Одиннадцатая воздушная армия

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Одиннадцатая воздушная армия
Щит одиннадцатой авиации
Активный	9 августа 1990 г. - настоящее время (в качестве одиннадцатых ВВС) 18 декабря 1945 г. - 9 августа 1990 г. (в составе ВВС Аляски) 18 сентября 1942 г. - 18 декабря 1945 г. (в качестве одиннадцатых ВВС) 5 февраля 1942 г. - 18 сентября 1942 г. (в составе 11 ВВС) 28 декабря 1941 г. - 5 февраля 1942 г. (в качестве военно-воздушных сил Аляски) (79 лет, 4 месяца) [1]
Страна	Соединенные Штаты Америки
Ветка	ВВС США (18 сентября 1947 г. - настоящее время) Армия США ( ВВС США , 28 декабря 1941 г. - 18 сентября 1947 г.)
Тип	Номерной ВВС
Роль	Обеспечение боеготовыми военно-воздушными силами Тихоокеанского командования США и командования на Аляске , а также выполнение функций авиационного компонента для командования Аляски и региона NORAD на Аляске [2]
Часть	Тихоокеанские ВВС Северное командование США [3] Аляскинское командование Аляскинский регион НОРАД
Штаб-квартира	База ВВС Эльмендорф , Объединенная база Элмендорф – Ричардсон , Аляска, США [4]
Помолвки	Вторая мировая война - Азиатско-Тихоокеанский театр [5] Алеутские острова
Украшения	Премия за безупречную организацию ВВС Премия за выдающееся подразделение ВВС
Командиры
Текущий командир	Генерал-лейтенант Дэвид А. Крумм [7]
Старший рядовой лидер	Главный старший сержант Дэвид Р. Вулф [6]

ВВС Одиннадцатый ( 11 AF ) представляет собой пронумерованные ВВС из ВВС США Тихоокеанского военно - воздушных сил (PACAF). Штаб-квартира находится на совместной базе Элмендорф-Ричардсон , Аляска. ^{[примечание 1]}

11 AF планирует, проводит, контролирует и координирует воздушные операции в соответствии с задачами, поставленными командующим Тихоокеанских ВВС , и является поставщиком сил для командования Аляски, Североамериканского командования воздушно-космической обороны Аляски и других объединенных командующих. Командующий Одиннадцатыми воздушными силами также выполняет функции командующего Аляскинского командования и командующего Североамериканским районом командования воздушно-космической обороны Аляски . Миссия NORAD выполняется в основном через Региональный центр поддержки PACAF (PRSC), 611-й Центр воздушно-космических операций и подразделения Национальной гвардии ВВС Аляски.(АК АНГ). Вместе они осуществляют воздушное наблюдение, а также силы командования и управления, которые обеспечивают тактическое предупреждение и оценку атак при защите Аляски.

Создан 28 декабря 1941 года как ВВС Аляски на Эльмендорф-Филд , территория Аляски . Первоначально он был частью ВВС США . Он обеспечивал противовоздушную оборону Аляски во время Второй мировой войны и участвовал в кампании Алеутских островов . В конце 1945 года оно было переименовано в Воздушное командование Аляски и стало отвечать за противовоздушную оборону Аляски. С распадом Советского Союза он был передан под контроль PACAF в 1990 году и понижен до статуса пронумерованных ВВС .

История [ править ]

Военные самолеты начали летать на Аляске в 1920 году, когда эскадрилья Black Wolf , или The Alaska Flying Expedition , совершила рейс из Нью-Йорка в Ном . Капитан Сент-Клер Стритт командовал 7 людьми на 4 DH-4, когда они взлетали с Митчел Филд 17 июля 1920 года. У каждого самолета был нарисован черный профиль головы Волка по бокам. Организатор поездки Билли Митчеллхотел открыть воздушное сообщение с Аляской и Азией. Маршрут туда и обратно длиной 9349 миль включал перелет на запад в Северную Дакоту, затем на север через Саскачеван, Альберту, Британскую Колумбию, Юкон и далее в Фэрбенкс 19 августа и, наконец, в Ном 23 августа. Они начали обратный рейс 31-го числа, приземлившись на Митчел-Филд 20 октября 1920 г. после 112 часов налета. ^[8]

В 1924 году армия совершила кругосветный полет на «Мировом крейсере» Дугласа также через Аляску. Тем не менее, первые военные самолеты постоянного базирования начали отправляться на Аляску во второй половине 1940 года после начала Второй мировой войны в Европе и обострения напряженности в отношениях с Японией. Для координации действий авиации 29 мая 1941 года Командование обороны Аляски создало Воздушно-полевые силы - Командование обороны Аляски .

Истоки [ править ]

В начале 1940 года вопрос противовоздушной обороны территории Аляски оказался в центре внимания, когда президент Рузвельт указал в своем послании Конгрессу на просьбу выделить средства на укрепление островов Гуам и Уэйк.и другие стратегические точки в Тихом океане, где нужны были аэродромы на Аляске. Первоначальный запрос на выделение 12 000 000 долларов на строительство оборонительных сооружений на Аляске был сокращен до 600 000 долларов, но все же был достаточным для начала строительства авиабазы ​​в Анкоридже, Аляска. Так было начато строительство Элмендорф-Филд, основной базы четвертого эшелона для всех будущих операций Одиннадцатых ВВС. Строительство аэродрома началось 8 июня, когда 25 нанятых на месте мужчин начали расчистку кустов, армия намеревалась сделать его постоянным аэродромом.

