IV Bomber Command

In early 1941, the Army Air Forces (AAF) redesignated its geographical air districts in the United States as Air Forces. In the fall of that year, the new air forces were organized into commands, which typically included a bomber command, an interceptor command, an air support command and an air base command. In this reorganization IV Bomber Command was formed at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona to control the bombardment units of Fourth Air Force in September.[1] The new command drew much of its initial cadre from the 1st Bombardment Wing, which had been stationed there since May.

Shortly after the command became organized, the attack on Pearl Harbor caused the command to relocate to move to Hamilton Field and concentrate its efforts on antisubmarine patrols off the southern Pacific coast, reinforcing units of the Western and Northwestern Sea Frontiers[2] of the United States Navy. However, it shortly became apparent that there was little threat from Japanese submarines. and the command shifted its focus to the training of bomber units and crews. Simultaneously, the AAF moved almost all its heavy bomber training in Second Air Force, while Fourth Air Force focused on fighter aircraft, training, so the command did not grow.

In the spring of 1944, the AAF reorganized its training units to provide more flexibility in manning, rather than continuing to use rigid table of organization units.[3] In this reorganization, the command was disbanded on 31 March 1944 and its personnel absorbed into the 400th AAF Base Unit (Headquarters, Fourth Air Force).[1][4]

• Constituted as the 4th Bomber Command on 1 September 1941[note 1]

Redesignated IV Bomber Command on 18 September 1942[note 2]

Activated on 19 September 1941

Disbanded on 31 March 1944[1]

Notes

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