Fourteenth Air Force
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The United States Fourteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force (NAF) operated in the China-Burma-India theatre of operations during World War II as the Flying Tigers and subsequently served Air Defense Command, Continental Air Command, and the Air Force Reserve. Since 1993 Fourteenth Air Force has been part of the Air Force Space Command had responsibility for missile warning, space surveillance, and range operations for the Department of Defense, NASA, and commercial launches.
Fourteenth Air Force is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base and is currently the only Numbered Air Force dedicated to space systems operations.
World War II
After the Japan and the United States entered World War II the American Volunteer Group (AVG) known as the Flying Tigers were incoporated into the USAAF. Claire Chennault their commander was reinstated into the USAAF as a colonel, promoted to brigadier and later major general as commander of the U.S. Army's Fourteenth Air Force. After July 14 1942, the AVG was replaced by the 23rd Fighter Group. Only five pilots accepted commissions in China. However, US pilots and US press went on using the name Flying Tigers after the AVG's dissolution. Especially the 23rd Fighter Group was often called by the same nickname — they too were "Flying Tigers". Most AVG pilots became transport pilots in China, went back to America into civilian jobs, or rejoined the military services and fought elsewhere in the war.
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See also
- South-East Asian Theatre of World War II
- Burma Campaign
- Operation Ichi-Go
- RAF Third Tactical Air Force
External links
- Official website (http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/~associates/14af/)
- Fourteenth Air Force in China 1943 - 1945 (http://www.341stbombgroup.org/intel/hq_14.htm)