Первые «войска» передового эшелона ВВС Аляски, прибывшие на Аляску, включали шестилетний Martin B-10 12 августа 1940 года. 12 декабря армия обозначила базу Форт Ричардсон и летное поле Элмендорф Филд . Пост был назван в честь бригадного генерала Уайлдса П. Ричардсона, бывшего главы Дорожной комиссии Аляски; Аэродром и летные сооружения были названы Элмендорф-Филд в честь капитана Хью М. Элмендорфа, погибшего в 1933 году во время летных испытаний экспериментального истребителя недалеко от Райт-Филд , штат Огайо.

Первым подразделением авиакорпуса, которое было направлено на Аляску, была 18-я эскадрилья преследования , переброшенная в Эльмендорф с армейского аэродрома Гамильтон , Калифорния, 21 февраля 1941 года с Curtiss P-40 Warhawks . Вскоре после этого 23-я авиабаза была назначена для обеспечения поддержки базы. Тридцать шестой Бомбардировка эскадрилья прибыла менее чем через месяц от Лоури Филд , штат Колорадо, оснащенный Douglas B-18 Боло средних бомбардировщиков.

Серьезной проблемой было обучение персонала и подготовка оборудования к работе в холодном климате Аляски. Механические вещи показали необычное поведение при 40 градусах ниже нуля. Нефть стала почти твердой, металл и резина - хрупкими и легко ломались. В то же время пилоты, прошедшие обучение в Техасе, должны были научиться летать в стране, где внезапные туманы могли закрыть аэропорты менее чем за 10 минут, а высокоскоростные «волки» могли оторвать крылья от боевых самолетов.

Первые месяцы работы нового командования были потрачены на разведку рубежа оборонительных баз. Ступица этого оборонительного «колеса» должна была находиться на Эльмендорф-Филд близ Анкориджа. Тем временем планы по созданию баз продвигались медленно. Некоторые запланированные поля должны были быть построены летом, потому что из-за суровых зимних морозов на Аляске строительство было невозможно, но оборудование для строительства полей к северу от Нома и вокруг Анкориджа не доставили, и строительство было отложено до следующего лета. Строительство было завершено, однако, на двух важных прибрежных областях на юго - востоке Аляски, Аннет армии Аэродром на острове Аннетт и Yakutat армии Аэродром в Якутате, и открыт первый прямой всепогодный авиамаршрут на Аляску из Сиэтла .

В октябре 1941 года произошла чрезвычайно удачная авария, которая, возможно, изменила весь ход Второй мировой войны на Аляске. Оборудование для строительства аэродрома CAA-DLA (Управление гражданской авиации - Защита земель) в МакГрате на материке прибыло слишком поздно, чтобы начать строительство поля, поскольку земля уже замерзла, и генерал Бакнер запросил и получил разрешение на переброску оборудования и людей в Колд-Бэй на Аляскинском полуострове и мыс Оттер на острове Умнак для строительства двух аэродромов для защиты военно- морской базы в Датч-Харбор. Чтобы скрыть свое предназначение, оба поля были организованы как мнимые коммерческие предприятия, занимающиеся рыболовством и консервированием. Два имени на обложке были: «Блэр Пакинг Компани» и «Сакстон и Компания», чье своеобразное консервное оборудование состояло из бульдозеров, экскаваторов и аналогичного строительного оборудования. Главной холдинговой компанией этих предприятий была «Консолидейтед пакинг компани» Анкориджа, известная в военных кругах как Командование обороны Аляски. Безопасность была полной. Японская разведка так и не узнала о существовании этих аэродромов, и японские тактические решения были основаны на предположении, что их атаке на Датч-Харбор не будет противостоять авиация наземного базирования.

Всю зиму 1941–1942 годов люди работали на строительстве этих двух авиабаз, и к весне были построены две взлетно-посадочные полосы высотой 5 000 футов, одна в Колд-Бэй ( армейский аэродром Форт-Рэндалл ), а другая в Оттер-Пойнт на Умнаке. ( Аэродром Форт-Гленн ). Еще одним важным фактором при строительстве месторождения Умнак было использование перфорированных стальных матов . Никакая другая среда не могла быть использована для строительства этой взлетно-посадочной полосы за необходимое время, поскольку в Умнаке нет природного строительного материала. Циновка была уложена поверх градуированной трещины в тундре и послужила образцом для строительства будущих взлетно-посадочных полос Алеутских островов.

С административной точки зрения, 11-я воздушная армия тоже родилась той зимой 1941–1942 годов. Первоначально он был задуман как Военно-воздушные силы, Командование обороны Аляски , а 15 января 1942 года оно превратилось в единое целое как Военно-воздушные силы Аляски , а 5 февраля было переименовано в Одиннадцатые воздушные силы. В мае 1942 года полевой штаб был создан на армейском аэродроме Форт-Морроу , Порт-Хайден, Аляска , а самолеты 73-й бомбардировочной эскадрильи были развернуты на армейском аэродроме Форт-Рэндалл в Колд-Бэй и 21-й бомбардировочной эскадрильи на армейском аэродроме Форт-Гленн, Умнак.

