United States Army Air Forces in the Central Pacific Area
Encyclopedia
During World War II
, the United States Army Air Forces
engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan
in the Central Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department
, this consisted of most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands, excluding the Philippines
, Australia, the Netherlands East Indies, the Territory of New Guinea
(including the Bismarck Archipelago) the Solomon Islands and areas to the south and east of the Solomons.
The initial USAAF combat organization in the region was Seventh Air Force
, which was originally formed in Hawaii as the Army Air defense command for the islands. After the Pearl Harbor Attack on 7 December 1941, Seventh Air Force retained the mission of its predecessor of the defense of the Hawaiian Islands and until the closing months of the war it maintained its headquarters at Hickam Field. The command however, deployed most of its combat units to the Central Pacific.
As the war progressed, some Seventh Air Force units moved into the South West Pacific theatre and coordinated their activities with Fifth
and Thirteenth Air Force
units in New Guinea
, Netherlands East Indies and Philippines
during 1944 and 1945.
In 1944, Twentieth Air Force
was reassigned from the China Burma India Theater
to bases in the Marianas chain of islands, consisting primarily of Saipan
, Tinian
, and Guam
. The Marianas airfields were considered as being ideal bases from which to launch B-29 Superfortress
operations against Japan. The islands were about 1500 miles from Tokyo, a range which the B-29s could just about manage. Most important of all, they could be put on a direct supply line from western United States ports by ship.
In September 1945, just after the Surrender of Japan
, a few advance elements of Eighth Air Force
arrived on Tinian
and Guam
. Eighth Air Force was transferred from England to be a second strategic air force in the Pacific War
, with a mission to carry out B-29 attacks on the Japanese Home Islands
during the planned Invasion of Japan
beginning in November 1945. These advance units were reassigned to other stations in December 1945.
Seventh Air Force operations focused on supporting Army and Naval forces in the tactical campaigns against Japanese forces in the Central Pacific, while Twentieth Air Force performed strategic bombing missions directly against the Japanese home islands.
.* Detachments deployed for use in Battle of Midway
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
in the Central Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
, this consisted of most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands, excluding the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Australia, the Netherlands East Indies, the Territory of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
(including the Bismarck Archipelago) the Solomon Islands and areas to the south and east of the Solomons.
The initial USAAF combat organization in the region was Seventh Air Force
Seventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
, which was originally formed in Hawaii as the Army Air defense command for the islands. After the Pearl Harbor Attack on 7 December 1941, Seventh Air Force retained the mission of its predecessor of the defense of the Hawaiian Islands and until the closing months of the war it maintained its headquarters at Hickam Field. The command however, deployed most of its combat units to the Central Pacific.
As the war progressed, some Seventh Air Force units moved into the South West Pacific theatre and coordinated their activities with Fifth
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
and Thirteenth Air Force
Thirteenth Air Force
The Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
units in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, Netherlands East Indies and Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
during 1944 and 1945.
In 1944, Twentieth Air Force
Twentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
was reassigned from the China Burma India Theater
China Burma India Theater of World War II
China Burma India Theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjunction with British and Chinese Allied air and land forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II...
to bases in the Marianas chain of islands, consisting primarily of Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, and Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. The Marianas airfields were considered as being ideal bases from which to launch B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
operations against Japan. The islands were about 1500 miles from Tokyo, a range which the B-29s could just about manage. Most important of all, they could be put on a direct supply line from western United States ports by ship.
In September 1945, just after the Surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
, a few advance elements of Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
arrived on Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
and Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Eighth Air Force was transferred from England to be a second strategic air force in the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, with a mission to carry out B-29 attacks on the Japanese Home Islands
Japanese Archipelago
The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...
during the planned Invasion of Japan
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The operation was cancelled when Japan surrendered after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan. The operation had two parts: Operation...
beginning in November 1945. These advance units were reassigned to other stations in December 1945.
Seventh Air Force operations focused on supporting Army and Naval forces in the tactical campaigns against Japanese forces in the Central Pacific, while Twentieth Air Force performed strategic bombing missions directly against the Japanese home islands.
Airfields and unit assignments
- Funafuti AirfieldFunafuti International AirportFunafuti International Airport is an airport located in Funafuti, capital of the island nation of Tuvalu.-History:Funafuti Airport was built by United States Navy Seabee construction battalions in 1943 during World War II. The military airfield included an airstrip, control tower, facilities and...
, NanumeaNanumeaNanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about four hundred miles of Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line.-Geography:...
, Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
- 08°31′29.50"S 179°11′46.31"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- Headquarters, VII Bomber CommandVII Bomber CommandThe VII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946.-Lineage:...
, November 1943 – January 1944 - 11th Bombardment Group11th WingThe 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
, 9 November 1943 – 14 January 1944 - 30th Bombardment Group30th Space WingThe 30th Space Wing is an air force wing forming a subordinate unit of the Fourteenth Air Force of the Air Force Space Command of the United States Air Force...
, 12 November 1943 – 4 January 1944
- Headquarters, VII Bomber Command
- Abemama AirfieldAbemama Atoll AirportAbemama Atoll Airport , often abbreviated Abemama Airport, is the airport serving Abemama, Kiribati. It is located on the north of the atoll, 200 meters northeast of the village of Tabiang....
, AbemamaAbemamaAbemama is an atoll in the central part of the Kiribati Group located 152 kilometres southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator.- Geography :...
, Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
- 0°29′27"N 173°49′43"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- 30th Bombardment Group30th Space WingThe 30th Space Wing is an air force wing forming a subordinate unit of the Fourteenth Air Force of the Air Force Space Command of the United States Air Force...
, 4 January – 20 March 1944 - 9th Troop Carrier Squadron9th Airlift SquadronThe 9th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware and flying the C-5 Galaxy.-Mission:...
, 27 March – 4 August 1944
- 30th Bombardment Group
- Makin AirfieldButaritari Atoll Airport-See also:* USAAF in the Central Pacific-References:* Maurer, Maurer . Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4....
, MakinButaritariButaritari is an atoll located in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati.-Geography:...
, Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
- 03°05′12.48"N 172°48′47.74"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- 41st Bombardment Group41st Bombardment GroupThe 41st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Seventh Air Force stationed at Manila, Philippines. It was inactivated on 27 January 1946....
, 24 April – 14 October 1944
- 41st Bombardment Group
- Hawkins FieldHawkins Field (Tarawa)Hawkins Field is a former World War II airfield on Betio, Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands of the Central Pacific.The airfield was named in honor of USMC 1st Lt. William Dean Hawkins who was killed in the battle to recapture Tarawa, and earned the Medal of Honor.-History:The airfield was built by the...
, Tarawa, Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
- 01°21′22.49"N 172°55′48.39"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- Headquarters, VII Bomber CommandVII Bomber CommandThe VII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946.-Lineage:...
, January 1944 - 11th Bombardment Group11th WingThe 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
, 14 January–28, 1944 - 41st Bombardment Group41st Bombardment GroupThe 41st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Seventh Air Force stationed at Manila, Philippines. It was inactivated on 27 January 1946....
, 17 December 1943 – 28 January 1944
- Headquarters, VII Bomber Command
- Bairiki (Mullinix) AirfieldBonriki International Airport-See also:* USAAF in the Central Pacific...
, Tarawa, Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
- 01°22′53.89"N 173°08′49.33"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- Headquarters, VII Bomber CommandVII Bomber CommandThe VII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946.-Lineage:...
, January–March 1944 - 11th Bombardment Group11th WingThe 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
, 28 January – 5 April 1944 - 41st Bombardment Group41st Bombardment GroupThe 41st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Seventh Air Force stationed at Manila, Philippines. It was inactivated on 27 January 1946....
, 28 January – 24 April 1944
- Headquarters, VII Bomber Command
- Kwajalein AirfieldBucholz Army AirfieldBucholz Army Airfield is a United States Army airfield located on Kwajalein Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. Its position is ideal for refueling during trans-Pacific flights, and the airport is available to civilians through Air Marshall Islands and Continental Airlines, and formerly...
, KwajaleinKwajaleinKwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
, Marshall Islands
- 08°43′12"N 167°43′54"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- Headquarters, VII Bomber CommandVII Bomber CommandThe VII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946.-Lineage:...
, March–August 1944 - 11th Bombardment Group11th WingThe 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
, 5 April – 25 October 1944 - 30th Bombardment Group30th Space WingThe 30th Space Wing is an air force wing forming a subordinate unit of the Fourteenth Air Force of the Air Force Space Command of the United States Air Force...
, 20 March – 4 August 1944 - 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron28th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronThe 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 316th Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa...
