20th Air Force

Constituted and actived as the 20th Air Force on April 4, 1944.

The 20th AF comprised very heavy bombardment units and operated from India, Marianas and Guam. The 20th AF dropped the two atomic bombs on Japan.

Constituted as Twentieth AF on 4 Apr 1944 and activated the same day. Some combat elements moved in the summer of 1944 from the US to India where they carried out very heavy bombardment operations against targets in Japan, Formosa, Thailand, and Burma. Other combat elements began moving late in 1944 from the US to the Marianas, being joined there early in 1945 by the elements that had been in India. Headquarters, which had remained in the US, was transferred to Guam in Jul 1945. From the Marianas the Twentieth conducted a strategic air offensive that was climaxed by the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan. After the war the Twentieth remained in the theater and eventually became part of Far East Air Forces. Served in combat for a short time at the beginning of the Korean War but later was concerned primarily with logistic support for the operations of other organizations and with air defense for the Ryukyus. Inactivated on Okinawa on 1 Mar 1955.

Commands. VII Fighter: 1945. XX Bomber: 1944-1945. XXI Bomber: 1944-1945.

Stations. Washington, DC, 4 Apr 1944; Harmon Field, Guam, 16 Jul 1945; Kadena, Okinawa, 16 May 1949-1 Mar 1955.

Commanders. General of the Army Henry H Arnold, 6 Apr 1944; Maj Gen Curtis E LeMay, 16 Jul 1945; Lt Gen Nathan F Twining, 2 Aug 1945; Maj Gen James E Parker, 15 Oct 1945; Brig Gen Frederick M Hopkins Jr, 19 Mar 1946; Maj Gen Francis H Griswold, 10 Sep 1946; Maj Gen Alvan C Kincaid, 8 Sep 1948; Maj Gen Ralph F Stearley, 31 Ju 1950; Maj Gen Fay R Upthegrove, 8 Feb 1953-1 Mar 1955.

Campaigns. World War II: American Theater; India-Burma; Air Offensive, Japan; China Defensive; Eastern Mandates; Western Pacific; Central Burma. Korean War: UN Defensive.

Decorations. None.

Insigne. A disc of ultramarine blue marked with white parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude surmounted in base by a white star charged at center with a red disc and circumscribed by an annulet golden orange lined blue, tips enclosing the Arabic numeral "20". (Approved 26 May 1944.)

Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986

16th Bombardment Group     16th Bombardment Group     29th Bombardment Group     301st Fighter Wing     313th Bombardment Wing     314th Bombardment Wing     315th Bombardment Wing     330th Bombardment Group     331st Bombardment Group     39th Bombardment Group     40th Bombardment Group     444th Bombardment Group     462nd Bombardment Group     468th Bombardment Group     497th Bombardment Group     498th Bombardment Group     499th Bombardment Group     500th Bombardment Group     501st Bombardment Group     502d Bombardment Group     504th Bombardment Group     505th Bombardment Group     509th Composite Group     58th Bombardment Wing     6th Bombardment Group     73d Bombardment Wing     9th Bombardment Group     XX Bomber Command     XXI Bomber Command Servicemen of the 20th Air Force  ANDERSON, ROBERT 1LT  ANDREGG, NEAL 1LT  ANDREW, JACK 1LT  APPLEMAN, HERBERT 1LT  ASHWORTH, FREDERICK CMMDR  AVRAMI, RAPHAEL CPT  BAER, RICHARD CPT  BAHNSON, FRANCIS 1LT  BAILEY, DONALD 2LT  BANTA, FRANK 1LT  BARE, RICHARD CPT  BARNES, CECIL 1LT  BATEMAN, RICHARD 1LT  BATKIN, SANFORD 2LT  BAUM, HARRY CPT  BAUMGARTNER, FREDERICK 2LT  BEART, ROBERT CPT  BELANGER, PHILIP 1LT  BELKNAP, ELBERT CPT  BELL, LESTER 2LT  BENNER, PATTERSON CPT  BENNETT, JAMES MAJ  BERG, MILTON 1LT  BERGDOLL, CHARLES CPT  BILLKER, FRANK MAJ  BISHOP, JOSEPH LTC  BOUGHTON, WALTER CPT  BOWER, PHILIP LTC  BOWLING, GENE MAJ  BOWMAN, ROBERT CPT  BOYLE, DAVID CPT  BRANDON, HARRY LTC  BREWSTER, ERNEST 1LT  BRODSKY, GEORGE MAJ  BROWN, GEORGE MAJ  BROWN, MERLE LTC  BROWNE, CHARLES 1LT  BRUBAKER, LAUREN CPT  BRUNGOT, NORMAN CPT  BUCKNER, WILLIAM 2LT  BURKS, ARDATH LTJG  BURT, JOSEPH 1LT  BUTTERFIELD, RICHARD CWO  CAMPBELL, JAMES 1LT  CANNON, CHARLES 1LT  CAROTHERS, ROBERT CPT  CARTER, ROBERT CPT  CASTOR, JOHN 1LT  CAWLEY, WILLIAM 2LT  CECHMANEK, GEORGE LTC  CERVENKA, JOSEPH 2LT  CHAMBERS, BILL 1LT  CHAYAT, MAYER 1LT  CHILES, JOHN LTC  CLARK, ALAN COL  COCHRANE, JAMES 2LT  COLVIN, E 1LT  CONSOLE, JOSEPH 1LT  COOMBS, ARTHUR CPT  CORBIN, LANDON CPT  CORONETZ, WALTER 1LT  CRAGOE, JOHN 2LT  CRAIG, JAMES 2LT  CRANDALL, ALLAN 1LT  CROCKETT, DAVID 1LT  CRONIG, CARLYLE MAJ  CZYZEWSKI, ERVIN 2LT  DALTON, CLARENCE CPT  DAVID, HAROLD 1LT  DAVIS, GORDON CPT  DAVIS, ROBERT MAJ  DAY, JOHN CPT  DEAL, KEITH 2LT  DESILVA, PEER LTC  DESSEL, MURRAY CPT  DILLARD, EMIL 1LT  DILLON, GERALD 1LT  DINGLE, EARL 2LT  DIXON, PAUL 1LT  DORNEY, WILLIAM CPT  DOWNEY, MAURICE 1LT  EASTMAN, THOMAS CPT  ELLIOTT, EDWARD LTC  ERICKSON, CLARENCE CPT  FAIRBANK, WILLIAM MAJ  FARRELL, THOMAS B G  FINKE, JOHN CPT  FISHER, WILLIAM COL  FIX, GEORGE LTC  FLAIG, EDWARD 1LT  FOULKS, JAMES 1LT  FOWLER, THOMAS MAJ  FOX, WAYNE CPT  FRACKMAN, LEONARD 2LT  FRENCH, ARNOLD 1LT  FRY, RALPH COL  FULKERSON, CARL CPT  FULLER, CARSON 1LT  FULTON, GORDON CPT  GABLE, JAMES 1LT  GARLOW, MELVIN LTC  GAULKE, FRANK 2LT  GERLINGS, GERALD COL  GIBBONS, NICHOLAS CPT  GOLDBERG, HERBERT 1LT  GOULD, GEORGE MAJ  GOWDEY, HARRY 1LT  GREFE, ROY 2LT  HAGERTY, HENRY 2LT  HAHN, HENRY LTC  HALDERSON, OLAF 2LT  HAMM, GEORGE 2LT  HANNAH, ROBERT MAJ  HARTMAN, JOSEPH 2LT  HEFT, ROBERT 1LT  HENDEE, HUNTER 1LT  HESSION, THOMAS CPT  HIBBS, DAVID CPT  HILL, WALTER 2LT  HOLLOWAY, FRANCIS MAJ  HOOD, GLAY 1LT  HOUSLEY, DONALD 1LT  HOWARD, ROBERT 2LT  HUCH, WILLIAM CPT  HUDIBURGH, SYDNEY CPT  HULL, JOHN 2LT  HUNT, EARL CPT  HUNT, JACK LTC  HUSEBY, REYNOLD 