Twentieth Air Force
Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) | |
---|---|
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Maj Gen Stacy Jo Huser |
Notable commanders | Curtis LeMay |
The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a
20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) operations. The Twentieth Air Force commander is also the Commander, Task Force 214 (TF 214), which provides alert ICBMs to the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).
Established on 4 April 1944 at Washington D.C, 20 AF was a
Inactivated on 1 March 1955, the command was reactivated 1 September 1991, as a component of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and became operationally responsible for all land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles.
Overview
Twentieth Air Force headquarters is unique in that it has dual responsibilities to Air Force Global Strike Command and United States Strategic Command. As the missile Numbered Air Force for AFGSC, 20th Air Force is responsible for maintaining and operating the Air Force's ICBM force. Designated as STRATCOM's Task Force 214, 20th Air Force provides on-alert, combat ready ICBMs to the president. Combined with the other two legs of the Triad, bombers and submarines, STRATCOM forces protect the United States with an umbrella of deterrence.
Organization
- Headquarters, Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming
- Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming
- Minot AFB, Minot, North Dakota
- Malmstrom AFB, Montana
- Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming
- 582nd Operations Support Squadron
- 37th Helicopter Squadron
- 40th Helicopter Squadron
- 54th Helicopter Squadron
- Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
- Offutt AFB, Nebraska
History
The Twentieth Air Force was brought into existence on 4 April 1944 specifically to perform strategic bombardment missions against Japan. This was done at the insistence of
In addition Twentieth Air Force was chosen (secretly) to be the operational component of the
General Arnold became alarmed at the situation and directed that his assistant, Major General B. E. Meyer, personally take charge of the entire modification program. The resulting burst of activity that took place between 10 March and 15 April 1944 came to be known as the "Battle of Kansas". Beginning in mid-March, technicians and specialists from the Boeing Wichita and Seattle factories were drafted into the modification centers to work around the clock to get the B-29s ready for combat. The mechanics often had to work outdoors in freezing weather. As a result of superhuman efforts on the part of all concerned, 150 B-29s had been handed over to the XX Bomber Command by 15 April 1944.
World War II operations
Operations from CBI Theater
- See: Operation Matterhorn and XX Bomber Command for expanded history
Operation Matterhorn was the name for the
The headquarters of the XX Bomber Command had been established at
The first B-29 bombing raid from India took place on 5 June 1944. Ninety-eight B-29s took off from bases in eastern India to attack the Makasan railroad yards at
By mid-June, enough supplies had been stockpiled at Chinese forward bases to permit the launching of a
On the night 10–11 August, 56 B-29s staged through British air bases in
In Washington, it was decided that new leadership was needed for Twentieth Air Force. General Wolfe's replacement was Major General Curtis E. LeMay, who arrived in India on 29 August. Supply problems and aircraft accidents were still preventing a fully effective concentration of force and effort. In addition, Japanese defensive efforts were becoming more effective.[3]
By late 1944, it was becoming apparent that B-29 operations against Japan staged out of bases in China and India were far too expensive in men and materials and would have to be stopped. In December 1944, the Joint Chiefs of Staff made the decision that Operation Matterhorn would be phased out, and the 58th Bombardment Wing's B-29s would be moved to newly captured bases in the
Attacks on Japan from the Marianas
- See: XXI Bomber Command for expanded history
The
The first B-29 arrived on Saipan on 12 October 1944. It was piloted by General Hansell himself. By 22 November, over 100 B-29s were on Saipan. The XXI Bomber Command was assigned the task of destroying the aircraft industry of Japan in a series of high-altitude, daylight precision attacks.[4][5]
The first raid against Japan took place on 24 November 1944. The target was the Nakajima Aircraft Company's Musashi engine plant just outside Tokyo. 111 B-29s took off, Seventeen of them had to abort due to the usual spate of engine failures. The remainder approached the target at altitudes of 27–32,000 feet. For the first time, the B-29 encountered the jet stream, which was a high-speed wind coming out of the west at speeds as high as 200 mph at precisely the altitudes at which the bombers were operating. This caused the bomber formations to be disrupted and made accurate bombing impossible.[4][5]
Concerned about the relative failure of the B-29 offensive to deal any crippling blows to Japan, General LeMay issued a new directive on 19 February. General LeMay had analyzed the structure of the Japanese economy, which depended heavily on cottage industries housed in cities close to major industrial areas. By destroying these feeder industries, the flow of vital components to the central plants could be slowed, disorganizing production of weapons vital to Japan. He decided to do this by using incendiary bombs rather than purely high-explosive bombs, which would, it was hoped, cause general conflagrations in large cities like Tokyo or Nagoya, spreading to some of the priority targets.[4][5]
