Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) | |
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U.S. Central Command[2] | |
Part of | ![]() ![]() |
Headquarters | Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, U.S. |
Engagements | See list
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Decorations | Air Force Organizational Excellence Award |
Website | www |
Commanders | |
Commander | Lt Gen Derek France |
Deputy Commander | Maj Gen David A. Mineau |
Command Chief Master Sergeant | CMSgt Katherine A. Grabham |
Notable commanders | Lewis H. Brereton Hoyt Vandenberg Gary L. North David L. Goldfein Donavon F. Smith |
Insignia | |
United States Air Forces Central Command emblem | ![]() |
The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central)
Activated as 9th Air Force on 8 April 1942, the command fought in
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.
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 Tactical Air Command (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.[6] It shared its commander with Ninth Air Force until August 2009.[7] 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
Operations in Western Desert Campaign, 1942–1943
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In June 1942, the German
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On 28 June 1942, Major General
In September 1942, RAF Middle East Command's Senior Air Staff Officer, Air Commodore[note 1] Philip. Wigglesworth was authorized by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder to select targets for all U.S. heavy bombers.
"A development of some importance in the career of USAMEAF manifested itself administratively on 12 October (1942) when orders were cut assigning nine officers to the
12th Bombardment and 57th Fighter Groups, but he could see no reason why operational control of the 1st Provisional and 98th Groups, comprising four-fifths of the heavy bomber force in the Middle East, should not be vested in American hands. Subsequent negotiations carried the point with the British, who even turned over their 160 Squadron (Liberators) to the operational control of IX Bomber Command. On 12 October a small staff moved into Grey Pillars [RAF headquarters in Garden City, Cairo[11]], and thenceforth USAMEAF's bombers operated only under the "strategic" direction of the British. Timberlake headed the organization, with Kalberer as his A-3 and Lt. Col. Donald M. Keiser as his chief of staff."—The Army Air Forces in World War II[12]
In the
Ninth Air Force had been first constituted as V Air Support Command, part of
It moved to
- Patrick W Timberlake) at Ismailia, Egypt,
- IX Fighter Command (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,
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 (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
At the time 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
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 reassignment of Ninth Air Force formations in the Mediterranean to Twelfth Air Force, plans were afoot in Britain to move Eighth Air Force's medium bomber units to a separate command. This command was offered to Brereton, who accepted, 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
On 4 January 1944 XIX Air Support Command was activated at
Major General
On 18 April 1944, the IX and XIX Air Support Commands were redesignated, respectively, as IX Tactical Air Command and XIX Tactical Air Command.[19]
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.[20] 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 gliders received from the British.
Order of battle, 6 June 1944
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Operations in Europe 1944–1945
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On D-Day, IX Troop Carrier Command units flew over 2000 sorties conducting combat parachute jumps and glider landings as part of
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, Battle for Caen, and the ultimate breakout from the beachhead, Operation Cobra.
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 "
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.
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 and western Germany to keep within range of the advancing battle front before the end of hostilities in May 1945.
During
In December 1944 through January 1945, Ninth Air Force fighters and bombers were critical in defeating the Wehrmacht during the Battle of the Bulge. 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 was the highlight[citation needed] 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
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
Most officers and men were sent back to the United States and their units inactivated. Others were assigned to the new
Cold War
- see also: Nineteenth Air Force
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Following World War II, 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 Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, where it remains today. The postwar Numbered Air Forces were components of the new major command structure of the United States Air Force, and Ninth Air Force became one of the tactical air forces of the new Tactical Air Command. Ninth Air Force commanded TAC Wings east of the Mississippi River.