Лэдд Филд возле Фэрбенкса стал второстепенной крупной авиабазой на Аляске. Он был назван в честь майора Артура К. Лэдда, погибшего в авиакатастрофе около Дейла, Южная Каролина, 13 декабря 1935 года. В отличие от Элмендорфа, Лэдд-Филд перешел под юрисдикцию Командования переправы , которое было частью программы ленд-лиза . По ленд-лизу Соединенные Штаты передали Советскому Союзу почти 8000 самолетов через Лэдд-Филд во время Второй мировой войны. Самолет был доставлен в Лэдд с аэродрома Грейт-Фоллс , штат Монтана, американскими гражданскими экипажами; Затем советские экипажи направили самолеты на запад через Ном ( Маркс-Филд ) в Сибирь.. Пилоты, покинувшие Грейт-Фоллс, летели по маршруту небольших аэродромов, который стал известен как Северо-западный промежуточный маршрут . Один из таких аэродромов, армейский аэродром Биг Дельта , к юго-востоку от Фэрбенкса, стал Форт-Грили.

Алеутская кампания 1942 г. [ править ]

В середине 1942 года Императорский флот Японии разработал план нападения на Аляску в сочетании с атакой на остров Мидуэй в центральной части Тихого океана. Атаки японского Северного флота на Датч-Харбор и остров Адак привели к кампании на Алеутских островах . Но поскольку военно-морская разведка США нарушила шифровальный код японского военно-морского флота, адмирал Нимиц, главнокомандующий Тихоокеанскими районами на Гавайях, узнал о японских планах к 21 мая 1942 года. По состоянию на 1 июня 1942 года военная сила Соединенных Штатов на Аляске оставалась неизменной. в 45 000 человек. В тот день XI командование перехватчиков, активированное ранее, в марте, было переименовано в истребительное командование XI.. Однако оперативная численность 11-й воздушной армии была небольшой. Он состоял из 10 тяжелых бомбардировщиков B-17 Flying Fortress и 34 средних бомбардировщиков B-18 Bolo на аэродроме Эльмендорф и 95 истребителей P-40 Warhawk, разделенных между AAF Fort Randall в Холодной бухте и AAF Fort Glenn на Умнаке.

Когда стали известны первые подозрения о возможном нападении Японии на Алеутские острова, одиннадцатым военно-воздушным силам было приказано отправить разведывательные самолеты, чтобы определить местонахождение японского флота, направлявшегося в сторону Датч-Харбор, и атаковать его бомбардировщиками, сосредоточив внимание на потоплении двух авианосцев Хосогая. . Как только вражеские самолеты будут устранены, оперативная группа 8 ВМФ поразит вражеский флот и уничтожит его. Во второй половине дня 2 июня военно-морской патрульный самолет заметил приближающийся японский флот, сообщив, что он находится в 800 милях к юго-западу от Датч-Харбора. Одиннадцатая авиация была приведена в полную боевую готовность. Вскоре после этого установилась плохая погода, и в тот день флот больше не наблюдалось.

Атака на голландскую гавань [ править ]

Первая воздушная бомбардировка американского континента во время Второй мировой войны произошла 3 и 4 июня 1942 года, когда японцы совершили два налета на голландскую гавань в городе Уналаска на Аляске . В то время как первый причинил незначительный ущерб, второй разрушил резервуары для хранения нефти на базе, часть больницы и повредил выброшенное на берег казарменное судно. Хотя американские летчики наконец обнаружили японские авианосцы, попытки уничтожить их оказались безуспешными. Когда снова установилась плохая погода, все контакты с вражеским флотом были потеряны.

Всего в ходе японского налета погибло 43 американца, из которых 33 были солдатами. Еще 64 американца были ранены. Одиннадцать самолетов США были сбиты, а японцы потеряли десять самолетов. Во время двухдневного боя 8-я военно-морская оперативная группа оставалась к югу от острова Кадьяк, не принимая участия в боевых действиях. 5 июня он получил сообщение о вражеских военных кораблях в Беринговом море, направляющихся на юг к острову Уналаска, которое было истолковано как десант, намеревающийся захватить Датч-Харбор. В то время как оперативная группа 8 вошла в Берингово море, флот Хосогая двинулся на юг, чтобы присоединиться к Ямамото, который только что потерял свои четыре больших авианосца в битве за Мидуэй .

Возможная атака в Номе [ править ]

By mid-June the Joint Chiefs of Staff theorized that the attack on the Aleutian Islands and the occupation of its westernmost islands might be part of a holding action designed to screen a northward thrust by Japanese forces into Siberia's maritime provinces and the Kamchatka Peninsula. As a result of their concern about a possible Japanese attack upon the Soviet Union that might also include the occupation of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea and of nearby Nome and its adjacent airfields on the Alaskan mainland.

Supporting the possibility of an invasion of the Alaskan mainland were reports of a Japanese fleet operating in the Bering Sea. Three separate sightings placed an enemy fleet somewhere between the Pribilof and St. Lawrence Islands, suggesting that either an enemy raid on or an outright invasion of the Alaskan mainland was imminent, with Nome the likely objective. As a result, within thirty-six hours, Eleventh Air Force using commandeered civilian aircraft flew nearly 2,300 troops to Nome, along with artillery and antiaircraft guns and several tons of other equipment and supplies. Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers of the 404th Bombardment Squadron were sent to the Air Transport Command Marks Army Airfield with a mission to locate and attack the Japanese Fleet.

