The Ninth Air Force became operational November, 1942 when the U.S. Middle East A.F. was re-designated the Ninth under command of Major General Lewis H. Bremerton. Its air support of the British and U.S. Armies in North Africa against the Nazis' Rommel were critical. General Brereton was ordered to take the 9th HQ to England in October 1943 to build a Tactical Air Armada for the coming invasion of Europe. By June 6, 1944, D-Day, it had become the largest air force ever assembled under one command - 250,000 people with 3,500 airplanes in 1,500 units. It consisted of Fighter, Bomber, Troop Carrier, Air Defense, Engineer and Service Commands. During the invasion, their massive parachute and glider drops were guarded by P-47's, P-38's, and P-51's some of which doubled as pin-point dive bombers at the front lines, while the A-20 and B-26 bombers took out key rail and bridges to isolate the Nazis from reinforcing the battle for the Normandy Beaches. Within hours of the beach assaults, the 9th's Engineers were building airstrips in Normandy so our planes could operate with the minimum time lost in direct support of the front line soldiers. Thereafter, by continuously moving our fighters to strips just behind the front lines. The "NINTH" supported Armies dashing across Western Europe ending up deep in the heart of Germany on VE Day. This great mobility with combat pilots riding at the head of every armored column providing forward air control plus a Tactical Air Command Headquarters working directly alongside each U.S. Army Commander proved to be the most effective use of the air-ground cooperation in the history of warfare. Since World War II, the 9th has continued its role of readiness while providing fighting Tactical Air Power in Peacetime, in Korea, in Vietnam, and more recently in the Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East where its performance has been applauded worldwide.
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