TheIII Bomber Command is a disbandedUnited States Air Force headquarters. It was established in September 1941, shortly before theattack on Pearl Harbor to command bomber units assigned to3rd Air Force. Following the entry of the United States intoWorld War II, it flew patrols off the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts. However, its main efforts soon began organizing and trainingmedium bomber units and aircrews. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force atMacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946 and disbanded in October 1948.
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.[1] In the spring of 1941, GHQ AF reorganized its Southeast Air District as3rd Air Force. To carry out its mission of training and maintaining a strike force, 3rd Air Force organized3rd Bomber Command atDrew Field, Florida in September 1941, shortly before theattack on Pearl Harbor. The command soon moved toMacDill Field, Florida, where it was located when theattack on Pearl Harbor occurred. Shortly afterwards, it moved toArmy Air Base, Savannah, Georgia, but returned to MacDill, where it spent the remainder of the war.[2]
The command trainedmedium bomber units and crews for Third Air Force, and training for this type of unit was virtually a monopoly for the command. Until August 1943, it also conducted training fordive andlight bomber units and crews. However their training was transferred toIII Air Support Command in August 1942.[3]
In late 1943, someheavy bomber training was moved fromSecond Air Force, which had been the primary command for that training, to the command in order to enable combined training betweenfighters and bombers. In conjunction with this transfer, the command adopted the three phase training system for its training units: Phase I (individual training); Phase II (crew training) and Phase III (unit training).[4]
^The group was transferred to theUnited States Air Force when it was established as a separate service in September 1947. The Air Force disbanded it a year later.
Cate, James L.; Williams, E. Kathleen (1948). "Prelude to War, Chapter 4, The Air Corps Prepares for War, 1939-41". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L (eds.).The Army Air Forces in World War II(PDF). Vol. I, Plans and Early Operations. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.LCCN48003657.OCLC704158. Retrieved17 December 2016.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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