Not until late July when United States intelligence reported with some certainty the departure of Hosogaya's fleet from the Bering Sea did the threat of invasion of the Alaskan mainland decline, allowing for the redeployment of many of the troops hastily assembled at Nome.

United States response[edit]

On 30 August 1942, in the face of a howling gale, American Army troops went ashore on Adak Island, some 250 miles east of Kiska. Adak affords a good fleet anchorage, a sheltered harbor and as was revealed later, a superlative site for quick construction of an airfield. The 807th Army Aviation Engineering Battalion set to work constructing a dike and draining the tidal flat between Kuluk Bay and the Sweeper Cove areas to create an airfield. Only ten days later engineers built a runway, and on 10 September the first aircraft, a B-18, landed at "Longview Army Airfield". Three days later there were 15 B-24s, a B-17, 15 P-38s and 16 P-39s on the island. On 12 September, the first air attack from Adak, consisting of 12 B-24s, 14 P-38s and 14 P-39s, was launched under the command of Major John S. Chennault of the 343d Fighter Group. The attack was launched against Japanese positions on Kiska. The airfield on Adak was renamed "Davis Army Airfield" in honor of Colonel Everett S. Davis, the first Commander, Eleventh Air Force, killed in an aircraft accident on 28 November 1942.

Throughout the winter of 1942–1943, the Eleventh Air Force bombed Kiska and Attu whenever possible, although the flyers were extremely handicapped by the almost constant fog which covered the island. At the same time, the bases to the east of Adak were consolidated and built up. In October, the Field Headquarters of the Eleventh Air Force was closed at Kodiak and moved to Davis AAF.

On 11 January 1943, American Army troops went ashore on the unoccupied Amchitka Island, barely 75 statute miles from Kiska, and a month later, on 16 February, the first aircraft, a P-38 and a P-40, landed on Amchitka Army Airfield, a quickly-built airstrip. The first mission against Kiska was flown on 18 February.

By March, both medium and heavy bombers could make the short hop from Amchitka to Kiska and on good days, rare enough, crews flew as many as four and occasionally six sorties per day. It was said that the Japanese needed no air warning system on Kiska, because they could hear the Eleventh Air Force bombers warming up on Amchitka, and knew from the sound of the engines when the raids were taking off.

Throughout this period, the striking power of the Eleventh Air Force included only three squadrons of medium bombers, three squadrons of heavies and four squadrons of fighters. An additional squadron of P-39 Airacobras operated in the Aleutian theater for a short while, but their light landing gear was unsatisfactory for use on the rough fields and they were returned to the States.

Tactically, the Eleventh Air Force was operating under the jurisdiction of the Navy, since Alaska was still in the situation of a "fleet-opposed invasion". The air arm, designated Task Force "X", was commanded by General Butler, and included the Air Striking Group (Eleventh Air Force) and the Air Search Group (Naval Fleet Air Wing Four). Overall command was vested in Vice Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, Commander, North Pacific Force, abbreviated to ComNorPacFor or ComNorPac.

Recapture of Attu and Kiska[edit]

On 1 April, a plan to by-pass Kiska and capture Attu was presented to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was approved, and on 11 May, American troops went ashore on Attu. In a short and fierce battle, the Japanese garrison was wiped out, and on 29 May, the island was declared secure. The first plane, a hospital C-47, landed on a newly completed runway at Alexai Point Army Airfield, Attu, on 7 June. The operation against Attu also included the occupation of the Semichi Islands, an archipelago of three tiny bits of land some 35 miles east of Attu. The flattest of these, Shemya, was to be the site of the most important American air base for future operations. Barely four miles long and only two miles wide, Shemya Army Airfield became, literally, a stationary aircraft carrier. These islands were taken without opposition, on 29 May.

With Kiska cut off by the occupation of Attu, the Japanese made plans to evacuate the Aleutian Islands. Numerous sorties were made by the Japanese Fifth Fleet, based at Paramushiru, but finally on 28 July, under cover of a thick fog, destroyers were able to enter Kiska Harbor and remove all occupation troops. When American troops went ashore on 15 August, the island was deserted, ending the Aleutian Campaign.

Six million pounds of bombs had been dropped on Kiska and Attu in Eleventh Air Force operations. The Japanese had been prevented from building an air field and from bringing in reinforcements. 'Rufe' seaplane fighters were shot out of the air as soon as they came up to give combat. Air Force fighters and bombers had played an instrumental part in driving Japanese out of the Aleutian Islands. Illustrative of the challenges omnipresent in Alaska, only 35 aircraft were lost in combat compared to 150 operational accidents. It was the highest American combat-to-accidental loss ratio for any theater in World War II. Weather was the prime culprit. The Eleventh Air Force accounted for approximately 60 Japanese aircraft, one destroyer, one submarine and seven transport ships destroyed by air operations.

With the Aleutian Campaign completed, the Eleventh Air Force had the following units reassigned to other combat areas between 20 August and 1 September: the 21st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 36th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 73d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) and the 407th Bombardment Squadron (Dive Bomber).

Operations against Japan[edit]

More than a month before the unopposed landing on Kiska, the Eleventh Air Force began a new phase of operations against the Japanese. On 10 July 1943, six Eleventh Air Force B-25 Mitchells made the long flight to Paramushiru Island in the Kuriles and made the first direct attack on the Japanese home islands since the famous Doolittle raid in April 1942. From Alexai Point AAF on Attu, eight Mitchells of the 77th Bomb Squadron. (28th BG) struck Paramushiro bases principally. All returned safely.

