd Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Mission The mission of the 23rd Wing is to organize, train and employ combat-ready Fairchild Republic A-10 Thun ...

(A-7D) (EL)

England Air Force Base England Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Louisiana, located northwest of Alexandria and about northwest of New Orleans. Originally known as Alexandria Army Air Base, on 23 June 1955 the facility was renamed England Ai ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

31st Tactical Fighter Wing The 31st Fighter Wing (31 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe major command and the Third Air Force. It is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base ...

(F-4D) (ZE/HS) Homestead Air Force Base,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

33d Tactical Fighter Wing The 33rd Fighter Wing, sometimes written 33d Fighter Wing, (33 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Education and Training Command's Nineteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida where it is a tenant un ...

(F-15A/B) (EG)

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

, Florida * 56th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4D/E) (MC)

MacDill Air Force Base MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...

, Florida *

347th Tactical Fighter Wing The 347th Rescue Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It was inactivated on 1 October 2006. History : ''For additional ...

(F-4E) (MY)

Moody Air Force Base Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia. Geography The base is in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with the eastern border of the base following the Lanier County line. Georgia State Rou ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

354th Tactical Fighter Wing The 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force (11 AF). The wing replaced the 343d Fighter Win ...

(A/OA-10A) (MB)

Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Myrtle Beach Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Early history On 16 October 1939, Myrtle Beach Town Council resolved that the community "is in dire need of a modern municipal airport". The ...

* 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (RF-4C) (JO)

, South Carolina During the 1980s, Ninth Air Force wings upgraded from the Vietnam-Era F-4s and A-7s to newer F-15s, F-16 and A-10 aircraft. First-generation F-15A/B models were later sent to Air National Guard fighter units while Regular Air Force units upgraded to the higher-capability F-15C/Ds and the new F-15E replaced the F-4E in the 4th TFW. With the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) reductions meant the closing of Myrtle Beach AFB and England AFB. MacDill AFB was realigned under

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

as the headquarters of

and

United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States A ...

, but minus tactical aircraft operations with the reassignment of the

56th Fighter Wing The 56th Fighter Wing is a fighter wing in the United States Air Force. It is the world’s largest Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II wing and one of two Air Force F-35 training locations. Additionally, it is one of two active-duty F-16 training ...

Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Trainin ...

and relocation to Luke AFB, Arizona. The restructuring of USAF CONUS forces by the inactivation of

and subsequent creation of

realigned Ninth Air Force with new units and new missions. In addition, the effects of

Hurricane Andrew Hurricane Andrew was a very powerful and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It is the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures damaged ...

at Homestead AFB on 24 August 1992 essentially destroyed the facility. Although both George H. W. Bush and

President Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again f ...

promised to rebuild Homestead, the BRAC designated the installation for realignment to the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

, and on 1 April 1994, Headquarters, ACC inactivated its base support units and transferred base support responsibility to the

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commi ...

and AFRC's 482d Fighter Wing, effectively ending ACC ownership of the base. Concurrently, ACC also transferred responsibility for MacDill AFB to

Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from eleme ...

following the arrival of an air refueling unit and redesignation of the host air base wing as an air refueling wing (later redesignated as an air mobility wing).

CENTAF and the 1991 Gulf War

In 1980, Ninth Air Force units were allocated to the new Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF). In 1983, the RDJTF became a separate unified command known as the

(USCENTCOM), focusing on the Middle East. Ninth Air Force provided the aircraft, personnel and materiel to form United States Central Command Air Forces (USCENTAF), the USAF air power of CENTCOM, which was also headquartered at Shaw AFB. Starting in 1981, Ninth Air Force aircraft and personnel were deployed to Egypt for

Exercise Bright Star Exercise Bright Star is a series of combined and joint training exercises led by United States and Egyptian forces in Egypt held every two years. These exercises began in 1980, rooted in the 1977 Camp David Accords. After its signing, the Egy ...