The first raid to use these new techniques was on the night of 9–10 March against Tokyo. Another wing—the 314th Bombardment Wing (19th, 29th, 39th, and 330th BG) commanded by Brig. Gen. Thomas S. Power—had arrived in the Marianas and was stationed at North Field on Guam. A total of 302 B-29s participated in the raid, with 279 arriving over the target. The raid was led by special pathfinder crews who marked central aiming points. It lasted for two hours. The raid was a success beyond General LeMay's wildest expectations. The individual fires caused by the bombs joined to create a general conflagration due to strong winds of some 17 to 28 mph (27 to 45 km/h) at ground level, that prevented a more specific firestorm event. When it was over, sixteen square miles (41 km2.) of the center of Tokyo had gone up in flames and nearly 84,000 people had been killed. Fourteen B-29s were lost. The B-29 was finally beginning to have an effect.[4][5]
By mid-June, most of the larger Japanese cities had been gutted, and LeMay ordered new incendiary raids against 58 smaller Japanese cities. By now, the B-29 raids were essentially unopposed by Japanese fighters. In late June, B-29 crews felt sufficiently confident that they began to drop leaflets warning the population of forthcoming attacks, followed three days later by a raid in which the specified urban area was devastated. By the end of June, the civilian population began to show signs of panic, and the Imperial Cabinet first began to consider negotiating an end to the war. However, at that time, the Japanese military was adamant about continuing on to the bitter end.[4][5]
In June 1945, the XX and XXI Bombardment Commands were grouped under the
Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific operations
- See: United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific and Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for expanded history
A reorganization of United States military commands on 16 July 1945 placed Twentieth Air Force under the command and control of the new United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific. Twentieth Air Force would command B-29 wings directly based in the Mariana Islands, while the newly re-deployed Eighth Air Force would command B-29 wings based on Okinawa. This realignment was made in advance of the planned Invasion of Japan (Operation Downfall) set to begin in October 1945. XXI Bomber Command was inactivated, its organization under the direct control of Twentieth Air Force.[4]
By mid-July 1945, the combat missions over Japan were essentially un-opposed, with
509th Composite Group
- See: 509th Composite Group for expanded history
The 509th Composite Group was deployed overseas in the spring of 1945. The 509th was initially a part of XXI Bombardment Command based in the
It had only one Bombardment Squadron—the 393rd, commanded by
With the testing of the Atomic Bomb completed in the United States, the two other bombs (
On 6 August the atomic attack began with a flight of three special reconnaissance F-13As (RB-29s) which took off to report the weather over the primary and secondary targets. Col. Tibbets followed in his B-29 aircraft,
With no official statement from the Japanese government, there was no let-up with the conventional B-29 raids. B-29s from the 58th, 73rd, and 313th Bombardment Wings hit the Toyokawa Arsenal the next day. On the night of 7 August, the 525th Bombardment Group dropped 189 tons of mines on several different sea targets. On 8 August, the 58th, 73rd, and 313th Bomb Wings dropped incendiary bombs on targets at Yawata in the southern island of Kyūshū. At the same time, the 314th BW hit an industrial area of Tokyo. The Japanese defenses were still effective enough to down four B-29s during the Yawata raid and three at Tokyo.[4]
Since there was still no official reaction from Japan, the Americans felt that there was no alternative but to prepare a second atomic attack. The plutonium bomb called "
Bockscar took off on 9 August, with Fat Man on board. This time, the primary target of Kokura was obscured by dense smoke left over from the earlier B-29 raid on nearby Yawata, and the bombardier could not pinpoint the specified aiming point despite three separate runs. So Sweeney turned to the secondary target, Nagasaki. There were clouds over Nagasaki as well, and a couple of runs over the target had to be made before the bombardier could find an opening in the clouds. At 11:00 am, Fat Man was released from the aircraft and after a long descent, the bomb exploded. The yield was estimated at 22
After releasing the bomb, Sweeney was forced to divert to
In the meantime, conventional bombing of Japanese targets still continued, with a record number of 804 B-29s hitting targets in Japan on 14 August. On the morning of 15 August, the Emperor broadcast by radio his command of Japan's surrender in an address to his nation. Practically none of his subjects had never heard his voice before. All further offensive operations against Japan ceased after the Emperor's broadcast.[4]
After that time, most of the B-29s in the Pacific were diverted to missions of mercy, dropping food and clothing to thousands of Allied prisoners of war held in Japan, China, Manchuria, and Korea. 1066 B-29s participated in 900 missions to 154 camps. Some 63,500 prisoners were provided with 4470 tons of supplies. These flights cost eight B-29s lost by accidents, with 77 crew members aboard.[4]
The Japanese surrender was formally signed on 2 September 1945, aboard the huge battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, bringing the Pacific War to an end.
