Fifteenth Air Force

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"I could see omens of the war’s end almost every day in the blue southern sky
when, flying provocatively low, the bombers of the American Fifteenth Air Force
crossed the Alps from their Italian bases to attack German Industrial targets.” –-
Inside the Third Reich, Memoirs of Albert Speer, Hitler's Minister for Armaments

15th USAAF patch

Fifteenth Air Force was a Numbered Air Force in U.S. Air Force. In its most recent form, it was Air Mobility Command's intermediate echelon for units in the western United States and Pacific theater. On October 1st, 2003, Fifteenth Air Force was redesignated Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force (EMTF), a new organization below a Numbered Air Force.

Fifteenth Air Force was established on November 1, 1943 as part of the United States Army Air Forces in the World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations as a strategic air force and commenced combat operations the day after it was formed. The first commander was General Jimmy Doolittle.

The new air force drew its operational forces from heavy bombers of the IX Bomber Command, the strategic bomber command of the Ninth Air Force which was relocating to the United Kingdom to become a tactical air force in the European Theater of Operations, the Twelfth Air Force, and by a diversion of groups originally intended for the Eighth Air Force.

Mainly operating out of bases in southern Italy, the Fifteenth Air Force, along with the Eighth Air Force and RAF Bomber Command, became the instruments used by the Allies to carry the strategic air offensive to Axis occupied Europe and Germany.

A total of around 2,110 bombers were lost on operations by its fifteen B-24 and six B-17 bombardment groups, while its seven fighter groups claimed a total of 1,836 enemy aircraft destroyed.

The Fifteenth was de-activated in Italy September 15, 1945.

In the postwar years and the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service, the Fifteenth Air Force was re-activated as one of Strategic Air Command's primary numbered air forces. Since its transfer to Air Mobility Command in 1992, Fifteenth Air Force has assumed responsibility for airlift and air refueling missions.

15AF organization August 1944

5th Bomb Wing (B-17 "Flying Fortress")

! 2 BG ! 97 BG ! 99 BG ! 301 BG ! 463 BG ! 483 BG |-
| 20 BS | 340 BS | 346 BS | 32 BS | 772 BS | 815 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 49 BS | 341 BS | 347 BS | 352 BS | 773 BS | 816 BS |-
| 96 BS | 342 BS | 348 BS | 353 BS | 774 BS | 817 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 429 BS | 414 BS | 416 BS | 419 BS | 775 BS | 840 BS |-
| Based at Amendola (Italie) | Based at Amendola (Italie) | Based at Tortorella (Italie) | Based at Lucera (Italie) | Based at Celone (Italie) | Based at Sterparone (Italie) |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |}

47th Bomb Wing (B-24 "Liberator")
! 98 BG ! 376 BG ! 449 BG ! 450 BG |-
| 343 BS | 512 BS | 716 BS | 720 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 344 BS | 513 BS | 717 BS | 721 BS |-
| 345 BS | 514 BS | 718 BS | 722 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 415 BS | 515 BS | 719 BS | 723 BS |-
| Based at Manduria (Italie) | Based at San Pancrazio (Italie) | Based at Grottaglie (Italie) | Based at Manduria (Italie) |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |}

49th Bomb Wing (B-24 "Liberator")
! 451 BG ! 461 BG ! 484 BG |-
| 724 BS | 764 BS | 824 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 725 BS | 765 BS | 825 BS |-
| 726 BS | 766 BS | 826 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 727 BS | 767 BS | 827 BS |-
| Based at Castellucio (Italie) | Based at Torretta (Italie) | Based at Torretta (Italie) |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |}

55th Bomb Wing (B-24 "Liberator")
! 460 BG ! 464 BG ! 465 BG ! 485 BG |-
| 760 BS | 776 BS | 780 BS | 828 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 761 BS | 777 BS | 781 BS | 829 BS |-
| 762 BS | 778 BS | 782 BS | 830 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 763 BS | 779 BS | 783 BS | 831 BS |-
| Based at Spinazzola (Italie) | Based at Pantanella (Italie) | Based at Pantanella (Italie) | Based at Venosa (Italie) |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |}

