Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (later I Bomber Command) | |
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European Theater | |
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Shoulder Sleeve Insigne[b][1] | ![]() |
The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control
The command's units conducted ASW along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, in the Caribbean Sea and in Europe, where it used bases in England and French Morocco. Its operations were marked by disagreements between the AAF and the Navy concerning the conduct of air ASW. In the fall of 1943, the ASW mission was transferred to the Navy and the command became a bomber training unit until it was inactivated in 1946.
History
Initial Army Air Forces involvement in antisubmarine warfare
Within a day after the declaration of war by the United States the
AAF Antisubmarine Command organizes
In May 1942,
Disagreements between the Army and the Navy over command relationships delayed activation of the command until October 1942. The activation of the single Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command at
Overseas operations
By late 1942, German strategy had shifted to one of defending against planned Allied offensives in Europe and North Africa by striking at their lines of communication, rather than striking merchant shipping wherever it was most vulnerable. As a result, the Kriegsmarine concentrated its U-boats in the northern and eastern Atlantic.[14] To meet this challenge, the command moved two squadrons to England in November, where they operated with RAF Coastal Command.[15] The two units were attached to the 1st Antisubmarine Group (Provisional), which became the 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional).[16][17] The decision to deploy the squadrons was made quickly and preparations for their reception and the maintenance of their aircraft were almost nonexistent. Lack of hangar space at RAF St Eval forced them to perform major maintenance outside during the winter.[16]
A deployed squadron was responsible for the first confirmed sinking of an enemy sub by one of the command's aircraft.[18] Although they did not initially sink a large number of U-boats, their harassing tactics required German subs to adopt evasive tactics and reduced the number and effectiveness of attacks on convoys crossing the Atlantic.[19] In February 1943, The squadrons participated in Operation Gondola, whose goal was to attack every U-boat traversing the Bay of Biscay at least once.[20]
The Navy believed that more antisubmarine forces were required to protect convoys in the North Atlantic, where attacks were becoming more concentrated. In March, the
Eventually the command formed two
Following the activation of the 480th Group, the
Despite the deployment of command units to Newfoundland, England and Morocco, the majority of the command remained in the United States conducting patrols and covering convoys in an area where the threat of submarine attack had substantially diminished.
Disagreements between the AAF and the Navy over command of long range aviation units engaged in antisubmarine warfare and of whether those forces would best be employed (offensively or defensively) continued into 1943, and in June, the AAF agreed that "The Army is prepared to withdraw Army Air Forces from anti-submarine operations at such time as the Navy is ready to take over those duties completely."
Bomber training
In August 1943, the command was redesignated I Bomber Command and reassigned to First Air Force. It continued to oversee antisubmarine units in the United States through October 1943 and overseas through December.[1] It began to train bomber crews in early 1944, when Replacement Training Units[e] were reassigned to the command from Second Air Force (heavy bombers) and Third Air Force (medium and light bombers). However, the AAF was finding that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization, were not well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, in April 1944, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered Army Air Force Base Unit, that could be adjusted to the proper size for that base's mission.[33] Using this organization, it continued to train bomber organizations and personnel (at a reduced level after the end of the war) until inactivated in March 1946.[1]
The command remained inactive until it was disbanded on 8 October 1948.[1]
Lineage
- Constituted as the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command on 13 October 1942
- Activated on 15 October 1942
- Redesignated I Bomber Command on 26 August 1943[32]
- Inactivated on 21 March 1946
- Disbanded on 8 October 1948[1]
Assignments
- Army Air Forces, 15 October 1942
- First Air Force, August 1943 – 21 March 1946[1]
Components
- Wings
- 1st Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional) (later 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional)):[17] c. December 1942 – c. 21 June 1943[f]
- RAF St Eval, England then Craw Field, French Morocco