. During

Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

and

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

, Ninth Air Force units deployed to the Middle East, and flew combat missions over

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the no ...

and

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. After the end of hostilities, units from the Ninth flew air missions over Iraq as part of

Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mi ...

Operation Northern Watch Operation Northern Watch (ONW), the successor to Operation Provide Comfort, was a Combined Task Force (CTF) charged with enforcing its own no-fly zone above the 36th parallel in Iraq. Its mission began on 1 January 1997. The coalition partners ...

and

Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...

. From 1991, the 4404th Composite Wing (Provisional) served as a forward force, for most of that period flying from

King Abdul Aziz AB King Abdulaziz Air Base () , also known as Dhahran Air Base and formerly Dhahran International Airport, Dhahran Airport and Dhahran Airfield, is a Royal Saudi Air Force base located in Dhahran in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Located west ...

, Saudi Arabia. Despite the boring nature of the quasi-peacetime patrols over both the northern and southern "no-fly zones," the years after 1991 were not entirely without hostile action. Time and time again Iraqi air defense radars came on line and "illuminated" American aircraft. There were also numerous cases where Iraqi anti-aircraft guns and missiles engaged American aircraft. In each case, the U.S. military aircraft would retaliate and in most cases, eliminate the offending air defense site(s). Among the deployed units were the 4th Air Expeditionary Wing, Camp Doha, Qatar (June 1996 and February 1997 in Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) Rotations III and IV respectively), the 347th Air Expeditionary Wing, Shaikh Isa AB,

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

, and the

363d Air Expeditionary Wing The 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing (363 ISRW) is a United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Force Sixteenth Air Force, stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. The mission ...

at Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia. During this "phony war," American pilots gained invaluable experience in air-to-ground tactics that could not be duplicated in practice missions back at home. Combat missions briefly resumed in 1998 during

Operation Desert Fox The 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from 16 to 19 December 1998, by the United States and the United Kingdom. On 16 December 1998, President of the United States Bill ...

F-15E of the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron over Afghanistan

Iraq and Afghanistan

Ninth Air Force units, flying as USCENTAF, flew operational missions during the 2002 Operation Enduring Freedom—Afghanistan (OEF-A) and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Air Expeditionary Force units are engaged in combat operations on an ongoing basis. U.S. Airmen are increasingly on the ground in Iraq: "They drive in convoys and even work with detainees. The main aerial hub in Iraq has 1,500 airmen doing convoy operations in and 1,000 working with detainees. The USAF is also involved in training Iraqis and performing other activities not usually associated with the Air Force. The dangers of the Air Force's new role were highlighted when the expeditionary wing lost its first female member in the line of duty in Iraq. A1C Elizabeth Jacobson, 21, was killed in a roadside bombing while performing convoy security near the U.S. detention center at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq." "More and more Air Force are doing Army jobs," said Senior Master Sgt. Matt Rossoni, 46, of San Francisco. "It's nothing bad about the Army. They're just tapped out." "

Air Force Security Forces Air force ground forces and special forces are ground forces, and may include special operations units that are part of a nation's air force. Airmen assigned to such units may be trained, armed and equipped for ground combat and special ope ...

are traditionally associated with base defense, however, now they provide security for patrols and to deliver supplies." The Air Force also is keeping up with its traditional duties. In November, the

386th Air Expeditionary Wing The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing (386 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces Central. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time. It is currently stationed at Ali Al Sal ...

delivered its one millionth passenger to Iraq since October 2003. USAF missions included transporting troops, casualties and cargo flights. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps flew thousands of missions in support of U.S. ground troops in Iraq this fall, including attacks by unmanned Predator aircraft armed with Hellfire missiles, military records show. American and allied refueling, transport and surveillance planes also are in the air. Airstrikes have been largely in areas where the insurgency is strongest, like Balad, Ramadi and in the vicinity of Baghdad, according to the U.S. Central Command.

