United States Army Air Forces in the South Pacific Area
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan in the South Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department, this consisted of the Pacific Ocean areas which lay south of the Equator between longitude 159° East and 110° West. It included New Zealand, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Fiji, and most of the Solomon Islands.
Airfields of the United States Army Air Force in the South Pacific Area | |||||||
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Part of World War II | |||||||
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In early 1942, the area was under the Seventh Air Force. By November, the Thirteenth Air Force,was formed to command and control AAF organizations in the southern areas of the widely separated Seventh Air Force and independent units scattered in the South Pacific Area during the Solomon Islands campaign. As the war progressed, Thirteenth Air Force units moved into the South West Pacific theatre and coordinated their activities with Fifth as part of the Far East Air Forces, a new Command.
Airfields and unit assignments
COOK ISLANDS ELLICE ISLANDS
FIJI ISLANDS
NEW CALEDONIA
NEW HEBRIDES ISLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
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NORFOLK ISLAND
SOCIETY ISLANDS
SOLOMON ISLANDS Bougainville Island Buka Island
Guadalcanal Island
New Georgia Islands
Russell Islands
TONGA ISLANDS
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See also
- United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific War (1941–1945)
- USAAF in Australia
- USAAF in the Central Pacific
- USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
- USAAF in Okinawa
- South Pacific air ferry route in World War II
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- Army Air Forces Installations Directory, 15 June 1945
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
- U.S. Base Facilities Summary, Advance Bases, Central Pacific Area - U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas Headquarters, 30 June 1945