- 25th Antisubmarine Wing: 20 November 1942 – 15 October 1943[12]
- 26th Antisubmarine Wing: 20 November 1942 – 15 October 1943[13]
- Miami, Florida
- Groups
- 1st Antisubmarine Group (Provisional): c. 1 January 1943 – c. 1 March 1943
- 1st Sea-Search Attack Group: (later 1st Sea-Search Attack Unit): attached for operations 15 October 1942 – 10 November 1943[34]
- Langley Field, Virginia
- 13th Bombardment Group: 15 October 1942 – 20 November 1942[35]
- Westover Field, Massachusetts
- 45th Bombardment Group: 15 October 1942 – 20 November 1942[36]
- Miami Army Air Field, Florida
- 47th Bombardment Group, 11 July 1945 – 7 February 1946[37]
- Lake Charles Army Air Field, Louisiana
- 302d Bombardment Group: 17 December 1943 – 10 April 1944
- Chatham Army Air Field, Georgia
- 304th Bombardment Group: 29 October 1942 – 20 November 1942[38]
- Langley Field, Virginia
- 377th Bombardment Group: 18 October 1942 – 20 November 1942[39]
- Fort Dix Army Air Field, New Jersey
- 378th Bombardment Group, 18 October 1942 – 20 November 1942[40]
- Langley Field, Virginia
- 400th Bombardment Group, 15 December 1943 – 10 April 1944
- Charleston Army Air Base, South Carolina
- 455th Bombardment Group, 4 October 1943 – c. 14 January 1944[41]
- Langley Field, Virginia until 13 December 1943
- 460th Bombardment Group, c. 29 October 1943 – c. 5 February 1944[42]
- Chatham Army Air Field until 4 January 1944
- 471st Bombardment Group, 21 January 1944 – 10 April 1944
- Westover Field, Massachusetts
- 477th Bombardment Group, 15 January 1944 – 10 April 1944
- Selfridge Field, Michigan
- 479th Antisubmarine Group, 8 July 1943 – 11 November 1943[23] (attached to No. 19 Group, RAF Coastal Command for operations, VIII Bomber Command for administration)[16]
- RAF St Eval, England −6 August 1943, RAF Dunkeswell, England −1 November 1943, RAF Podington, England
- RAF St Eval, England −6 August 1943,
- 480th Antisubmarine Group, 21 June 1943 – c. 1 January 1944 (attached to Fleet Air Wing 15, 21 June 1943 – unknown)[22]
- Craw Field, French Morocco – November 1943, Langley Field, Virginia
- Squadrons
- 4th Antisubmarine Squadron, 8 June – 8 July 1943[43]
- RCAF Gander, Newfoundland – 23 June 1943; RAF St Eval 30 June 1943
- 6th Antisubmarine Squadron, 8 June – 14 August 1943[44]
- CFB Gander, Newfoundland
- 19th Antisubmarine Squadron, 8 June – 8 July 1943[45]
- CFB Gander, Newfoundland – c. 23 June 1943; RAF St Eval c. 30 June 1943
- 20th Antisubmarine Squadron, 8 February – 13 October 1943[46]
- RCAF Station Torbay, Newfoundland
- 21st Antisubmarine Squadron, attached 15 October 1942; assigned 8 March 1943 – 28 September 1943[47]
- Gulfport Army Air Field, Mississippi
- 22d Antisubmarine Squadron, 3–8 March 1943[48]
- Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, North Carolina
- 23d Antisubmarine Squadron, air echelon attached 13 October – 20 November 1942; assigned 15 October 1943 – 6 February 1944[49]
- Air Echelon at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, 6 November 1943 (disbanded)
- Air Echelon at
- 124th Observation Squadron, 15 October – 20 November 1942[50]
- New Orleans Army Air Base, Louisiana
- 522d Bombardment Squadron, 18 October – 20 November 1942[51]
- 821st Bombardment Squadron, 1 February 1944 – 10 April 1944[52]
- Selfridge Field, Michigan
- Base Units
- 101st AAF Base Unit, c. 10 April 1944 – c. 21 March 1946
- 103d AAF Base Unit, 1 February 1945 – c. 31 October 1945
- 112th AAF Base Unit, 10 April 1944 – c. 10 September 1945, 1 February 1946 – 21 March 1946
- Westover Field, Massachusetts
- 113th AAF Base Unit, 10 April 1944 – 31 May 1945
- Charleston Army Air Base, South Carolina
- 114th AAF Base Unit, 10 April 1944 – c. 21 March 1946
- Chatham Army Air Field, Georgia
- 115th AAF Base Unit, 10 April 1944 – 10 April 1945
- Selfridge Field, Michigan – May 1944, Freeman Field, Indiana
- Selfridge Field, Michigan – May 1944,
- 117th AAF Base Unit, 13 June 1944 – c. 15 August 1944
- Sturgis Army Air Field, Kentucky
- 118th AAF Base Unit, 21 August 1944 – c. 15 March 1945
- Godman Field, Kentucky – August 1944, Freeman Field, Indiana
Stations
- New York, New York, 15 October 1942
- Mitchel Field, New York, c. 1 October 1943 – 21 March 1946[1]
Campaigns
Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
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Antisubmarine, American Theater | 15 October 1942 – 15 October 1943 | [1] |
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Antisubmarine, EAME Theater | November 1942–1 December 1943 | [1] |
See also
- B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces
- B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Aircraft is Consolidated B-24D-65-CO Liberator, serial 42-40483. This plane was salvaged on 10 October 1945. Baugher, Joe (28 December 2022). "1942 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 25 July 2023. The retracted antenna for the SCR-517 radar is visible just aft of the open bomb bay doors in the place where the ventral gun turret would normally be installed.
