15th Air Force, USAAF

Constituted as Fifteenth AF on 30 Oct 1943. Activated in the Mediterranean theater on 1 Nov 1943. Began operations on 2 Nov and engaged primarily in strategic bombardment of targets in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, and the Balkans until the end of the war. Inactivated in Italy on 15 Sep 1945. Activated in the US on 31 Mar 1946. Assigned to Strategic Air Command.

Wings

5th Bombardment: 1943-1945.
42d Bombardment: 1943.
47th Bombardment: 1944-1945.
49th Bombardment: 1944-1945.
55th Bombardment: 1944-1945.
304th Bombardment: 1943-1945.
305th Bombardment: 1943-1945.
306th Fighter: 1944-1945.
307th Bombardment: 1944.

Stations

Tunis, Tunisia, 1 Nov 1943
Bari, Italy, 1 Dec 1943-15 Sep 1945
Colorado Springs, Colo, 31 Mar 1946
March AFB, Calif, 7 Nov 1949-.

Commanders

Maj Gen James H Doolittle, 1 Nov 1943
Maj Gen Nathan F Twining, 3 Jan 1944
Brig Gen James A Mollison, 26 May 1945
Brig Gen William L Lee, 3 Aug 1945
Col Elmer J Rogers Jr, 31 Aug-15 Sep 1945
Maj Gen Charles F Born, 31 Mar 1946
Brig Gen Leon W Johnson, 24 Apr 1947
Maj Gen Emmett O’Donnell Jr, 6 Oct 1948
Maj Gen Walter C Sweeney Jr, 20 Apr 1953
Maj Gen Archie J Old Jr, c. 20 Aug 1955

Campaigns

Air Combat, EAME Theater
Air Offensive, Europe
Naples-Foggia
Anzio
Rome-Arno
Normandy
Northern France
Southern France
North Apennines
Rhineland
Central Europe
Po Valley.

Decorations. None

Insigne. On a blue disc a white star charged with a red disc in the center and with golden orange stylized wings below a golden orange Arabic numeral “15”, all within a golden orange annulet. (Approved 19 Feb 1944.)