United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific
Encyclopedia
The United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific (USASTAF) was a World War II
command and control authority of the strategic United States Army Air Forces
in the Pacific Theater
.
during the expected Invasion of Japan. The atomic bombings of Japan made this unnecessary.
The Joint Chiefs agreed to the established of the USASTAF on 2 July 1945, it would have a headquarters in Guam and be commanded by General Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz, and consisted of the combat commands (VII Fighter, XXI Bomber) of the Twentieth Air Force
and Eighth Air Force
. General Curtis E. Lemay was appointed Spaatz's Chief of Staff.
Guam was the headquarters of the XXI Bomber Command
and until the arrival of the Eighth Air Force would provide the bulk of men and equipment of the new command. On 16 July the headquarters of the Twentieth AF was officially moved from Washington, DC to Harmon Field, Guam Island; the headquarters of the XX Bomber Command
was inactivated, effective 18 July, and the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, XXI Bomber Command was redesignated Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Twentieth Air Force; thus the Bomber Commands were brought to an end as actual establishments and their wings passed to direct control of Headquarters Twentieth Air Force of which Major General Curtis E. LeMay took command on that date. On the same day the Eighth was reassigned to Okinawa, as a paper transfer as it arrived without men or equipment. Spaatz arrived in theater on 29 July and began organizing his forces—a task he had not completed by the war's end.
The primary combat missions carried out by USASTAF forces were the firebombing
of Japanese cities and industrial targets during June and July 1945 by Twentieth Air Force. No Eighth Air Force combat missions were flown. The Atomic Bomb missions to Hiroshima
and Nagasaki were carried out by direct order of USAAF Chief of Staff General Henry "Hap" Arnold"
though the 509th Composite Group
.
PACUSA was reassigned to Tokyo
, Japan
on 17 May 1946. The USAAF Air Forces in the Pacific region were reassigned as follows:
There was also the Pacific Air Service Command, later Far East Air Service Command which was attached to HQ PACUSA.
The USAAF Air Forces in the Pacific region had a total of six very-heavy-bombardment groups, nine fighter groups, two light-bombardment groups, and two troop-carrier groups, along with three tactical reconnaissance, five air-sea rescue, five night-fighter, two liaison, two tow-target, and two very-long-range photographic-reconnaissance squadrons. Although by December 1945 most of these units were in the process of being reassigned to the United States or demobilzing in-theater and the personnel returning to processing centers for discharge.
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...
command and control authority of the strategic 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....
in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
.
Overview
USASTAF was the Pacific counterpart of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF). Its mission was to coordinate strategic bombing of the Japanese Home IslandsJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during the expected Invasion of Japan. The atomic bombings of Japan made this unnecessary.
The Joint Chiefs agreed to the established of the USASTAF on 2 July 1945, it would have a headquarters in Guam and be commanded by General Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz, and consisted of the combat commands (VII Fighter, XXI Bomber) of the 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...
and 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....
. General Curtis E. Lemay was appointed Spaatz's Chief of Staff.
Guam was the headquarters of the XXI Bomber Command
XXI Bomber Command
The 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:...
and until the arrival of the Eighth Air Force would provide the bulk of men and equipment of the new command. On 16 July the headquarters of the Twentieth AF was officially moved from Washington, DC to Harmon Field, Guam Island; the headquarters of the XX Bomber Command
XX Bomber Command
The XX Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on July 16, 1945.- History:...
was inactivated, effective 18 July, and the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, XXI Bomber Command was redesignated Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Twentieth Air Force; thus the Bomber Commands were brought to an end as actual establishments and their wings passed to direct control of Headquarters Twentieth Air Force of which Major General Curtis E. LeMay took command on that date. On the same day the Eighth was reassigned to Okinawa, as a paper transfer as it arrived without men or equipment. Spaatz arrived in theater on 29 July and began organizing his forces—a task he had not completed by the war's end.
The primary combat missions carried out by USASTAF forces were the firebombing
Firebombing
Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs....
of Japanese cities and industrial targets during June and July 1945 by Twentieth Air Force. No Eighth Air Force combat missions were flown. The Atomic Bomb missions to Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki were carried out by direct order of USAAF Chief of Staff General Henry "Hap" Arnold"
Henry H. Arnold
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the grades of General of the Army and later General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps , Commanding General of the U.S...
though the 509th Composite Group
509th Composite Group
The 509th Composite Group was a United States Army Air Forces unit created during World War II, and tasked with operational deployment of nuclear weapons...
.
Inactivation
On 6 December 1945 USASTAF was abolished by the inactivation of its headquarters and headquarters squadron. Its personnel, equipment and aircraft were assigned to Pacific Air Command, United States Army (PACUSA) which was assigned to United States Army Forces, Pacific (AFPAC).PACUSA was reassigned to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on 17 May 1946. The USAAF Air Forces in the Pacific region were reassigned as follows:
- Fifth Air ForceFifth Air ForceThe 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....
: Assigned to TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... - 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....
: Assigned to Hickam Field, Territory of HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... - 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....
: Assigned to Kadena Army Air BaseKadena Air Base, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
, Okinawa - Thirteenth Air ForceThirteenth Air ForceThe 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...
: Assigned to Clark FieldClark Air BaseClark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe 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... - 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...
: Assigned to Harmon Field, 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...
There was also the Pacific Air Service Command, later Far East Air Service Command which was attached to HQ PACUSA.
The USAAF Air Forces in the Pacific region had a total of six very-heavy-bombardment groups, nine fighter groups, two light-bombardment groups, and two troop-carrier groups, along with three tactical reconnaissance, five air-sea rescue, five night-fighter, two liaison, two tow-target, and two very-long-range photographic-reconnaissance squadrons. Although by December 1945 most of these units were in the process of being reassigned to the United States or demobilzing in-theater and the personnel returning to processing centers for discharge.