United States Air Forces Central Command

United States Air Forces Central Command (USAFCENT/AFCENT) is a Named 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), 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 (USSTAF), engaging enemy forces in France, 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, was activated. 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 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 was formally re-designated 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.

World War II

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 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 as Col. Harry A. Halverson, commanding twenty-three B-24D Liberator heavy bombers and a hand-picked crews (a group called HALPRO – from "Halverson Project"), decided to move to Egypt. They had initially been assigned to the China Burma India Theater to attack Japan from airfields in China, but after 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 was activated immediately. USAMEAF comprised the Halverson Project, 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 the Mediterranean.

In September 1942, RAF Middle East Command's Senior Air Staff Officer, Air Commodore H. E. P. Wigglesworth was authorized by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder to select targets for all U.S. heavy bombers.

On 1 November 1942, General Bernard Montgomery launched an attack on the Afrika Korps at Kidney Ridge. After initially resisting the attack, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel decided he no longer had the resources to hold his line and on 3 November he ordered his troops to withdraw. Allied victory in the Second Battle of Alamein was accomplished.

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 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 was reassigned 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 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:
 IX Bomber Command (Brigadier General Patrick W Timberlake) at Ismailia, Egypt,
 IX Fighter Command (Colonel John C Kilborn) en route to Egypt,
 IX Air Service Command (Brigadier General Elmer E Adler).

Operations in Western Desert Campaign, 1942–1943
By the end of 1942 a total of 370 aircraft had been ferried to the Ninth Air Force. While 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 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, 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 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 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:
 12th Bombardment Group at Sfax el Mau, Tunisia with B-25 Mitchells (81st, 82nd, 83rd, & 434th Bombardment Squadrons)
 340th Bombardment Group at Sfax South, Tunisia with B-25 Mitchells (486th, 487th, 488th, & 489th Bombardment Squadrons)
 57th Fighter Group at Hani Main, Tunisia with P-40F Warhawks (64th, 65th, & 66th Fighter Squadrons)
 79th Fighter Group at Causeway Landing Ground, Tunisia with P-40F Warhawks (85th, 86th, & 87th Fighter Squadrons)
 324th Fighter Group with P-40F Warhawks (314th Squadron at Hani Main, 315th Squadron at Kabrit, Egypt, & 316th Squadron at Causeway).
 98th Bombardment Group with B-24D Liberators (343rd & 344th Squadrons at Lete, Libya; 345th & 415th Squadrons at Benina, Libya)
 376th Bombardment Group at Berka, Tunisia with B-24D Liberators (512th, 513th, 514th, & 515th Bombardment Squadrons)
 316th Troop Carrier Group at Deversoir, Egypt with C-47s, C-53s and DC3s (36th, 37th, & 44th Squadrons at Deversoir, Egypt; 45th Squadron at Castel Benito, Libya).

During most of 1943, 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, 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 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 the following groups were transferred from the Ninth Air Force to the Twelfth Air Force:
 12th Bombardment Group (Medium) at Gerbini, Sicily with B-25s
 57th Fighter Group on Sicily with P-40s
 79th Fighter Group on Sicily with P-40s
 324th Fighter Group at El Haouaria, Tunisia with P-40s and
 340th Bombardment Group (Medium) at Comiso, Sicily with B-25s

The 316th Troop Carrier Group was operating under Northwest African Troop Carrier Command with C-47 Dakotas and CG4A Waco Gliders.

Ninth Air Force 1943 to June 1944
Concurrently with the amalgamation of Ninth Air Force formations in the Mediterranean with Twelfth Air Force, plans were afoot in Britain to devolve Eighth Air Force's medium bomber force to a separate command. This command was offered to Brereton, who accepted "with utmost eagerness", 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, 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 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 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 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 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, 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 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.

