The XIII Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force, based at Manila, Luzon, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 March 1946.
| XIII Fighter Command | |
|---|---|
 Command P-47 Thunderbolt[note 1] | |
| Active | 1943–1946 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Command of fighter units |
| Engagements | Southwest Pacific Theater China-Burma-India Theater[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Brig Gen Dean C. Strother[1] |
History
editXIII Fighter Command was a World War II command and control organization for Thirteenth Air Force. Its mission was to provide command and control authority of Army Air Force fighter organizations within the Thirteenth Air Force Area of Responsibility.
It participated in the following campaigns: China Defensive; Guadal¬canal; New Guinea; Northern Solomons; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines; China Offensive.
Lineage
edit- Constituted as the XIII Fighter Command on 14 December 1942
- Activated on 13 January 1943
- Inactivated on 15 March 1946
- Disbanded on 8 October 1948[1]
Assignments
edit- Thirteenth Air Force, 13 January 1943 – 15 March 1946[2]
Stations
edit- Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, New Caledonia, Melanesia, 13 January 1943
- Pekoa Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 22 January 1943
- Carney Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, December 1943
- Sansapor (March) Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 15 August 1944
- Bayug Airfield, Burauen, Leyte, Philippines, 10 January 1945
- Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, 1 March 1945
- Manila, Luzon, Philippines, November 1945 – 15 March 1946[1]
Components
edit- Groups
- 18th Fighter Group, 14 April 1943 – 15 March 1946[3]
- 42nd Bombardment Group, attached 1 October 1944 – 8 January 1945, c. 22 March – c. September 1945[4]
- 347th Fighter Group: 13 January 1943 – 1 January 1946 (attached to I Island Command 1 July – c. 29 December 1943)[5]
- 414th Fighter Group: 1 January–30 September 1946[6]
- Squadrons
- 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron: 10 December 1945 – 1 February 1946[7]
- 419th Night Fighter Squadron: 25 August 1944 – 10 January 1946[8]
- 550th Night Fighter Squadron: 12 December 1944 – 15 December 1945 (attached to XIII Bomber Command 14 February 1945, 85th Fighter Wing 7 April – c. 17 June 1945)[9]
See also
editReferences
editNotes
edit- Explanatory notes
- ^ Aircraft is Republic P-47N-5-RE Thunderbolt, serial 44-88572 of the 413th Fighter Squadron.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d Maurer, Combat Units, p. 451
- ^ Kane, Robert B. (21 October 2011). "Thirteenth Air Force (Air Forces Pacific) (PACAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ Robertson, Patsy (27 June 2017). "Factsheet 18 Operations Group (PACAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ Haulman, Daniel (13 June 2018). "Factsheet 42 Air Base Wing (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ^ Robertson, Patsy (12 July 2017). "Factsheet 347 Rescue Group (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Robertson, Patsy (9 August 2017). "Factsheet 414 Fighter Group (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 93-94
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 515
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 654-655
Bibliography
edit
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- 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.