|
Twentieth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force in Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base Wyoming. It is an intermediate echelon responsible primarily for Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) operations. Air Force Space Command emblem Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) is a major command of the United States Air Force with headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, USA. It was created on September 1, 1982. ...
This active military base is home of the 90th Space Wing, and Twentieth Air Force. ...
The Twentieth Air Force commander is also the Commander, Task Force 214 (TF 214), which provides alert ICBMs to the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of nine US unified commands of the United States Department of Defense which controls the nuclear weapons assets of the United States military. ...
History
World War II operations During World War II, it was headquartered in the United States, under command of General Henry H. (Hap) Arnold, with direction from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, its B-29 components operated in the China-Burma-India theatre and Pacific theater of operations, carrying the air war to the Japanese. Operations climaxed with atomic attacks on Japan in August 1945. Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 - January 15, 1950), often referred to by the nickname Hap, was an American pilot, commander of the US Army Air Corps from 1938, commander of the US Army Air Forces from 1941 until 1945 and the first General of the Air Force in 1949. ...
Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States of America symbol The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC) is a panel comprising the highest-ranking members of each major branch of the armed services in any particular country. ...
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Boeing Model 341/345) was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the United States Army Air Force. ...
China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the name used by the United States Army for its forces in China, Burma, India during World War II. Well-known US units in this theater included the Flying Tigers, transport and bomber units flying the Hump, the engineers who built Ledo Road, and...
The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) is the term used in the United States for all military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, during World War II. Pacific War is a more common name, around the world, for the broader conflict between the Allies and Japan...
Aerial warfare is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of warfare. ...
The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ...
1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Initially under the command of Hap Arnold, and later Curtis LeMay, In March 1945, the Twentieth Air Force was placed under the U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific which was commanded by General Carl Spaatz. Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 - January 15, 1950), often referred to by the nickname Hap, was an American pilot, commander of the US Army Air Corps from 1938, commander of the US Army Air Forces from 1941 until 1945 and the first General of the Air Force in 1949. ...
General Curtis Emerson LeMay. ...
Carl Tooey Spaatz (June 28, 1891 – July 14, 1974) was an American general in World War II. Carl Andrew Spatz (Spaatz added the second a in 1937 at the request of his wife and daughters to clarify the pronunciation of the name) was born on June 28, 1891, in Boyertown...
Initially the attack was made via China as that was the only allied held territory in within the flying range of Japan. The arrangements made with the Chinese national forces under the command of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek to construct airbases in China and supply a strategic air arm was codenamed Operation Matterhorn. It was organized by XX Bomber Command operating out of India. All supplies for the operation had to be flown over the Hump from India into China as sections of the Burma Road were under Japanese control. This was never a satisfactory arrangement because not only were the Chinese Airbases difficult to supply, B29s operating from them could only reach Japan if they substituted some of the bomb load for extra fuel tanks in the bomb-bays. Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887 – April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925. ...
Operation Matterhorn was organised by U.S. XX Bomber Command during World War II to place USAAF B29 Bombers in China for use against Japan. ...
The XX Bomber Command of the USAAF was established in November 1943 to oversee B_29 Superfortress training in the US. The XX, an operational unit under the Twentieth Air Force was then moved to India. ...
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew from India to China to resupply the Flying Tigers and the Chinese Government of Chiang Kai-shek. ...
The Burma Road is a road linking Burma (now Myanmar) and China. ...
When Admiral Chester Nimitz's island-hopping campaign towards Japan, captured islands close enough to Japan to be within the range of B29s, XXI Bomber Command organized a much more effective bombing campaign of the Japanese home islands. Based in the Marianas (Guam and Tinian in particular) during World War II. They were assigned the responsibility of destroying Japan's industry. Because of the long ranges involved, the Twentieth air force was equipped with B-29's, the longest range bomber in the world at the time. Chester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was the Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces for the United States and Allied forces during World War II. He was the nations leading authority on submarines, as well as Chief of the Navys Bureau of Navigation...