Initially being equipped with propeller-driven F-51, F-47 and
During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, 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
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, Virginia
- 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4E) (SJ) Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina
- 23d Tactical Fighter Wing (A-7D) (EL) England Air Force Base, Louisiana
- Homestead Air Force Base, Florida
- 33d Tactical Fighter Wing (F-15A/B) (EG) Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
- 56th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4D/E) (MC) MacDill Air Force Base, Florida
- 347th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4E) (MY) Moody Air Force Base, Georgia
- 354th Tactical Fighter Wing (A/OA-10A) (MB) Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina
- 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (RF-4C) (JO) Shaw Air Force Base, 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
The restructuring of USAF CONUS forces by the inactivation of
Concurrently, ACC also transferred responsibility for MacDill AFB to Air Mobility Command 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
During
After the end of hostilities, units from the Ninth flew air missions over Iraq as part of
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
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Iraq and Afghanistan
Ninth Air Force units, flying as USCENTAF, flew operational missions during the 2002
U.S. Airmen are increasingly on the ground in Iraq:
The Air Force also is keeping up with its traditional duties. In November, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing 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, undisclosed location, Southwest Asia, May 2016 – present.[24] In 2015 the 332 AEG at Ahmed al-Jabir AB in Kuwait was expanded into the 332 AEW.
- 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, 24 October 2005 – present[25]
- E-3 Sentry[26]
- 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 2002–present[27]
- RC-135 Rivet Joint[citation needed]
- 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, 25 January 2002 – present[28][29]
- U-2 Dragon Lady[citation needed]
- 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, 2002–present[30]
- C-130 Hercules[citation needed]
Tenant Units assigned to the command are:
- 609th Air and Space Operations Center, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 1 January 1994 – present[31]
- 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, October 2001 – present[32]
- 557 Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron
- 577 Expeditionary PRIME BEEF Squadron
Note: The
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 United States Central Command
- 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, 12 November 1942
- European Theater of Operations, United States Army, 3 November 1943
- United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe
- (later, United States Air Forces in Europe), 22 February 1944 – 2 December 1945
- Tactical Air Command, 28 March 1946
- Continental Air Command, 1 December 1948
- Tactical Air Command, 1 December 1950
- Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992 – present
Stations
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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
- IX Troop Carrier Command: 16 October 1943 – 1 November 1944
- IX Fighter Command: 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[33]
- 36th Fighter Group: 4 April-1 October 1944
- 366th Fighter Group: 8 January-15 February 1944
- 67th Observation Group, 29 March 1942 – 15 May 1942[34]
- 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group: 20 November – 11 December 1945
- Squadrons
- 12th Observation Squadron: 21 January – 29 March 1942[35]
- 15th Bombardment Squadron: 14 October 1941 – unknown[36]
- 425th Night Fighter Squadron: 23 May – 10 June 1944; 7 July – 9 September 1945[37]
USAF Air Divisions
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Groups
- 46th Bombardment Group: 1 September 1941 – 18 April 1942[38]
Known Inactive Air Expeditionary units
- See Operation Desert Storm
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Service and campaign streamers
- War in Southwest Asia
- Defense of Saudi Arabia (Desert Shield) 1990–1991
- Liberation of Kuwait (Desert Storm) 1991
Awards
List of commanders
AFCENT Commanders
No. | Commander | Term | |||
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Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
1 | Lieutenant General Gilmary Michael Hostage III | 5 August 2009 | 3 August 2011 | 1 year, 363 days | |
2 | Lieutenant General David L. Goldfein | 3 August 2011 | 12 July 2013 | 1 year, 343 days | |
3 | Lieutenant General John W. Hesterman III | 12 July 2013 | 29 June 2015 | 1 year, 352 days | |
4 | Lieutenant General Charles Q. Brown Jr. | 29 June 2015 | 22 July 2016 | 1 year, 23 days | |
5 | Lieutenant General Jeffrey L. Harrigian | 22 July 2016 | 30 August 2018 | 2 years, 39 days | |
6 | Lieutenant General Joseph T. Guastella | 30 August 2018 | 16 July 2020 | 1 year, 321 days | |
7 | 16 July 2020 | 20 August 2020 | 35 days |
9 AF/AFCENT Commanders
No. | Commander | Term | |||
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Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
1 | 20 August 2020 | 21 July 2022 | 1 year, 335 days | ||
2 | Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich | 21 July 2022 | 18 April 2024 | 1 year, 272 days | |
3 | Lieutenant General Derek France | 18 April 2024 | Incumbent | 62 days |
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Temporary Air Vice Marshal from December 1942
- Citations
- ^ a b c "United States Air Forces Central Command (ACC) > Air Force Historical Research Agency > Display". Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Mission". www.afcent.af.mil. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ "Fifteenth Air Force activates, consolidates ACC's conventional forces". 20 August 2020.
