| XXIX Tactical Air Command | |
|---|---|
 Republic P-47Ds of the 22d Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Group | |
| Active | 1944-1945 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Role | Command ofground support units |
| Part of | Ninth Air Force |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations[1] 35 |
| Decorations | Belgian Fourragère[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Richard E. Nugent[2] |
TheXXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) was a provisionalUnited States Army Air Forces unit, primarily formed from units ofIX Fighter Command. Its last assignment was withNinth Air Force atWeimar, Germany, where it was inactivated on 25 October 1945. The command was formed as a counterpart toIX Tactical Air Command andXIX Tactical Air Command to support theUnited States Ninth Army throughout its easterly advance from its formation on 15 September 1944, untilVE-Day. Following the end of the war, the unit was converted from a provisional unit to a regular unit.
The unit was formed in France in the fall of 1944 asXXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional), drawing itscadre from the84th and303d Fighter Wings.[3] The two wings served as task force headquarters for the command, with groups and squadrons attached to them as needed.[4][5] The command's commanding general throughout its existence was Brigadier GeneralRichard E. Nugent[2]
The primary mission of the command was to provide tacticalclose air support of theUnited States Ninth Army ground forces to interdict concentration of enemy forces, attack communications and ammunition dumps, and harass the enemy's retreat as well as providing reconnaissance to bombing support. It initially attacked enemy forces in occupied France and the Low Countries Targets included bridges, roads, railroads and enemy interceptor aircraft both on the ground as well as in air-to-air combat. The command provided tactical air support in the final reduction of the German forces holding out in the French port ofBrest. After the surrender of the town fifteen days later, Ninth Army was sent east to take its place in the line. It came into the line in between Third and First Army.[citation needed]
In November, Ninth Army undertook offensive attacks in the Roer River sector to the left flank of 12th Army Group. On 16 December the enemy opened the last great offensive of the war, theBattle of the Bulge. During the fierce combat, the XXIX attacked enemy targets in the Northern Rhineland during theRhineland Campaign and supportedOperation Grenade, which was the southern prong of a pincer attack coordinated with Canadian First Army'sOperation Veritable. These operations had the objective of closing the front up to theRhine River. By 10 March, the Rhine had been reached in all sectors of Ninth Army's front, and after 20 March that Ninth Army units first crossed the Rhine itself.[citation needed]
XXIX Tactical Air Command attacked ground targets in theRuhr, providing air support as Allied ground forces encircled enemy forces in theRuhr pocket, essentially ending organized enemy resistance in Western Germany. Ninth Army halted its advance at theElbe River in late April 1945, the Command engaging targets of opportunity in enemy-controlled areas until combat was ended in May 1945. The command wascited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for the periods 1 October 1944 – 17 December 1944 and 18 December 1944 – 15 January 1945, for which it was awarded theBelgian Fourragère.[1]
The unit remained in Europe after the war as part ofUnited States Air Forces in Europe, performing occupation duty and the destruction or shipment to the United States of captured enemy combat equipment. It was demobilized in Germany and the organization was inactivated on 20 November 1945.[citation needed]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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