USAAF Order of Battle

The largest air armada ever assembled. Based across England, the 8th waged the strategic daylight bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. Suffered more casualties than the entire U.S. Marine Corps - over 26,000 killed and 28,000 captured.

The tactical hammer of D-Day and the drive across Europe. The 9th provided close air support, interdiction, and fighter-bomber strikes that broke the Wehrmacht's ability to maneuver from Normandy to the Rhine.

First USAAF numbered air force to see combat in the European war — flying from North Africa during Operation Torch. Fought through Tunisia, Sicily, and up the Italian boot providing tactical air power in the Mediterranean.

Strategic bombing from the Foggia complex in southern Italy. The 15th struck oil refineries at Ploesti, aircraft factories across the Reich, and every target within range. Home of the 332nd Fighter Group — the legendary Tuskegee Airmen Red Tails.

General George Kenney's air force in the Southwest Pacific. Home of America's top two aces — Richard Bong (40 kills) and Thomas McGuire (38 kills). Units like the Jolly Rogers, Air Apaches, and Satan's Angels fought from Australia to the Philippines.

Originally the Hawaiian Air Force — present at Hickam Field during the Pearl Harbor attack. The 7th's fighter groups deployed to Iwo Jima to fly the longest fighter missions of the war: 1,500-mile P-51 Mustang escort runs to Tokyo.

The 'Jungle Air Force' of the South Pacific. Fought from Guadalcanal through the Solomons to the Philippines. The 347th Fighter Group flew the mission that intercepted and killed Admiral Yamamoto on April 18, 1943.

The B-29 Superfortress strategic bombing force — reporting directly to General Hap Arnold in Washington. From the Marianas, the 20th burned Japan's industrial cities to the ground and delivered the atomic bombs that ended the war.

The air force of India and Burma. Flew the Hump airlift over the Himalayas, supported Wingate's Chindits with the Air Commandos, and struck Japanese supply lines across Burma. The 1st Air Commando Group pioneered air assault warfare.

Chennault's Flying Tigers — the successor to the legendary AVG. Every bullet, bomb, and drop of fuel was flown over the Himalayan Hump from India. Despite chronic supply shortages, the 14th achieved a 7.7:1 kill ratio against the Japanese.

Guarded the most critical strategic chokepoint in the Western Hemisphere — the Panama Canal. Flew antisubmarine patrols across the Caribbean hunting German U-boats that threatened Allied shipping lanes.