, 30 June – 24 September 1944
- Headquarters, VII Bomber Command
- Angaur AirstripAngaur AirstripAngaur Airstrip is a small airstrip on Angaur, one of the islands of Palau. It also served as an airfield during World War II.-History:The day the island was declared secured on September 20, 1944, construction of the airstrip began. American forces built a 7000' x 150' coral strip later surfaced...
, AngaurAngaurAngaur or Ngeaur is an island in the island nation of Palau. The island, which forms its own state, has an area of 8 km² . Its population is 188 . State capital is the village of Ngeremasch on the western side...
, Palau Islands
- 06°54′22.50"N 134°08′41.87"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- 22d Bombardment Group22d Air Refueling WingThe 22d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and also functions as the host wing for McConnell AFB....
, 26 November 1944 – 20 January 1945 - 494th Bombardment Group, 30 September 1944 – 24 June 1945
- 22d Bombardment Group
- Peleliu AirfieldPeleliu Airfield-See also:* USAAF in the Central Pacific-External links:*...
, PeleliuPeleliuPeleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
, Palau Islands
- 06°59′54.44"N 134°13′57.98"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron28th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronThe 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 316th Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa...
, 5 October 1944 – April 1945
- 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
- North FieldNorth Field (Iwo Jima)North Field or Iwo Jima Air Base is a World War II airfield on Iwo Jima in the Bonin Islands, located in the Central Pacific. The Bonin Islands are part of Japan...
, Iwo JimaIwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, Bonin Islands (Japan)
- 24°47′05"N 141°19′27"E
- Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
- Headquarters, VII Fighter Command, 1 March – 1 December 1945
- Assigned to Twentieth Air Force, 1 July – 1 December 1945
- 21st Fighter Group21st Space WingThe 21st Space Wing is a unit of the Air Force Space Command based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The unit is tasked with the operation of early missile warning and space object detection equipment around the world in support of NORAD and USSTRATCOM through a network of command and control...
, 16 July – 4 December 1945 - 41st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron41st Electronic Combat SquadronThe 41st Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 355th Operations Group, being stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.-History:...
, 9 August – c. 15 September 1945 - 414th Fighter Group414th Fighter GroupThe 414th Fighter Group is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to Air Force Reserve Command, being activated at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina 2010.-Overview:...
, 7 July – 23 December 1945 - 506th Fighter Group506th Air Expeditionary GroupThe 506th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit. The group is assigned to the United States Air Forces Central 332d Air Expeditionary Wing, stationed at Joint Base Balad, Iraq....
, 24 April – 3 December 1945 - 548th Night Fighter Squadron, 5 March – 12 June 1945
- 549th Night Fighter Squadron549th Night Fighter SquadronThe 549th Combat Training Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group, and is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Overview:...
, (Ground Echelon), 14 March 1945 – 5 February 1946
- Headquarters, VII Fighter Command, 1 March – 1 December 1945
- Central FieldCentral Field (Iwo Jima)Central Field was a World War II airfield on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, located in the Central Pacific. The Volcano Islands are part of Japan. The airfield was located on the southern corner of Iwo Jima located on the Motoyama plateau, to the north of Mount Suribachi.It was abandoned after...
, Iwo JimaIwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, Bonin Islands (Japan)
- 24°45′46.23"N 141°18′13.29"E
- Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
- 15th Fighter Group15th Airlift WingThe 15th Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. It is the airlift arm of Pacific Air Forces and United States Pacific Command and reports directly to the commander, Pacific Air Forces.-Mission:...
, 6 March – 25 November 1945 - 21st Fighter Group21st Space WingThe 21st Space Wing is a unit of the Air Force Space Command based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The unit is tasked with the operation of early missile warning and space object detection equipment around the world in support of NORAD and USSTRATCOM through a network of command and control...
, 26 March – 16 July 1945
- 15th Fighter Group
- East FieldEast Field (Saipan)East Field is a former World War II airfield on Saipan in the Mariana Islands.-History:Saipan had been occupied by the Japanese since World War I, and by mid-1944, the Americans had advanced inside the Japanese ring of defense in the Pacific Theater...
, SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
- 15°10′04.89"N 145°46′36.21"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- Headquarters, Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
, 19 December 1944 – 12 July 1945 - Headquarters, VII Bomber CommandVII Bomber CommandThe VII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946.-Lineage:...
, August–July 1944 - Headquarters, VII Fighter Command, 1 December 1945 – 15 April 1946
- 21st Fighter Group21st Space WingThe 21st Space Wing is a unit of the Air Force Space Command based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The unit is tasked with the operation of early missile warning and space object detection equipment around the world in support of NORAD and USSTRATCOM through a network of command and control...
, 4 December 1945 – 17 April 1946 - 318th Fighter Group318th Fighter GroupThe 318th Fighter Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II.-History:...
, June 1944 – 30 April 1945 - 30th Bombardment Group30th Space WingThe 30th Space Wing is an air force wing forming a subordinate unit of the Fourteenth Air Force of the Air Force Space Command of the United States Air Force...
, 4 August 1944 – February 1945 - 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron28th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronThe 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 316th Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa...
, 11 July 1944 – May 1945 - 41st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron41st Electronic Combat SquadronThe 41st Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 355th Operations Group, being stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.-History:...
, 4 January – 15 April 1946 - 9th Troop Carrier Squadron9th Airlift SquadronThe 9th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware and flying the C-5 Galaxy.-Mission:...
, 4 August 1944 – July 1946 - 6th Night Fighter Squadron6th Night Fighter SquadronThe 6th Night Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, being inactivated at Wheeler Field, Hawaii on February 20, 1947....
, 21 July 1944 – 1 May 1945 - 548th Night Fighter Squadron, 15 December 1944 – 28 January 1945 (DET); 26 January – 5 March 1945
- 549th Night Fighter Squadron549th Night Fighter SquadronThe 549th Combat Training Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group, and is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Overview:...
, (Air Echelon), 20 February 1945 – 20 March 1945
- Headquarters, Seventh Air Force
- Isley AirfieldSaipan International Airport- See also :* East Field * USAAF in the Central Pacific-References:* Dorr, Robert F. B-29 Units of World War II. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-285-7...
, SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
- 15°07′08"N 145°43′46"E
- Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
- Headquarters, 73d Bombardment Wing73d Air DivisionThe 73d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, based at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 April 1966.-World War II:...
, 24 August 1944 – 20 October 1945 - 497th Bombardment Group497th Air Refueling WingThe 497th Air Refueling Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was assigned to Strategic Air Command, based at Plattsburgh AFB, New York. The unit was inactivated on 15 September 1964...
, 17 October 1944 – 1 November 1945 - 498th Bombardment Group498th Armament Systems WingThe 498th Nuclear Systems Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. It was formerly known as the 498th Armament Systems Wing.-Superfortress operations 1943-1946:...
, 6 September 1944 – 2 November 1945 - 499th Bombardment Group499th Air Refueling WingThe United States Air Force's 499th Air Refueling Wing was an aerial refueling unit located at Westover AFB, Massachusetts. It was inactivated in 1966....
, 18 September 1944 – 9 November 1945 - 500th Bombardment Group500th Air Refueling WingThe 500th Air Refueling Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was at Selfridge AFB, Michigan. It was inactivated on 15 December 1964....
, 18 September 1944 – 21 October 1945
- Headquarters, 73d Bombardment Wing
- North FieldNorth Field (Tinian)North Field is a former World War II airfield on Tinian in the Mariana Islands. Abandoned after the war, today North Field is a tourist attraction....
, TinianTinianTinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
- 15°04′19.36"N 145°38′18.13"E
- Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
- Headquarters, 313th Bombardment Wing313th Air DivisionThe 313th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Kadena AB, Okinawa. It was deactivated on 1 October 1991.-History:...
, 24 December 1944 – 15 March 1946 - 6th Bombardment Group6th Air Mobility WingThe United States Air Force's 6th Air Mobility Wing is the host wing for MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is part of Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force....
, 28 December 1944 – 28 January 1946 - 9th Bombardment Group9th Reconnaissance WingThe 9th Reconnaissance Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California...
, 28 December 1944 – 19 April 1946 - 504th Bombardment Group504th Bombardment GroupThe 504th Bombardment Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It was inactivated on 15 June 1946....
, 23 December 1944 – 6 March 1946 - 505th Bombardment Group505th Command and Control WingThe United States Air Force's 505th Command and Control Wing is organized under the USAF Warfare Center. The 505th CCW is dedicated to improving warfighter readiness through integrated training, tactics development and testing for operational-level command and control of air, space and cyberspace...
, 19 December 1944 – 5 March 1946 - 509th Composite Group509th Operations GroupThe 509th Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force 509th Bomb Wing , assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It is equipped with all 20 of the USAF's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers...
