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66-529: After the liberation of the area by Allied Forces in September 1944, engineers of the Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground southwest of the town. Declared operational on 5 September, the airfield was designated as " A-63 ", it was used as a transport base until October when the unit moved into Central France. Afterward, the airfield

132-722: A buildup of American air power in the Middle East in January 1942 in response to a request from the British Chief of the Air Staff , but the first units arrived unexpectedly on 12 June 1942. Col. Harry A. Halverson, commanding twenty-three B-24D Liberator heavy bombers and a hand-picked crews (as a force called HALPRO – from " Halverson Project ") was stopped at RAF Lydda en route to China to carry out attacks on Japan from airfields in China, but after

198-463: A few key officers were held over for continuity. The groups assigned were a mixture of experience, but training would be needed to confront the expected massive movements of troops of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. On 18 April 1944, the IX and XIX Air Support Commands were redesignated, respectively, as IX Tactical Air Command and XIX Tactical Air Command . Between 1 May and the invasion on 6 June,

264-903: A joint Department of Defense combatant command responsible for U.S. security interests in 27 nations that stretch from the Horn of Africa through the Persian Gulf region, into Central Asia. Activated as 9th Air Force on 8 April 1942, the command fought in World War II both in the Western Desert Campaign in Egypt and Libya and as the tactical fighter component of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe , engaging enemy forces in France,

330-572: A new wing under Pacific Air Forces was the method used for long-term deployments to the South Vietnam and Thailand air bases engaged in combat operations. In addition to these operational deployments, Ninth Air Force units performed a "backfilling" role in Japan and South Korea for PACAF as well as in Italy and Spain for USAFE to replace units whose aircraft and personnel were deployed to Southeast Asia. With

396-449: A parcel of land east of Louisville from the U.S. Government in 1919 to operate the airfield, which opened in 1921. The first business ventures began with the aerial photography business in 1921, and the 465th Pursuit Squadron (Reserve) began operations at Bowman Field in 1922. Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis at the airport in 1927, viewed by 10,000 spectators. During

462-455: A separate command. This command was offered to Brereton, who accepted, and the force was constituted, also as Ninth Air Force, on 16 October 1943. During the winter of 1943–1944 Ninth Air Force expanded at an extraordinary rate, so that by the end of May, its complement ran to 45 flying groups operating some 5,000 aircraft. With the necessary ground support units, the total number of personnel assigned to Ninth Air Force would be more than 200,000,

528-463: A serious view of this assertion in that it violated the Arnold-Portal-Towers agreement that American combat units assigned to theaters of British strategic responsibility were to be organized in "homogeneous American formations" under the "strategic control" of the appropriate British commander in chief. In a memo of 7 September, Timberlake granted that this canon might be justifiably violated in

594-654: A small staff moved into Grey Pillars [RAF headquarters in Garden City, Cairo ], and thenceforth USAMEAF's bombers operated only under the "strategic" direction of the British. Timberlake headed the organization, with Kalberer as his A-3 and Lt. Col. Donald M. Keiser as his chief of staff."—The Army Air Forces in World War II In the Second Battle of El Alamein under General Bernard Montgomery attacks by British troops depleted

660-521: A total greater than that of Eighth Air Force. HQ Ninth Air Force extended IX Bomber Command's choice of targets considerably, although first priority for Operation Pointblank [the Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) of US and RAF air forces against the Luftwaffe and German aircraft industry] and next priority for Operation Crossbow (codename for operations against German V-weapon sites) targets

726-544: Is Kentucky's first commercial airport and is the oldest continually operating commercial airfield in North America . It was founded by Abram H. Bowman , who was drawn to aviation by the interest generated during World War I . Bowman found an outlet for his enthusiasm after meeting and forming a brief partnership with Louisvillian Robert H. Gast, a pilot and World War I veteran of the Royal Flying Corps . Bowman leased

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792-554: Is established in the village since 1859. This Marne geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM),

858-478: Is its terminal, known as the Administration Building, styled in aerodynamic Streamline Moderne , and designed by the firm of Wischmeyer and Arrasmith . As built in 1929, it was a fairly modest two-story structure with one-story wings, housing administrative and communications offices, weather station , and restaurant. During 1936 and 1937, it nearly tripled in size. This was accomplished by demolishing

