I Fighter Command was a

United States 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 II ...

intermediate command responsible for command and control of the fighter operations within the First Air Force during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was initially established in June 1941 as the 1st Interceptor Command to provide

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

of the Northeastern United States. Following the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

, the command's area of responsibility extended over the entire Atlantic coast and into Canada and Iceland. As the perceived threat of attack decreased, the command's responsibnility for training units and

aircrew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...

s became its primary mission. The command continued its mission until March 1946, when it was inactivated.

History

Background

GHQ Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

(GHQ AF) had been established with two major combat functions, to maintain a striking force against long range targets, and the

of the United States. In the spring of 1941, the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

established four strategic defense areas and GHQ, AF reorganized its Northeast Air District as 1st Air Force with responsibility for air defense planning and organization along the eastern seaboard. Simultaneously, an Air Defense Command was established at

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...

to plan the air defense of the United States and develop air defense doctrine.This command is not related to

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), 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 est ...

established in March 1946. It was constituted on 26 February 1940 and activated on 1 March 1940 and assigned to First Army until March 1941, when it was assigned to GHQ AF. ; 1st Air Force activated 1st Interceptor Command at Mitchel Field on 5 June 1941, under the command of Brigadier General John C. McDonnell, drawing its personnel from Air Defense Command, which inactivated three days earlier. The command's initial tactical components were the 6th and

7th Pursuit Wing 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

Air Defense

Shortly after the

, the command moved its

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Here, as the importance of the North Atlantic supply line grew, it assumed responsibility for planning the air defense of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. It selected

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

sites in cooperation with Canadian authorities and worked to standardize aircraft warning procedures there. In June 1942, the command returned to Mitchel and would remain there until inactivated. The command dispatched the

33d Pursuit Squadron The 33rd Special Operations Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 27th Special Operations Group at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron operates the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper. The unit is one of the oldest sq ...

to provide air defense in Iceland in July. The command organized Detachment A to manage the 33rd, along with antiaircraft artillery and signal warning units involved in the air defense of Iceland. The command was charged with control of "active agents" for air defense in its area of responsibility, which included

interceptor aircraft An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are cap ...

antiaircraft artillery Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

and

barrage balloons A barrage balloon is a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe collision risk to aircraft, making the attacker's approach more difficult. Early barra ...

. Civilian organizations provided air raid warnings and enforced blackouts and came under the authority of the

Office of Civilian Defense Office of Civilian Defense was a United States federal emergency war agency set up May 20, 1941, by to co-ordinate state and federal measures for protection of civilians in case of war emergency. Its two branches supervised protective function ...

Radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

was initially not sufficiently developed to be included in air defense systems, There were only eight radars under construction to guard the Atlantic coast, but the command worked "feverishly" to create a

ground observer corps The Ground Observer Corps (GOC), sometimes erroneously referred to as the Ground ''Observation'' Corps, was the name of two American civil defense organizations during the middle 20th century. World War II organization The first Ground Observer ...

and coastal radar net as elements of its Aircraft Warning Service. However, it soon became apparent that having two commands responsible for air defense in the

Eastern Theater of Operations The Eastern Defense Command was first established as the Northeast Defense Command on 17 March 1941 as one of four U.S. Army continental defense commands to plan and prepare for and execute defense against enemy attack in the months before Americ ...

was impractical, and in early 1942, the command took over responsibility for air defense of the East and part of the Gulf coast.The area included Florida to as far west as the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 160 mi (180 km) long in the state of Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its fa ...

. Southern Defense Command and 3d Interceptor Command retained responsibility for the remainder of the Gulf coast. Along the Atlantic coast, Eastern Defense Command established a "vital air defense zone", extending from the coast approximately inland and to sea, with long range bombers from 1st Bomber Command flying patrols over the ocean. However, 1st Bomber Command soon focused on antisubmarine warfare. Regional air defense wings were established in August 1942 at

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, New York,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. The command's mission of fighter control later expanded to providing emergency flight services to other aircraft and assisting in

air sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people ...

Unit and crew training

In 1942, Air Force Combat Command had established an

Operational Training Unit Royal Air Force Operational Training Units (OTUs) were training units that prepared aircrew for operations on a particular type or types of aircraft or roles. OTUs ; No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (1 OTU): The Unit was formed in ...

(OTU) system for 2nd and

3d Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in ...

s. The system was later extended to 1st Air Force. Although it was originally intended to confine the OTU system to 2d and 3rd Air Forces, too much of the AAF's aircrew and aircraft were assigned to 1st Air Force to permit the command to forego training responsibilities entirely. In May 1942, all pursuit groups assumed

(OTU) responsibility. The command also trained fighter units and personnel. By the end of 1942, the command's training consisted almost entirely of OTUs. As units deployed overseas, the command's training mission shifted to training individuals in Replacement Training Units (RTU).

