15th Air Force

The 15th AF primary function was Strategic Bombardment of Italy, France, Germany,Romania,Hungary,Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Yugoslavia and Greece.

Visit our 15th Air Force Honor Project with rosters of servicemen who served in the groups of the 15th.

Constituted as Fifteenth AF on 30 Oct 1943. Activated in the Mediterranean theater on 1 Nov 1943. Began operations on 2 Nov. Inactivated in Italy on 15 Sep 1945.

Wings: 5th Bombardment: 1943-1945. 42d Bombardment: 1943. 47th Bombardment: 1944-1945. 49th Bombardment: 1944-1945. 55th Bombardment: 1944- 1945. 304th Bombardment: 1943-1945. 305th Bombardment : 1943-1945. 306th Fighter: 1944-1945. 307th Bombardment: 1944.

Stations: Tunis, Tunisia, 1 Nov 1943; Bari, Italy, 1 Dec 1943-15 Sep 1945.

Commanders: Maj Gen James H Doolittle, 1 Nov 1943; Maj Gen Nathan F Twining, 3 Jan 1944; Brig Gen James A Mollison, 26 May 1945; Brig Gen William L Lee, 3 Aug 1945; Col Elmer J Rogers Jr, 31 Aug-15 Sep 1945.

Campaigns: Air Combat, EAME Theater; Air Offensive, Europe; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley.

Insigne: On a blue disc a white star charged with a red disc in the center and with golden orange stylized wings below a golden orange Arabic numeral “15”, all within a golden orange annulet. (Approved 19 Feb 1944.)

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

DONATE

Do you have WWII memorabilia that you are not sure what to do with it? The children don't want it? Then let us help you preserve this history by donating these items to the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. We are accepting donations in the form of uniforms, medals, ribbons, patches, photos, memorabilia, papers, gear and equipment. We also accept monetary donations to support our operations and long term plans. This website is part of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, and as a 501(c)(3) Non-profit, your qualifying donations are tax deductible.

Monetary Donation

Read about how we need your support and use donations.

Historical Artifacts: We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms, medals, insignia, gear, manuals, and training material. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material. Contact Today

VOLUNTEERING

Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. We also need assistance with retyping unit history documents.

Contact About Volunteering