The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The command is the air component to United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) conducting security cooperation and providing air, space, and cyberspace capabilities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Established on 20 August 1942 at Bolling Field, District of Columbia, 12th Air Force was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of World War II. It engaged in operations in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Western Europe. During the Cold War, 12 AF was one of the Numbered Air Forces of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and later Tactical Air Command (TAC), Its units engaged in combat operations during the Vietnam War, as well as Operation Desert Storm. As a result of the war on terror, most Twelfth Air Force units have operated in the United States Central Command AOR.
Since 1987 Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern) trains, equips, and prepares assigned units from Air Combat Command and also serves as the air and space component to United States Southern Command.
Mission The Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern) headquarters is located at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. It reports to Air Combat Command, a major command of the US Air Force.
As the air and space component to US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), Air Forces Southern conducts security cooperation and provides air, space, and cyberspace capabilities throughout its area of responsibility, covering Latin America and the Caribbean.
To fulfil these responsibilities it employs a range of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), intra-theatre airlift and information assets. In addition the 612th Air Operations Center (612th AOC) is responsible for developing strategy and plans to execute air operations in support of US Southern Command objectives. The 612th AOC also provides command and control of all Air Forces Southern assets in its area of responsibility.
Air Forces Southern does not have its own assets, but draws on forces provided to it by US Southern Command. Currently, AFSOUTH manages four rotational Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard C-130s based out of Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico.
Component units The following units are subordinate to the Twelfth Air Force.
Direct reporting units
612th Air Communications Squadron (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona) 612th Air Operations Center (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona) 612th Theater Operations Group (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona)
Organizations
System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces () (Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona) Inter-American Air Forces Academy (Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas)
History Established in the United States during World War II to be the Army Air Forces air component of Operation Torch in 1942, Twelfth Air Force initially moved to England for training, then participated in the invasion of North Africa. It engaged in tactical operations for the remainder of the war in the Mediterranean.
Since World War II, Twelfth Air Force has subsequently served both in Europe and later the United States. The Twelfth Air Force serves as the Air Force component to the United States Southern Command.
Lineage Established as Twelfth Air Force, and activated, on 20 August 1942 Inactivated on 31 August 1945 Activated on 17 May 1946 Discontinued on 1 July 1950 Organized and activated on 21 January 1951 Redesignated as Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern) on 29 February 2008
Assignments Army Air Forces, 20 August 1942 – 31 August 1945 Tactical Air Command, 17 May 1946 – 1 December 1948 Continental Air Command, 1 December 1948 – 1 July 1950 United States Air Forces in Europe, 21 January 1951 – 1 January 1958 Tactical Air Command, 1 January 1958 – 1 June 1992 Air Combat Command, 1 June 1992 – present
Major components
World War Two Units
USAF Air Divisions
42d Air Division, 1–8 January 1958 44th Air Division, 12 January – 27 June 1949 307th Air Division, 12 January – 27 June 1949 309th Air Division, 12 January – 27 June 1949 310th Air Division, 12 January – 27 June 1949 USAF Southern Air Division, 1 January 1976 – 1 January 1989 Redesignated: 830th Air Division, 1 January 1989 – 15 February 1991 Redesignated: Air Forces Panama, 15 February 1991 – 11 February 1992
831st Air Division, 1 January 1958 – 20 April 1971; 1 December 1980 – 31 March 1991 832d Air Division, 1 January 1958 – 20 April 1971; 1 December 1980 – 31 March 1991 833d Air Division, 1 December 1980 – 15 November 1991 834th Air Division, 1 January 1958 – 1 April 1959; 31 January 1972 – 1 December 1974 835th Air Division, 23 July 1964 – 30 June 1971 836th Air Division, 1 January 1981 – 1 May 1992 838th Air Division, 1 July 1963 – 24 December 1969 839th Air Division, 1 July 1963 – 9 November 1964
Stations Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., 20–28 August 1942 England, 12 September – 22 October 1942 Algeria, 9 November 1942 Tunisia, 10 August 1943 Italy, 5 December 1943 – 31 August 1945 March Field, California, 17 May 1946 Brooks AFB, San Antonio, Texas, 1 January 1949 – 1 July 1950 Wiesbaden AB, West Germany, 21 January 1951 Ramstein AB, West Germany, 27 April 1953 Connally AFB, Waco, Texas, 1 January 1958 Bergstrom AFB, Austin, Texas August 1968 Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona, 1 October 1992–present
World War II
The origins of Twelfth Air Force are traced back to a series of mid-1942 Allied planners' meetings to develop a strategy for the invasion of French North Africa (Operation Torch). Because this extensive operation required a new organization to provide enough manpower and equipment, activation plans were prepared simultaneously with the invasion strategy.
