Fifteenth Air Force

Headquarters

Second World War formation badge for the United States 15th Air Force (United States Army Air Force). The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved by the US Quartermaster General on 19 February 1944. Formation note: the 15th Air Force (US Army Air Force, Fifteenth Air Force) was formed on 1 November 1943 at Tunis in North Africa and moved to Italy on 1 December. The Force was disbanded on 15 September 1945 having participated in twelve campaigns.© IWM (INS 7304)

media-36277.jpeg INS 7304 Second World War formation badge for the United States 15th Air Force (United States Army Air Force). The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved by the US Quartermaster General on 19 February 1944. Formation note: the 15th Air Force (US Army Air Force, Fifteenth Air Force) was formed on 1 November 1943 at Tunis in North Africa and moved to Italy on 1 December. The Force was disbanded on 15 September 1945 having participated in twelve campaigns.

© IWM (INS 7304) IWM collections

Object Number - INS 7304 - Second World War formation badge for the United States 15th Air Force (United States Army Air Force). The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved by...

The Fifteenth Air Force was one of two Strategic Air forces in Europe, along with the Eighth Air Force.

It was established on 1 November 1943 in Tunis, Tunisia, and commenced combat operations the following day. The Air Force was formed as part of reorganisation of the Twelfth and Ninth Air Forces, and activated with a strength of 90 B-24 Liberators and 210 B-17 Flying Fortresses, inherited from its predecessors. From December 1943 13 new groups arriving from the US were added to the Fifteenth Air Force, most equipped with B-24 Liberators.

Like the Eighth Air Force in Britain, it was hoped that the Fifteenth would be able to attack Occupied Europe from Italy and the Mediterranean, and keep up the offensive when bad weather in Britain grounded the Eighth Air Force. When the Allies progressed into Italy the Fifteenth were able to reach targets in South France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Balkans which were out of the range of the Eighth Air Force.

During the Second World War the Fifteen heavy bomber groups of the 15th Air Force lost 2,110 Bombers on operations. Its seven Fighter Groups claimed 1,836 enemy aircraft destroyed.

The Fifteenth was inactivated in Italy on 15 September 1945.

Commanding Officers

James Harold Doolittle

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: Headquarters (Eighth Air Force) Fifteenth Air Force
Service Numbers: O-271855
Highest Rank: General
Role/Job: Commanding General

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Unit stations

Station	Location	Date
Established	Lycée Carnot de Tunis	1 November 1943
Based	Bari	3 December 1943 - 15 September 1945

Previously was

XII Bomber Command

Unit Hierarchy: Command
Air Force: Twelfth Air Force
Type Category: Combat organisation

Encompassing

304th Bombardment Wing

Unit Hierarchy: Wing
Air Force: Fifteenth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

305th Bombardment Wing

Unit Hierarchy: Wing
Air Force: Fifteenth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

306th Fighter Wing

Unit Hierarchy: Wing
Air Force: Fifteenth Air Force
Type Category: Fighter

307th Bombardment Wing

Air Force: Fifteenth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

42nd Bomb Wing

Unit Hierarchy: Wing
Air Force: Twelfth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

People

George Stroman Aldrich

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: Fifteenth Air Force
Service Numbers: 19192279
Highest Rank: Corporal

Harold D Blue

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: Fifteenth Air Force
Service Numbers: 15341640
Highest Rank: Corporal

Leroy Elmer Cagle

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: Fifteenth Air Force
Service Numbers: 19159401 / O-786238
Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
Role/Job: Pilot

James Harold Doolittle

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: Headquarters (Eighth Air Force) Fifteenth Air Force
Service Numbers: O-271855
Highest Rank: General
Role/Job: Commanding General

Harold A Fahselt

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: Fifteenth Air Force
Service Numbers: 16190036
Highest Rank: Corporal
Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Aircraft

41-28965

Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
Nicknames: Vivienne
Unit: 513th Bomb Squadron 376th Bomb Group Fifteenth Air Force

42-107791

Aircraft Type: B-26 Marauder
Nicknames: Alabama Express
Unit: Fifteenth Air Force

42-4561

Aircraft Type: P-39 Airacobra
Unit: Fifteenth Air Force

44-6873

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
Unit: Fifteenth Air Force

Revisions

Date30 May 2022 14:59:08

ContributorEmily

ChangesChanges to person associations and aircraft associations

Sources

Regular removal of erroneous people and aircraft associations to record- individual people and aircraft were never directly assigned to the USAAF's Combat Air Forces.

Date26 May 2022 08:05:59

ContributorEmily

ChangesChanges to person associations and aircraft associations

Sources

Regular removal of erroneous people and aircraft associations to record- individual people and aircraft were never directly assigned to the USAAF's Combat Air Forces.

Date23 May 2022 11:31:59

ContributorEmily

ChangesChanges to aircraft associations

Sources

Regular removal of erroneous people and aircraft associations to record- individual people and aircraft were never directly assigned to the USAAF's Combat Air Forces.

Date20 May 2022 11:16:24

ContributorEmily

ChangesChanges to aircraft associations

Sources

Regular removal of erroneous people and aircraft associations made to record- individual people and aircraft were never directly assigned to the USAAF's Combat Air Forces.