Order of battle, 6 June 1944

 IX Bomber Command
 97th Bombardment Wing (Light)
409th Bombardment Group (A-20)
 640th Bombardment Squadron (W5)
 641st Bombardment Squadron (7G)
 642nd Bombardment Squadron (D6)
 643rd Bombardment Squadron (??)
410th Bombardment Group (A-20)
 644th Bombardment Squadron (5Q)
 645th Bombardment Squadron (7X)
 646th Bombardment Squadron (8U)
 647th Bombardment Squadron (6Q)
416th Bombardment Group (A-20)
 668th Bombardment Squadron (5H)
 669th Bombardment Squadron (2A)
 670th Bombardment Squadron (F6)
 671st Bombardment Squadron (5C)
 98th Bombardment Wing (Medium)
 323rd Bombardment Group (B-26)
 453rd Bombardment Squadron (VT)
 454th Bombardment Squadron (RJ)
 455th Bombardment Squadron (YU)
 456th Bombardment Squadron (WT)
 387th Bombardment Group (B-26)
 556th Bombardment Squadron (FW)
 557th Bombardment Squadron (KS)
 558th Bombardment Squadron (KX)
 559th Bombardment Squadron (TQ)
 394th Bombardment Group (B-26)
 584th Bombardment Squadron (K5)
 585th Bombardment Squadron (4T)
 586th Bombardment Squadron (H9)
 587th Bombardment Squadron (5W)
 397th Bombardment Group (B-26)
 596th Bombardment Squadron (X2)
 597th Bombardment Squadron (9F)
 598th Bombardment Squadron (U2
 599th Bombardment Squadron (6B)
 99th Bombardment Wing (Medium)
 322nd Bombardment Group (B-26)
 449th Bombardment Squadron (PN)
 450th Bombardment Squadron (ER)
 451st Bombardment Squadron (SS)
 452nd Bombardment Squadron (DR)
 344th Bombardment Group (B-26)
 494th Bombardment Squadron (K9)
 495th Bombardment Squadron (Y5)
 496th Bombardment Squadron (N3)
 497th Bombardment Squadron (7L)
 1st Pathfinder Squadron (Provisional)
 386th Bombardment Group (B-26)
 552nd Bombardment Squadron (RG)
 553rd Bombardment Squadron (AN)
 554th Bombardment Squadron (RU)
 555th Bombardment Squadron (YA)
 391st Bombardment Group (B-26)
 572nd Bombardment Squadron (P2)
 573rd Bombardment Squadron (T6)
 574th Bombardment Squadron (4L)
 575th Bombardment Squadron (O8)
 IX Fighter Command
IX Tactical Air Command
 70th Fighter Wing
 48th Fighter Group (P-47)
 492d Fighter Squadron (F4)
 493d Fighter Squadron (I7)
 494th Fighter Squadron (6M)
 367th Fighter Group {P-38)
 392d Fighter Squadron (H5)
 393d Fighter Squadron (8L)
 394th Fighter Squadron (4N)
 371st Fighter Group (P-47)
 404th Fighter Squadron (9Q)
 405th Fighter Squadron (8N)
 406th Fighter Squadron (4W)
 474th Fighter Group (P-38)
 428th Fighter Squadron (F5)
 429th Fighter Squadron (7Y)
 430th Fighter Squadron (K6)
 71st Fighter Wing
 366th Fighter Group (P-47)
 389th Fighter Squadron (A6)
 390th Fighter Squadron (B2)
 391st Fighter Squadron (A8)
 368th Fighter Group (P-47)
 359th Fighter Squadron (A7)
 396th Fighter Squadron (C2)
 397th Fighter Squadron (D3)
 370th Fighter Group (P-38)
 401st Fighter Squadron (9D)
 402nd Fighter Squadron (E6)
 485th Fighter Squadron (7F)
 84th Fighter Wing
 50th Fighter Group (P-47)
 10th Fighter Squadron (T5)
 81st Fighter Squadron (2N)
 313th Fighter Squadron (W3)
 365th Fighter Group (P-47)
 386th Fighter Squadron (D5)
 387th Fighter Squadron (B4)
 388th Fighter Squadron (C4)
 404th Fighter Group (P-47)
 506th Fighter Squadron (4K)
 507th Fighter Squadron (Y8)
 508th Fighter Squadron (7J)
 405th Fighter Group (P-47)
 509th Fighter Squadron (G9)
 510th Fighter Squadron (2Z)
 511th Fighter Squadron (K4)
 XIX Tactical Air Command
 100th Fighter Wing
 354th Fighter Group (P-51)
 353rd Fighter Squadron (FT)
 354th Fighter Squadron (GQ)
 355th Fighter Squadron (AJ)
 358th Fighter Group (P-47)
 365th Fighter Squadron (CH)
 366th Fighter Squadron (IA)
 367th Fighter Squadron (CP)
 362nd Fighter Group (P-47)
 377th Fighter Squadron (E4)
 378th Fighter Squadron (G8)
 379th Fighter Squadron (B8)
 363rd Fighter Group (P-51)
 380th Fighter Squadron (A9)
 381st Fighter Squadron (B3)
 382nd Fighter Squadron (C3)
 303rd Fighter Wing
 36th Fighter Group (P-47)
 22nd Fighter Squadron (3T)
 23rd Fighter Squadron (7U)
 53rd Fighter Squadron (6V)
 373rd Fighter Group (P-47)
 410th Fighter Squadron (R3)
 411th Fighter Squadron (U9)
 412th Fighter Squadron (V5)
 406th Fighter Group (P-47) 
 512th Fighter Squadron (L3)
 513th Fighter Squadron (4P)
 514th Fighter Squadron (O7)
 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group (F-3/F-5/F-6)
 30th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
 31st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
 33rd Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
 34th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
 155th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron

 IX Troop Carrier Command
 1st Pathfinder Group (Provisional)
 50th Troop Carrier Wing
 439th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 91st Troop Carrier Squadron (L4)
 92nd Troop Carrier Squadron (J8)
 93rd Troop Carrier Squadron (3B)
 94th Troop Carrier Squadron (D8)
 440th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 95th Troop Carrier Squadron (9X)
 96th Troop Carrier Squadron (6Z)
 97th Troop Carrier Squadron (W6)
 98th Troop Carrier Squadron (8Y)
 441st Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 99th Troop Carrier Squadron (3J)
 100th Troop Carrier Squadron (8C)
 301st Troop Carrier Squadron (Z4)
 302nd Troop Carrier Squadron (2L)
 442nd Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 303rd Troop Carrier Squadron (J7)
 304th Troop Carrier Squadron (V4)
 305th Troop Carrier Squadron (4J)
 306th Troop Carrier Squadron (7H)
 52nd Troop Carrier Wing
 61st Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
14th Troop Carrier Squadron (3I)
15th Troop Carrier Squadron (Y9)
53rd Troop Carrier Squadron (3A)
59th Troop Carrier Squadron (X5)
 313th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 29th Troop Carrier Squadron (5X)
 47th Troop Carrier Squadron (N3)
 48th Troop Carrier Squadron (Z7)
 49th Troop Carrier Squadron (H2)
 314th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 32nd Troop Carrier Squadron (S2)
 50th Troop Carrier Squadron (2R)
 61st Troop Carrier Squadron (Q9)
 62nd Troop Carrier Squadron (E5)
 315th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 34th Troop Carrier Squadron (NM)
 43rd Troop Carrier Squadron (UA)
 309th Troop Carrier Squadron (M6)
 310th Troop Carrier Squadron (4A)
 316th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 36th Troop Carrier Squadron (6E)
 37th Troop Carrier Squadron (W7)
 44th Troop Carrier Squadron (4C)
 45th Troop Carrier Squadron (T3)
 53rd Troop Carrier Wing
 434th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 71st Troop Carrier Squadron (CJ)
 72nd Troop Carrier Squadron (CU)
 73rd Troop Carrier Squadron (CN)
 74th Troop Carrier Squadron (ID)
 435th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 75th Troop Carrier Squadron (SH)
 76th Troop Carrier Squadron (CW)
 77th Troop Carrier Squadron (IB)
 78th Troop Carrier Squadron (CM)
 436th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 79th Troop Carrier Squadron (S6)
 80th Troop Carrier Squadron (7D)
 81st Troop Carrier Squadron (U5)
 82nd Troop Carrier Squadron (3D)
 437th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 83rd Troop Carrier Squadron (T2)
 84th Troop Carrier Squadron (Z8)
 85th Troop Carrier Squadron (9O)
 86th Troop Carrier Squadron (5K)
 438th Troop Carrier Group (C-47/C-53)
 87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X)
 88th Troop Carrier Squadron (M2)
 89th Troop Carrier Squadron (4U)
 90th Troop Carrier Squadron (Q7)
 IX Air Force Service Command
 1st Advanced Air Depot Area
 1st Tactical Air Depot
 2nd Tactical Air Depot
 3rd Tactical Air Depot
 2nd Advanced Air Depot Area
 4th Tactical Air Depot
 5th Tactical Air Depot
 6th Tactical Air Depot
 1585th Quartermaster Truck Regiment
 31st Transport Group
 IX Air Force Intransit Depot Group
 13th Replacement Control Depot
 20th Replacement Control Depot
 Signal Battalion (HC)
 IX Engineer Command
 922nd Engineer Aviation Regiment
 924th Engineer Aviation Regiment
 925th Engineer Aviation Regiment
 926th Engineer Aviation Regiment
 IX Air Defense Command
 1/8 Antiaircraft Group
 51st Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade
 52nd Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade

Operations in Europe 1944–1945

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 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 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 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) 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, 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, 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 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 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 the reliable C-47 Skytrain of previous airborne operations, an experiment which ended with the catastrophic loss of 28% of the C-46s participating.

Postwar demobilization
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 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.

Cold War
 see also: Nineteenth Air Force

Following World War II, Ninth Air Force 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 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 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 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 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 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:
 1st Tactical Fighter Wing (F-15A/B) (FF) Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4E) (SJ) Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina
 23d Tactical Fighter Wing (A-7D) (EL) England Air Force Base, Louisiana
 31st Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4D) (ZE/HS) Homestead Air Force Base, Florida
 33d Tactical Fighter Wing (F-15A/B) (EG) Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
 56th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4D/E) (MC) MacDill Air Force Base, Florida
 347th Tactical Fighter Wing (F-4E) (MY) Moody Air Force Base, Georgia
 354th Tactical Fighter Wing (A/OA-10A) (MB) Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina
 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (RF-4C) (JO) Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina

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 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 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 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 the base.

Concurrently, ACC also transferred responsibility for MacDill AFB to Air Mobility Command following the arrival of an air refueling unit and redesignation of the host air base wing as an air refueling wing (later redesignated as an air mobility wing).

CENTAF and the 1991 Gulf War

In 1980, Ninth Air Force units were allocated to the new Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF). In 1983, the RDJTF became a separate unified command known as the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), focusing on the Middle East. Ninth Air Force provided the aircraft, personnel and materiel to form United States Central Command Air Forces (USCENTAF), the USAF air power of CENTCOM, which was also headquartered at Shaw AFB. Starting in 1981, Ninth Air Force aircraft and personnel were deployed to Egypt for Exercise Bright Star.

During Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Ninth Air Force units deployed to the Middle East, and flew combat missions over Kuwait and Iraq. 

After the end of hostilities, units from the Ninth flew air missions over Iraq as part of Operation Deny Flight, Operation Northern Watch and Operation Southern Watch. From 1991, the 4404th Composite Wing (Provisional) served as a forward force, for most of that period flying from King Abdul Aziz AB, Saudi Arabia. Despite the boring nature of the quasi-peacetime patrols over both the northern and southern "no-fly zones," the years after 1991 were not entirely without hostile action. Time and time again Iraqi air defense radars came on line and "illuminated" American aircraft. There were also numerous cases where Iraqi anti-aircraft guns and missiles engaged American aircraft. In each case, the U.S. military aircraft would retaliate and in most cases, eliminate the offending air defense  site(s). Among the deployed units were the 4th Air Expeditionary Wing, Camp Doha, Qatar (June 1996 and February 1997 in Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) Rotations III and IV respectively), the 347th Air Expeditionary Wing, Shaikh Isa AB, Bahrain, and the 363d Air Expeditionary Wing at Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia.

