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Devoted to the 15th Air Force Headquarters-Bari, Italy in WWII
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For Chronical History of the 15th AF Heavy Bombardment Groups...(..CLICK HERE..)
For-15th Air Force Organization Chart---(..CLICK HERE..) |
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15th Air Force Headquarters Bari, Italy
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Maj. Gen. Nate Twinning and 15th AF Wing Commanders
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COMMAND PILOT WINGS
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The Fifteenth Air Force in the 18 months of existence, operating principally from the complex of airfields in southern Italy, destroyed all gasoline production within its range in southern Europe; knocked out all the major aircraft factories in its sphere; and destroyed 6,282 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground. |
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Bombing Range
of B-24's from PANTANELLA AIRFIELD ITALY |
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| The 15th crippled the enemy's transportation system over half of once-occupied Europe with repeated fighter and bomber attacks. On occasion it helped disperse enemy counter attacks and spearheaded the advances of our own armies. The 15th dropped 303,842 tons of bombs on enemy targets in 12 countries of Europe, including military installations in eight capital cities. Its combat personnel made 148,955 heavy bomber sorties and 87,732 fighter sorties against the enemy. It lost 3,364 aircraft and 21,671 personnel killed, wounded, missing and taken prisoner -- 20,430 bomber crewmen and 1,187 fighter pilots. |
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P-51 Provides Escort for B-24's
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483rd Bomb Group B-17 Unleashes her Load
USAF Photo |
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| Gen Atchinson and Gen Twinning w/aides at the 465th to present the "Presidential Citation" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The 15th fought four broad campaigns: against enemy oil, enemy air force, enemy communications, and enemy ground forces. Most vital of the 15th's oil targets was the Ploesti complex of refineries, which contributed about 30% of the entire Axis oil supply and an equal amount of gasoline. Ploesti was protected by 150 first class fighters and 250 heavy flak guns when the 15th, with the cooperation of the RAF 205th Group of night bombers, began a series of attacks against it on April 5. The campaign continued until Aupust 19. 15th and RAF bombers flew 5287 sorties, dropping 12,870 tons of bombs. The cost was 237 heavies (15 of them RAF), 10 P-38 dive bombers and 39 escorting fighters. More than 2,200 American Airmen were lost. But results were good. At the end of the campaign the refineries were reduced to only 10% of their normal rate of activity and during the entire period from April to August the average production rate was reduced by 60%. The 15th followed up the Ploesti attacks by dropping 10,000 tons of bombs in attacks on three synthetic oil plants in Silesia and one in Poland, reducing their combined production by February of 1945 to 20% of what it was in June of 1944. By devastating attacks on Weiner Neustadt and Regenshurg, two of the three main enemy fighter manufacturing complexes, the 15th helped materially in the attainment of European air supremacy. By May 1944, estimated actual production stood at 250 aircraft a month within range of the 15th against a contemplated production of 650 aircraft per month. Throught the counter-air force and oil campaigns, the 15th was also attacking enemy communications and transportation systems far behind the front lines, disrupting supply movements from industrial centers over an 8OO mile radius from the ItaIian airfields. The 15th also supplied Allied Army cooperation bombing targets at Salerno, Anzio, and Cassino in the Rome campaign. On April 15, 1945 the 15th put up a record smashing 93% of its available aircraft to soften up the approaches to Bologna in one of the final missions of the Italian campaign. A unique sidelight of the 15th's operations has been the rescue and repatriation of air crews shot down in enemy territory. No other air force has undertaken escape operations in so many countries. The 15th has returned 5650 personnel by air, surface vessel and on foot through enemy lines. In more than 300 planned "reunion" operations, men have been brought back safely from Tunisia, Italy, France,Switzerland, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria and Germany. From USAF Archives |
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781st.Sqd Commander Lt.Col. Clarence Jack Lokker Lead Plane
on Mission to Blechhammer shot down 20/Nov/44 |
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Lt.Prince-781st BS Flying "Clusters Folly"
Shot down 5-30-44 |
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| Fifteenth Air Force 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. 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. 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.) |
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One More Mission Completed!
This from the Oil Refineries of Ploesti. |
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