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9th Air Force

The 9th AF participated in Egypt and Libya, the campaign in Tunisia, and the invasions of Sicily and Italy. The 9th transferred to England in October, 1943 and participated in Normandy invasion and the rest of the European continent until the VE-Day.

Visit our 9th Air Force Honor Project with rosters of servicemen who served in the groups of the 9th.

Museum Collection

Constituted as V Air Support Command on 21 Aug 1941. Activated on 1 Sep 1941. Redesignated Ninth AF in Apr 1942. Moved to Egypt and began operations on 12 Nov 1942, participating in the Allied drive across Egypt and Libya, the campaign in Tunisia, and the invasions of Sicily and Italy. Moved to England in Oct 1943 to become the tactical air force for the invasion of the Continent. Helped prepare for the assault on Normandy, supported operations on the beach in Jun 1944, and took part in the drive that carried the Allies across France and culminated in victory over Germany in May 1945. Inactivated in Germany on 2 Dec 1945.

Activated in the US on 28 Mar 1946. Assigned to Tactical Air Command until Dec 1948 when the Ninth, reassigned to Continental Air Command, lost its role as a tactical air organization and became concerned chiefly with reserve and national guard activities. Redesignated Ninth AF (Tactical) in Aug 1950. Assigned to Tactical Air Command in Dec 1950 and again became concerned primarily with tactical air operations. Redesignated Ninth AF in Jun 1951.

Components. 9th Air Division (formerly IX Bomber Command): 1942-1945. IX Air Defense Command: 1944-1945. IX Fighter Command: 1942-1945. IX Tactical Air Command: 1943-1945. IX Troop Carrier Command: 1943-1944. XIX Tactical Air Command: 1944-1945. XXIX Tactical Air Command: 1945.

Stations. Bowman Field, Ky, 1 Sep 1941; New Orleans AAB, La, 24 Jan 1942; Bolling Field, DC, 22 Jul-Oct 1942; Egypt, 12 Nov 1942-Oct 1943; England, 16 Oct 1943-Sep 1944; France, 15 Sep 1944; Germany, 6 Jun-2 Dec 1945. Biggs Field, Tex 28 Mar 1946; Greenville AAB, SC, 31 Oct 1946; Langley AFB, Va, 14 Feb 1949; Pope AFB, NC, 1 Aug 1950; Shaw AFB, SC, 20 Aug 1954-.

Commanders. Brig Gen Junius W Jones, Sep 1941; Col Rosenham Beam, 1942; Lt Gen Lewis H Brereton, 12 Nov 1942; Lt Gen Hoyt S Vandenburg, 8 Aug 1944; Maj Gen Otto P Weyland, 23 May 1945; MajGen William E Kepner, 4 Aug-2 Dec 1945. Brig Gen Homer L Sanders, 28 Mar 1946; Maj Gen Paul L Williams, 1 Nov 1946; Maj Gen William D Old, 15 Sep 1947; Maj Gen Willis H Hale, 20 OCt 1949; Maj Gen Willard R Wolfinbarger, 1 Aug 1950; Maj Gen Edward J Timberlake, 7 Sep 1951-.

Campaigns. American Theater; Air Combat, EAME Theater; Egypt-Libya; Air Offensive, Europe; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe.

Decorations. None.

Insigne. Shield: Azure, a bezant winged argent charged with the Arabic numeral "9" gules, in honor point a mullet of the second bearing a torteau. (Approved 16 Sep 1943.)

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

Historical Perspective

a. Status, readiness, and supply of US armed forces

Ninth Air Force's unusual career, standing up in 1941 as a small support command, fighting an entire North African and Mediterranean campaign, then being essentially rebuilt in England as the primary tactical air force for the invasion of Europe, reflects a genuinely rare case of an Army Air Forces organization being repurposed wholesale for an entirely different operational role mid-war. This transition required rapid retraining, re-equipping, and restructuring around the specific demands of tactical air support for a massive amphibious invasion and subsequent ground campaign, a readiness challenge distinct from anything the command had faced in North Africa or the Mediterranean.

b. Development of fighting men and command structures

Ninth Air Force's command architecture in its European role, built around IX Fighter Command, IX Tactical Air Command, IX Troop Carrier Command, and later XIX and XXIX Tactical Air Commands, represents one of the most operationally sophisticated tactical air support structures developed during the entire war, closely integrated with specific field armies (XIX TAC's close partnership with Patton's Third Army being a particularly well-documented example). This close air-ground command integration, developed and refined through the North African and Mediterranean campaigns before being applied at even greater scale in Northwest Europe, became a doctrinal template studied and applied by tactical air forces for decades afterward.

c. Prominent personnel and their role with the organization

Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton's lengthy tenure commanding Ninth Air Force, spanning the North African, Mediterranean, and early Normandy campaigns, reflects his broader career pattern of taking on demanding, evolving commands across multiple theaters; Brereton went on to lead First Allied Airborne Army during Operation MARKET-GARDEN shortly after his Ninth Air Force tenure ended. Lieutenant General Hoyt S. Vandenberg's subsequent command from August 1944 carried the organization through the climactic final year of the European campaign, and Vandenberg's postwar rise to Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force underscores the caliber of leadership Ninth Air Force's demanding tactical air mission attracted and developed throughout the war.

FAQ

Q1: When was Ninth Air Force established?
A1: Ninth Air Force was constituted as V Air Support Command on August 21, 1941, activated September 1, 1941, and redesignated Ninth Air Force in April 1942.

Q2: What theaters did Ninth Air Force fight in before England?
A2: Before moving to England, Ninth Air Force fought in Egypt and Libya, the Tunisia campaign, and the invasions of Sicily and Italy, operating from Egypt beginning November 1942.

Q3: What was Ninth Air Force's role in the Normandy invasion?
A3: Ninth Air Force became the tactical air force for the invasion of the Continent, helping prepare for the Normandy assault, supporting beach operations in June 1944, and backing the Allied drive across France.

Q4: Who commanded Ninth Air Force for most of the European campaign?
A4: Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton commanded Ninth Air Force from November 1942 until August 1944, when Lieutenant General Hoyt S. Vandenberg took command.

Q5: What subordinate commands operated under Ninth Air Force?
A5: Ninth Air Force controlled IX Fighter Command, IX Tactical Air Command, IX Troop Carrier Command, XIX Tactical Air Command, and later XXIX Tactical Air Command, among other components.

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