During this "phony war," American pilots gained invaluable experience in air-to-ground tactics that could not be duplicated in practice missions back at home. Combat missions briefly resumed in 1998 during Operation Desert Fox.

Iraq and Afghanistan
Ninth Air Force units, flying as USCENTAF, flew operational missions during the 2002 Operation Enduring Freedom—Afghanistan (OEF-A) and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Air Expeditionary Force units are engaged in combat operations on an ongoing basis.

U.S. Airmen are increasingly on the ground in Iraq: "They drive in convoys and even work with detainees. The main aerial hub in Iraq has 1,500 airmen doing convoy operations in and 1,000 working with detainees. The USAF is also involved in training Iraqis and performing other activities not usually associated with the Air Force. The dangers of the Air Force's new role were highlighted when the expeditionary wing lost its first female member in the line of duty in Iraq. A1C Elizabeth Jacobson, 21, was killed in a roadside bombing while performing convoy security near the U.S. detention center at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq." "More and more Air Force are doing Army jobs," said Senior Master Sgt. Matt Rossoni, 46, of San Francisco. "It's nothing bad about the Army. They're just tapped out." "Air Force Security Forces are traditionally associated with base defense, however, now they provide security for patrols and to deliver supplies."

The Air Force also is keeping up with its traditional duties. In November, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing delivered its one millionth passenger to Iraq since October 2003. USAF missions included transporting troops, casualties and cargo flights. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps flew thousands of missions in support of U.S. ground troops in Iraq this fall, including attacks by unmanned Predator aircraft armed with Hellfire missiles, military records show. American and allied refueling, transport and surveillance planes also are in the air. Airstrikes have been largely in areas where the insurgency is strongest, like Balad, Ramadi and in the vicinity of Baghdad, according to the U.S. Central Command.

Units
 332d Air Expeditionary Wing, reactivated 2015 for Operation Inherent Resolve
 379th Air Expeditionary Wing
 B-1B Lancer, C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, E-6B Mercury, E-8C Joint STARS, KC-135 Stratotanker, P-3 Orion, RC-135 Rivet Joint
 Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
 380th Air Expeditionary Wing
 E-3 Sentry, KC-10 Extender, RQ-4 Global Hawk, U-2 Dragon Lady
 Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates
 386th Air Expeditionary Wing
 C-130 Hercules
 Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait

 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force - Afghanistan
 438th Air Expeditionary Wing
 Det 1. 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (Mazar-e-Shariff Airfield)
 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (Kabul Airport)
 Det 1. 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (Jalalabad Airfield)
 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (Kandahar Airfield)
 NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan (Kabul Airport)
 Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan
 455th Air Expeditionary Wing
 A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, C-130 Hercules, HH-60 Pave Hawk, MC-12 Liberty, EC-130 Compass Call
 Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan
 451st Air Expeditionary Group, Kandahar

Tenant Units assigned to the command are:
 609th Air and Space Operations Center
 Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
 1st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Group
 557 Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron
 577 Expeditionary PRIME BEEF Squadron
 Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar

Note: The 432d Air Expeditionary Wing is an Air Combat Command unit headquartered at Creech AFB, Nevada. It operates RQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper UAV aircraft in the AFCENT AOR.

Lineage and assignments
 Established as 5th Air Support Command on 21 August 1941
 Activated on 1 September 1941
 Redesignated 9th Air Force on 8 April 1942
 Redesignated as Ninth Air Force on 18 September 1942
 Inactivated on 2 December 1945
 Activated on 28 March 1946
 Redesignated: Ninth Air Force (Tactical) on 1 August 1950
 Redesignated: Ninth Air Force on 26 June 1951
 Co-designation United States Central Command Air Forces (CENTAF) established, 1 January 1983
 CENTAF designation used for Ninth Air Force assets assigned to United States Central Command
 Redesignated: Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central), on 1 March 2008.
 Redesignated: United States Air Forces Central, on 5 August 2009.