Components

332nd Air Expeditionary Wing The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing (332 AEW) is a Provisional Wing of Air Combat Command, currently active. It was last inactivated on 8 May 2012, and most recently reactivated on 19 May 2015. The Wing's 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group (33 ...

, undisclosed location, Southwest Asia, May 2016 – present *

378th Air Expeditionary Wing The 378th Air Expeditionary Wing (378 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Forces Central Command unit assigned to Air Combat Command. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time. The 378th Bombardment Group was an i ...

Prince Sultan Air Base Prince Sultan Air Base ( ar, قاعدة الأمير سلطان الجوية) (PSAB) is a military air base located in the closed-city of Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. History There was formerly a large United States presence there during Opera ...

, Saudi Arabia, 24 October 2005 – present : E-3 Sentry * 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 2002–present :

B-1B Lancer The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It is commonly called the "Bone" (from "B-One"). It is one of three strategic bombers serving in the U.S. Air Force fleet along with ...

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally des ...

C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of tw ...

E-6B Mercury The Boeing E-6 Mercury (formerly Hermes) is an airborne command post and communications relay based on the Boeing 707. The original E-6A manufactured by Boeing's defense division entered service with the United States Navy in July 1989, repla ...

E-8C Joint STARS The Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) is a United States Air Force airborne ground surveillance, battle management and command and control aircraft. It tracks ground vehicles and some aircraft, c ...

KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter, C-135 Strat ...

P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.

Ali Al Salem Air Base Ali Al Salem Air Base is a military air base situated in Kuwait, approximately 23 miles (37 km) from the Iraqi border, and roughly 15 km west of Al Jahra. The airfield is owned by the Government of Kuwait, and during Operation S ...

, Kuwait, 2002–present :

Tenant Units assigned to the command are: *

609th Air and Space Operations Center The 609th Air Operations Center (609 AOC) is an active unit of the United States Air Force based at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The unit is responsible for the daily execution of the air tasking order (ATO) on behalf of the Combined Forces Air Co ...

, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 1 January 1994 – present *

1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, October 2001 – present ** 557 Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron ** 577 Expeditionary PRIME BEEF Squadron Note: The

432d Air Expeditionary Wing The 432nd Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned aerial vehicles. The group operates unmann ...

is an

unit headquartered at Creech AFB, Nevada. It operates RQ-1 Predator and

MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the Uni ...

UAV aircraft in the AFCENT AOR.

Lineage and assignments

* Established as the 5th Air Support Command on 21 August 1941 : Activated on 1 September 1941 : Redesignated 9th Air Force on 8 April 1942 : Redesignated as Ninth Air Force on 18 September 1942 : Inactivated on 2 December 1945 * Activated on 28 March 1946 : Redesignated: Ninth Air Force (Tactical) on 1 August 1950 : Redesignated: Ninth Air Force on 26 June 1951 : Co-designation United States Central Command Air Forces established, 1 January 1983 :: CENTAF designation used for Ninth Air Force assets assigned to

: Redesignated: Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), on 1 March 2008. : Redesignated: United States Air Forces Central Command, on 5 August 2009. : Redesignated: Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), on 20 August 2020.

Assignments

* Air Force Combat Command (later, Army Air Forces), 1 September 1941 *

United States Army Forces in the Middle East United States Army Forces in the Middle East (USAFIME) was a unified United States Army command during World War II established in August, 1942 by order of General George C. Marshall, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, to oversee the ...

, 12 November 1942 *

European Theater of Operations, United States Army The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

, 3 November 1943 * United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe : (later,

), 22 February 1944 – 2 December 1945 *

, 28 March 1946 *

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary au ...

, 1 December 1948 *

, 1 December 1950 *

, 1 June 1992 – present

Stations

, Kentucky, 1 September 1941 *

New Orleans Army Air Base Lakefront Airport is a public airport five miles northeast of downtown New Orleans, in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation ''reliever ...