, 29 May – 17 October 1945
- Headquarters, 313th Bombardment Wing
- West FieldTinian International AirportTinian International Airport , also known as West Tinian Airport, is a public airport located on Tinian Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This airport is owned by Commonwealth Ports Authority.Although most U.S...
, TinianTinianTinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
- 14°59′57"N 145°37′10"E
- Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
- Headquarters, 58th Bombardment Wing58th Air DivisionThe 58th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, based at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. It was inactivated on 1 February 1959.- B-29 development :...
, 29 March – 15 November 1945 - 40th Bombardment Group40th Air Expeditionary WingThe United States Air Force's 40th Air Expeditionary Wing was an Air expeditionary unit located at Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, from 2001 to c. 2006....
, 4 April – 7 November 1945 - 444th Bombardment Group444th Bombardment GroupThe 444th Air Expeditionary Wing was a United States Air Force provisional unit possibly allocated to Air Materiel Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom...
, 7 April – 18 September 1945 - 462d Bombardment Wing, 4 April – 5 November 1945
- 468th Bombardment Group468th Bombardment GroupThe 468th Bombardment Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946. The unit served primarily in the Pacific Ocean theater and China Burma India Theater of World War II as part of Twentieth Air Force. The 468th Bomb Group's aircraft...
, 6 April – 15 November 1945
- Headquarters, 58th Bombardment Wing
- Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
- 383d Bombardment Group383d Bombardment GroupThe 383d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 3 January 1946....
, 12 September – 10 December 1945
- 383d Bombardment Group
- Agana AirfieldAntonio B. Won Pat International AirportAntonio B. Won Pat International Airport , also known as Guam International Airport, is an airport located in Tamuning and Barrigada, three miles east of the capital city of Hagåtña in the U.S. territory of Guam. It is named for Antonio Borja Won Pat, the first delegate from Guam to the United...
, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Marianas Islands
- 13°29′02"N 144°47′50"E
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- 11th Bombardment Group11th WingThe 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
, 25 October 1944 – July 1945 - 21st Fighter Group21st Space WingThe 21st Space Wing is a unit of the Air Force Space Command based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The unit is tasked with the operation of early missile warning and space object detection equipment around the world in support of NORAD and USSTRATCOM through a network of command and control...
, 17 April – 10 October 1946. - 41st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron41st Electronic Combat SquadronThe 41st Electronic Combat Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its current assignment is with the 355th Operations Group, being stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.-History:...
, 13 June 1945 – 4 January 1946 - 9th Troop Carrier Squadron9th Airlift SquadronThe 9th Airlift Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware and flying the C-5 Galaxy.-Mission:...
, July – 15 October 1946 - 549th Night Fighter Squadron549th Night Fighter SquadronThe 549th Combat Training Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group, and is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Overview:...
, 25 June 1946 – 19 February 1947
- 11th Bombardment Group
- Harmon AirfieldHarmon Air Force BaseHarmon Air Force Base is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, and postwar United States Air Force Base on Guam in the Mariana Islands. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General Millard F. Harmon, who was killed on a routine flight from...
, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Marianas Islands
- 13°32′11.94"N 144°49′19.74"E
- Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
- Headquarters, Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
, 16 July 1945 – 16 May 1949 - Headquarters, XXI Bomber CommandXXI Bomber CommandThe XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in Guam for strategic bombing during World War II.- Lineage:* Constituted as XXI Bomber Command on 1 Mar 1944, and activated the same day.-Assignments:...
, 4 December 1944 – 16 July 1945 - 9th Bombardment Group9th Reconnaissance WingThe 9th Reconnaissance Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California...
, 9 June 1947 – 20 October 1948
- Headquarters, Twentieth Air Force
- North FieldAndersen Air Force BaseAndersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam....
, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
- 13°34′52"N 144°55′28"E
- Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
- Headquarters: 314th Bombardment Wing314th Air DivisionThe 314th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Osan AB, South Korea. It was inactivated in September 1986....
, 16 January 1945 – 15 June 1946 - 19th Bombardment Group, 16 January 1945 – 5 July 1950
- 29th Bombardment Group29th Bombardment GroupThe 29th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last based at Craig AFB, Alabama. It was inactivated when Craig AFB was closed as a budget reduction action after the Vietnam War....
, 17 January 1945 – 20 May 1946 - 39th Bombardment Group, 18 February – 17 November 1945
- 330th Bombardment Group330th Aircraft Sustainment WingThe 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.-Mission:...