On 20 August 1942, Twelfth Air Force was activated at Bolling AAF, Maryland. On 23 September 1942, Brigadier General Jimmy Doolittle formally assumed command with Colonel Hoyt Vandenberg as chief of staff. Barely four months after it was conceived, 12th AF made its first contributions to World War II. When D-Day for the invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch) arrived on 8 November 1942, 12th AF was organized
XII Bomber Command XII Air Support Command XII Fighter Command 51st Troop Carrier Wing Photographic Reconnaissance Wing 97th BG (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers) 47th Bombardment Group (Douglas A-20 light bombers) 1st Fighter Group (Lockheed P-38 Lightning) 60th TCG (Douglas C-47) 3rd Photo Group (B-17, F-4) 301st BG (B-17) 310th BG (North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber) 14th FG (P-38) 62nd TCG (C-47) 68th Observation Group (A-20) +17th Bombardment Group (Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers) 33rd FG (P-40) 31st Fighter Group (Supermarine Spitfire) 64th TCG (C-47) +319th BG (B-26) 81st FG (P-39) 52nd Fighter Group (Spitfires) +320th BG (B-26) 350th FG (P-39) +321st BG (B-25) 82nd FG (P-38) 15th BS (Bostons) (+Groups training in U.S.)
Initially, 12th AF was a composite organization containing both strategic heavy bombardment groups; and tactical light and medium bombardment, fighter-bomber, and fighter groups. Based in French Morocco and Algeria after Operation Torch, it became very important for 12th AF to coordinate and cooperate with the Royal Air Force which had been fighting in North Africa for two years. Such Allied cooperation was a major concern of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and their staffs at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 where they created the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) with Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder as Air Commander-in-Chief. For planning of the Tunisian campaign, Tedder's MAC headquarters were adjacent to those of his immediate superior, the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower at Algiers, Algeria soon after the new Allied air force reorganization took effect on 18 February 1943.
The Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) under Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz was the largest component of MAC and its organization was based on the 'tri-force' model (No. 205 Group 'strategic', No. 201 Group 'coastal', and Air Headquarters Western Desert 'tactical') indicated above. Thus the three major combat commands of NAAF were: Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) under Major General James Doolittle Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF) under Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Lloyd Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) under Arthur Coningham.
In keeping with the MAC priority of encouraging USAAF-RAF cooperation, Air Vice-Marshal James Robb was named Spaatz's deputy commander of NAAF and he handled operations.
Additionally, the following new units were assigned to NAAF: Northwest African Air Service Command (NAASC) under Major General Delmar H. Dunton Northwest African Training Command (NATC) under Brigadier General John K. Cannon Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing (NAPRW) under the president's son, Colonel Elliott Roosevelt Northwest African Troop Carrier Command (NATCC) initially under Colonel Ray Dunn and later under Brigadier General Paul Williams.
Lieutenant General Lewis Brereton's 9th Air Force was assigned to RAF Middle East although its 12th Bombardment (B-25Cs) and 57th Fighter (P-40Fs) Groups formed a Desert Air Task Force detached to NATAF's Western Desert Air Force under Air Vice-Marshal Harry Broadhurst who replaced Coningham when he was promoted to NATAF commander.
The 12th AF, the largest air force ever assembled soon after its inception several months earlier, ceased to exist in the new MAC organizational structure. As an operational organization, the 12th AF simply disappeared when its groups were distributed among the various new NAAF commands. The only remaining reference to the 12th AF among these commands was Major General Edwin House's XII Air Support Command which along with Broadhurst's Western Desert Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Sir Laurence Sinclair's Tactical Bomber Force, and Air Vice-Marshal Sir Kenneth Cross' No. 242 Group, became part of Coningham's NATAF. Later, XII Air Support Command became even less obvious when it was detached to No. 242 Group. The curious status of the 12th AF in February 1943 is illustrated by the quotation below taken from the official history "One of the admittedly minor problems of the reorganization concerned the status of the Twelfth Air Force. Its units, personnel, and equipment having been transferred entirely to NAAF on February 18, both on paper and in actuality the Twelfth seemed to have vanished. At his last staff meeting, on February 22, Doolittle expressed the opinion that once such matters as courts-martial had been wound up, the "skeleton" of the Twelfth--"the name only"--would have either to be returned to the States for a reincarnation or be decently interred by War Department order. Spaatz put the question to Eisenhower and, receiving answer that Headquarters, Twelfth Air Force, would be continued as the administrative headquarters for the U.S. Army elements of NAAF, he took command of the Twelfth on March 1. As commander, however, he had no staff as such, it being assumed that AAF officers named to the NAAF staff had been automatically placed in equivalent positions in the Twelfth. Actually, all administrative functions were carried on by NAAF and the half-existence of the Twelfth served mainly to mystify all but a few headquarters experts."Craven and Cate, Eds., The United States Army Air Forces in WWII, Volume 2, Europe: Torch to Pointblank, Chapter 6, Climax in Tunisia, p 167, 1949.