Tenth Air Force

Tenth Air Force
Unit name	Tenth Air Force
Dates	1942–1944; 1958–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Numbered Air Force
Command structure	Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison	Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Battles	World War II

Tenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force currently assigned to Air Force Reserve Command. It was originally activated during World War II to conduct operations in the China Burma India Theater. After a period of inactivation, it was reactivated in the late 1950s and has since served in various roles, primarily within the Air Force Reserve.

History

The unit was activated on 12 February 1942 at Patterson Field in Ohio under the command of Major General Lewis H. Brereton. Its initial mission was to organize and command United States Army Air Forces units in the China Burma India Theater, a vast and logistically challenging area of operations. Throughout the war, it played a crucial role in supporting Allied forces, most notably by providing air support for the British Fourteenth Army during the pivotal Battle of Imphal and the Battle of Kohima. Its operations also included the vital "Hump" airlift over the Himalayas, which supplied Chiang Kai-shek's National Revolutionary Army and the American Volunteer Group. The unit was inactivated in India on 6 January 1944, with its personnel and equipment transferring to the newly formed United States Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater. It was reactivated on 24 June 1958 at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in Missouri as part of the Air Force Reserve.

Lineage

* Constituted as Tenth Air Force on 4 February 1942. * Activated on 12 February 1942. * Inactivated on 6 January 1944. * Activated in the Reserve on 24 June 1958. * Redesignated Tenth Air Force (Reserve) on 1 July 1968. * Redesignated Tenth Air Force on 1 December 1985.

Assignments

* Air Force Combat Command, 12 February 1942 * United States Army Forces, China, Burma and India, 3 March 1942 * Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, 21 August 1943 – 6 January 1944 * Central Air Defense Force, 24 June 1958 * Fourteenth Air Force, 1 September 1960 * Air Force Reserve, 1 July 1968 * Air Force Reserve Command, 17 February 1997 – present

Stations

* Patterson Field, Ohio, 12 February 1942 * New Delhi, India, 5 March 1942 * Barrackpore, India, 15 October 1942 * New Delhi, India, 15 August 1943 – 6 January 1944 * Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri, 24 June 1958 * Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, 25 September 1968 * Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, 1 October 1994 – present

Aircraft

During its World War II service, the unit operated a variety of aircraft suited to the demanding theater. These included fighters like the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, medium bombers such as the North American B-25 Mitchell, and transport aircraft like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain and Curtiss C-46 Commando for the "Hump" airlift. In its later Reserve capacity, it has commanded units flying numerous aircraft, including the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, and the Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS.

Commanders

* Maj Gen Lewis H. Brereton, 12 February 1942 * Brig Gen Earl L. Naiden, 26 June 1942 * Maj Gen Clayton L. Bissell, 18 August 1942 – 6 January 1944 * Col John H. Foster, 24 June 1958 * Brig Gen Robert F. Coverdale, 11 July 1959 * Maj Gen Henry B. Stelling, 1 September 1960 * (Subsequent commanders have included numerous major generals leading the Reserve organization from its headquarters in Texas.)

Category:Numbered Air Forces of the United States Air Force