, Louisiana, 24 January 1942 * Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., 22 July – October 1942 *

, Egypt, 12 November 1942 – October 1943 *

Sunninghill Park Sunninghill Park was a country house and estate of about directly north of Cheapside, in the civil parishes of Sunninghill and Ascot and Winkfield, adjoining Windsor Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. The early 19th-century house ...

, Berkshire, England, November 1943 – September 1944 * Chantilly, France, 15 September 1944 *

Bad Kissingen Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which bec ...

, Germany, 6 June – 2 December 1945 * Biggs Field, Texas, 28 March 1946 *

Greenville Army Air Base Greenville is the name of several places: Canada * Laxgalts'ap, British Columbia, formerly named Greenville *Greenville, Nova Scotia, in Yarmouth County *Greenville Station, Nova Scotia, in Cumberland County *Lower Greenville, Nova Scotia, in Cum ...

(later Greenville Air Force Base), South Carolina, 31 October 1946 *

, Virginia, 14 February 1949 *

Pope Air Force Base Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012 ...

, North Carolina, 1 August 1950 *

, South Carolina, 20 August 1954 – 5 Aug 2009 * Al Udeid Air Base,

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, 5 August 2009 – 20 August 2020 * Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 20 August 2020 – present

Major components

World War II Units

; Commands * IX Air Defense Command: 1 July 1944 – 28 November 1945 * IX Bomber Command: 24 July 1942 – 20 November 1943
IX Engineer Command
1 July 1944 – 2 December 1945 *

: 16 October 1943 – 1 November 1944 *

: 23 December 1942 – 16 November 1945 * IX Air Support (later, IX Tactical Air) Command): 4 December 1943 – 17 August 1945 * XIX Air Support (later, XIX Tactical Air Command): 4 January 1944 – 20 November 1945 * XXIX Air Support (later, XXIX Tactical Air) Command: 30 November 1943 – 3 October 1945 ; Groups * 12th Bombardment Group: 21 January 1941 – 18 April 1942, 16 August 1942 – 22 August 1943 * 36th Fighter Group: 4 April-1 October 1944 *

: 8 January-15 February 1944 *

67th Observation Group 67 may refer to: * 67 (number) * one of the years 67 BC, AD 67, 1967, 2067 * ''67'', a 1992 song by Love Battery from the album ''Between the Eyes'' * 67 (rap group), a drill music group from London See also * 67th Regiment (disambiguation) * 67th ...

, 29 March 1942 – 15 May 1942 * 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group: 20 November – 11 December 1945 ; Squadrons * 12th Observation Squadron: 21 January – 29 March 1942 * 15th Bombardment Squadron: 14 October 1941 – unknown *

425th Night Fighter Squadron 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

: 23 May – 10 June 1944; 7 July – 9 September 1945

USAF Air Divisions

* 12th Air Division: 23 February – 27 June 1949 * 19th Air Division : (formerly, 19 Bombardment Wing; IX Bomber Command; 9 Bombardment Division; 9 Air Division; 19 Bombardment Wing) : 24 July 1942 – 20 November 1945; 22 December 1948 – 1 February 1949. 21 Air: 22 December 1948 – 1 February 1949. *

42d Air Division The 42nd Air Division was a unit of the United States Air Force. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991. History Activated in 1943 as the 4 ...

: 1 July – 1 October 1957 * 49th Air Division: 22 December 1948 – 1 February 1949 *

69th Air Division The 69th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, assigned to Ninth Air Force at Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Pennsylvania. It was inactivated on 24 June 1949. History "Ac ...

: 23 February – 27 June 1949 * 302d Air Division: 22 December 1948 – 1 February 1949 *

833d Air Division The 833d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force (USAF) organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command (TAC), assigned to Twelfth Air Force at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 15 November ...

: 1 October 1964 – 24 December 1969 *

834d Air Division The 834th Airlift Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-Second Air Force at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, where it was inactivated on 1 April ...

