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Wings, air forces & commands · from 1942

Fifth Air Force

Numbered air force of the United States Air Force responsible for the Japanese region.

History

The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). Founded in September 1941 and headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan, it is the service’s oldest continuously serving numbered Air Force.

Fifth Air Force is the Headquarters Pacific Air Forces forward element in Japan and the air component to United States Forces Japan. It plans, conducts, controls, and coordinates air operations assigned by the PACAF commander. It maintains readiness for such operations. It increases regional stability by planning, exercising, and executing joint air operations with Japan.

Text from Wikipedia: Fifth Air Force, CC BY-SA 4.0, lightly trimmed.

Key dates

  1. 1941
    Fourteen Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses that survived the Battle of the Philippines left Mindanao for Darwin, Australia, between 17 and 20 December 1941, the only aircraft of the Far East Air Force to escape.
  2. 1941
    Became Army Air Force Infantry unit during Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) (20 December 1941 – 9 April 1942)
  3. 1942
    On 4 November 1942, the Fifth Air Force commenced sustained action against the Japanese in Papua New Guinea and was a key component of the New Guinea campaign (1942–1945).
  4. 1945
    Shortly after World War II ended in August, Fifth Air Force relocated to Irumagawa Air Base, Japan, about 25 September 1945 as part of the Allied occupation forces.
  5. 1946
    314th Air Division: 31 May 1946 – 1 March 1950; 1 December 1950 – 18 May 1951; 15 March 1955 – 8 September 1986
  6. 1950
    The command transferred to Seoul on 1 December 1950, remaining in South Korea until 1 September 1954.
  7. 1954
    With the end of combat in Korea, Fifth Air Force returned to normal peacetime readiness Japan in 1954.
  8. 1984
    The 432d Tactical Fighter Wing flew F-16s from Misawa Air Base from July 1, 1984 – October 31, 1994.
  9. 1986
    With the activation of Seventh Air Force in 1986, fifth left the Korean Peninsula and focused its energy on continuing the growing bilateral relationship with Japan.

Dates and events quoted from the same Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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