, 18 February – 15 November 1945
- Headquarters: 314th Bombardment Wing
- Northwest FieldNorthwest Field (Guam)Northwest Field is a former World War II airfield on Guam in the Mariana Islands. It was closed in 1949 and is unused.-History:Northwest Field was constructed in 1944–45 near Ritidian Point on the northwest end of the island of Guam as a base for Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortresses to carry...
, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
- 13°37′15.09"N 144°51′24.93"E
- Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
- Headquarters: 315th Bombardment Wing315th Air DivisionThe 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
, 5 April 1945 – 30 May 1946 - 16th Bombardment Group16th Air Expeditionary WingThe United States Air Force's 16th Air Expeditionary Wing was an Air Expeditionary unit of the United States Air Forces in Europe until c.2005–06....
, 14 April 1945 – 15 April 1946 - 331st Bombardment Group331st Bombardment GroupThe 331st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 315th Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Northwest Field, Guam. It was inactivated on 15 April 1946....
, 12 May 1945 – 15 April 1946 - 501st Bombardment Group501st Combat Support WingThe 501st Combat Support Wing is a United States Air Forces in Europe unit based at RAF Alconbury, England. The wing traces its history to a World War II bombardment group which served in the Pacific, mostly bombing mainland Japan, in 1944–45...
, 14 May 1945 – 10 June 1946 - 502d Bombardment Group502d Bombardment GroupThe 502d Bombardment Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. The unit was inactivated on 15 April 1946....
, 12 May 1945 – 15 April 1946- Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
- Eighth Air Force
- 382d Bombardment Group382d Bombardment GroupThe 382d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946....
, 8 September – 16 December 1945- Note: Only 420th Bombardment Squadron of group arrived with B-29 Aircraft, 464th and 872d Bomb Squadrons only ground echelons arrived. Air Echelon of squadrons with assigned aircraft remained in United States until inactivation.
- Headquarters: 315th Bombardment Wing
- Henderson FieldHenderson Field (Midway)Henderson Field on East Midway Island is a former World War II airfield in the Central Pacific. The airfield was abandoned after the war....
, Midway AtollMidway AtollMidway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...
, Hawaiian IslandsHawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
- 28°12′39.78"N 177°19′43.00"W
- Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air ForceThe Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
- 31st Bombardment Squadron (5th Bombardment Group5th Bomb WingThe 5th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot...
)*, 3 June–6, 1942 - 72d Bombardment Squadron (5th Bombardment Group5th Bomb WingThe 5th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot...
)*, 3 June–6, 1942 - 431st Bombardment Squadron (11th Bombardment Group11th WingThe 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
)*, 29 May – 6 June 1942 - 42d Bombardment Squadron (11th Bombardment Group11th WingThe 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is stationed at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility, Maryland. It is the host unit at Joint Base Andrews....
)*, 3 June–6, 1942 - 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (22nd Bombardment Group22d Air Refueling WingThe 22d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and also functions as the host wing for McConnell AFB....
)*, 3 June–6, 1942 - 69th Bombardment Squadron (38th Bombardment Group38th Combat Support WingThe 38th Combat Support Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force , being inactivated on 1 May 2007 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
)* 3 June–6, 1942 - 73d Fighter Squadron73d Bombardment SquadronThe 73d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4241st Strategic Wing, based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina...
(18th Fighter Group18th WingThe United States Air Force's 18th Wing is the host wing for Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan and is the Air Force’s largest combat wing. It is the largest and principal organization in the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force....
), 17 June 1942 – 26 January 1943
- 31st Bombardment Squadron (5th Bombardment Group
.* Detachments deployed for use in Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
See also
- United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific War (1941–1945)
- USAAF in AustraliaUnited States Army Air Forces in AustraliaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established a series of airfields in Australia for the collective defense of the country, as well as for conducting offensive operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy...
- USAAF in the South PacificUnited States Army Air Forces in the South Pacific AreaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan in the South Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department, this consisted of the Pacific Ocean areas which lay south of the Equator between longitude 159° East and 110° West...
- USAAF in the Southwest PacificUnited States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific TheatreDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the air, ground and naval forces of the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Theatre....
- USAAF in OkinawaUnited States Army Air Forces in OkinawaThe Battle of Okinawa was the last major ground battle between the armed forces of the Empire of Japan and the United States of the Pacific War.United States Army and United States Marine Corps ground forces landed on the island on 1 April 1945 at 08:30 am. The Battle of Okinawa lasted 83 days...
- USAAF in Australia