The Army Air Forces Tactical Center was a major command and military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It trained cadres from newly formed units in combat operations under simulated field conditions around which new combat groups would be formed. It was established as the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics (AAFSAT) in 1942 and redesignated the following year. In addition to its training function, the school also developed as a tactical doctrine development center, assuming the functions formerly assigned the

Air Corps Tactical School The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. ...

. In June 1946, the center became the

Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

History

Background

As the threat of entry of the United States into World War II increased, the United States Army decided to close the

in 1940 in order to use its experienced personnel at headquarters, and in expanded training and tactical units. As a result, the responsibility for the development and change to tactics for Air Corps units was scattered among various Air Corps units. Moreover, no single element of the Air Staff or special committee was responsible for overseeing tactical doctrine for the Army's air elements. The field organizations primarily responsible for development of tactics and associated doctrine were the Army Air Force Board, the Air Defense Board, the Fighter Command School and the Army Air Forces Proving Ground. In addition, the splitting of existing combat groups into cadres for new groups had become impracticable as the number of new groups increased. At the entry of the United States into World War II on 7 December 1941, the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War I ...

(AAF) had expanded to 67 groups from a pre-1939 total of 15, but approximately half were paper units just forming. The entry into the war meant an immediate significant increase in the numbers of new combat groups, expanding to 269 groups by the end of 1943.

Formation of the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics

Headquarters USAAF originally intended that four tactical schools be developed across the United States, one each for air defense, air service, air support and bombardment. However "to save administrative costs and physical outlay" and to facilitate coordination between the schools, all four would be consolidated at a single location. Orlando Army Air Base, Florida was chosen 1 November 1942, primarily because it was already the location of Fighter Command School, which would be subordinated to the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics (AAFSAT). The AAF determined this organization would conduct tactical development and training and provide tactical training for flyers who were preparing to deploy to theaters of operation.Reither, p. 22 The commandant of AAFSAT was Brigadier General Hume Peabody, formerly the assistant commandant of the Air Corps Tactical School. The Fighter Command School became AAFSAT's Air Defense Department at once. The 91st Service Group at

Fort Dix Army Air Field McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the j ...

moved to Orlando and became the Air Service Department.

5th Interceptor Command The 5th Interceptor Command was a temporary organization of the United States Army Air Forces. It was wiped out in the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42). The survivors fought as infantry during Battle of Bataan and after their surrender, we ...

moved from San Francisco and became the Interceptor Command School.The school quickly adopted the former name of the Air Defense Department and became the Fighter Command School. The other two departments, Air Support and Bombardment were built up from scratch AAFSAT was organized into three directorates: Tactical Development, School Activities, and Demonstration Air Force, with three combat groups acting as both school units and demonstration air force units. The Directorate of School Activities was responsible for the four functional departments. The school officially opened 12 November 1942. An important component was the Army Air Forces Board, which supervised developmental projects. This board also assigned developmental projects to AAFSAT's departments, and had two subordinate boards, the Air Defense Board and, after April 1943, the AAF Equipment Board. Although the Board had been operating before AAFSAT was activated, it only became official in July, when the school became the AAF Tactical Center. It was reassigned from the center directly to Headquarters, AAF in October 1943.although the commandant of the center remained a member of the board.

Army Air Forces Tactical Center

In October 1943, AAFSAT was reorganized and became the Army Air Forces Tactical Center. A "new" AAFSAT was organized as one of the center's subordinate units. The first group receiving AAFSAT training to deploy overseas was the

390th Bombardment Group 39 may refer to: * 39 (number), the natural number following 38 and preceding 40 * one of the years: ** 39 BC ** AD 39 ** 1939 ** 2039 * ''39'' (album), a 2000 studio album by Mikuni Shimokawa * " '39", a 1975 song by Queen * "Thirty Nine", a son ...