- ^ "USAFHRA Fact Sheet United States Air Forces Central Command". af.mil. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ "Fifteenth Air Force activates, consolidates ACC's conventional forces". 20 August 2020.
- ^ "USCENTAF to become USAFCENT with redesignation". af.mil. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ New leaders take command of redesignated AFCENT, 9th Air Force, 8/6/2009, Air Force News Service
- ^ a b c Futrell, p 13
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 464-465
- ^ "376hbgva.com". 376hbgva.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ ""Number 10" the secret number of the British troops in Egypt! | the Middle East Observer". May 2018.
- ]
- ^ "USAAF.net". usaaf.net. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ "Warwingsart.com". warwingsart.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ Secret Document 151, Location of Units in the Royal Air Force, 34th Issue, July 1943, The Royal Air Force Museum, Accession Number PR02859
- ^ "Army Air Forces in World War II". Usaaf.net. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ^ "Airwarweb.net". airwarweb.net. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ "USAAF.net". usaaf.net. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ Publicenquiry.co.uk Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine This table shows the 1 June 1944 Order of Battle for the Ninth Air Force in the United Kingdom, prior to the deployment of units to the Continent.
- ^ Tourtellot, Arthur B. et al. Life's Picture History of World War II, p. 234. Time, Inc., New York, 1950.
- ^ "1st Pathfinder Squadron (Provisional)". 344th Bomb Group. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ "4th Fighter Wing History" (PDF). af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ Associated Press, Air Force's Role Changing in Iraq, 3 January 2006
- U.S. Air Forces Central. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- U.S. Air Forces Central. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ Wrightsman, Jacob (6 March 2022). "New aircraft, Airmen arrive at PSAB". DVIDS. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- U.S. Air Forces Central. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- U.S. Air Forces Central. June 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- U.S. Air Forces Central. July 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ "386th Air Expeditionary Wing". U.S. Air Forces Central. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ Dollman, David (19 August 2016). "609 Air Operations Center (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- U.S. Air Forces Central. November 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ Robertson, Patsy (26 June 2017). "Factsheet 12 Operations Group (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ Ream, Margaret (21 March 2021). "Factsheet 67 Cyberspace Operations Group (AFSPC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 68
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 82
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 522
- ^ Robertson, Patsy (4 September 2008). "Factsheet 46 Test Wing (AFMC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1949). The Army Air Forces in World War II (PDF). Vol. II, Europe: Torch to Pointblank. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. OCLC 704158. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Futrell, Robert F. (September 1956). "Command of Observation Aviation: A Study in Control of Tactical Airpower, USAF Historical Study No. 24" (PDF). Research Studies Institute, USAF Historical Division, Air University. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- 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, 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, ISBN 0-912799-03-X).
- 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. ISBN 978-0-7603-2918-4.
- Endicott, Judy G. (1998). Active Air Force Wings as of 1 October 1995 and USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995 (PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ASIN B000113MB2. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- Fletcher, Harry R (1993). Air Force Bases, Vol. II, Air Bases Outside the United States of America (PDF). Washington, DC: Center for Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 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. ISBN 1-870384-10-5.
- Marx, Milton. Ninth Air Force, USAAF. Paris, France: Desfosses-Neogravure, 1945. LCCN 49028944. Dewey 940.541273. OCLC3784313.
- Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 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. ISBN 0-911852-93-X.
- Rust, Kenn C.; Hess, William N. (1960). The Slybird Group: The 353rd Fighter Group on Escort and Ground Attack Operations. Drawings by Matt, Paul R. and Preston, John. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, Inc. LCCN 67-27872.
External links
- Official public website
- Claimed current order of battle
- Most current Factsheet (Apr 2013)
- USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present Archived 30 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- PSLN.com, World War II Bomb Groups - European Theater of Operations (ETO)
- Air Power in the Battle of the Bulge: A Theater Campaign Perspective Archived 25 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- Time Over Targets: The Story of the 9th Bombardment Division (World War II unit history published by Stars & Stripes)