Constituted as Twelfth AF on 20 Aug 1942 and activated the same day. Moved
to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and then on to North Africa for the invasion of
Algeria and French Morocco in Nov 1942. Operated in the Mediterranean theater
until the end of the war, serving with Northwest African Air Forces from Feb to
Dec 1943, and afterward with Mediterranean Allied Air Forces. Inactivated in
Italy on 31 Aug 1945.
Activated in the US on 17 May 1946. Assigned to Tactical Air Command until Dec
1948 when the Twelfth, reassigned to Continental Air Command, lost its functions
associated with tactical airpower and became concerned primarily with reserve
and national guard activities. Discontinued on 1 Jul 1950.
Organized in Germany on 21 Jan 1951. Assigned to United States Air Forces in
Europe.
Commands. XII Bomber: 1942-1944. XII Tactical Air: 1942-1944. XXII Tactical Air
(formerly XII Fighter): 1942-1945.
Stations. Bolling Field, DC, 20-28 Aug 1942; England, 12 Sep-22 Oct 1942;
Algeria, 9 Nov 1942; Tunisia, 10 Aug 1943; Italy, 5 Dec 1943-31 Aug 1945. March
Field, Calif, 17 May 1946; Brooks AFB, Tex, 1 Jan 1949-1 Jul 1950. Wiesbaden,
Germany, 21 Jan 1951; Ramstein, Germany, 27 Apr 1953-.
Commanders. Lt Col Roger J Browne, 26 Aug 1942; Lt Col Harold L Neely, 28 Aug
1942; Maj Gen James H Doolittle, 23 Sep 1942; Lt Gen Carl Spaatz, 1 Mar 1943; Lt
Gen John K Cannon, 21 Dec 1943; LMaj Gen Benjamin W Chidlaw, 2 Apr 1945; Brig
Gen Charles T Myers, 26 May-31 Aug 1945. Brig Gen Yantis H Taylor, 17 May 1946;
Brig Gen John P Doyle, 10 Jul 1946; Maj Gen William D Old, 24 Sep 1946; Brig Gen
John P Doyle, 23 Jan 1947; Maj Gen Glenn O Barcus, 2 May 1947; Maj Gen Alden R
Crawford, 1 Sep 1949; Col Ezekiel W Napier, 13 Jun-1 Jul 1950; Maj Gen Robert W
Douglass Jr, 22 Jan 1951; Maj Gen Dean C Strother, 16 Mar 1951; Maj Gen Robert M
Lee, 20 Nov 1953-.
Campaigns. Air Combat, EAME Theater; Algeria-French Morocco; Tunisia; Sicily;
Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Southern France; North Apennines; Po Valley.
Decorations. None.
Insigne. On an ultramarine blue equilateral triangle, one point down, a white
star with a red disc in the center thereof bearing the numeral "12" in
white, below a pair of stylized golden orange wings. (Approved 1 Dec 1943.)
On August 20, 1942, Twelfth Air Force activated at Bolling Field. On September 23, 1942, General Jimmy Doolittle formally assumed command of Twelfth Air Force with Colonel Hoyt S. Vandenberg as chief of staff. Barely four months after it was conceived, Twelfth Air Force made its first contributions to World War II. When D-Day arrived for the invasion of North Africa on November 8, 1942, Twelfth Air Force was ready to meet its assigned missions.
Later, Twelfth Air Force saw action in Sicily, Italy, and Southern France. By VE-Day, Twelfth Air Force had flown 430,681 sorties, dropped 217,156 tons of bombs, claimed destruction of 2,857 enemy aircraft, and lost 2,667 of its own aircraft.
When hostilities ended, Twelfth Air Force was inactivated at Florence, Italy, on August 31, 1945.