in July 1943, based in England with the Eighth Air Force. By September 1945, the AAF Center had trained 54,000 personnel and the cadres of 44 bombardment groups. During 1943-1945 the AAF Tactical Center operated a combat simulation facility in Florida. Units and airfields were established throughout an area of north central Florida designated a mock "war theater" stretching roughly from

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Count ...

to Titusville to Starke to Apalachicola in which war games were conducted. AAFSAT also had a bombing range at Ocala AAF, a service center at Leesburg AAF, and an air depot at

Pinecastle Army Air Field Pinecastle or Pine Castle may refer to: * McCoy Air Force Base McCoy AFB (1940–1947, 1951–1975) is a former U.S. Air Force installation located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Orlando, Florida. It was a training base during World War ...

Transfer and transition

Due to a major reorganization of the Tactical Center and a change in the types of courses conducted by the institution, the Army Air Forces redesignated the "new" AAFSAT as the Army Air Forces School on 1 June 1945, while the Tactical Center dropped the "Tactical" from its name and became the AAF Center. Following the end of World War II, in preparation for its post-war educational operations, the AAF moved the AAF School from Orlando to Maxwell Field, Alabama on 29 November 1945 and assigned it directly to Headquarters, AAF. Having lost its developmental function, the AAF Center moved to

Eglin Field Eglin may refer to: * Eglin (surname) * Eglin Air Force Base, a United States Air Force base located southwest of Valparaiso, Florida * Federal Prison Camp, Eglin, a Federal Bureau of Prisons minimum security prison on the grounds of Eglin Air Fo ...

in March 1946 and became the Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command.Lineage, including assignments and stations, through 2008 in

Lineage

* Established as the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics on 27 October 1942 : Activated on 12 November 1942 : Redesignated Army Air Forces Tactical Center on 16 October 1943 : Redesignated Army Air Forces Center on 1 June 1945 : Redesignated Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command on 8 March 1946 : Redesignated Air Proving Ground Command on 10 July 1946This unit is not related to the Proving Ground Command, which was activated on 15 May 1941 at Orlando Army Air Base as the Air Corps Proving Ground, moved to Eglin Field in June 1941, was redesignated Proving Ground Command on 1 April 1942 and was disbanded on 1 June 1945. : Redesignated Air Materiel Proving Ground on 20 January 1948 : Redesignated Air Proving Ground on 3 March 1948 : Redesignated Air Proving Ground Command on 20 December 1951 : Redesignated Air Proving Ground Center on 1 December 1957 : Redesignated Armament Development and Test Center on 15 July 1968 : Redesignated Armament Division on 1 October 79This unit is not related to the Armament Division, which was activated as the Air Materiel Armament Test Center at Eglin AFB on 14 December 1949 and assigned to Air Materiel Command, redesignated Armament Test Division and reassigned to Air Research and Development Command c. 5 January 1951, redesignated Air Force Armament Center on 26 December 1951, Armament Division on 1 December 1957 and inactivated on 5 February 1958. : Redesignated Munitions Systems Division on 15 March 1989 : Redesignated Air Force Development Test Center on 15 July 1990 : Redesignated Air Armament Center on 1 October 1998 : Inactivated on 1 October 2012

Assignments

* United States Army Air Forces (later United States Air Force), 27 October 1942 *

Air Materiel Command Air Materiel Command (AMC) was a United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In 1961, the command was redesignated the Air Force Logistics Command ...

, 20 January 1948 * United States Air Force, 1 June 1948 *

Air Research and Development Command The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems. Ove ...

(later Air Force Systems Command), 1 December 1957 *

Air Force Materiel Command Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Com ...

, 1 July 1992 – 1 October 2012

Stations

* Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, 12 November 1942 *

(later Eglin Air Force Base), Florida, 8 March 1946 – 1 October 2012

School units

The AAF Tactical Center

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation * Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium ...

and heavy bomber school unit from 31 October 1942 was the

9th Bombardment Group 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra an ...