A week later, B-24 Liberator heavy bombers from Attu bombed the Kuriles and secured pictures of the Japanese installations, the first pictures taken of northern Japan home-island defenses. The next Kurile raid, carried out on 11 August, was a diversionary raid prior to the landings on Kiska. On this mission, the first plane was lost over the Kuriles and Lieutenant James C. Pottenger and his crew made a forced landing in Russia.

These operations led to a joint mission on 11 September 1943, when Eleventh Air Force dispatched eight B-24 Liberators and 12 B-25s. However the Japanese were alert and reinforced their defenses. 74 crew members in three B-24s and seven B-25 failed to return. Twenty two men were killed in action, one taken prisoner and 51 interned in Kamchatka, Russia. It had proven that the Kurile Islands could be attacked, but new methods had to be devised as the raid lost Eleventh Air Force over half its offensive striking power. No more combat missions were flown in 1943.

Several changes took place following the occupation of Kiska. The Eleventh Air Force became a component of Task Force "Y", still under Navy jurisdiction. Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher was named ComNorPac and Major General Davenport Johnson relieved General Butler as commander of the Eleventh Air Force. One of General Johnson's first acts was the establishment of the Eleventh Air Force Instrument flying school and the promotion of an intensive training program in navigation and instrument flying, as well as the accelerated development of radio and navigation aids in the Aleutian Islands. Because of the tremendous advances brought about by intensive instrument training and the increased aids to navigation and radio, planes that used to be grounded by weather, were now flying regular schedules. Troop Carrier Command and Air Transport Command planes were operating in the Aleutian Islands with airline regularity.

In November 1943 a second airfield, Casco Cove Army Airfield was constructed on Attu for long-range bombing operations. Eleventh Air Force carried out another bombing mission against northern Kurils on 5 February 1944, when it attacked with six B-24s from the 404th Bomb Sqdn. (28th BG) and 16 P-38s from the 54th Fighter Sqdn. (343d FG). March 1944 saw Eleventh Air Force bombers over the Kuriles on daylight armed reconnaissance missions. Not many, but a sufficient number to convince the Japanese that there were aircraft in the Aleutian Islands and that the Kuriles were in constant danger of air attack. During the crucial period, while other United States forces were advancing in the South Pacific, the Japanese were forced to keep much-needed aircraft, in the Kuriles and Hokkaido as defense against possible attack from the North.

Operations against Northern Japan became the new mission of the Eleventh Air Force, and it was being successfully carried out. Except for July 1944, when the weather was especially bad, each month of 1944 showed a steady increase in operations against the Kuriles. Each month's record showed planes turned back short of their targets, weather again protecting the Japanese. Often, too, B-24 Liberator bomb loads were dropped through the undercast by aid of the newly installed radar bombing equipment, a far cry from the timed runs made on the Kiska main camp area using the Kiska volcano as an initial point when the target was closed in. The record month, June 1945, for the Eleventh Air Force showed a record number of tons of bombs dropped.

The B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, too, were playing their part in operations against the Kuriles. They had been kept on shipping alert since the abortive 11 September raid, but in May, two planes on a gasoline consumption test west of Attu, discovered and sank two armed Japanese trawlers. From that time on, the Mitchells, made sweeps against shipping when weather permitted, and by fall were bombing land targets in the Kuriles.

Air Transport Command operations[edit]

Although Eleventh Air Force was engaged in combat during the Aleutian Campaign, the command also supported the Lend-Lease transport of aircraft though Alaska to the Soviet Union by Air Transport Command beginning in September 1942. Lend-Lease aircraft were ferried from Great Falls Army Air Base, Montana to Ladd Field by the 7th Ferrying Group (Later Alaskan Wing), ATC. The United States manufactured aircraft were turned over to Red Air Force pilots at Ladd Field, and from there the Soviet pilots would fly to Marks Army Airfield, near Nome as a final refueling and maintenance stop on-route to Uel'kal', Siberia. From Siberia, the aircraft were flown westward across the Soviet Union (Uelkal-Krasnoyarsk route) to the combat areas in Russia for use against Nazi forces. Eleventh Air Force aircraft were also ferried up the NWSR, with the aircraft being flown to Elmendorf from RCAF Station Whitehorse. More than 8,000 airplanes were delivered over the route. Most were Bell Airacobras and Kingcobras, along with A-20s, B-25s and C-47s. ATC personnel were based at Edmonton as well as other Canadian bases.

A lesser-known part of the aircraft ferrying mission for ATC pilots was search and rescue for Ferrying Command pilots and crews who were forced down in the remote wilderness. The ATC Alaska Wing was equipped with a number of single-engine C-64 "Norseman" light transports, which were equipped alternatively with pontoons, skis and wheels, depending the season. The C-64s were used to resupply stations along the Canadian pipeline as well as for search and rescue work.

