Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force emblem
Active	12 February 1942
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Air Force
Garrison/HQ	Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lewis H. Brereton

Tenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. The command is one of three numbered air forces in Air Force Reserve Command, and is responsible for command supervision of fighter, bomber, special operations, rescue, airborne warning and control, flying training, combat air operations battle staff, unoccupied aerial vehicle and space units in the Air Force Reserve Command.

When mobilized, these units are gained by Air Combat Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, Pacific Air Forces, Air Force Space Command and the Air Education and Training Command.

The commander of Tenth Air Force is Major General Frank J. Padilla.

The Tenth Air Force was created for air combat operations in India and Burma during World War II in the China Burma India Theater of operations. . It was established at New Delhi, India in 1942, around a nucleus of air force personnel newly arrived from Java and the Philippines, under the command of Major General (later Lt. General) Louis Brereton. In the years since World War II, Tenth Air Force has served the air defense and reserve training programs.

Contents 1 Mission 2 Units 3 History 3.1 Lineage 3.2 Assignments 3.3 Components 3.4 Stations 3.5 World War II 3.5.1 World War II Campaigns 3.5.2 World War II Commanders 3.6 Post World War II 3.6.1 Air Defense Command 3.6.2 Air Force Reserve 4 See also 5 References 5.1 Notes 5.2 Bibliography 6 External links

[edit] Mission

Tenth Air Force is responsible for managing and supervising six fighter units, three geographically dispersed rescue units, one bomber unit, one Airborne Warning and Control (AWACs) associate unit, one special operations wing, one space wing, one Regional Support Group, and more than 120 non-flying units in logistics and support roles.

The command directs the activities of more than 13,363 reservists and 947 civilians located at 30 military installations throughout the United States. With a full time staff of 87 and 93 reservist, Tenth Air Force and the 610th Regional Support Group, monitor and provides assistance to all subordinate units to ensure they maintain readiness to supplement the nation's active Air Force units with operationally ready units on a moment's notice. If mobilized, the flying units and their support elements would be gained by Air Combat Command (ACC), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Air Force Space Command (AFSPACOM) and Air Education and Training Command (AETC).

In addition, Tenth Air Force units fly satellites for both US SPACECOM and NOAA.

[edit] Units

Operational units of Tenth Air Force are:^[1]

Combat Air Forces 301st Fighter Wing - NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas 419th Fighter Wing - Hill AFB, Utah 442d Fighter Wing - Whiteman AFB, Missouri 482d Fighter Wing - Homestead ARB, Florida 917th Wing - Barksdale AFB, Louisiana 919th Special Operations Wing - Eglin AFB, Florida 920th Rescue Wing - Patrick AFB, Florida 477th Fighter Group - Elmendorf AFB, Alaska 926th Group - Nellis AFB, Nevada 943d Rescue Group - Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona Regional Support Groups 610th Regional Support Group - NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas

Space Forces 310th Space Wing - Schriever AFB, Colorado Pilot Training Forces 944th Fighter Wing - Luke AFB, Arizona 340th Flying Training Group - Randolph AFB, Texas Command/Control Forces 940th Wing - Beale AFB, California 513th Air Control Group - Tinker AFB, Oklahoma

Tenth Air Force Squadrons, Flights, and Operational Locations are also stationed at:

Columbus AFB, Mississippi Vance AFB, Oklahoma Hickam AFB, Hawaii Holloman AFB, New Mexico Langley AFB, Virginia Laughlin AFB, Texas March ARB, California

Moody AFB, Georgia Offut AFB, Nebraska Portland IAP, Oregon Sheppard AFB, Texas United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Vandenburg AFB, California

[edit] History

[edit] Lineage

• Established as 10th Air Force on February 4, 1942.