924-601: The Army Air Corps Hangar (1931–32). Since many urban airports are located in industrial areas, this verdant setting is unusual and contributes to the ambience of the Bowman Field Historic District. The buildings of the Bowman Field Historic District are related not only by proximity and historical function, but by their Art Deco / Art Moderne styling and use of masonry materials such as brick, stone and concrete. The dominant landmark of Bowman Field

990-560: The Army Ground Forces . However a lack of unity of command in the organizational set-up led to an early discontinuation of the "air support commands" and V Air Support Command was redesignated as Ninth Air Force in April 1942. It moved to Bolling Field , Washington, D.C. , on 22 July and transferred without personnel or equipment to Cairo , Egypt on 12 November 1942. The Ninth Air Force mission comprised: (1) Gain air superiority; (2) Deny

1056-663: The British Eighth Army 's drive across Egypt and Libya, escorting bombers and flying strafing and dive-bombing missions against airfields, communications, and troop concentrations. Other targets attacked were shipping and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia , Sicily , Italy, Crete , and Greece to cut enemy supply lines to Africa. The Palm Sunday Massacre was one noteworthy mission by the P-40 and Spitfire groups. After an Allied air forces command reorganisation effective 18 February 1943,

1122-589: The English Channel coast of France. On 4 January 1944 XIX Air Support Command was activated at RAF Middle Wallop to support Patton's Third Army in Europe. In February 1944 the Ninth Air Force underwent a reorganization and several troop carrier groups relocated headquarters. Major General Otto P. Weyland became commanding general of XIX Air Support Command, replacing Major General Elwood R Quesada. The latter assumed dual command of both IX Fighter Command and

1188-561: The Great Depression , Louisvillians would often come to the Art Deco terminal building to watch airplanes depart and land as a form of inexpensive entertainment. During the 1930s Eastern Air Lines and Trans World Airlines (TWA) carried passengers and mail in and out of Bowman Field. However, it could not be expanded due to its proximity to downtown. In 1947, the airlines moved to Standiford Field . During World War II , Bowman Field

1254-682: The James Bond film Goldfinger as the base for Pussy Galore 's Flying Circus; principal photography of hangars, aircraft, etc., were done there in fall of 1963. In 1988, three adjacent buildings at the airport were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Bowman Field Historic District . They are the airport Administration Building (1929; 1936–37), the Curtiss Flying Service Hangar (1929), and

1320-700: The Lebanon crisis of 1958 and the 1961 Berlin Wall Crisis. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis , Ninth Air Force units went on war alert, deploying to bases in Florida, being able to respond to the crisis on a moment's notice. During the Vietnam War , detached Ninth Air Force units engaged in combat operations over Vietnam , Cambodia and Laos . The practice of stripping away squadrons and aircraft from their home Tactical Air Command Wings and attaching them indefinitely to

1386-554: The Low Countries and western Germany to keep within range of the advancing battle front before the end of hostilities in May 1945. During Operation Dragoon , the invasion of Southern France in August 1944, two Ninth fighter groups were transferred to the provisional United States/Free French 1st Tactical Air Force supporting the invasion force's drive north. As part of Operation Market-Garden ,

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1452-594: The Mississippi River . Initially being equipped with propeller-driven F-51, F-47 and F-82 aircraft during the postwar years, in the 1950s, Ninth Air Force units received the jet-powered F/RF-80 Shooting Star , F-84G/F Thunderjet , F-86D/H Sabre , and F-100 Super Sabre aircraft. Ninth Air Force squadrons and wings were frequently deployed to NATO during the 1950s and 1960s as "Dual-Based" USAFE units, and reinforcing NATO forces in West Germany and France during

1518-798: The Northwest African Troop Carrier Command (NATCC). In February 1943, after the Afrika Korps had been driven into Tunisia , the Germans took the offensive and pushed through the Kasserine Pass before being stopped with the help of both Ninth and Twelfth Air Force units in the battle. The Allies drove the enemy back into a pocket around Bizerte and Tunis , where Axis forces surrendered in May. Thus, Tunisia became available for launching attacks on Pantelleria ( Operation Corkscrew ), Sicily ( Operation Husky ), and mainland Italy . At