: 25 September – 1 October 1957; 1 July 1964 – 15 October 1966 * 836th Air Division: 8 October 1957 – 1 July 1961; 1 July 1962 – 30 June 1971 * 837th Air Division: 8 February 1958 – 1 February 1963 * 838th Air Division: 25 September – 11 December 1957 * 839th Air Division: 8 October 1957 – 1 July 1963; 9 November 1964 – 1 December 1974 *

840th Air Division The 840th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to Ninth Air Force at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, where it was inactivated on 24 December 1969. The division's components provided tactical airlift ...

: 1 October 1964 – 24 December 1969

Groups

* 46th Bombardment Group: 1 September 1941 – 18 April 1942

Known Inactive Air Expeditionary units

: ''See

Organization of United States Air Force Units in the Gulf War The 1990–1991 Gulf War was the last major United States Air Force combat operation of the 20th Century. The command and control of allied forces deployed to the Middle East initially as part of Operation Desert Shield, later engaging in combat ...

for units and deployment of CENTAF forces during

and

'' *

128th Air Expeditionary Group The 128th Air Refueling Wing (128 ARW) is a unit of the Wisconsin Air National Guard, stationed at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If activated to federal service in the United States Air Force, the wing is opera ...

: Flights at several bases in AFCENT AOR *

368th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group The 368th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group is a combat support unit of the United States Air Force. The group provides overall tactical command and control of air power assets to the Joint Forces Air Component Commander and Joint Forc ...

Camp Victory Camp Victory was the primary component of the Victory Base Complex (VBC) which occupied the area surrounding the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). The Al-Faw Palace, which served as the headquarters for the Multi-National Corps – Iraq (and ...

, Baghdad, Iraq *

370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group The 370th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces Central, which may activate or inactivate it at any time. The unit was last stationed in Iraq, and was likely inactivat ...

Sather AB Baghdad International Airport , previously Saddam International Airport ( ar, مطار بغداد الدولي, Maṭār Baġdād ad-Dawaliyy) is Iraq's largest international airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the ...

, Iraq * 376th Air Expeditionary Wing : Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan *

398th Air Expeditionary Group The 398th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The 398 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time. During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 398th Bo ...

: Flights at several bases in AFCENT AOR *

384th Air Expeditionary Wing The 384th Air Expeditionary Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the United States Central Command Air Forces, being stationed at Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain. It was inactivated in 2004. The w ...

Shaikh Isa Air Base , image = , IATA = , ICAO = OBBS , type = Military , owner = , operator = Royal Bahraini Air Force , city-served = , location = Bahrain , elevation-f = 136 , elevation-m = 41 , coordin ...

, Bahrain *

406th Air Expeditionary Wing The 406th Air Expeditionary Wing (406 AEW) is a provisional unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The wing was reactivated in early 2003 as a provisional wing to be used as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), based in Turk ...

: RAFO Thumrait, Oman *

410th Air Expeditionary Wing The United States Air Force's 410th Air Expeditionary Wing (410 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command (ACC) It may be activated or inactivated at any time. The unit was known to be active during the 2 ...

: H-5 Air Base, Jordan :

Shaheed Mwaffaq AB Muwaffaq Salti Air Base - Azraq ( ar, قاعدة الشهيد موفق السلطي الجوية - الازرق ) is a Royal Jordanian Air Force air base located in Azraq, Zarqa Governorate. History In 1918, during World War I, T.E. Lawrence (a ...

, Jordan * 416th Air Expeditionary Group :

Karshi-Khanabad AB Karshi-Khanabad, better known as K2, is an air base in southeastern Uzbekistan, just east of Karshi. It is home to the 60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade of the Uzbek Air Force. History From 1954 to 1981, the 735th Fighter Aviation Regiment ...

, Uzbekistan *

447th Air Expeditionary Group The 447th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command (ACC) and United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE). The unit is currently stationed at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey in support of Oper ...

