| Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) | |
|---|---|
| Active | December 1943 – 1945 |
| Branch | Brazilian Air Force,[nb 1] BritishRoyal Air Force,Free French Air Force,Hellenic Air Force,Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force,Royal New Zealand Air Force,Polish Air Force,Rhodesian Air Force,Royal Australian Air Force,Royal Canadian Air Force,South African Air Force,United States Army Air Force, and other Allied air forces. |
| Type | Major[clarification needed] Air Command |
| Role | Unified command for Allied Air Forces in Mediterranean |
| Engagements | Italian Campaign (Battle of Anzio,Rome-Arno,North Apennines,Po Valley),Southern France, |
| Insignia | |
| Mediterranean Allied Air Forces Shoulder Sleeve Insigne. Approved 14 August 1944. |  |
TheMediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) was the majorAllied air force command organization in theMediterranean theater from mid-December 1943 until the end of theSecond World War.
The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) became the officialAllied air force command organization in theMediterranean theatre after the previousMediterranean Air Command (MAC) was disbanded on December 10, 1943. Initially, Air Chief Marshal SirArthur Tedder who had commanded MAC, was retained as Air Commander-in-Chief of MAAF but in mid-January 1944, Lieutenant GeneralIra Eaker took over command of MAAF whenDwight D. Eisenhower chose Tedder as his Deputy Supreme Allied Commander to plan the air operations for theNormandy Landings.[1] In March 1945, Lieutenant General John K. Cannon assumed command of MAAF.
In keeping with the previous Allied convention established at theCasablanca Conference of naming commanders from one air force [United States Army Air Force (USAAF) or Royal Air Force (RAF)] and their deputies from the other air force, Eaker's Deputy Air Commander-in-Chief of MAAF became Air Marshal SirJohn Slessor on January 20, 1944.[2] Slessor, who also was named Commander-in-Chief ofRAF Mediterranean and Middle East (previouslyAHQ Malta, a major sub-command of the disbanded MAC),[3] had been the commander ofRAF Coastal Command which was taken over by Air Chief Marshal SirSholto Douglas, the previous commander ofRAF Middle East Command, another major sub-command of the disbanded MAC.[2]
MAAF reinstated the original RAFtri-force model (seeNo. 205 Group,No. 201 Group, andAir Headquarters Western Desert) that was used to create theNorthwest African Air Forces, the largest and major sub-command of the disbanded MAC. Thus, MAAF retained a long-range "strategic" bomber force, a "coastal" anti-shipping force, and a "tactical"close air support force. Accordingly, the three major combat commands of MAAF were:
The MAAFtri-force replaced the previous NAAFtri-force:
Air Vice-MarshalHugh Lloyd was commander of NACAF and he stayed on as commander of MACAF. Doolittle of NASAF who temporarily commanded the new15th Air Force before going to England to command the8th Air Force, was replaced by Twining for the new MASAF. Coningham of NATAF who assumed command ofSecond Tactical Air Force, was replaced by Cannon of the new MATAF. Cannon also commanded the12th Air Force which under the new MAAF organization was much more recognizable than it had been under the previous MAC/NAAF organization. When the 12th Air Force transferred all of its heavy bomb groups and itsMartin B-26 Marauder medium bomb groups to the 15th Air Force, the 12th became strictly a tactical air force and the 15th became a strategic air force (November 1, 1943). Twining commanded both MASAF and the 15th Air Force just as Cannon commanded both MATAF and the 12th Air Force. This helped to provide the unified command structure that was a major goal of the reorganization.[1]
Lieutenant GeneralCarl Spaatz, the previous NAAF, 12th Air Force, and 8th Air Force commander, took over the newUnited States Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF) consisting of Doolittle's 8th Air Force and Twining's 15th Air Force. This allowed Spaatz to borrow the 15th in Italy for long-range strategic bombing of European targets when inclement weather in England prevented the 8th from flying missions. Under this scenario, some heavy bombers took off from Italy, bombed German targets, and landed in England.[4] Similarly, some flew the opposite route. Overnight stops in Russia were also made by some of the long-range bombers of the 8th and 15th Air Forces.[1]
AVMJohn Whitford replaced Lloyd in November 1944. SirGuy Garrod replaced Slessor in early 1945.[3]
With the defeat of Germany and the end of World War II in Europe, Headquarters, MAAF, Intelligence Section (United States) saw an opportunity to learn first-hand how effective the Allied air war was from the enemy's perspective. A series of interviews with high-ranking German officers resulted in the July 1945 compilation of the MAAF Air Surrender Documents.
GeneralHeinrich von Vietinghoff, who at various times commandedGerman Tenth Army orArmy Group C and was the Commander in Italy at the end of the war, was particularly impressed by the effectiveness of the Allied fighter-bombers:
Regarding air attacks on railroads, General von Vietinghoff stated the following:
"Rail traffic was struck in the most protracted fashion by the destruction of bridges. Restoration of bridges required much time; the larger bridges could not be repaired. As improvisation, many bridge sites were detoured or the supplies were reloaded. With the increasing intensity of the air attacks, especially on the stretch of the Brenner, the damaged sections were so great and so numerous that this stretch, despite the best of repair organization and the employment of the most powerful rebuilding effort, became ever worse and was only ever locally and temporarily usable. A few bad weather days, in which the Allied Air Force could not have flown, would often have sufficed to bring the traffic again to its peak. Only in February and March (1945) was it again possible to travel by rail through the Brenner to Bologna."[5]
When asked if Allied air power was chiefly responsible for Germany's defeat in this war, each of the German officers below gave his own answer:
With the end of the war in Europe the MAAF was dissolved. The RAF components reformed as new British commands. MACAF became the RAF'sMediterranean Coastal Air Force and then AHQ Italy. The MASAF was disbanded in August 1945; the MATAF in July 1945.
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