1584-525: The Axis tanks and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel began the withdrawal from Egypti. Ninth Air Force had been first constituted as V Air Support Command, part of Air Force Combat Command , at Bowman Field , Kentucky on 11 September 1941. Its responsibility was to direct and coordinate the training activities of National Guard observation squadrons inducted into federal service with those of light bomber units training with

1650-736: The Desert Air Force under Air Vice Marshal Harry Broadhurst , and XII Air Support Command under Major General Edwin House were sub-commands of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) under Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham. NATAF was one of the three major sub-commands of the Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) under Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz . NATAF, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) and Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF), formed

1716-552: The IX Air Support Command, which took control of all its fighter and reconnaissance units. HQ IX Air Support Command changed from Aldermaston Court to Middle Wallop. Major General Paul L. Williams , who had commanded the troop carrier operations in Sicily and Italy, replaced Giles in command of IX Troop Carrier Command. The IX TCC command and staff officers were an excellent mix of combat veterans from those earlier assaults, and

1782-572: The Low Countries and in Nazi Germany. During the Cold War , it was one of two Numbered Air Forces of Tactical Air Command . Co-designated as United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) on 1 January 1983, on 2009 as part of a complicated transfer of lineage, the lineage and history of the Ninth Air Force was bestowed on USAFCENT, and a new Ninth Air Force, which technically had no previous history,

1848-557: The Mediterranean. In September 1942, RAF Middle East Command 's Senior Air Staff Officer, Air Commodore Philip. Wigglesworth was authorized by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder to select targets for all U.S. heavy bombers. "A development of some importance in the career of USAMEAF manifested itself administratively on 12 October (1942) when orders were cut assigning nine officers to the IX Bomber Command , which organization

1914-684: The Netherlands. In December 1944 through January 1945, Ninth Air Force fighters and bombers were critical in defeating the Wehrmacht during the Battle of the Bulge . Initially American, British, and Canadian air power was grounded by very bad winter weather, but then the bad weather broke, freeing the tactical air forces to help break the back of the Wehrmacht attack. The long smash across France, Belgium, and Luxembourg

1980-492: The Ninth Air Force began to report to RAF Middle East Command (RAFME) under Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas . Additionally, the Ninth's 57th, 79th, and 324th Fighter Groups and its 12th and 340th Bombardment Groups were transferred to the operational control of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham . The Ninth's 316th Troop Carrier Group flew its missions with

2046-511: The Ninth Air Force transferred its entire IX Troop Carrier Command with its fourteen C-47 groups to the 1st Allied Airborne Army in September 1944. Those troop carrier groups flew many of the C-47s and towed CG-4 Waco gliders for the Allied airborne unit drops— Operation Market Garden —to take the bridges northwest of Eindhoven at Son (mun. Son en Breugel), Veghel , Grave , Nijmegen and Arnhem in

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2112-621: The Ninth Air Force was officially assigned to RAF Middle East Command of the Mediterranean Air Command . However, the Ninth's 12th and 340th Bombardment Groups were assigned to the Tactical Bomber Force , the 57th and 79th Fighter Groups were assigned to the Desert Air Force , and the 324th Fighter Group was surprisingly assigned to XII Air Support Command . The Tactical Bomber Force under Air Commodore Laurence Sinclair ,

2178-505: The Ninth flew approximately 35,000 sorties, attacking targets such as airfields, railroad yards, and coastal gun positions. By the end of May 1944, the IX TCC had available 1,207 C-47 Skytrain troop carrier airplanes and was one-third overstrength, creating a strong reserve. Three-quarters of the aircraft were less than one year old on D-Day, and all were in excellent condition. Gliders were incorporated, Over 2,100 CG-4 Waco gliders had been sent to

2244-728: The UK, and after attrition during training operations, 1,118 were available for operations, along with 301 larger Airspeed Horsa gliders received from the British. On D-Day, IX Troop Carrier Command units flew over 2000 sorties conducting combat parachute jumps and glider landings as part of American airborne landings in Normandy of Operation Neptune. Other Ninth Air Force units carried out massive air attacks with P-51 Mustang , P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers, North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers. Air cover during

