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V Bomber Command

Constituted as V Bomber Command on 28 October 1941. Activated in the Philippines on 14 November 1941. Participated in the defense of the Philippines in December 1941. Late in December the remaining bombers and some men were evacuated to Australia, and in January 1942 they were moved to Java to help delay the Japanese advance in the Netherlands Indies. The command ceased to function in March 1942 (the AAF bombardment organizations in the Southwest Pacific being under the control of American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) and later Allied Air Forces). Headquarters was remanned in September 1942 and shortly afterward it assumed control of AAF bombardment groups in Australia and New Guinea. The command served in combat with Fifth Air Force until the end of the war. Brig General Kenneth N. Walker, who was lost during a mission to Rabaul on 5 January 1943, was awarded the Medal of Honor; he had repeatedly taken part in combat missions and had developed an effective technique for bombing when opposed by enemy interceptors and antiaircraft fire. After the war the command became part of the occupation force for Japan. Inactivated on 31 May 1946. Disbanded on 8 October 1948.^[1]

Groups

• 3d Bombardment: 1942-1946.
• 6th Reconnaissance: 1943.
• 7th Bombardment: 1942.
• 8th Fighter: 1942.
• 19th Bombardment: 1941-1942.
• 22d Bombardment: 1942-1945.
• 27th Bombardment: 1941-1942.
• 35th Fighter: 1945-1946.
• 38th Bombardment: 1942-1945.
• 43d Bombardment: 1942-1945.
• 49th Fighter: 1945-1946.
• 71st Reconnaissance: 1943.
• 90th Bombardment: 1942-1945.
• 312th Bombardment: 1944-1945.
• 345th Bombardment: 1943-1945.
• 380th Bombardment: 1943-1945.
• 417th Bombardment: 1944-1945.

Stations

• Clark Field, Luzon, 14 November 1941
• Darwin, Australia, December 1941
• Java, January-March 1942
• Townsville, Australia, 5 September 1942
• Port Moresby, New Guinea, December 1942
• Nadzab, New Guinea, 21 February 1944
• Owl, Schouten Islands, c. 15 August 1944
• Leyte, November 1944
• Mindoro, January 1945
• Clark Field, Luzon, March 1945
• Okinawa, August 1945
• Murayama, Japan, October 1945
• Irumagawa, Japan, c. 15 January-31 May 1946

Commanders

• Col. Eugene L. Eubank, 14 November 1941
• Brig. Gen. Kenneth N. Walker, 5 September 1942 {Killed in Action}
• Brig. Gen. Howard K. Ramey, January 1943
• Brig. Gen. Roger M. Ramey, 19 April 1943
• Col. John H. Davies, October 1943
• Brig. Gen. Jarred V. Crabb, 27 February 1944-31 May 1946

Campaigns

• Philippine Islands
• East Indies
• Air Offensive, Japan
• China Defensive
• Papua
• New Guinea
• Northern Solomons
• Bismarck Archipelago
• Western Pacific
• Leyte
• Luzon
• Southern Philippines
• China Offensive

Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citations

• Philippine Islands, 8-22 December 1941
• Philippine Islands, 7 December 1941-10 May 1942
• Papua, September 1942-23 January 1943
• Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.

References