| I Bomber Command | |
|---|---|
_with_the_MAD_tail_boom_061128-F-1234S-023.jpg) B-18 Bolo modified for antisubmarine warfare | |
| Active | 1942–1943; 1943 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army United States Air Force |
| Role | Antisubmarine Warfare andBombardment Training |
| Part of | Second Air Force |
| Engagements | Antisubmarine (American Theater) |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Robert F. Travis |
| Insignia | |
| I Bomber Command emblem(approved 24 April 1942)[1] | _Emblem.jpg) |
TheI Bomber Command (laterXX Bomber Command) was an intermediate command of theArmy Air Forces duringWorld War II. It trainedbombardment units andaircrews for deployment to combat theaters. From shortly after theattack on Pearl Harbor until its assets were transferred toArmy Air Forces Antisubmarine Command in October 1942, it conductedantisubmarine warfare off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States.
The command was activated again for a brief period in 1943, again as a bomber training command, located in the southwestern United States. It was disbanded in October 1943.
GHQ Air Force (GHQ, AF) had been established with two major combat functions, to maintain a striking force against long range targets, and theair defense of the United States.[2] In the spring of 1941, GHQ, AF reorganized its Northeast Air District as1st Air Force. To carry out its mission of training and maintaining a strike force, 1st Air Force organized1st Bomber Command atLangley Field, Virginia in September 1941, shortly before theattack on Pearl Harbor. The command was originally established to control and trainbombardment organizations assigned to1st Air Force.[1][note 1] It drew itscadre from the2d Bombardment Wing, which was inactivated the same day, and whose subordinate units were reassigned to the command.[3] Shortly after the attack, The best trained units in the command moved to critical defense areas or were identified for early shipment overseas.[4]
In November 1941, an increase in GermanU-boat activity brought aNavy request for reinforcement of Army bomber forces in Newfoundland. In the first week of December, the command dispatched the49th Bombardment Squadron to meet the Navy request.[5] Then the command'sheadquarters moved toNew York City, New York.[1]
Within a month after the declaration of war by the United States against Germany,German Navysubmarines began operating in American coastal waters. By March 1942 fifty-three ships had been sunk in theNorth Atlantic Naval Coastal Frontier. Defense plans drawn up before the war began assigned the Navy responsibility for operations beyond the coastline, withArmy aircraft serving in a supporting role.[6] Because naval aviation that could perform long range patrols was nearly non-existent along the Atlantic coast in early 1942, the burden for aerialantisubmarine patrols fell on theArmy Air Forces (AAF), which had available long range and very long range aircraft,[note 2] but whosecrews had not been trained for the mission. Moreover, the AAF's long range planes were armed with bombs, rather thandepth charges.[7]
As a result, the Commander of the North Atlantic Naval Coastal Frontier requested the Army'sEastern Defense Command to undertake offshore patrols with all available aircraft. The first patrols were performed by elements of I Bomber Command, which would be the primary AAF command involved inantisubmarine warfare (ASW) in early 1942, with assistance fromI Air Support Command. However, although I Bomber Command was primarily involved in conducting ASW, it was doing so on an emergency basis, and was subject to withdrawal from these duties to perform its primarybombardment function.[8] The command usedDouglas B-18 Bolo andNorth American B-25 Mitchells to patrol as far out as 300 miles, andBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses to patrol to 600 miles from shore, but in early operations was only able to maintain six aircraft on patrol. For patrols closer to the shore, the command relied on the civilian pilots of the newCivil Air Patrol.[9]
In March 1942, the command received its first planes equipped withradar.[10] It soon became apparent that if the AAF were to continue with the ASW mission, its units would have to be organized under a specially trained and equipped command.[11] The personnel and assets of I Bomber Command were transferred to the newly createdArmy Air Forces Antisubmarine Command on 15 October 1942.[1]
The command was reactivated as a bomber training command atEl Paso, Texas in May 1943 and assigned toSecond Air Force, which was training all heavy bomber units andaircrews for the AAF. It was renamed theXX Bomber Command in August 1943, avoiding duplication with another I Bomber Command, which would be located atMitchel Field, New York later in August.[12] The command was disbanded in October 1943.[1]
Groups
Squadron
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Antisubmarine | 7 December 1941–15 October 1942 | I Bomber Command[1] |
Notes
Citations
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency