IX Fighter Command

IX Fighter Command
IX Fighter Command
	Command P-47 Thunderbolt, the most common tactical aircraft in the command
Active	1942–1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Command of fighter units
Engagements	European Theater of Operations
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Maj Gen Elwood Richard Quesada

The IX Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Erlangen, Germany, wheret was inactivated on 16 November 1945.

IX Fighter Command was the primary tactical fighter air arm of Ninth Air Force in the Western Desert Campaign in North Africa during 1942-1943. Transferred to England, it became the dominant tactical air force over the skies of Western Europe during the 1944 Battle of Normandy and the Western Allied invasion of Germany in 1945.

After its inactivation, the majority of its (along with Twelfth Air Force) units were incorporated into the postwar United States Air Force Tactical Air Command.

History[]

North Africa[]

In Egypt during January 1943, IX Fighter Command became the control organization for Ninth Air Force fighter units assigned to the Western Desert Campaign (Libya and Tunisia).

Although wings were officially subordinate to the command, combat groups were attached to the Desert Air Force, which included squadrons of the Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and South African Air Force.

IX Fighter Command moved to England in November 1943 as part of Normandy invasion planning. Its subordinate units were reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force.

Western Europe[]

370th Fighter Group P-38 Lightning

During the winter of 1943/44 IX Fighter Command expanded at an extraordinary rate so that by the end of May 1944, its complement ran to 45 flying groups operating some 5,000 aircraft. Initial missions from England consisted of fighter sweeps over troop concentrations and attacks on enemy positions and airfields, primarily on German 15th Army units in the Pas-de-Calais region of France as well as around Normandy and Cotentin Peninsula. On D-Day IX Fighter Command units carried out massive air attacks on German forces in Normandy area with North American P-51 Mustang and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter bombers. Air cover during the morning amphibious assault by Allied forces on the beaches of France was flown by Lockheed P-38 Lightnings.

With the beaches secure, groups began deploying to France on 16 June 1944, ten days after the Normandy invasion by moving P-47 Thunderbolts to a beach-head landing strip. During the Battle of Normandy, 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.

Captain Edwin O. Fisher, 362d Fighter Group, 7 aerial victories; 3 V-1 Flying Bombs; 25 enemy vehicles and 5 locomotives.

By early August most IX Fighter Command groups moved to bases in France and were assigned to missions supporting the Twelfth United States Army Group. The command then reorganized, with units transferred to three tactical air commands and which directly supported United States Army ground units, along with an air defense command to defend Allied-controlled areas.

XXIX Tactical Air Command supported the Ninth United States Army in the north
IX Tactical Air Command supported the United States First Army in the center
XIX Tactical Air Command supported the United States Third Army in the south
IX Air Defense Command provided air defense of Allied-controlled Western Europe

After its units were reassigned, it remained as command organization until after VE-Day when performed occupation duty in Germany.

Lineage[]

Constituted as the 9th Interceptor Command on 19 January 1942^{[note 2]}

Activated on 1 February 1942

Redesignated 9th Fighter Command on 15 May 1942

Redesignated IX Fighter Command c. 18 September 1942

Inactivated on 16 November 1945

Disbanded on 8 October 1948^[1]

Assignments[]

Third Air Force, 1 February 1942^{[citation needed]}
Ninth Air Force, 23 December 1942 – 16 November 1945^[2]

Components[]

North Africa[]

8th Fighter Wing: assigned 24 July – 22 December 1942 (attached to 3d Fighter Command (later III Fighter Command)) 26 July – c. 28 October 1942; attached 22 December 1942 – c. April 1943^[3]
9th Fighter Wing: December 1942 – 31 March 1943
57th Fighter Group, 21 February–22 August 1943, P-40 Warhawk (attached to Western Desert Air Force, 21 February 1943; Desert Air Force, c. April 1943; 7 South African Air Force, 21 May–22 August 1943)