2310-487: The United Kingdom, Ninth Air Force units were very mobile, first deploying to France on 16 June 1944, ten days after the Normandy invasion by moving P-47 Thunderbolts to a beach-head landing strip. Because of their short range, operational combat units would have to move to quickly prepared bases close to the front as soon as the Allied ground forces advanced. The bases were called " Advanced Landing Grounds " or "ALGs". On

2376-472: The United States and their units inactivated. Others were assigned to the new United States Air Forces in Europe and were moved to captured Luftwaffe airfields to perform occupation duties. Some transport units relocated to France. Finally, with the mission completed, on 2 December 1945 the Ninth Air Force was inactivated at USAFE Headquarters at Wiesbaden Germany. Following World War II , Ninth Air Force

2442-490: The base. Bowman Field (Kentucky) Bowman Field ( IATA : LOU , ICAO : KLOU , FAA LID : LOU ) is a public airport five miles (8.0 km) southeast of downtown Louisville , in Jefferson County, Kentucky . The airport covers 426 acres (172 ha) and has two runways . The FAA calls it a reliever airport for nearby Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport . Established in 1919, Bowman Field

2508-488: The case of the 12th Bombardment and 57th Fighter Groups, but he could see no reason why operational control of the 1st Provisional and 98th Groups, comprising four-fifths of the heavy bomber force in the Middle East, should not be vested in American hands. Subsequent negotiations carried the point with the British, who even turned over their 160 Squadron (Liberators) to the operational control of IX Bomber Command. On 12 October

2574-546: The classic tri-force , the basis for the creation of NAAF in February 1943. Ninth Air Force groups attacked airfields and rail facilities in Sicily and took part in Operation Husky, carried paratroopers, and flew reinforcements to ground units on the island. The heavy bombardment groups (B-24s) of the Ninth also participated in the low-level assault of the oil refineries at Ploesti , Romania on 1 August 1943. On 22 August 1943

2640-511: The continent, many ALGs were built either from scratch or from captured enemy airfields throughout France, the Low Countries and Germany. Ninth Air Force units moved frequently from one ALG to another. By early August most Ninth Air Force operational fighter and bomber groups were transferred to bases in France and assigned to the U. S. Twelfth Army Group . These groups were then assigned to Tactical Air Command (TAC) organizations which supported Army ground units. XXIX Tactical Air Command (XXIX TAC)

2706-458: The control of the corps and divisions, although they would remain attached to these ground units. GHQ AF organized 5th Air Support Command at Bowman Field , Kentucky in September 1941, drawing its personnel and equipment from the 16th Bombardment Wing , which was simultaneously inactivated. New observation groups were formed, with a cadre drawn from National Guard squadrons that had been mobilized in 1940 and 1941. 5th Air Support Command

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2772-560: The east wing and retaining the west and central sections as west wings of the new building. The Administration Building faces an elliptical landscaped island surrounded by a driveway and paved parking area. Today Bowman Field is home to hundreds of privately owned aircraft as well as several commercial operations, including Aero Club of Louisville, Inc. , and Louisville Executive Aviation . Several flight schools including Louisville Aviation, Kentucky Flight Training Center, Flight Club 502, and Cardinal Wings. operate there as well. The airport

2838-450: The end of American involvement during the early 1970s, these units were returned in large part to their home Ninth Air Force units in the United States. During the remainder of the 1970s, NATO deployments resumed supporting the COMET, CORONET and CRESTED CAP exercises. These deployments were designed to exercise CONUS based Air Force squadrons long range deployment capabilities and to familiarize

2904-546: The enemy the ability to replenish or replace losses, and (3) Offer ground forces close support in North-East Africa. On 12 November 1942, the US Army Middle East Air Force was dissolved and replaced by HQ Ninth Air Force, commanded by Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton. At that time, the Ninth Air Force consisted of: By the end of 1942 a total of 370 aircraft had been ferried to the Ninth Air Force. While