ATC also developed two transport routes to Alaska during the war to support Eleventh Air Force. The first was from McChord Field, near Seattle, Washington north along the British Columbia coastline to Annette Island, then to Yakutat and into Elmendorf AFB. The second was developed to support the Aleutian Campaign and was built as American forces moved westward along the island chain. It started in Anchorage and went through Nannek Airfield then to Point Heiden, Cold Bay and along the Aleutian Islands until reaching Shemya and Attu Islands in 1944. These transport routes ferried personnel, along with high-value equipment and supplies that could not be shipped by normal cargo sealift. This eventually extended to Hokkaido, Japan after the end of the war, the route becoming part of the Great Circle Route from Japan to the United States. Much of the transport along the routes were an airline responsibility, with Northwest Airlines and Western Airlines operating the routes under contract.

Drawdown and redesignation, 1944–1945[edit]

1944 also saw a drastic reduction in the personnel of the Eleventh Air Force. Fort Glenn AAF and Fort Randall AAF were reduced to the status of gasoline stations for the Aleutian air transport routes, and were manned by small housekeeping units; Annette Island Landing Field and Yakutat Landing Field assigned as sub bases to Elmendorf Field. The XI Bomber Command and XI Fighter Command disbanded per General Order 9, Headquarters, Eleventh Air Force, 25 February 1944.

It took these actions due to the fact that only two bomber squadrons remained in the Eleventh Air Force and the need to reduce the number of personnel. The 28th Bombardment Group on Shemya and the 343d Fighter Group at Alexai Point AAF, Attu, assumed the responsibilities of the two commands. The 404th Bombardment Squadron was responsible for conducting night reconnaissance missions over the Kuriles and flying a daily weather reconnaissance flights. The 77th Bombardment Squadron was held in readiness to repel a seaborne invasion and the fighter squadrons provided air defense. Air Corps supply and fourth echelon maintenance was carried on at the Alaska Air Depot at Elmendorf, and the normal paper-work, customarily handled by a Service command, devolved upon the Eleventh Air Force Headquarters.

Eleventh Air Force, sent between 24 August and 4 September 1945 two B-24 Liberators of the 28th BG flew reconnaissance overflights over the North Kuril Islands to take photos of the Soviet occupation in the area. Soviet fighters intercepted and forced them away a foretaste of the Cold war that lay ahead.

Americans planners had briefly contemplated an invasion of northern Japan from the Aleutian Islands during fall of 1943, but rejected that idea as too risky and impractical. They considered the use of Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, on Amchitka and Shemya Bases, but rejected that idea too. U.S. military maintained interest in these plans when they ordered the expansion of bases in the western Aleutian Islands, and major construction began on Shemya for a possible invasion of Japan via the Northern route in 1945.

The real nature of the Aleutian Islands the value of the Eleventh Air Force to America was known but not confirmed until 3 September 1945. On that day, a C-54 piloted by Major G. E. Cain, filed a flight plan at Atsugi Airdrome, near Tokyo, Honshū, Japan. Twelve hours later, he landed at Adak, refueled and took off for Seattle. He landed in Washington after 31 hours of flying time, with the first motion pictures of the Japanese surrender the previous day.

The Aleutian Islands, on the Great Circle route from North America to the Orient may not have fulfilled their hope of becoming the "Northern Highway to Victory," but they were established as an air transport route, vital during the early years of the Cold War before long-distance air transports were developed.

With the end of the war, many of the small air bases in the Aleutian Islands closed permanently, and postwar emphasis turned to training. Air Transport Command transferred Ladd Field to the Eleventh Air Force on 1 November. On 15 December 1945, The Army reorganized its organization in Alaska. Eleventh Air Force, which was under the jurisdiction of the Army Western Defense Command, headquartered at the Presidio of San Francisco since its establishment in 1941, was transferred to the jurisdiction of the United States Army Air Forces.

Under the USAAF, it was re-designated as Alaskan Air Command' on 18 December 1945, without any change in headquarters location. Alaskan Air Command was established at the same Major Command echelon as the other overseas combat commands, the United States Air Forces in Europe, Far East Air Forces and Caribbean Air Command, with its mission being the air defense of the Territory of Alaska.

Eleventh Air Force in Pennsylvania 1946–1948[edit]

Six months after Eleventh Air Force had been redesignated in Alaska, another headquarters, also named Eleventh Air Force, was established on 13 May 1946 and activated at Olmsted Field, Pennsylvania, on 13 June 1946. This new organization was assigned to Air Defense Command.

Major General Thomas J. Hanley, Jr. took command, and a cadre of enlisted personnel arrived at Olmsted on 19 June 1946. The headquarters was relocated to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on 9 August 1946, base units were assigned and training commenced for reserve and National Guard units in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.^[9] Training continued until the unit was inactivated on 1 July 1948.^[10] This organization was to have been activated on 1 July 1962 at Travis Air Force Base under Military Air Transport Service, but that action was revoked three days before it became effective. This unit is not related to the current Eleventh Air Force.

Post-Cold War[edit]

Pacific Air Forces[edit]

With the activation of the Alaskan Command in 1989, the next logical step was to place its air component (AAC) under the Pacific Air Forces. By reorganizing AAC into a Numbered Air Force, the Air Force was able to reduce its administrative manpower requirements during a period of massive Air Force strength reductions. On 9 August 1990, the Alaskan Air Command was redesignated the 11th Air Force once again and assigned as a Numbered Air Force (NAF) under United States Pacific Air Forces. The new organization was allotted the lineage of the previous Eleventh Air Force that had served in Alaska.

