The III Bomber Command is a disbanded

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

headquarters. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

to command bomber units assigned to 3rd Air Force. Following the entry of the United States into

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

, it flew patrols off the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts. However, its main efforts soon began organizing and training

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...

units and aircrews. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946 and disbanded in October 1948.

History

Background

GHQ Air Force (GHQ AF) had been established with two major combat functions, to maintain a striking force against long range targets, and the

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

of the United States. In the spring of 1941, GHQ AF reorganized its Southeast Air District as 3rd Air Force. To carry out its mission of training and maintaining a strike force, 3rd Air Force organized 3rd Bomber Command at Drew Field, Florida in September 1941, shortly before the

. The command soon moved to MacDill Field, Florida, where it was located when the

occurred. Shortly afterwards, it moved to Army Air Base, Savannah, Georgia, but returned to MacDill, where it spent the remainder of the war.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p.439

Training

It patrolled in search of enemy submarines. The command trained

units and crews for Third Air Force, and training for this type of unit was virtually a monopoly for the command. Until August 1943, it also conducted training for dive and

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dr ...

units and crews. However their training was transferred to III Air Support Command in August 1942. In late 1943, some

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...

training was moved from Second Air Force, which had been the primary command for that training, to the command in order to enable combined training between fighters and bombers. In conjunction with this transfer, the command adopted the three phase training system for its training units: Phase I (individual training); Phase II (crew training) and Phase III (unit training).

Lineage

* Constituted as the 3rd Bomber Command on 4 September 1941Maurer indicates unit was constituted as the "III" Bomber Command. However, the unit was constituted and activated with an arabic number in its name. The use of

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

s to designate Army Air Forces combat commands did not begin until September 1942. : Activated on 5 September 1941 * Redesignated III Bomber Command on 18 September 1942 : Inactivated on 8 April 1946 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948The group was transferred to the

when it was established as a separate service in September 1947. The Air Force disbanded it a year later.

Assignments

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...

, 5 September 1941 * Probably

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...

, 21 March 1946 – 8 April 1946

Components

Wings * 89th Combat Crew Training Wing, from 19 June 1944 * 323d Combat Crew Training Wing, 22 February 1945 – 8 April 1946 Groups * 3rd Bombardment Group, 8 December 1941 - 2 January 1942 * 12th Bombardment Group, 18 April – 16 August 1942 * 21st Bombardment Group, 11 March – 2 May 1942; 8 May 1942 – 10 October 1943 * 30th Bombardment Group: 15 January – 24 May 1941 * 46th Bombardment Group, 8 May – c. 8 July 1942; 6 August 1943 – 1 May 1944 * 47th Bombardment Group, 1 May – 10 August 1942 (attached to 3d Ground Air Support Command after 29 June 1942) * 48th Bombardment Group, 8 May – 10 August 1942 * 85th Bombardment Group, 16 March - 2 May 1942; 8 May – 10 August 1942 * 86th Bombardment Group: 10 August 1942 – c. 11 May 1943 (attached to 23d Provisional Training Wing, c. September 1942 – c. March 1943) * 90th Bombardment Group: 15 April – 12 September 1942 * 91st Bombardment Group: 15 April – c. 28 June 1942 * 92d Bombardment Group: 1 March – August 1942 * 94th Bombardment Group: 15–29 June 1942 * 95th Bombardment Group: 15–26 June 1942 * 100th Bombardment Group: 1–18 June 1942 * 310th Bombardment Group: 15 March – 2 May 1942 * 312th Bombardment Group, 16 March – 2 May 1942 * 319th Bombardment Group: 26 June – c. 12 September 1942 * 322d Bombardment Group: 17 July – c. 15 November 1942 * 335th Bombardment Group, 31 July 1942 – c. 1 May 1944 * 336th Bombardment Group, c. 15 July 1942 – 1 May 1944 * 344th Bombardment Group, 8 September 1942 – c. 26 January 1944 * 386th Bombardment Group, 1 December 1942 – c. 2 June 1943 *

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

, 6 August 1943 – 7 March 1944 *

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'', an Australian award-winnin ...

, 6 August 1943 – 4 April 1944 * 416th Bombardment Group, 6 August 1943 – January 1944 (attached to II Tactical Air Division 1−22 November 1943) Squadrons * 1st Composite Squadron: 19 November 1944 – 2 January 1945 * 3d Reconnaissance Squadron; 5 June 1941 – 25 February 1942 (attached to 13th Bombardment Group) * 35th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter); 15 August – 1 September 1943 * 38th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment; 15 August – 1 September 1943Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 181

Stations

* Drew Field, Florida, 5 September 1941 * MacDill Field, Florida, c. September 1941 * Army Air Base, Savannah, Georgia, c. 10 December 1941 * MacDill Field, Florida, c. 15 December 1941 – 8 April 1946

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II 03 03 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946