- ^ Approved 8 January 1946. Description: On a disc azure, border or, a pile argent charged with a large, red aerial bomb palewise, all surmounted by a griffin or, facing toward dexter, fimbriated azure.
- ^ Despite the identical name of this command in 1942, it was a different unit. Once AAF Antisubmarine Command assumed its ASW mission, I Bomber Command was inactivated. The I Bomber Command was reactivated in late 1943 and trained radar crews for combat. It was later renamed XX Bomber Command, but is also unrelated to command of that name training bomber units under Second Air Force as XX Bomber Command. Maurer, Combat Units, p. 452
- ^ The task force was briefly located at Charleston, South Carolina. Ferguson, p. 18.
- pilots or aircrews. Craven & Cate, Introduction, p. xxxvi.
- ^ Components stationed with command headquarters, except as noted.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Maurer, Combat Units, p. 437
- ^ Ferguson, p. 1-2
- ^ Ferguson, p. 4
- ^ Ferguson, pp. 5–8
- ^ Ferguson, p. 11
- ^ Ferguson, p. 17
- ^ Ferguson, pp. 17–18
- ^ Ferguson, pp. 19–20
- ^ Ferguson, p. 23
- ^ Ferguson, p. 39
- ^ Ferguson, p. 41
- ^ a b c Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 388–389
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Units, p. 389
- ^ Ferguson., pp. 35
- ^ Ferguson, p. 44
- ^ a b c d e Ferguson, pp. 99–100
- ^ a b "Abstract, History AAF Antisubmarine Command Jul–Sep 1943". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ Schoenfeld, pp. 50–52
- ^ Ferguson, p. 51
- ^ Schoenfeld, pp. 45–46
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 25–26, 37–38, 101
- ^ a b c Robertson, Patsy (20 January 2015). "Factsheet 480 Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing (AFISRA)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ a b c Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 350–351
- ^ Ferguson, p. 58
- ^ Ferguson, p. 75
- ^ Ferguson, pp. 132–133
- ^ Ferguson, p. 136
- ^ Ferguson, p. 141
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 120–121
- ^ Ferguson, p. 144
- ^ Ferguson, p.77
- ^ a b Ferguson, pp. 82–83
- ^ Goss, p. 75
- ^ Ferguson, p. 36
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 56–57
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 103
- ^ Robertson, Patsy E. (7 July 2017). "Factsheet 47 Operations Group (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 177
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 265–266
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 266
- ^ Lacomia, John M. (14 November 2017). "Factsheet 455 Air Expeditionary Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Bailey, Carl E. (23 May 2018). "Factsheet 460 Space Wing (AFSPC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 26
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 38
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 101
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 779
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 777
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 115
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 120-121
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 349
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 783
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 769
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Ferguson, Arthur B. (April 1945). "The Antisubmarine Command, USAF Historical Study No. 107" (PDF). Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Intelligence Historical Division. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- Goss, William A (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L (eds.). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. OCLC 704158.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556.
- Schoenfeld, Max (1995). Stalking the U-Boat: USAAF Offensive Antisubmarine Operations in World War II. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 978-1-56098-403-0.
- Warnock, Timothy. "The Battle Against the U-Boat in the American Theater" (PDF). Bolling AFB, DC: Air Force History Support Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
External links
- Williamson, Mitch (14 May 2015). "Army Air Forces (AAF) were in antisubmarine warfare". silentseawolves.com. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- Sifuentes. "The Limits of Doctrine: The U.S. Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Operations in World War II" (PDF). United States Naval Academy. Retrieved 13 September 2016. (Honors Thesis, title sheet missing)
- "Civil Air Patrol Coastal Patrol Base Locations and Assignments by U.S. Army Air Force Antisubmarine Command" (PDF). Civil Air Patrol National History Program. October 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- Feinstein, Ethan M. (2013). "Mastering the Patrol: a Look at the Importance of Training For American Pilots in the Battle of the Atlantic". The College of Wooster. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
- Grabowski Jr., LCDR Stanley J. (5 June 1998). "A Comparative Analysis of Land-Based Antisubmarine Warfare Operations in the Atlantic: U.S. Army during World War II and the U.S. Navy During the Cold War" (PDF). Fort Leavenworth, KS: U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2015.