The early 1990s was a period of mission changes and force modernization. The 11th Air Force was reorganized as an objective Numbered Air Force during 1992–1993 and its headquarters reduced to only 100 authorizations. Its major units also changed. At Elmendorf AFB the 21st Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated and was replaced by the 3rd Wing transferred from Clark Air Base in December 1991 due to the destruction of Clark AB by the Mount Pinatubo eruption. The F-15E Strike Eagle-equipped 90th Fighter Squadron was added as were the 517th Airlift Squadron (C-130Hs and C-12Fs) and the 962d Airborne Air Control Squadron (E-3B).

There were also significant changes at Eielson AFB, when on 1 September 1992, Strategic Air Command inactivated the 6th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, assigned there in 1967. The 343d Composite Wing became the host unit. The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II assigned to the 18th Fighter Squadron were replaced with General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons in 1992 and an OA-10A squadron was activated. Eielson AFB became home of the Exercise Cope Thunder series, and the Alaskan range complex was greatly expanded and improved to accommodate not only Cope Thunder but other joint training requirements as well.

Finally, in keeping with Air Force Chief of Staff guidance to retain the most illustrious units, the 343rd Wing, a veteran of the Aleutian Campaign, was inactivated in August 1993. The 354th Fighter Wing was activated in its place.

Other changes during the period included upgrading the 11th Tactical Air Control Group to the 11th Air Control Wing (11 ACW) at Eareckson AS in January 1992. During yet another reorganization, the wing subsequently inactivated 1 July 1994 with the closure of the station. It was replaced by three smaller groups directly subordinate to the Eleventh Air Force; the 611th Air Operations Group, 611th Logistics Group and the 611th Air Support Group.

Eleventh Air Force also accomplished the daunting drawdown of the forward operating bases at Galena Airport, King Salmon Airport and Eareckson Air Force Station (Shemya Island), in a two-year period of time, 1993–1995, reflecting cost savings derived from the end of the Cold War. The stations remain in a standby status, their facilities being maintained by civilian contractors.

The mission of the Eleventh Air Force moved from statically defending Alaska against a bomber threat to committing its forces to worldwide deployment. The shift from a Major Command to an Objective Numbered Air Force was among the most drastic reorganizations undertaken anywhere in the Air Force.

Air Force personnel in Alaska were also fully integrated into the Air and Space Expeditionary Force deployment cycles, supporting operations as part of the Global War on Terrorism. In 2001–2002, the 18th Fighter Squadron deployed to Al Jaber, AB, Kuwait to take part in Operation Southern Watch, ENDURING FREEDOM, and ANACONDA; in 2004, The 355th Fighter Squadron deployed to Bagram AB, Afghanistan, as part of the War in Afghanistan.

The Secretary of Defense released the proposed 2005 Base Realignment And Closure recommendations and Eielson AFB was on the list. The original recommendations called for Eielson to be drawn down to a warm status...nearly to the point of closure. However, the final decision came later in the year and it called for the departure of all the A-10s. Shortly thereafter, the 18 FS learned that they would be converting to F-16 Aggressors over the next few years. In 2007, the last three A-10 aircraft departed Eielson

Alaskan NORAD Region[edit]

see 611th Air Support Group for a list of the AN/FPS-117 radar sites.

see North Warning System for the former DEW Line sites in Alaska

The responsibilities for aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America are assigned to NORAD through the binational NORAD agreement. The Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR) is one of three NORAD regions responsible for the execution of the aerospace warning and aerospace control missions. ANR conducts these missions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Eleventh Air Force is the United States Air Force component of ANR. Coordinating with the Canadian Forces Air Command, Both 11th AF and the Canadian Forces provide active duty forces to the 611th Air and Space Operations Center. The 176th Air Control Squadron, an Alaska Air National Guard unit, provides manning for the Alaskan Air Defense Sector to maintain continuous surveillance of Alaskan airspace with Alaskan Radar System long and short-range radars.

The appearance of a strategic cruise missile threat once again prompted a buildup of air defense capabilities. The Alaska NORAD Region Air Operations Center (AK RAOC), operated by U.S. and Canadian personnel, became operational in 1983 at Elmendorf AFB. It receives and analyses surveillance radar data from the sites in the Alaska Radar System (ARS) to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not the objects are friendly or hostile.

The Alaska RAOC enjoins state-of-the-art air defense systems and cutting-edge computer technology to significantly increase surveillance and identification capabilities, and better protect the nation's airways from intrusion and attack. It is fully integrated with the Boeing E-3 Sentry Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system. The Battle Control System-Fixed (BCS-F) fuses data from airborne, ground and naval elements and civil air traffic sensors into an integrated air defence and sovereignty picture. This allows commanders to monitor the airspace above, beyond and within U.S. and Canadian borders, providing a major component for homeland defense. It also incorporates a newly developed situational awareness system that gives ANR unprecedented tools and technology to assist state and local responders in dealing with natural disasters.

The ARS consists of minimally attended AN/FPS-117 radar sites which were established between 1984 and 1985 at the former manned surveillance and Ground Control Intercept sites of Alaskan Air Command, first activated in the 1950s. Elements of the 1985 North American Air Defense Modernization program followed. Flexible and graduated alert concepts were introduced in the 1990s.

The ANR provides an ongoing capability to detect, validate, and warn of any aircraft and/or cruise missile threat in its area of operations that could threaten North American security. By maintaining surveillance of Northwest Canadian and U.S. airspace, ANR is able to determine what goes on in and near North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Aerospace control requires capabilities to intercept, shadow, escort, divert, direct landings, and if necessary, use force utilizing interceptors and other means up to and including the destruction of airborne objects.