Activated on February 12, 1942

Redesignated Tenth Air Force on September 18, 1942

Inactivated on January 6, 1946

• Activated on May 24, 1946

Discontinued, and inactivated, on September 1, 1960

• Activated on January 20, 1966

Organized on April 1, 1966

Inactivated on December 31, 1969

• Redesignated Tenth Air Force (Reserve) on September 24, 1976

Activated on October 8, 1976

Redesignated Tenth Air Force on December 1, 1985

[edit] Assignments

World War II Air Force Combat Command, 4 Feb 1942 U.S. Army Forces in China-Burma-India, Mar-May 1942 Army Air Forces, India-Burma Sector, 21 Aug 1943 Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, 27 Oct 1944 Army Air Forces, China Theater, on 6 Jul 1943

United States Air Force Continental Air Forces Second Air Force, 5-6 Jan 1946 Air Defense Command, 24 May 1946 Continental Air Command, 1 Dec 1948 Air (later, Aerospace) Defense Command, 20 Jan 1966 Air Force Reserve (later, Air Force Reserve Command), 8 Oct 1976-Present

[edit] Components

World War II

1st Combat Cargo Group: 24 Aug-Dec 1945 3d Combat Cargo Group: 22 Sep 1944-12 Nov 1945 4th Combat Cargo Group: 28 Jan 1944-6 Jan 1946 7th Bombardment Group: 12 Mar 1942-7 Jun 1945 12th Bombardment Group: 21 Mar 1944-24 Dec 1945 33d Fighter Group: 20 Feb 1944-15 Nov 1945

80th Fighter Group: 28 Jun 1943-6 Oct 1945 311th Fighter Group: 14 Sep 1943-28 Aug 1944 341st Bombardment Group: 15 Sep 1942-7 Jun 1944 443d Troop Carrier Group: 15 Feb 1944-28 Aug 1945 426th Night Fighter Squadron: 11 Jun-14 Nov 1944 427th Night Fighter Squadron: 13 Dec 1944-24 Aug 1945

United States Air Force

20th Air Division, 1 Apr 1966 - 31 Dec 1967 25th Air Division, 15 Sep - 1 Dec 1969 26th Air Division, 19 Nov - 1 Dec 1969 28th Air Division, 1 Jul 1960 - 1 Apr 1966 29th Air Division, 1 Apr 1966 - 15 Sep 1969 31st Air Division, 1 Jul 1968 - 31 Dec 1969

30th Air Division 16 Dec 1949 - 1 Sep 1950 Attached to: Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 Jan - 31 Aug 1950 1 Apr 1966-18 Sep 1968

[edit] Stations

Patterson Field, Ohio 4 Feb 1942 New Delhi, India, Mar-May 1942 Barrackpore, India. Oct 1943 Belvedere Palace, Calcutta, India, Jan 1944 Kanjikoah, India, Jun 1944 Myitkyina, Burma, Nov 1944 Bhamo, Burma, Feb 1945 Piardoba, India May 1945 Kunming, China, Jun-Jul 1945 Liuchow, China, Aug 1945 Kunming, China, Jun-Jul 1945

Liuchow, China, Aug 1945 Kunming, China, Aug 1945 Shanghai, China, Oct 1945 Fort Lawton, Washington, 5-6 Jan 1946 Brooks Field (later, AFB), Texas, 24 May 1946 Offut AFB, Nebraska, 1 Jul 1948 Selfridge AFB, Michigan, Jan 1950-1 Sep 1960 Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri, 1 Apr 1966-31 Dec 1969 Bergstrom AFB, Texas, 8 Oct 1976 Carswell ARS, Texas, 30 Jun 1996

[edit] World War II

Tenth Air Force was constituted on 4 February 1942 and activated on 12 February, built up around a nucleus of air force personnel newly arrived from Java and the Philippines, under the command of Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton. It had its headquarters at New Delhi. Components of the air force moved to India over a three month period from March to May 1942. It was responsible for creating, operating and safeguarding the India-China Ferry, more commonly known as the Hump airlift, between April 8 and December 1, 1942, first with its Assam-Burma-China Command until July 16, then the India-China Ferry Command until December 1, when jurisdiction for the airlift passed to the Air Transport Command.