Postwar era
Following the end of World War II, Twentieth Air Force remained in the Pacific, being headquartered on
The last of the World War II combat wings, the 315th Bombardment Wing, returned to the United States on 30 May 1946. The
- Naha Air Base, Okinawa
51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing/Group (F-80, F-82) - 31st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, (RB-29)
- 19th Bombardment Wing/Group(B-29)
Korean War
On 27 June 1950, the United Nations Security Council voted to assist the South Koreans in resisting the invasion of their nation by North Korea. President
On 8 July, a special FEAF Bomber Command was set up under the command of Major General Emmett O'Donnell. On 13 July, the FEAF Bomber Command took over command of the 19th Bombardment Group and of the
The other major components of Twentieth Air Force, the
With the end of the Korean War in 1953, Far East Air Forces reorganized its forces and Twentieth Air Force units were reassigned. The bombardment units were reassigned to Strategic Air Command in 1954; fighter units to Fifth Air Force in 1955 and used for air defense. It was inactivated on 1 March 1955.
Modern era
Twentieth Air Force was reactivated on 1 September 1991 as a component of
In the decades since its reactivation, 20th Air Force has experienced four major command identities. After one year in Strategic Air Command and another year in
Twentieth Air Force headquarters is unique in that it has dual responsibilities to Air Force Global Strike Command and United States Strategic Command. As the missile Numbered Air Force for AFGSC, 20th Air Force is responsible for maintaining and operating the Air Force's ICBM force. Designated as STRATCOM's Task Force 214, 20th Air Force provides on-alert, combat ready ICBMs to the president. Combined with the other two legs of the Triad, bombers and submarines, STRATCOM forces protect the United States with an umbrella of deterrence.[7]
Lineage
- Established as Twentieth Air Force and activated on 4 April 1944
- Inactivated on 1 March 1955
- Activated on 1 September 1991.
- Redesignated as: Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) on 1 December 2009.
Assignments
- United States Army Air Forces, 4 April 1944
- Attached to United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, 16 July-6 December 1945
- Pacific Air Command, U.S. Army, (later Far East Air Forces), 6 December 1945 – 1 March 1955
- Strategic Air Command, 1 September 1991
- Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992
- Air Force Space Command, 1 July 1993
- Air Force Global Strike Command, 7 August 2009
Components
World War II
|
|
United States Air Force
Bombardment Wings
Fighter Wings
|
Missile Wings
Other Wings and Groups
|
Stations
- Washington, D.C., 4 April 1944
- Harmon Field, Guam, Mariana Islands, July 1945
- Okinawa, 16 May 1949 – 1 March 1955
- Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, 1 September 1991 – 1993
- FE Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, 1993 – present
List of commanders
1944 to 1955
No. | Commander | Term | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
1 | General of the Army Henry H. Arnold | 6 April 1944 | 15 July 1945 | 1 year, 100 days | |
2 | Major General Curtis LeMay | 16 July 1945 | 1 August 1945 | 16 days | |
3 | Lieutenant General Nathan F. Twining | 2 August 1945 | 14 October 1945 | 73 days | |
4 | Major General James E. Parker | 15 October 1945 | 18 March 1946 | 154 days | |
5 | Brigadier General Frederick M. Hopkins Jr. | 19 March 1946 | 9 September 1946 | 174 days | |
6 | Major General Francis H. Griswold | 10 September 1946 | 7 September 1948 | 1 year, 363 days | |
7 | Major General Alvin C. Kincaid | 8 September 1948 | 30 July 1950 | 1 year, 325 days | |
8 | Major General Ralph Francis Stearley | 31 July 1950 | 7 February 1953 | 2 years, 191 days | |
9 | Major General Fay R. Upthegrove | 8 February 1953 | 1 March 1955 | 2 years, 21 days |
1992 to present
No. | Commander | Term | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
1 | Lieutenant General Arlen D. Jameson | 1 July 1992 | 22 June 1994 | 1 year, 356 days | |
2 | Major General Robert W. Parker | 22 June 1994 | 17 June 1996 | 1 year, 361 days | |
3 | Major General Donald G. Cook | 17 June 1996 | 4 September 1998 | 2 years, 79 days | |
4 | Major General Thomas H. Neary | 4 September 1998 | 19 July 2000 | 1 year, 319 days | |
5 | Major General Timothy J. McMahon | 19 July 2000 | 30 May 2003 | 2 years, 315 days | |