2970-577: The facility. Although both George H. W. Bush and President Clinton promised to rebuild Homestead, the BRAC designated the installation for realignment to the Air Force Reserve , and on 1 April 1994, Headquarters, ACC inactivated its base support units and transferred base support responsibility to the Air Force Reserve Command and AFRC's 482d Fighter Wing , effectively ending ACC ownership of

3036-424: The fall of Rangoon the Burma Road was cut, so the detachment could not be logistically supported in China. HALPRO was quickly diverted from its original mission to a new one—interdictory raids from airfields in Egypt against shipping and North African ports supporting Axis operations. On 28 June 1942, Major General Lewis H. Brereton arrived at Cairo to command the U.S. Army Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF), which

3102-413: The following groups were transferred from the Ninth Air Force to the Twelfth Air Force: The 316th Troop Carrier Group was operating under Northwest African Troop Carrier Command with C-47 Dakotas and CG4A Waco Gliders. Concurrently with the reassignment of Ninth Air Force formations in the Mediterranean to Twelfth Air Force, plans were afoot in Britain to move Eighth Air Force 's medium bomber units to

3168-475: The great majority were P-40s, Consolidated B-24 Liberators (The original Halverson Detachment (HALPRO) , 98th Bombardment Group, 376th Bombardment Group, and RAF units), and B-25 Mitchells (12th) and 340th Bombardment Groups), there were also more than 50 twin-engine transports ( 316th Troop Carrier Group ), which made it possible to build an effective local air transport service. Ninth Air Force P-40F fighters ( 57th , 79th , and 324th Fighter Groups) supported

3234-459: The higher-capability F-15C/Ds and the new F-15E replaced the F-4E in the 4th TFW. With the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) reductions meant the closing of Myrtle Beach AFB and England AFB. MacDill AFB was realigned under Air Combat Command as the headquarters of United States Central Command and United States Special Operations Command , but minus tactical aircraft operations with

3300-424: The morning amphibious assault by Allied forces on the beaches of France was flown by P-38 Lightnings . With the beaches secure, its tactical air units then provided the air power for the Allied break-out from the Normandy beachhead in the summer of 1944 during the Battle of Cherbourg , Battle for Caen , and the ultimate breakout from the beachhead, Operation Cobra . Unlike Eighth Air Force, whose units stayed in

3366-488: The personnel with the European theatre of operations. During these NATO deployments, exercises with Army infantry and armored units were conducted to enhance the Close Air Support role in Europe. Ninth Air Force Wings in 1979 were: During the 1980s, Ninth Air Force wings upgraded from the Vietnam-Era F-4s and A-7s to newer F-15s, F-16 and A-10 aircraft. First-generation F-15A/B models were later sent to Air National Guard fighter units while Regular Air Force units upgraded to

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3432-420: The reassignment of the 56th Fighter Wing to Air Education and Training Command and relocation to Luke AFB , Arizona. The restructuring of USAF CONUS forces by the inactivation of Tactical Air Command and subsequent creation of Air Combat Command realigned Ninth Air Force with new units and new missions. In addition, the effects of Hurricane Andrew at Homestead AFB on 24 August 1992 essentially destroyed

3498-457: The reliable C-47 Skytrain of previous airborne operations, an experiment which ended with the catastrophic loss of 28% of the C-46s participating. Ninth Air Force tactical air support operations were flown over western Germany until the end of hostilities on 7 May. However, once the victory had been gained, the United States plunged into demobilization, just as it had done at the end of the First World War . Most officers and men were sent back to

3564-443: The time of Operation Husky , the invasion of Sicily on 10 July 1943, Ninth Air Force Headquarters was still based at Cairo in Egypt while the Headquarters of Ninth Fighter Command and IX Bomber Command were stationed at Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya, respectively. During this critical period of World War II when the Allied forces finally left North Africa for Europe, the groups of the Ninth Air Force consisted of: During most of 1943,

3630-471: Was activated immediately. USAMEAF comprised the former Halverson Project now the 1st Provisional Bombardment Group, Brereton's detachment ( 9th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) and other personnel which Brereton brought from India), and the Air Section of the U.S. Military North African Mission. Several USAAF units were sent to join USAMEAF during next weeks in the destruction of Rommel's Afrika Korps by support to ground troops and secure sea and air communications in