The Tenth Air Force initially provided control of all USAAF combat operations in the China Burma India Theater under theater commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Stillwell. Units based in China were controlled by the China Air Task Force of the Tenth Air Force, created July 4, 1942 to replace the American Volunteer Group, and commanded by Brig. Gen. Claire Chennault. Units based in India were controlled by the India Air Task Force, created October 8, 1942, commanded by Brig. Gen. Caleb V. Haynes.

In March 1943 the China Air Task Force was dissolved and its components made part of the new Fourteenth Air Force, activated in China under Chennault. The Tenth operated in India and Burma as part of the Allied Eastern Air Command until it moved to China late in July 1945.^[2]

The Tenth Air Force conducted offensive strategic bombing operations in Burma and supported Allied ground efforts with close air support and operations against Japanese communications and supply installations.

[edit] World War II Campaigns

Burma, 1942; India-Burma; China Defensive; Central Burma; China Offensive.^[2]

[edit] World War II Commanders

• Colonel Harry A Halverson, 17 February 1942;
• Major-General Lewis H Brereton, 5 March 1942;
• Brigadier-General Earl L Naiden, 26 June 1942;
• Major-General Clayton Bissell, 18 August 1942;
• Major-General Howard C Davidson, in August 1943;
• Major-General Albert F Hegenberger, 1 August 1945 - ?^[2]

[edit] Post World War II

[edit] Air Defense Command

Activated on 24 May 1946 at Brooks Field (later, AFB), Texas, Tenth Air Force was assigned to Air Defense Command. It moved to Offutt AFB, Nebraska, 1 July 1948; Fort Benjamin Harrison (later, Benjamin Harrison AFB), Indiana, 25 September 1948.

[edit] Air Force Reserve

Assigned to Continental Air Command on 1 December 1948, became reserve command and control component of Air Defense Command. Moved to Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 16 January 1950. On July 1, 1960, the Fourth Air Force Reserve Region was formed at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX. The Fourth Region was one of five Reserve regions and became operational on September 1, 1960, under the control of Continental Air Command (CAC), as a result, Tenth Air Force was discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 September 1960.

Tenth Air Force was reactivated on 20 January 1966, and assigned to Air (later, Aerospace) Defense Command. Organized on 1 April 1966 at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri. In the 1960s the Commander of the Central North American Air Defense Region had additional duty as commander, Tenth Air Force, located at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, MO.

Continental Air Command was discontinued on August 1, 1968, and was replaced by Headquarters Air Force Reserve, located at Robins Air Force Base, GA. In July 1969, the Fourth Region moved from Randolph AFB to Ellington AFB, near Houston, TX. On December 31, 1969, the five regions were merged into three. The responsibilities of the Fourth and Fifth Regions were consolidated into the new Central Air Force Reserve Region. Eastern Region became responsible for the First and Second Region areas, the Sixth Region became the Western Region. This change increased the area of responsibility of Central Region from five states to 14, ranging from the Canadian to the Mexican borders. As a result of these consolodations, Tenth Air Force was agan inactivated on 31 December 1969.

When Air Force operations were phased out of Ellington AFB, Central Region Headquarters moved to Bergstrom AFB, in Austin, TX, on March 10, 1976. The Air Force Reserve’s entire intermediate management structure was then realigned effective October 8, 1976; and the Reserve Regions were inactivated and succeeded by the currently activated Tenth Air Force. Redesignated Tenth Air Force (Reserve) on 24 September 1976, the unit activated in the Reserve on 8 October 1976 at Bergstrom AFB, TX, assigned to Air Force Reserve. It was redesignated Tenth Air Force on 1 December 1985.

As a result, the unit assumed command over all Tactical Air Command-gained and Strategic Air Command-gained Air Force Reserve units regardless of geographic location. With the inactivation of TAC and SAC in 1992, Tenth Air Force today is responsible for command supervision of fighter, bomber, rescue, airborne warning and control, special operations, flying training, combat air operations battle staff, and space reserve units.

[edit] See also

• Objective, Burma!

[edit] References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

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