, Iraq *

506th Air Expeditionary Group The 506th Air Expeditionary Group (506 AEG) is a provisional United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Forces Central 332d Air Expeditionary Wing, stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The 506 AEG secures the ba ...

Kirkuk AB The Kirkuk International Airport is an airport located Kirkuk, Iraq. The airport officially opened in 20th October, 2022 for civil visitors. Since 2003 the airport was used by the U.S. Air Force as a military airport. It was returned to the Ira ...

, Iraq *

732d Air Expeditionary Group The 732nd Air Expeditionary Group is an inactive provisional United States Air Force unit. It was last active at Joint Base Balad, where it provided support for airmen supporting units of other services in Iraq. The group was first activated a ...

: Balad AB, Iraq * 4417th Air Expeditionary Force :

, Jordan

Service and campaign streamers

* War in Southwest Asia ** Defense of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

(Desert Shield) 1990-1991 ** Liberation of

(Desert Storm) 1991

Awards

List of commanders

AFCENT Commanders

9 AF/AFCENT Commanders

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * : Further reading * Bozung, Jack H. (ed). ''The 9th Sees France and England''. Los Angeles, California: AAF Publications Company, 1947. * Coles, Harry C. ''Ninth Air Force Participation in the Western Desert Campaign to January 1943 (USAAF Historical Study, No. 30)''.

Air Force Historical Research Agency The Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) is the repository for United States Air Force historical documents. The Agency's collection begun during World War II in Washington, D.C. and moved in 1949 to Maxwell Air Force Base, the site o ...

, 1945. * Coles, Harry C. ''Participation of the Ninth and Twelfth Air Forces in the Sicilian Campaign (USAAF Historical Study, No. 37)''. Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945. * Craven, Wesley F. and James L. Cate. ''The Army Air Forces in World war II, Vols. 1–7''. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago University Press, 1948/51 (Reprinted 1983, ). * Dorr, Robert F. and Thomas D. Jones. ''Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht''. St Paul, MN: Zenith Press, 2008. . * * * Freeman, Roger A. ''The Ninth Air Force in Colour. UK and the Continent-World War II''. London: Arms and Armor Press, 1995. * Freeman, Roger A. ''UK Airfields of the Ninth, Then and Now''. London: Battle of Britain Publications, 1994. * George, Robert H. ''Ninth Air Force, April to November 1944 (USAAF Historical Study, No. 36)''. Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945. * Hamlin, John F. ''Support and Strike!: A Concise History of the U.S. Ninth Air Force in Europe''. Bretton, Peterborough, UK: GMS Enterprises, 1991. . * Marx, Milton. ''Ninth Air Force, USAAF''. Paris, France: Desfosses-Neogravure, 1945.

LCCN The Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) is a serially based system of numbering cataloged records in the Library of Congress, in the United States. It is not related to the contents of any book, and should not be confused with Library of ...

49028944. Dewey 940.541273.

OCLC OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It wa ...

3784313. * * Ramsey, John F. ''Ninth Air Force in the ETO, 16 October 1943 to 16 April 1944 (USAAF Historical Study, No. 32)''. Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945. * Rogers, Edith. ''The AAF in the Middle East: A Study of the Origins of the Ninth Air Force (USAAF Historical Study, No. 108)''. Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945. * Rust, Kenn C. ''Ninth Air Force Story...in World War II''. Temple City, California: Historical Aviation Album, 1982. . *

External links

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Most current Factsheet (Apr 2013)

* ttp://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/9af.htm GlobalSecurity.org 9th Air Force info page
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World War II Bomb Groups - European Theater of Operations (ETO)

* ttp://www.lonesentry.com/gi_stories_booklets/9thbombardment/index.html Time Over Targets: The Story of the 9th Bombardment Division(World War II unit history published by Stars & Stripes) {{Authority control 09 Cold War military history of the United States Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations in South Carolina European theatre of World War II