Inactivation

After the end of the war it was inactivated on 21 March 1946. After September 1947, all former Air Corps units were transferred to the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, which disbanded the command in October 1948.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 1st Interceptor Command on 26 May 1941Maurer indicates unit was constituted as the "I" Interceptor Command. However, the unit was constituted and activated with an

arabic number Arabic numerals are the ten numerical digits: , , , , , , , , and . They are the most commonly used symbols to write decimal numbers. They are also used for writing numbers in other systems such as octal, and for writing identifiers such as ...

in its name. The use of

roman numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...

s to designate Army Air Forces combat commands did not begin until September 1942. : Activated on 5 June 1941 : Redesignated 1st Fighter Command 15 May 1942 : Redesignated I Fighter Command c. 18 September 1942 : Inactivated on 21 March 1946 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948

Assignments

* First Air Force, 26 May 1941 – 21 March 1946

Stations

* Mitchel Field, New York, 5 June 1941 * New York City, New York, 27 December 1941 * Mitchel Field, New York, 9 June 1942 – 21 March 1946

Components

; Wings * 3rd Air Defense Wing, 12 December 1942 – c. 7 February 1943 * 6th Pursuit Wing, 5 June 1941 – 7 December 1941 * 7th Pursuit Wing, 5 June 1941 – 31 August 1941 * 301st Fighter Wing: attached 15 October 1944 – 21 May 1945 * Boston Air Defense Wing (later Boston Fighter Wing): 11 August 1942 – 13 February 1945 (not manned after July 1944) * New York Air Defense Wing (later New York Fighter Wing): 11 August 1942 – 3 April 1946 (not manned after July 1944) * Norfolk Air Defense Wing (later Norfolk Fighter Wing): 11 August 1942 – 3 April 1946 (not manned after July 1944) * Philadelphia Air Defense Wing (later Philadelphia Fighter Wing): 11 August 1942 – 3 April 1946 (not manned after July 1944) ; Groups *

8th Pursuit Group The 8th Operations Group (8 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 8th Fighter Wing. It is stationed at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and is a part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The group is a direct su ...

: 31 August 1941 – 6 March 1942 * 31st Pursuit Group: 1 October 1941 – 18 April 1942 * 33d Pursuit Group (later 33d Fighter Group): 2 October 1941 – 11 August 1942 * 52d Pursuit Group (later 52d Fighter Group): 1 October 1941 – c. 15 June 1942 * 56th Pursuit Group (later 56th Fighter Group): 15 January – 11 August 1942 * 57th Pursuit Group (later 57th Fighter Group): 1 September 1941 – c. 16 July 1942 * 58th Fighter Group: 17 October 1942 – 19 November 1943 * 79th Fighter Group: 22 June – November 1942 *

80th Fighter Group 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

: 4 July – 11 August 1942 *

325th Fighter Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

: 3–11 August 1942 *

355th Fighter Group 355th may refer to: Aviation * 355th Fighter Squadron, an inactive United States Air Force unit * 355th Fighter Wing, a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force * 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron, a U.S. Ai ...

: 18 February – c. 6 July 1943 * 366th Fighter Group: 1 June 1943 – 8 January 1944 (attached to Philadelphia Air Defense Wing to 20 November 1943) ; Squadrons * 52nd Interceptor Control Squadron: c. 30 November 1941 – c. 1 January 1942 * 90th Fighter Control Squadron: 15 March 1943 – 10 April 1944 * 91st Fighter Control Squadron: 15 March 1943 – 10 April 1944 * 92nd Fighter Control Squadron: 1 April 1943 – 10 April 1944 * 93rd Fighter Control Squadron: c. 1 June 1943 – 10 April 1944, 1 October 1944 – 31 March 1945 * 94th Fighter Control Squadron: 1 April 1943 – 10 April 1944, 1 October 1944 – March 1945 * 95th Fighter Control Squadron: 1 April 1943 – c. 31 March 1944 * 96th Fighter Control Squadron: 15 May 1943 – 1944 * 302nd Fighter Control Squadron: 20 January 1944 – c. 31 March 1944 * 305th Fighter Control Squadron: 1 April – 19 December 1943 * 321st Fighter Control Squadron: 15 May 1943 – 8 January 1944 * 325th Fighter Control Squadron: 1 April – c. 15 December 1943 * 403d Fighter Squadron: 7 August – 15 December 1943 *

453d Fighter Squadron The 476th Fighter Group (476 FG) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the United States Air Force. It is part of the Tenth Air Force (10 AF) of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. If mobilized to ...

: 20 November – 1 December 1943 ; Aircraft warning units * Signal Aircraft Warning Service, 1 Interceptor Command (later Signal Aircraft Warning Service, I Fighter Command: c. 30 November 1941 – c. 1 May 1944 * 502nd Signal Regiment (Aircraft Warning): c. 15 December 1941 – January 1942 ; Base units * 102nd AAF Base Unit (Headquarters, I Fighter Command): c 10 April 1944 – 21 March 1946 * 103rd AAF Base Unit (Boston Fighter Wing): c 10 April 1944 – c. 31 July 1944 * 104th AAF Base Unit (New York Fighter Wing): c 10 April 1944 – c. 31 July 1944 * 105th AAF Base Unit (Philadelphia Fighter Wing): c 10 April 1944 – c. 31 July 1944 * 106th AAF Base Unit (Norfolk Fighter Wing): c 10 April 1944 – c. 31 July 1944 * 160th AAF Base Unit (Fighter Control) 10 April 1944 – 15 November 1945 * 161st AAF Base Unit (Fighter Control) 10 April 1944 – c. 1 September 1945 * 162nd AAF Base Unit (Fighter Control) 10 April 1944 – c. 31 July 1944 * 163rd AAF Base Unit (Fighter Control) 10 April 1944 – c. 30 June 1944 * 164th AAF Base Unit (Fighter Control) 10 April 1944 – c. 1 December 1945 * 165th AAF Base Unit (Fighter Control) 10 April 1944 – c. 23 October 1944

Campaign

References

Notes

Explanatory notes Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II 01 Command Fighter Military units and formations disestablished in 1948