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Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) was a component of the Allied Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) during February–December 1943. It was responsible primarily for air operations during the Tunisian Campaign and bombing of Italy. Its commander was Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz of the United States Army Air Force. NAAF was created following a reorganization of the command structure of Allied air forces in the Mediterranean Theatre. The other components of MAC were Middle East Command (MEC), AHQ Malta, RAF Gibraltar and 216 Group. When the first units of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) arrived in the Middle East in June 1942 and the 12th Air Force established a foothold in Algeria following Operation Torch in November 1942, cooperation between the Allied air forces became an important priority in the Mediterranean theatre. Such cooperation was a major concern of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and their staffs at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 when they established a new Allied air force organization known as the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) with Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder as Air Commander-in-Chief. NAAF was organized on a successful tripartite (or "tri-force") air interdiction model – consisting of specialised strategic, coastal, and tactical air forces – pioneered by Air Marshal Arthur Tedder and Air Vice Marshal Arthur Coningham of Middle East Command in Egypt and Libya during 1942. Effective coordination of air and ground forces was a key feature of the tripartite model. Consequently, the main combat commands of NAAF emulated MEC. This tripartite command structure was regarded as successful; it was therefore retained when NAAF was superseded in December 1943, by the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF).〔Craven, Wesley F. and James L. Cate. The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume 2, Chicago, Illinois: Chicago University Press, 1949 (Reprinted 1983, ISBN 0-912799-03-X).〕〔Richards, D. and H. Saunders, The Royal Air Force 1939-1945 (Volume 2, HMSO, 1953).〕 ==Structure== From February 18, 1943, the Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) under Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz became the largest and primary sub-command of MAC. The Casablanca planners modeled NAAF after the successful coordination of strategic, coastal, and tactical units of the Middle East Command under Tedder during the campaigns in Egypt and Libya in 1942. Accordingly, the Northwest African Air Forces had three major combined combat commands. *Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) under former 12th Air Force commander Major General James H. Doolittle, included: the former XII Bomber Command of B-17 Flying Fortresses, No. 205 (Heavy Bomber) Group's bombardment force consisting of four wings (10–12 British Commonwealth bomber squadrons) and several heavy bomber elements from the USAAF Ninth Air Force;〔Craven and Cate, Volume 2 (1949):p. 18.〕 *Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF), initially under (acting commander) Group Captain G. G. Barrett and, soon afterwards, Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Lloyd: comprised No. 201 (Naval Co-operation) Group's anti-shipping coastal force (10 squadrons: Greek, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), South African Air Force (SAAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF); and *Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) under Acting Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham, including Air Headquarters, Western Desert's tactical fighter command (including the USAAF Desert Air Task Force consisting of the United States 57th Fighter and 12th Bombardment Groups) and XII Air Support Command units. The following support commands were also assigned to NAAF: *Northwest African Air Service Command (NAASC) under Major General Delmar H. Dunton; *Northwest African Training Command (NATC) under Brigadier General John K. Cannon; *Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing (NAPRW) under Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, the US president's son; and *Northwest African Troop Carrier Command (NATCC) initially under Colonel Ray Dunn and later under Brigadier General Paul L. Williams. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Northwest African Air Forces」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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