3696-445: Was activated in France on 15 September 1944, commanded by Brig. Gen. Richard E. Nugent , to support operations of the U.S. Ninth Army . XXIX TAC supported the Ninth Army in the north; IX TAC supported the First Army in the center; and XIX TAC supported the Third Army in the south. Air cover over Allied-controlled areas on the continent was performed by the IX Air Defense Command. Ninth Air Force groups made numerous moves within France,

3762-417: Was activated. On 20 August 2020, the 9 AF designation was returned to USAFCENT with the deactivation of the 2009 established 9 AF. It has fought in the 1991 Gulf War , War in Afghanistan (OEF-A, 2001–present), the Iraq War (OIF, 2003–2010), as well as various engagements within USCENTCOM. United States Air Forces Central is the direct descendant organization of Ninth Air Force, established in 1941. AFCENT

3828-421: Was formed as the United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) under Tactical Air Command (TAC). CENTAF initially consisted of designated United States Air Force elements of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) which was inactivated and reformed as USCENTCOM in 1983. On 1 March 2008 USCENTAF was redesignated USAFCENT. It shared its commander with Ninth Air Force until August 2009. Ninth Air Force

3894-439: Was maintained. U.S. and British Air Forces aimed to defeat the German Luftwaffe in the air and on the ground, to bring about complete air supremacy prior to the invasion of Normandy . Operational missions involved attacks on rail marshaling yards, railroads, airfields, industrial plants, military installations, and other enemy targets in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Other targets were German Atlantic Wall defenses along

3960-407: Was one of the nation's most important training bases and the nation's busiest airport. The facility became known as "Air Base City" when a bomber squadron moved in and more than 1,600 recruits underwent basic training in a three-month period. The United States Army Air Forces ' school for flight surgeons , medical technicians, and flight nurses also called Bowman Field home. Bowman Field was used in

4026-465: Was reactivated on 28 March 1946 at Biggs AAF , Texas. After several relocations, on 20 August 1954, Ninth Air Force Headquarters was assigned to Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina , where it remains today. The postwar Numbered Air Forces were components of the new major command structure of the United States Air Force , and Ninth Air Force became one of the tactical air forces of the new Tactical Air Command . Ninth Air Force commanded TAC Wings east of

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4092-585: Was redesignated USAFCENT on 5 August 2009. A new Ninth Air Force was established that date for command and control of CONUS-based Air Combat Command units formerly assigned to the previous Ninth Air Force. In the summer of 1941 General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ AF) decided to establish commands to direct its air support mission in each of its numbered air forces , plus one additional command that would report directly to GHQ AF. These commands were manned from inactivating wings , and would initially control only observation squadrons, which would be transferred from

4158-415: Was redesignated as 9th Air Force in April 1942. It moved to Bolling Field , DC on 22 July and transferred without personnel or equipment to Cairo , Egypt on 12 November 1942. In June 1942, the German Afrika Korps advance in North Africa forced the British Eighth Army to retreat towards Egypt putting British Middle East Command at risk. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) had already planned for

4224-426: Was the highlight of the existence of the 9th Air Force. In the spring of 1945, Ninth Air Force troop carrier units flew airborne parachute and glider units again during Operation Varsity , the Allied assault over the Rhine River on 24 March 1945. Operation Varsity was the single largest airborne drop in history. The operation saw the first use of the Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando transport in Europe, operating with

4290-416: Was then and for a month afterwards unofficial. This command had its roots in a discussion on 5 September between Tedder's senior air staff officer, Air Vice Marshal H. E. P. Wigglesworth, and G-3 officers of USAMEAF, during which Wigglesworth asserted that he had control, delegated by Tedder, over the target selection for the U.S. heavy bombers. Col. Patrick W. Timberlake, G-3 of Brereton's staff, took

4356-406: Was used for resupply and casualty evacuation before being closed in May 1945. Vertus is located in the Côte de Blancs subregion of Champagne . It is one of the highest rated Premier Cru villages of Champagne. With 500 hectares of vines, Vertus is the second largest village in Champagne, and the largest in the Marne department. Vertus is the home of one of the major Champagne houses: Duval-Leroy

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