Assignments
 Air Force Combat Command (later, Army Air Forces), 1 September 1941
 United States Army Forces in the Middle East, 12 November 1942
 European Theater of Operations, United States Army, 3 November 1943
 United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe
 (later, United States Air Forces in Europe), 22 February 1944 – 2 December 1945
 Tactical Air Command, 28 March 1946
 Continental Air Command, 1 December 1948
 Tactical Air Command, 1 December 1950
 Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992 – present

Stations

 Bowman Field, Kentucky, 1 September 1941
 New Orleans AAB, Louisiana, 24 January 1942
 Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., 22 July – October 1942
 Cairo, Egypt, 12 November 1942 – October 1943
 Sunninghill Park, Berks. England, November 1943 – September 1944
 Chantilly, France, 15 September 1944
 Bad Kissingen, Germany, 6 June – 2 December 1945

 Biggs Field, Texas, 28 March 1946
 Greenville AAB (later, Greenville AFB), South Carolina, 31 October 1946
 Langley AFB, Virginia, 14 February 1949
 Pope AFB, North Carolina, 1 August 1950
 Shaw AFB, South Carolina, 20 August 1954 – Present (CONUS Headquarters)
 Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 5 August 2009 – Present (Forward Command Headquarters)

Major components

World War II Units

 IX Air Defense Command: 1 July 1944 – 28 November 1945
 IX Bomber Command: 24 July 1942 – 20 November 1943
 IX Engineer Command: 1 July 1944 – 2 December 1945
 IX Troop Carrier Command: 16 October 1943 – 31 March 1946
 IX Fighter Command: 23 December 1942 – 16 November 1945
 IX Air Support (later, IX Tactical Air) Command): 4 December 1943 – 17 August 1945
 XIX Air Support (later, XIX Tactical Air Command): 4 January 1944 – 20 November 1945

 XXIX Air Support (later, XXIX Tactical Air) Command: 30 November 1943 – 3 October 1945
 36th Fighter Group: 4 April-1 October 1944
 366th Fighter Group: 8 January-15 February 1944
 67th Reconnaissance Group: 1 October 1943 – July 1945; 21 March 1946 – 25 July 1947
 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group: 20 November – 11 December 1945
 425th Night Fighter Squadron: 7 July – 9 September 1945

USAF Air Divisions

 12th Air Division: 23 February – 27 June 1949
 19th Air Division
 (formerly, 19 Bombardment Wing; IX Bomber Command; 9 Bombardment Division; 9 Air Division; 19 Bombardment Wing)
 24 July 1942 – 20 November 1945; 22 December 1948 – 1 February 1949. 21 Air: 22 December 1948 – 1 February 1949.
 42d Air Division: 1 July – 1 October 1957
 49th Air Division: 22 December 1948 – 1 February 1949
 69th Air Division: 23 February – 27 June 1949

 302d Air Division: 22 December 1948 – 1 February 1949
 833d Air Division: 1 October 1964 – 24 December 1969
 834d Air Division: 25 September – 1 October 1957; 1 July 1964 – 15 October 1966
 836th Air Division: 8 October 1957 – 1 July 1961; 1 July 1962 – 30 June 1971
 837th Air Division: 8 February 1958 – 1 February 1963
 838th Air Division: 25 September – 11 December 1957
 839th Air Division: 8 October 1957 – 1 July 1963; 9 November 1964 – 1 December 1974
 840th Air Division: 1 October 1964 – 24 December 1969

Known Inactive Air Expeditionary units
 See Organization of United States Air Force Units in the Gulf War for units and deployment of CENTAF forces during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm

 128th Air Expeditionary Group
 Flights at several bases in AFCENT AOR
 368th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group
 Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq
 370th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group
 Sather AB, Iraq
 376th Air Expeditionary Wing
 Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan
 398th Air Expeditionary Group
 Flights at several bases in AFCENT AOR
 384th Air Expeditionary Wing
 Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain
 406th Air Expeditionary Wing
 RAFO Thumrait, Oman

 410th Air Expeditionary Wing
 H-5 Air Base, Jordan
 Shaheed Mwaffaq AB, Jordan
 416th Air Expeditionary Operations Group
 Karshi-Khanabad AB, Uzbekistan
 447th Air Expeditionary Group
 Sather AB, Iraq
 449th Air Expeditionary Group
 Camp Lemonier, Djibouti
 506th Air Expeditionary Group
 Kirkuk AB, Iraq
 732d Air Expeditionary Group
 Balad AB, Iraq
 4417th Air Expeditionary Force
 Shaheed Mwaffaq AB, Jordan

Service and campaign streamers
 War in Southwest Asia
 Defense of Saudi Arabia (Desert Shield) 1990-1991
 Liberation of Kuwait (Desert Storm) 1991

Awards

References

Bibliography

 Bozung, Jack H. (ed). The 9th Sees France and England. Los Angeles, California: AAF Publications Company, 1947.
 Coles, Harry C. Ninth Air Force Participation in the Western Desert Campaign to January 1943 (USAAF Historical Study, No. 30). Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945.
 Coles, Harry C. Participation of the Ninth and Twelfth Air Forces in the Sicilian Campaign (USAAF Historical Study, No. 37). Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945.
 Craven, Wesley F. and James L. Cate. The Army Air Forces in World war II, Vols. 1–7. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago University Press, 1948/51 (Reprinted 1983, ).
 Dorr, Robert F. and Thomas D. Jones. Hell Hawks!: The Untold Story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler's Wehrmacht. St Paul, MN: Zenith Press, 2008. .
 Endicott, Judy G. USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1999.
 Fletcher, Harry R. Air Force Bases: Volume II, Air Bases Outside the United States of America. Office of Air Force History, 1989. .
 Freeman, Roger A. The Ninth Air Force in Colour. UK and the Continent-World War II. London: Arms and Armor Press, 1995.
 Freeman, Roger A. UK Airfields of the Ninth, Then and Now. London: Battle of Britain Publications, 1994.
 George, Robert H. Ninth Air Force, April to November 1944 (USAAF Historical Study, No. 36). Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945.
 Hamlin, John F. Support and Strike!: A Concise History of the U.S. Ninth Air Force in Europe. Bretton, Peterborough, UK: GMS Enterprises, 1991. .
 Marx, Milton. Ninth Air Force, USAAF. Paris, France: Desfosses-Neogravure, 1945. LCCN 49028944. Dewey 940.541273. OCLC 3784313.
 Mueller, Robert. Air Force Bases: Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Office of Air Force History, 1989. .
 Ramsey, John F. Ninth Air Force in the ETO, 16 October 1943 to 16 April 1944 (USAAF Historical Study, No. 32). Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945.
 Rogers, Edith. The AAF in the Middle East: A Study of the Origins of the Ninth Air Force (USAAF Historical Study, No. 108). Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1945.
 Rust, Kenn C. Ninth Air Force Story...in World War II. Temple City, California: Historical Aviation Album, 1982. .
 Rust, Kenn C. with George J. Letzer; James J. Grygier and Richard Groh. The 9th Air Force in World War II. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1967 (2nd revised printing in 1970). .

External links
 Official public website
 Claimed current order of battle
 Most current Factsheet (Apr 2013)
 USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
 GlobalSecurity.org 9th Air Force info page
 PSLN.com, World War II Bomb Groups - European Theater of Operations (ETO)
 Air Power in the Battle of the Bulge: A Theater Campaign Perspective
 Time Over Targets: The Story of the 9th Bombardment Division (World War II unit history published by Stars & Stripes)

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Category:Cold War military history of the United States
Category:Military units and formations established in 1942
Category:Military units and formations in South Carolina
Category:European theatre of World War II