2LT  HUTTO, MAX 2LT  JACOBS, JACK 2LT  JACOBSON, WOODROW 1LT  JAMES, JOSEPH 2LT  JENKINS, CHARLES 1LT  JENSEN, DALE CPT  JOHNSON, WILLOUGHBY CPT  JORDAN, JACKSON 2LT  JOYCE, FRED 1LT  KABAT, HERBERT 2LT  KAZANJY, JACOB 1LT  KELLEY, FRANCIS MAJ  KELLOGG, CRAWFORD COL  KENNEDY, JOHN LTC  KERN, CHARLES CPT  KESSINGER, LEO 2LT  KETCHUM, PAUL 1LT  KEYTE, KENNETH MAJ  KIRKPATRICK, ELMER COL  KNAPP, WALDO CPT  KORB, HERBERT 1LT  LAMKIN, GLENN CPT  LANDAU, DARRELL 2LT  LAROCHE, JAMES 1LT  LEHRKE, JAMES MAJ  LEMMON, GEORGE 1LT  LEVEY, SEYMOUR 1LT  LEVIN, BONNEY 1LT  LIVERANCE, WALLACE CPT  LOEB, JOHN 1LT  LOPEZ, CORNELIO 1LT  LURIE, DAVID CPT  MANTOVANI, OSCAR 1LT  MARINER, BYRON LT  MARTENSTEIN, AUSTIN 1LT  MARTIN, ALBERT LTC  MARTIN, DON CPT  MARZOCCO, FRANK 2LT  MASSEY, ELBERT 1LT  MAYFIELD, OLIN 1LT  MC FALL, CHARLES 1LT  MC KELLAR, WALLACE CWO  MC LAUGHLIN, RICHARD 1LT  MEDFORD, JOHN CPT  MENCONI, GUILIO 1LT  METCALF, GEORGE COL  METULES, ALEXANDER 1LT  MEYER, DANIEL 1LT  MOERS, THOMAS CPT  MOHLER, ORVILLE LTC  MORAN, HOWARD 1LT  MORIARTY, CLIFFORD 1LT  MORRIS, JOSEPH COL  MOYNIHAN, JOHN MAJ  MYLROIE, ROBERT MAJ  NEELY, CLARENCE COL  NICHOLSON, HAYDEN MAJ  NOLAN, FRANK LTC  NOLAND, WILLIAM CPT  NORDHAUSEN, AUGUST 1LT  NORTON, JOHN CPT  NUGENT, RYFORD CPT  OAKLEY, JAMES 1LT  O'CONNOR, JOSEPH MAJ  OSTEEN, REX 1LT  OZIER, RICHARD MAJ  PARDY, GEORGE COL  PARKER, JACK CPT  PARKER, WALTER 1LT  PERRIN, EDWIN MAJ  PETERMAN, ELDO COL  PHILLEO, RIALTO MAJ  PICKENS, RICHARD CPT  PRIDEAUX, TOM CPT  PROBST, HENRY 1LT  PULLIN, HARVEY 1LT  RATHBUN, WILLARD 1LT  REISINGER, ROBERT 2LT  REYNOLDS, CHARLES 2LT  REYNOLDS, ROBERT 2LT  REYNOLDS, ROBERT 1LT  RICE, WILLIAM 2LT  RICHENS, KENT MAJ  RICKARD, MILFORD 1LT  RIESEN, AUSTIN CPT  ROBERTS, JAMES COL  ROBERTSON, ALBERT CPT  ROGERS, CHARLES 1LT  ROGERS, ROSS MAJ  ROGERS, WALTER MAJ  RONCHI, VICTOR 2LT  ROSEN, WILLIAM 2LT  ROSENBERG, GILBERT 2LT  RUBY, MARTIN 1LT  SARGENT, EARL 1LT  SCHMIDT, HOWARD 1LT  SCHNECK, PHILIP MAJ  SCHOOLCRAFT, WILLIAM MAJ  SCHUSSER, JOSEPH 2LT  SCOTT, PHILIP LTC  SEAWRIGHT, ROY MAJ  SELF, MELVIN CPT  SENIFF, BURT CPT  SERAFIN, JOHN 1LT  SHAFTEL, OSCAR 1LT  SHAPLAND, LEONARD 2LT  SHEPHERD, ROLAND MAJ  SHREVE, EDWARD 2LT  SILLIMAN, EARL 1LT  SILLS, BUDD 1LT  SIMENS, MARTIN 1LT  SIMON, FELIX CPT  SMITH, BRUCE 1LT  SMITH, GAY 1LT  SMITHIES, JOHN MAJ  SNOW, ROBERT 1LT  SPEER, DALLAS LTC  ST JOHN, RICHARD 2LT  STANDISH, EARNEST 1LT  STEARS, PAUL MAJ  STEIN, FRANK 1LT  STEINBRUCH, ROBERT 2LT  STEIZENMULLER, BERNARD 2LT  STEPHANI, EDWARD LT  STEVENS, LEONARD 2LT  STEWART, FRANK 1LT  SUMMERS, THOMAS 2LT  TALBOT, HENRY 2LT  TANNER, BERNARD 1LT  TAYLOR, LESTER LTC  TAYLOR, PAUL 1LT  TAYLOR, ROBERT COL  TEAR, RICHARD 2LT  TELLMAN, HERBERT COL  TEMME, HERBERT 2LT  THEALL, ROBERT 1LT  THRUELSON, RICHARD MAJ  TODARELLO, FERDINANDO 2LT  TOWNSEND, JOSEPH 1LT  TRAFTON, GEORGE 1LT  TREAT, ROBERT CPT  ULLMAN, SANFORD 1LT  VAN SCOYK, RANDOLPH CPT  VANDERZEE, CECIL 1LT  VOSE, CHARLES CPT  WADE, JAMES MAJ  WALKER, ROBERT MAJ  WALKER, WILLIAM 2LT  WARD, BENJAMIN CPT  WARREN, EUGENE 1LT  WEIDER, GEORGE CPT  WHEELER, ROBERT WOJG  WHITE, WALLACE 1LT  WHITTED, HUGH LTJG  WICKS, ARLEIN 2LT  WIESE, JULIUS 1LT  WILKERSON, CLYDE MAJ  WILLIAMS, LOUIS CPT  WINKLE, LEWIS MAJ  WISE, FRANKLIN CPT  WITKO, WILLIAM 2LT  WOELTJEN, HERMAN LTC  WOPAT, R LTJG  WORRELL, HUBERT CPT  YASECHKO, JOSEPH 1LT  YERMACK, STEPHEN 1LT  YORRA, ARTHUR CPT  YOUNT, DEAN MAJ