79th Fighter Group, 18 November 1942 – 1 August 1943, P-40 Warhawk (attached to Western Desert Air Force, 18 November 1942; Desert Air Force, c. April–1 August 1943)
324th Fighter Group, 23 December 1942 – 1 August 1943, P-40 Warhawk (attached to Western Desert Air Force, 23 December 1942; Desert Air Force, c. April–1 August 1943)

Western Europe[]

Wings

70th Fighter Wing: 29 November 1943 – 3 October 1944
71st Fighter Wing: 4 December 1943 – 1 July 1944
84th Fighter Wing: 30 April 1944 – 12 August 1944
100th Fighter Wing: 30 April 1944 – 1 November 1944
303d Fighter Wing: 8 March–1 November 1944

Groups

358th Fighter Group: 20 October 1943 – 1 August 1944 (attached to VIII Fighter Command)
366th Fighter Group: 28 January–28 June 1945 (attached to XXIX Tactical Air Command, 28 January – 21 June 1945)
368th Fighter Group: 13 January–1 August 1944
370th Fighter Group: 12 February–1 August 1944
371st Fighter Group: 4 April–1 August 1944
404th Fighter Group: 4 April–1 August 1944
405th Fighter Group: 7 March–1 August 1944
406th Fighter Group: 4 April–1 August 1944
474th Fighter Group: 12 March–1 August 1944

Stations[]

New Orleans Army Air Base, Louisiana, 1 February 1942
Drew Field, Florida, July–October 1942
RAF Kabrit, Egypt, 31 January 1943
Mellaha Field, Libya, 10 April–22 September 1943
RAF Middle Wallop (AAF 449),^[4] England, 30 November 1943 – July 1944
Les Oubeaux, France, c. 2 July 1944
Canisy, France, c. 12 August 1944

Charleroi Airfield (A-87),^[5] Belgium, September 1944
Verviers, Belgium, c. 2 October 1944
Bruhl, Germany, c. 23 March 1945
Weimar Airfield (R-7),^[6] Germany, April 1945
AAF Station Fritzlar (Y-86),^[7] Germany, July 1945
AAF Station Erlangen, Germany (R-96),^[8] September–16 November 1945^[9]

References[]

Notes[]

Explanatory notes

^ Aircraft is Republic P-47D-28-RA Thunderbolt, serial 42-29259 of the 358th Fighter Group.
^ Maurer indicates unit was constituted as the "IX" Interceptor Command. However, the unit was constituted and activated with an arabic number in its name. The use of roman numerals to designate Army Air Forces combat commands did not begin until September 1942. "Air Force Historical Research Agency Organizational Reconds: Types of USAF Organizations". Air Force History Index. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2016.

Citations

^ ^a ^b Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 447-448
^ Ream, Margaret (5 October 2020). "Factsheet Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
^ "Factsheet 57 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
^ Station number in Anderson, p. 31.
^ Station number in Johnson, p. 23.
^ Station number in Johnson, p. 77.
^ Station number in Johnson, p. 54.
^ Station number in Johnson, p. 42.
^ Station information in Maurer, pp. 447-448, except as noted.

Bibliography[]

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

[1] Aircraft is Republic P-47D-28-RA Thunderbolt, serial 42-29259 of the 358th Fighter Group.

[3] Maurer indicates unit was constituted as the "IX" Interceptor Command. However, the unit was constituted and activated with an arabic number in its name. The use of roman numerals to designate Army Air Forces combat commands did not begin until September 1942. "Air Force Historical Research Agency Organizational Reconds: Types of USAF Organizations". Air Force History Index. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2016.

[Maurer9FC-2] Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 447-448

[4] Ream, Margaret (5 October 2020). "Factsheet Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 20 December 2021.

[5] "Factsheet 57 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2014.

[6] Station number in Anderson, p. 31.

[7] Station number in Johnson, p. 23.

[8] Station number in Johnson, p. 77.

[9] Station number in Johnson, p. 54.

[10] Station number in Johnson, p. 42.

[11] Station information in Maurer, pp. 447-448, except as noted.

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