Date3 Jun 2021 14:10:39

ContributorEmily

ChangesChanges to insignia, us air force combat units of world war ii description, aircraft types and stations

Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II

Date30 Oct 2018 14:58:11

ContributorEmily

ChangesChanges to type, description, unit encompassing associations and commanding officers associations

Sources

Air Force Combat Units of World War II

WIki

Date3 Oct 2018 16:09:52

Contributormbowen

ChangesChanges to type, air forces and aircraft types

Sources

[email protected]

Date27 Sep 2014 18:42:43

ContributorAAM

ChangesAAM ingest

Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia

Fifteenth Air Force: Gallery (324 items)

Personnel of the 1st Fighter Group (15th Air Force) with No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron. Kirton-in-Lindsey, July 1942. Letter enclosed with print: 'Ground level left to right: Earl Hille; Robert Williams (deceased, 1 enemy aircraft shot down); George Sutcliffe (1 E/A); Pole (B. Baran); Glenn Hubbard (center) CO 94th FS (1/2 E/A); Jan Zumbach, the CO of No. 303 Polish Squadron; Pole (Jerzy Palusi?ski); Pole (Zygmunt Wodecki); James Harmon (KIA, 1 E/A). 1st step: Donald Starbuck (1 E/A Deceased); Jack Kill

Object number: FRE 10024 -

A P-38 Lightning of the 1st Fighter Group, 15th Air Force landing in Sicilly, 1943.

Object number: FRE 10100 -

A crewman looks through the battle-damage holes in the tail of a 15th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress. Handwritten caption on reverse: '15AF.'

Object number: FRE 10132 -

97th Bomb Group B-17 Flying Fortresses, including (serial number 44-6181), drop their payloads on Lechfeld airdrome on the 12th of September 1944. Printed caption on reverse: '62004 AC - Bombs Away - Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th Air Force release their string of bombs on the airdrome at Lechfeld, Germany, 12 Sept. 1944. U.S. Air Force Photo.' On reverse: Substandard Original Material and US Air Force 1361st Photographic Squadron AAVS (MAC) Photo [Stamps].

Object number: FRE 10140 -

B-17 Flying Fortresses including (serial number 44-6700) of the 463rd Bomb Group, 15th Air Force in flight during a raid over Regensburg, 7 February 1945. Handwritten caption on reverse: '46700, 774BS, 463BG.' Printed caption on reverse: '60362 USAF - Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" of the 15th Air Force head for the oil refineries at Regensburg, Germany, on 7 February 1945. Fortresses of the 15th AF, partially responsible for reducing Ploesti's oil 80% before the Rumanian city capitulated to the Russians

Object number: FRE 10143 -

A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-29473) nicknamed "Yankee Doodle" of the 347th Bomb Squadron, 99th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force during a mission over Turin. Official caption on image: "26599 A.C." Handwritten caption on reverse: '15th AF, 99th BG, 347th BS.' Printed caption on reverse: '26599 AC - A picturesque coastline in the Mediterranean forms a backdrop for a USAAF Flying Fortress on its way to bomb the vital Turin, Italy ball bearing plane on Nov. 8. This plane is one of a large formation whic

Object number: FRE 10144 -

15th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses on their way home after attacking the Turin ball bearing plants on the 24th of July 1944. Handwritten caption on reverse: '42-97914 : 301BG.' Printed caption on reverse: '53327 AC - Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th Air Force based in Italy glitter in the sun as they wing their way homeward after attacking the Turin, Orbassana ball bearing works, Italy, on the 24th of July 1944. Target was well covered with bomb bursts. U.S. Air Force Photo.' On reverse: US Ai

Object number: FRE 10145 -

Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force cleans a P-51 Mustang. Printed caption on reverse is damage: 'BIPPA, EA 35888. U.S. Mustang Flyers At Italian Base. Staff Sergeant William Accoo of Salen[sic], New Jersey, crew chief in a Negro group of the 15th U.S. Air Force, washes down the PP-51 Mustang fighter plane of his pilot with soap and water... to give it more speed. Mediterranean... Forces Photo PRO-HQ-44-2384. Serviced... London OWI (Inner... Certified... Passed by SHAEF Censor....' Printed

Object number: FRE 10250 -

Colonel Herschel H. Green, of the 317th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Group, 306th Fighter Wing, 15th Air Force stands by the cockpit of his P-51B Mustang. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'P-51B, Col. H.H. Green. J.C.'

Object number: FRE 10312 -

From inside the cockpit of a 530th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, 15th Air Force P-51 Mustang at the top of a line of 530th Fighter Squadron P-51 Mustangs readying to go on another escort mission. The P-51 Mustang nearest the camera is nicknamed "Allene" (serial number 42-103901). Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Ready for escort mission.'

Object number: FRE 10313 -

A ground crewman of the 332nd Fighter Group, 15th Air Force on the tail of a P-51 Mustang.

Object number: FRE 10837 -

A B-24 Liberator of the 464th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force drops a bomb on its target below. Handwritten caption on reverse: '464BG, 15AF. Bomb falls from a 55 BW, 15th AF, B-24. Tail markings black and yellow. last resort' Second handwritten caption on reverse: '100th BG 8th Air Force.' Refers to Square D.

Object number: FRE 4110 -