IX Air Defense Command

The IX Air Defense Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. It was assigned throughout its time in combat to Ninth Air Force. Its final station was at Bad Neustadt an der Saale, Germany, where it was inactivated on 25 June 1946.

IX Air Defense Command
P-61 Black Widow of the 425th Night Fighter Squadron^[note 1]
Active	1944–1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Air defense
Mascot(s)
Engagements	European Theater of Operations^[1]

History

It was established in England on 19 July 1944, and activated on 1 July 1944. Mission was to provide air defense for liberated areas of Western Europe consisting of France and later, the Low Countries. Subordinate wing headquarters and subordinate units operated primarily from liberated airfields and newly built temporary Advanced Landing Grounds in continental Europe. Along with air defense, subordinate units engaged in combat in support of ground forces during the breakthrough at St. Lo in July 1944. Attacked tanks, trucks, and troop concentrations as enemy retreated; provided armed reconnaissance for advancing Allied armored columns. During September 1944, attacked flak positions near Eindhoven during Operation Market-Garden, the airborne landing in the Netherlands; bombed enemy communications and transportation lines in western Germany. Flew armed reconnaissance missions over Battle of the Bulge during December 1944 – January 1944. Flew missions against enemy transportation systems including motor vehicles, bridges, trains, railway bridges, and marshalling yards during February and March 1945. Moved to Germany in April 1945, flying last combat missions on 3 May 1945.

However, inactivation only occurred on 25 June 1946, and the unit was disbanded on 8 October 1948.

Lineage

• Constituted as the IX Air Defense Command on 19 June 1944

Activated on 1 July 1944

Inactivated on 25 July 1946

Disbanded on 8 October 1948^[1]

Assignments

• Ninth Air Force, 1 July 1944^[2]
• Unknown, 28 November 1945
• United States Air Forces in Europe, 2 December 1945^[3]
• Unknown, 1 February 1946 – 25 June 1946

Stations

Borough of Hampstead, London (AAF-405),^[4] England, 1 July 1944 Ecrammeville, France, July 1944 Rennes Airfield (A-27),^[5] France, 25 August 1944

Versailles, France, 8 September 1944 Paris, France, 16 December 1944 Bad Neustadt an der Saale, Germany, 24 May 1945 – 25 June 1946^[6]

Components

Wing

• 71st Fighter Wing, 1 July 1944 – November 1945^[1]

Squadrons and companies

• 422d Night Fighter Squadron, 6 August – 7 October 1944^[7]
• 425th Night Fighter Squadron, 10–20 June 1944; 6 August – 7 October 1944^[8]
• 368th Ordnance Maintenance (AA) Company, 1945^[9]

References

Notes

Explanatory notes

1. Aircraft is Northrop P-61A-10-NO, serial 42-5569 "Tabitha."

Citations

1. Maurer, Combat Units, p. 447
2. Ream, Margaret (5 October 2020). "Factsheet Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
3. Rumley, Christopher M. (25 January 2021). "Factsheet United States Air Forces in Europe (USAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
4. Station number and detailed location in Anderson, pp. 13, 28
5. Station number in Johnson, p. 16.
6. Station information in Maurer, p. 447, except as noted.
7. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 518-519
8. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 522
9. "Document Detail for IRISNUM= 00021626". airforcehistoryindex.org. Retrieved 26 November 2023.

Bibliography

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
• Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• 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. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

Further reading

• Rust, Kenn C. (1967). The 9th Air Force in World War II. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, Inc. LCCN 67-16454.