304th Bomb Wing (B-24 "Liberator")
! 454 BG ! 455 BG ! 456 BG ! 459 BG |-
| 736 BS | 740 BS | 744 BS | 756 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 737 BS | 741 BS | 745 BS | 757 BS |-
| 738 BS | 742 BS | 746 BS | 758 BS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 739 BS | 743 BS | 747 BS | 759 BS |-
| Based at San Giovanni (Italie) | Based at San Giovanni (Italie) | Based at Stornara (Italie) | Based at Giulia (Italie) |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |}

306th Fighter Wing
! 1 FG ! 14 FG ! 82 FG ! 325 FG ! 31 FG ! 52 FG ! 332 FG |-
| 27 FS | 37 FS | 95 FS | 317 FS | 307 FS | 2 FS | 99 FS** |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 71 FS | 47 FS | 96 FS | 318 FS | 308 FS | 4 FS | 100 FS |-
| 94 FS | 48 FS | 97 FS | 319 FS | 309 FS | 5 FS | 301 FS |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| | | | | | | 302 FS |-
| Based at Salsola* (Italie) / P-38 | Based at Triolo* (Italie) / P-38 | Based at Vincenzo (Italie) / P-38 | Based at Lesina (Italie) / P-51 | Based at San Severo (Italie) / P-51 | Based at Madna (Italie) / P-51 | Based at Ramitelli (Italie) / P-51 |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |} *Sent to Aghione in Corsica from 10 to 21 August 1944 for Operation DRAGOON (landing in South of France)
**Still a part of 86 FG (12AF) with P-40, P-47 and P-51 as planes

Miscallenous
! 2641 SGP ! 154 WRS |-
| 885 BS* | |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
| 859 BS** | |-
| Based at ? (?) / B-24 "Liberator" | Based at ? (?) / P-38 |-bgcolor="#EFEFEF" |}

*Since July 1944

**Since January 1945

Further reading

B-24 Liberator Units of the Fifteenth Air Force, by Robert F Dorr, Pub NY Osprey, ISBN 1841760811
The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B24s over Germany, 1944-1945 , by Stephen Ambrose, Pub NY Simon & Schuster, 2001.
P-47 Thunderbolt Aces of the Ninth and Fifteenth Air Force, by Jerry Scutts, Pub Osprey, ISBN 1855329069
Bloody Skies: A 15th AAF B-17 Combat Crew, How They Lived and Died, by Melvin W. McGuire and Robert Hadley, Yucca Tree Press, 1993, ISBN 1-881325-06-7
Flying Colt: Liberator Pilot in Italy, by Robert S. Capps, Manor House (1997). ISBN 0-9640665-1-3
456th Bomb Group History: Steed's Flying Colts 1943-1945, 456th Bomb Group Association, Turner Publishing (1994). ISBN 1-56311-141-1
It is my clear understanding that the 14th FG was comprised of the 37th FS, the 48th FS and the 49th FS, not the 47th FS. See John Stanaway's "P-38 Lightening Aces of the ETO/MTO" ISBN 1 85532698 1.

External links

[The 15th Air Force]
[WWII Bomb Groups - European Theater of Operations (ETO)]
[2nd Bombardment Group Association]
[The 99th Bomb Group in WWII]
[301st Bombardment Group Heavy]
[463rd Bombardment Group Historical Society]
[483rd Bombardment Group Website]
[A website about the U.S.A.A.F.]
[B-17 Bombardier with the 463rd BG]
[Honor Thy Father: A Tuskegee Airman]
[Sgt. Coleman D. Moberly, 463rd BG, Stalag Luft I POW]
[Frederick Leiby, 99th BG, Stalag Luft 3 POW]
[Sam Hewitt, 301st BG, Stalag Luft 4 POW]

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