. In February 1943, a

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

school unit, the

415th Bombardment Group The 415th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit that served primarily as a training and demonstration unit. It was last part of Second Air Force, at Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, where it was disbanded on 5 April 1944. ...

was added. The fighter school unit from 23 March 1943 was the

50th Fighter Group 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

. Night Fighter training initially began with the 50th Group's

81st Fighter Squadron The 81st Fighter Squadron (81 FS) is a training squadron of the United States Air Force's Air Education and Training Command (AETC), stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It is a Geographically Separate Unit of the 14th Operations Group, ...

, but by 1943 was concentrated in the

481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group The 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group (481 NFOTG) was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces. It was inactivated on 31 March 1944 at Hammer Field, California. The group was the primary night fighter Operational Training Unit (O ...

. However, the AAF was finding that standard military units like these groups, based on relatively inflexible

tables of organization A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well as the un ...

not well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in the spring of 1944 in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.Goss, p. 75 In preparation for this reorganization, the 9th Bombardment Group moved to Nebraska, where it was reassigned to

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...

to become a

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

unit.Ironically, its new cadre were themselves trained at the Tactical Center in June 1944. The 50th Fighter Group began to concentrate on training in preparation for deployment to the European Theater of Operations in March 1944, the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group continued its mission, but transferred to

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reserv ...

in California in January 1944. The transition to the new organization took place on 14 April 1944. With a ground school at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, presenting a two-week academic course, AAFSAT also taught a two-week field course utilizing eleven training airfields in Florida representing all conditions likely to be found in combat, from bare fields to prepared bomber air bases having

runways According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, o ...

Components

; Groups *

1st Bombardment Squadron 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

(

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 31 October-15 December 1942;25 February-3 March 1944 :::

Brooksville Army Air Field Brooksville is the name of several places in the United States: * Brooksville, Blount County, Alabama * Brooksville, Morgan County, Alabama * Brooksville, Florida ** Brooksville Army Airfield, named after the Florida town * Brooksville, Georgia * ...

, 15 December 1942 – 25 February 1944 ::

5th Bombardment Squadron ''005'' (pronounced "''double-o five''") is a 1981 arcade video game by Sega. They advertised it as the first of their RasterScan Convert-a-Game series, designed so that it could be changed into another game in minutes "at a substantial savings" ...

, ( Consolidated B-24 Liberator), ( North American B-25 Mitchell) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 31 October 1942 – 15 April 1943 :::

, 15 April 1943-7 January 1944;13 February-9 March 1944 ::: Brooksville Army Air Field, 7 January-13 February 1944 ::

99th Bombardment Squadron The 99th Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the ...

, (North American B-25 Mitchell), (

Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in ...

) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 31 October 1942 – 5 February 1943, 25 February-9 March 1944 :::

Montbrook Army Air Field Williston Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the central business district of Williston, a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. Commonly referred to as Willist ...

, 5 February-14 November 1943 ::: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 14 November 1943 – 5 January 1944 ::: Brooksville Army Air Field, 5 January-25 February 1944 ::

430th Bombardment Squadron The 44th Reconnaissance Squadron (44 RS) is a unit of the United States Air Force's 432nd Wing, Air Combat Command and stationed at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, where it operates unmanned aerial vehicles. The squadron is assigned to the 432n ...

, (Consolidated B-24 Liberator), (North American B-25 Mitchell), (Martin B-26 Marauder) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 31 October 1942 – 6 January 1944; 25 February-6 March 1944 ::: Brooksville Army Air Field, 6 January-25 February 1944 *

:: 10th Fighter Squadron, (

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and ...

) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 18 March 1942-4 January 1943;29 January-13 March 1944 ::: Zephyrhills Army Air Field 4 January 1943 – 29 January 1944 :: 81st Fighter Squadron, (Curtiss P-40 Warhawk) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 22 March 1942 – 18 June 1943; 1 February-13 March 1944 :::

Cross City Army Air Field Cross City Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force facility, located east of Cross City, Florida. Overview Originally a small civil airport, during World War II it was active as a training base for the Army Air Forces School of ...