Lineage[edit]

• Established as Air Force, Alaska Defense Command, 17 October 1941

General Order 51: HQ, Alaska Defense Command

• Established as Alaskan Air Force* on 28 December 1941

War Department Letter: Activation of Air Corps Unit, AG 320.2

Activated on 15 January 1942

General Order 3, HQ Alaskan Defense Command

Redesignated 11th Air Force on 5 February 1942

Redesignated Eleventh Air Force on 18 September 1942

Redesignated Alaskan Air Command on 18 December 1945

Assumed Major Command Status 18 December 1945

Redesignated Eleventh Air Force on 9 August 1990

Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Special Order GA-44, 1 August 1990

Became subordinate organization to Pacific Air Forces, 9 August 1990

• Under authority from Western Defense Command, the Alaska Defense Command replaced the Air Field Forces, Alaskan Defense Command, with the Air Force, Alaskan Defense Command, on 17 October 1941. Neither the Air Field Forces nor the Air Force, Alaskan Defense Command, were legitimate War Department establishments and must be classified in the same category as provisional units, although the term "provisional" was never used in connection with them.

The United States Department of War activated the Alaskan Air Force to manage the buildup of the Army Air Forces in Alaska and replacing the Air Force, Alaskan Defense Command.

Assignments[edit]

• Alaska Defense Command, 17 October 1941
• Western Defense Command, 15 December 1941 – 18 December 1945
• Pacific Air Forces, 9 August 1990 – present

Airbases[edit]

The formation's headquarters was located at Elmendorf Airfield, from 15 January 1942; then Davis Army Airfield, August 1943 – 18 December 1945, and, after being reformed as Eleventh Air Force, at Elmendorf Air Force Base from 9 August 1990 onwards.

World War II airfields[edit]

Combat airfields[edit]

Support/Transferred airfields[edit]

Components[edit]

During World War II[edit]

Commands[edit]

• XI Air Force Service Command: 11 August 1942-25 October 1944.

Groups[edit]

Squadrons[edit]

Twenty-first century[edit]

• 3d Wing
  The 3d Wing is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska. Its mission is to support and defend U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world by providing units that are ready for worldwide air power projection and a base that is capable of meeting PACOM's theater staging and throughput requirements.
• 354th Fighter Wing
  The 354th Fighter Wing is stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The wing's mission is to train and provide General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters and support forces to combatant commanders anytime, anyplace, in support of U.S. national security objectives. The wing also hosts Air Education and Training Command's Arctic Survival School.
• 36th Wing
  Located at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The 36th Wing has three major missions: Operate Andersen AFB via its subordinate 36th Mission Support and 36th Medical Groups; Provide power projection through an attached, rotational bomber force via its subordinate 36th Operations and 36th Maintenance Groups; and provide rapid air base opening and initial air base operation ability via its subordinate 36th Contingency Response Group.
• 611th Air and Space Operations Center
  Located at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, the center consists of five squadrons and two numbered flights that develop plans, procedures and directives for the employment of Alaskan combat and support forces assigned to the 11th Air Force, PACAF and NORAD.
• 611th Air Support Group
  The 611th Air Support Group at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson consists of two squadrons that provides surveillance radars, Arctic infrastructure including airfields, communications and worldwide ready EAF warriors for homeland defense, decisive force projection, and aerospace command and control in Alaska.
• Missile Defense Flight or Command Representative for Missile Defense
  Serves as the focal point for all issues related to Ground-based Midcourse Defense in Alaska, in support of Alaska Command, Alaska NORAD Region, and 11 AF.
• 11th Air Force/Alaska NORAD Region (ANR) Logistics Flight
  Provides a core group of logisticians to support Air Force and NORAD air operations throughout the theater, including manning the ANR Battlestaff and establishing logistics readiness centers when necessary.

Alaska Air National Guard[edit]

If activated for federal service, the 11th Air Force gains two wings of the Alaska Air National Guard.

• 168th Air Refueling Wing
  The 168th Air Refueling Wing is stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and flies the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker. The 168th also has taken over the missile defense mission at Clear Air Force Station with their 213th Space Warning Squadron.
• 176th Wing
  The 176th Wing operates from Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson. The 176th is a multifaceted organization consisting of an airlift squadron, a complete pararescue package, as well as the 176th Air Control Squadron, which supports the Alaska NORAD Region with continuous operations and maintenance.

List of commanders[edit]

See also[edit]

• Joint Task Force-Alaska
• Alaska World War II Army Airfields
• Report from the Aleutians 1943 film by John Houston about the daily lives of the servicemen at Adak Airfield.

References[edit]

Notes

Notes

Bibliography[edit]

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Chloe, John Hale, (1984), Top Cover for America. the Air Force in Alaska. 1920–1983, Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, ISBN 0-933126-47-6
• 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.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

External links[edit]

• Eleventh Air Force Factsheet
• 11th Air Force, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
• Alaskan Command, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
• 3d Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
• 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, Alaska
• 353d Combat Training Squadron Factsheet, Eielson AFB
• 168th Air Refueling Wing, Eielson AFB, Alaska
• 176th Wing, Kulis ANGB, Alaska
• 11th Air Force World War II History
• Photos from 11th Air Force, Alexai Point Army Airfield, Attu Island, 1944