6 | Major General Frank Klotz | 30 May 2003 | 14 October 2005 | 2 years, 137 days | |
7 | Major General Thomas F. Deppe | 14 October 2005 | 10 August 2007 | 1 year, 300 days | |
8 | Major General Roger W. Burg | 10 August 2007 | 1 July 2010 | 2 years, 325 days | |
9 | Major General C. Donald Alston | 1 July 2010 | June 2012 | ~1 year, 336 days | |
10 | Major General Michael J. Carey[9][10][11] | June 2012 | October 2013 | ~1 year, 122 days | |
11 | Major General Jack Weinstein[12] | October 2013 | 16 November 2015 | ~2 years, 46 days | |
12 | Major General Anthony J. Cotton[13] | 16 November 2015 | 26 January 2018 | 2 years, 71 days | |
13 | Major General Ferdinand Stoss | 26 January 2018 | 8 July 2020 | 2 years, 164 days | |
14 | Major General Michael Lutton | 8 July 2020 | 5 January 2024 | 3 years, 181 days | |
15 | Major General Stacy Jo Huser | 5 January 2024 | Incumbent | 105 days |
See also
- Pacific War
- Timeline WW II – Pacific Theatre
- South-East Asian Theatre of World War II
- United States Strategic Command
- Bombing of Tokyo in World War II
- United States strategic bombing of Japan
- Bombing of Kobe in World War II
- Firebombing
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- This article incorporates public domain material from 20th Air Force Website. United States Air Force.
Notes
- ^ a b "Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (AFGSC)". af.mil. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ http://www.20af.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/457703/twentieth-air-force/[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g "History of the Twentieth Air Force (AAFRH-12) Army Air Forces Historical Office, October 1945" (PDF). ibiblio.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0-87938-785-8
- ^ ISBN 0-7864-1787-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g History of the 509th Composite Group Activation to 15 August 1945 Archived 27 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c "20th Air Force Factsheet". af.mil. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- .
- ^ "20th Air Force commander relieved of command" (Press release). Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs. 11 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ Whitlock, Craig (19 December 2013). "Report: U.S. Air Force general drank too much, fraternized with foreign women in Moscow". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ Burns, Robert (11 October 2013). "Michael Carey, Air Force General in Charge of Nuclear Missiles, To Be Fired Over 'Loss of Trust'". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ "Major General Jack Weinstein". United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ "Major General Anthony Cotton". United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
Bibliography
- Birdsall, Steve. Saga of the Superfortress: The Dramatic Story of the B-29 and the twentieth Air Force. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1981. ISBN 0-283-98786-3.
- Dorr, Robert F. B-29 Superfortress Units of the Korean War. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-84176-654-2.
- Dorr, Robert F. B-29 Units of World War II. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-285-7.
- Freeman, Roger A. Boeing B-29 Superfortress U.S.A.A.F. 1942–1945 (Camouflage & Markings No. 19). London: Ducimus Books, 1970.
- Marshall, Chester. Warbird History: B-29 Superfortress. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International, 1993. ISBN 0-87938-785-8.
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Rhodes, Richard. The Making of the Atomic Bomb. Simon and Schuster, 1986. ISBN 0-684-81378-5.
- Rust, Kenn C. Twentieth Air Force Story...in World War II. Temple City, California: Historical Aviation Album, 1979. ISBN 0-911852-85-9.
External links
- Twentieth Air Force Factsheet Archived 1 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- AIR FORCE MAGAZINE Archived 8 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Journal of the Air Force Assoc., August 2008.
- US ARMY History: Control of Army Air Operations Overseas Archived 10 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine in Washington Command Post:The Operations Division. United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 1-2.
- US ARMY History: QUADRANT Conference
- HistoryNET: Operation Matterhorn Archived 26 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- USAAF: Operation Matterhorn