, 18 June 1943 – 1 February 1944 :: 313th Fighter Squadron, (Curtiss P-40 Warhawk) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 20 March 1942, 5 January 1943; 28 January-13 March 1944 ::: Leesburg Army Air Field, 5 January-17 November 1943 ::: Keystone Army Air Field, 17 November 1943 – 28 January 1944 * 415th Bombardment Group :: 465th Bombardment Squadron, (

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement f ...

) (assigned to AAFSAT, 24 January-23 March 1943) :::

Alachua Army Air Field Alachua Army Airfield, was a World War II United States Army Air Force airfield, located northeast of Gainesville, Florida. History Construction of the Gainesville Municipal Airport began in April 1940 as a Works Project Administration (WPA) ...

, 24 January-19 November 1943 ::: Montbrook Army Air Field, 19 November 1943 – 2 March 1944 ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 2–19 March 1944 :: 667th Bombardment Squadron (later 521st Fighter-Bomber Squadron ( Douglas A-24 Dauntless), (

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

), (

North American A-36 Apache The North American A-36 (listed in some sources as "Apache" or "Invader", but generally called Mustang) was the ground-attack/dive bomber version of the North American P-51 Mustang, from which it could be distinguished by the presence of rectang ...

) :: Alachua Army Air Field, 15 February 1943 – 2 March 1944 :: Orlando Army Air Base, 2–19 March 1944 ; Night fighter units : Air Defense Department, Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics, 18 February 1943 : 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 28 July 1943 – 1 January 1944 ::

348th Night Fighter Squadron The 348th Night Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group at Salinas Army Air Base, California. The unit was disbanded on 31 March 1944. The ...

, (Douglas P-70 Havoc), (North American B-25 Mitchell) (attached to 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17 July 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 4 October 1942 – 19 January 1944 :: 349th Night Fighter Squadron, (Douglas P-70 Havoc), (

B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

) (assigned to Night Fighter Division, Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics, 1 April 1943, attached to: 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17 July 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 4 October 1942 – 1 January 1943 ::: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 1 January 1943 – 15 January 1944 :: 414th Night Fighter Squadron, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) (air echelon attached to VIII Fighter Command after 31 March 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 26 January-8 February 1943 ::: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 8 February-21 April 1943 ::

415th Night Fighter Squadron 415th may refer to: * 415th Bombardment Group, inactive United States Air Force unit * 415th Flight Test Flight (415 FLTF), squadron of the United States Air Force Reserves * 415th Tactical Fighter Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit S ...

, ( P-70/A-20 Havoc) (air echelon attached to VIII Fighter Command after 31 March 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 26 January-8 February 1943 ::: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 8 February-21 April 1943 ::

416th Night Fighter Squadron 416th may refer to: * 416th Air Expeditionary Operations Group, provisional unit assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command * 416th Bombardment Wing, inactive United States Air Force unit * 416th Engineer Command (TEC), US Army Re ...

, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 20 February-26 April 1943 ::

417th Night Fighter Squadron 417th may refer to: * 417th Bombardment Group, inactive United States Air Force unit *417th Bombardment Squadron The 417th Bombardment Squadron is a United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the 25th Bombardment Group at ...

, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 20 February-5 March 1943 :;: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 5 March-26 April 1943 ::

418th Night Fighter Squadron 418th may refer to: * 418th Bombardment Group, inactive United States Air Force unit *418th Flight Test Squadron (418 FLTS), part of the 412th Test Wing based at Edwards Air Force Base, California *418th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, inactive ...

, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) (attached to 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17 July-25 September 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 1 April-25 August 1943 :;: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 25 August-25 September 1943 ::

419th Night Fighter Squadron The 419th Night Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Thirteenth Air Force, being inactivated at Floridablanca, Luzon on 20 February 1947. The unit was formed in 1943. After training, it was ...

, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) (attached to 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17 July-15 October 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 1–22 April 1943 ::: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 22 April-15 October 1943 :: 420th Night Fighter Squadron, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) (attached to: 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17–26 July 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 1 June 1943 ::: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 1 June-20 August 1943 ::: Dunnellon Army Air Field 20 August 1943 – 18 January 1944 ::

421st Night Fighter Squadron 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest ...

, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) (attached to: 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17 July-7 November 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 1 May-1 October 1943 ::: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 4 October-7 November 1943 ::

422d Night Fighter Squadron 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest ...

, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) (assigned to AAF Tactical Center after 8 January 1943) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 1 August-3 November 1943; 6 January-13 November 1944 ::: Kissimmee Army Air Field, 3 November 1943 – 6 January 1944 :: 423d Night Fighter Squadron (Douglas P-70 Havoc) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 1 October 1943 – 29 January 1944 :: 425th Night Fighter Squadron, (Douglas P-70 Havoc) ::: Orlando Army Air Base, 1 December 1943 – 20 January 1944 ; Schools : Fighter Command School, 4 October 1942 – c. 4 January 1943 :

Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

(later Army Air Forces School), 21 January 1943 – 29 November 1945

Base units

* 900th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics), 1 April 44-1 Jun 45 : Redescribed (Army Air Forces Tactical Center), 1 Jun 45-3 Jul 45 :: Orlando AAB * 901st Army Air Forces Base Unit (Tactical Wing), 29 Mar 44-15 Mar 45 :: Orlando AAB * 901st Army Air Forces Base Unit (Army Air Forces Board), 1 Jun 45-3 Jul 45 ::Orlando AAB * 902d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Base Complement), 29 March 1944 – 1945 : Redescribed (Facilities), 1945 – 20 July 46 :: Orlando Army Air Base(-Jun 46) Eglin Field * 903d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Base Services), 29 March–1 June 1944 :: Orlando Army Air Base * 903d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Base Complement), 6 September–1 October 44 : Redescribed (Bombardment), 1 October 1944 – 1 July 1945 : Redesignated 621st Army Air Forces Base Unit :: Pinecastle Army Air Field * 904th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Aviation), 1 April–31 May 44 : Orlando Army Air Base * 904th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Fighter), 6 September–31 December 1944 : Redescribed (Base Complement), 1 May–7 July 1945 :: Kissimmee Army Air Field * 906th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Bombardment, Heavy), 29 March–6 September 1944 :: Pinecastle Army Air Field * 907th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Bombardment, Medium & Light), 1 April–30 June 1944 :: Orlando Army Air Base * 909th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Fighter, Single Engine), 29 March–1 April 1944 :: Alachua Army Air Field(-1944) Orlando Army Air Base * 910th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Fighter, Two Engine) 29 March–31 May 1944 :: Leesburg Army Air Field(-May 44) Orlando Army Air Base * 911th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Service Group, Special), 29 March–30 Jun 1944 :: Orlando Army Air Base * 916th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Antiaircraft Artillery Group) 1 May 45-21 March 1946 (transferred to

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inac ...

) :: Orlando Army Air Base * 999th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Hq, AAF Tactical Applications Ctr) 17 April 44 – 31 December 46 :: Orlando Army Air Base(-Jul 45) Eglin Field ; Other * Army Air Forces Board: 12 November 1942 (1 July 1943) – 8 October 1943

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* ** * * * * Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites: History's Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C., 2004. * Bowman, Martin W., ''USAAF Handbook 1939-1945'',

External links

''Time'' article, May 24, 1943

Army Air Forces Historical Study No. 13 "The Development of Tactical Doctrines at AAFSAT and AAFTAC"
{{Authority control Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics Airfields United States Army Air Force Commands 1942 establishments in Florida 1946 disestablishments in Florida