Island hopping refers to crossing an ocean by a series of shorter journeys between islands, as opposed to a single journey directly across the ocean to the destination. ...
Mariana Islands (sometimes called The Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called the Ladrone Islands) are a group of islands made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the Pacific Ocean. ...
Saipan, Tinian & Aguiguan (Click to enlarge) Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. ...
Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest...
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Boeing Model 341/345) was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the United States Army Air Force. ...
The damage done by the Twentieth air force was devastating to Japan's industry, and severely crippled its ability to fight. It was they who firebombed Tokyo on the night of March 9 - March 10, 1945, as well as dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The U.S. bombing of Tokyo during World War II took place between 1942 and 1945. ...
March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ...
March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ...
1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Main keep of Hiroshima Castle The city of Hiroshima (広島市; -shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japans islands. ...
Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki ▶(?) (長崎市; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture. ...
The flight route from Marianas to Japan took bombers within radar and fighter range of Iwo Jima. The loss of Iwo Jima deprived the Japanese of an important strategic point for their defense against the Twentieth Air Force. The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought between the United States and Imperial Japan during February and March of 1945, during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. As a result of the battle, the United States gained control of the island of Iwo Jima, and the airfields located there. ...
Commands During World War II The XX Bomber Command of the USAAF was established in November 1943 to oversee B_29 Superfortress training in the US. The XX, an operational unit under the Twentieth Air Force was then moved to India. ...
Post World War II history Following the war, Twentieth Air Force remained in the Pacific and served in combat for a short time during the Korean war. Later it was involved primarily in air defense of the Ryukyu Islands until inactivation in March 1955. Since 1991, the Twentieth Air Force has controlled the inter-continental ballistic missile force. 500 Minuteman III missiles remain on alert today. The current commander is Brigadier General Thomas F. Deppe. The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aviation branch of the United States armed forces. ...
For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ...
The Korean War, from June 25, 1950 to cease-fire on July 27, 1953 (technically speaking, the war has not yet ended), was a conflict between North Korea and South Korea. ...
Location of Ryukyu Islands Flag of same The Ryukyu Islands or Nansei Islands (å—西諸島 Nansei-shotÅ, which translates literally as southwest islands), are an island chain stretching southwestward from the island of Kyushu in Japan. ...
1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Polish missile wz. ...
The LGM-30 Minuteman is a United States nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). ...
Organization Constituent units of the Twentieth Air Force are as follows: The 90th Space Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force which is responsible for operating intercontinental ballistic missiles as part of the nuclear deterrant force of the United States. ...
Crest of the 91st Space Wing In the United States Air Force, the 91st Space Wing (91 SW) is a Minuteman III unit based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. ...
Facilities Facilities utilized by the Twentieth Air Force include the following: Francis E. Warren Air Force Base (IATA: FEW, ICAO: KFEW) is a base of the United States Air Force. ...
State nickname: Equality State Official languages English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) Senators Craig Thomas (R) Mike Enzi (R) Area - Total - % water Ranked 10th 253,554 km² 0. ...
Malmstrom AFB is a United States Air Force base located in Cascade County, Montana, USA, treated for statistical purposes by the United States Census Bureau as a census-designated place. ...
State nickname: Treasure State Official languages English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Governor Brian Schweitzer (D) Senators Max Baucus (D) Conrad Burns (R) Area - Total - % water Ranked 4th 381,156 km² 1 Population - Total (2000) - Density Ranked 44th 902,195 2. ...
...
Minot today, seen from North Hill For other things named Minot see Minot (disambiguation). ...
See also US landings in the Pacific, 1942–1945 The Pacific War occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in Asia. ...
The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ...
United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) is one of nine US unified commands of the United States Department of Defense which controls the nuclear weapons assets of the United States military. ...
External links - 20 AF website
- Operation Matterhorn
- Operation Matterhorn
- http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/WCP/ChapterXIII.htm#p252
- http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/wwii/WCP/enchApxB4.html
|
Feeds |
Contact