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United States Air Forces Southern Command
USAF Southern Command emblem
Active	20 November 1940 – 1 January 1976 (35 years, 1 month) Detailed 8 July 1963 – 1 January 1976 (as United States Air Forces Southern Command) 31 July 1946 – 8 July 1963 (as Caribbean Air Command) 18 September 1942 – 31 July 1946 (as Sixth Air Force) 5 August 1941 - 18 September 1942 (as Caribbean Air Force) 20 November 1940 – 5 August 1941 (as Panama Canal Air Force)
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Major Command
Garrison/HQ	Howard Air Force Base, Panama
Engagements	World War II - Antisubmarine
Commanders
Notable commanders	Hubert R. Harmon

The United States Air Forces Southern Command is an inactive Major Command of the United States Air Force. It was headquartered at Albrook Air Force Base, Canal Zone, being inactivated on 1 January 1976.

Initially designated Panama Canal Air Force when first established in October 1940, its mission was the defense of the Panama Canal. Later it took on United States Air Force relations, including foreign military sales (FMS) and disaster relief assistance, with the Latin American nations. The command supported disaster relief to countries such as Guatemala, Jamaica, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Colombia. It also assisted states in Central and South America in purchases of United States military aircraft and trained their technicians in logistics and maintenance for the aircraft.

History

Pre-World War II activities

The first United States air units arrived in the Canal Zone in February 1917, with the 7th Aero Squadron being organized on 29 March at Ancon. It was equipped with Curtiss JN-4 "Jennys" and Curtiss R-3 and R-4 floatplanes.

The squadron initially came under the control of Headquarters, U.S. Troops, Panama Canal Zone, and beginning on 1 July 1917, Army aviation units were assigned directly to the Panama Canal Department, which was the controlling United States Army headquarters in the Canal Zone. During World War I, the 7th Aero was assigned to patrol for German U-boats offshore of the Canal Zone under direction of Coast Defenses of Cristobal, from 1 June – 15 November 1918.

The 7th Aero Squadron was assigned to several fields during 1917 and 1918, those being Corozal (16 April); Empire (May); Fort Sherman (29 August); Cristobal (March 1918) before finding a permanent home at Coco Walk, which became France Field in May 1918.

A second permanent army airfield, Albrook Field, opened in 1932 due to France Field becoming too small for the numbers of aircraft being assigned to the Canal Zone, as well as having a poor landing surface; offering no room for expansion, and providing little defense for the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. A third airfield, Howard Field was built on the Canal Bruja Point Military Reservation, opening on 1 December 1939. By 1940, a rapid increase in the number of flying squadrons in both the Canal Zone as well as in Panama as a result of the pre–World War II mobilization of the Air Corps warranted a new organization, and the Panama Canal Air Force was created as a major command. After several organizational changes and the establishment of the United States Army Air Forces in 1942, Sixth Air Force became the controlling Air Force command authority for USAAF activities in the Caribbean, as well as in Central and South America. Through all these redesignations it was part of the Caribbean Defense Command, (10 February 1941 – 1 November 1947), which was the senior United States Army headquarters in the Canal Zone. The Caribbean Interceptor Command, was the Air Force component (10 February 1941 – 17 October 1941) of the CIC until being inactivated and replaced by VI Interceptor Command.

World War II

In early 1942 the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, began anti-shipping operations using U-boats in the Caribbean. The subs sank several tankers in the harbor at Sint Nicholaas, Aruba and even shelled an oil refinery on the island. The refineries at the island of Aruba and Curaçao possessed oil from wells in Venezuela, and accounted for one-third of the Allies' supply of gasoline.

The first wartime mission of the newly created Sixth Air Force was to perform antisubmarine operations in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico areas and to cover Allied shipping convoys in the area. The Sixth Air Force expanded throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, stationing units from Cuba in the north to British Guiana and Surinam on the northern coast of South America to protect the Venezuelan oilfields. Air bases were established along the western coast of South America, in Peru, Ecuador as well as in the Galápagos Islands, Panama, Guatemala and Costa Rica. In order to protect the vital Air Transport Command South Atlantic Air Route to Europe and North Africa, Sixth Air Force combat units were stationed in Brazil to patrol the South Atlantic air routes.

Sixth Air Force had the responsibility for tracking down submarine wolfpacks, which consisted of groups of three of more subs attacking Allied shipping using a strategy now known as "Search and Destroy". As most shipping in the Caribbean was not in defensive convoys, aerial surveillance of the area was crucial to their safety. However, in the fall of 1942 the German Navy changed tactics and reduced their submarine activity in the Caribbean region to concentrate its activity on the North Atlantic convoy route and the approaches to northwest Africa. With the withdrawal of submarines from the Caribbean region the Sixth Air Force concentrated its efforts as a striking force on its primary function of guarding against possible attacks on the Panama Canal.

Post-war mission

With the end of the war, most of the wartime Caribbean air bases used for antisubmarine patrols were returned to civil authorities in late 1945 or early 1946. The Lend-Lease air bases from Great Britain, which were on 99-year leases were reduced to skeleton units and used largely as MATS weather stations. They were all closed for budgetary reasons in 1949.

The postwar Sixth Air Force, redesignated Caribbean Air Command as part of the 1946 USAAF reorganization, and its successor units returned to its prewar mission, the defense of the Panama Canal; support for friendly Latin American air forces, and to provide support to Latin American nations engaged in anti-communist activities during the Cold War. Howard Air Force Base became a focus for military air support, with many surplus USAF aircraft being transferred to Latin American air forces there, as well as the establishment of the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, which provided technical training and education for airmen and officers from approximately 14 Latin American countries.

In the post Vietnam War drawdown of the USAF, the United States Air Forces Southern Command was inactivated in 1976 for budgetary reasons. Most of its functions and resources passed to the Tactical Air Command, which established the USAF Southern Air Division (later 830th Air Division; Air Forces Panama) as the USAF component of the United States Armed Forces in the Panama Canal Zone.

Lineage

• Established as Panama Canal Air Force on 19 October 1940
• Activated as a Major Command on 20 November 1940

Redesignated as Caribbean Air Force on 5 August 1941

Redesignated as 6th Air Force on 18 September 1942

Redesignated as Caribbean Air Command on 31 July 1946

Redesignated as United States Air Forces Southern Command on 8 July 1963

• Inactivated as a Major Command on 1 January 1976

Units assigned

Stations

• Permanent

Albrook Air Force Station, Canal Zone, 1932–1976

France Air Force Base, Canal Zone, 1917–1949

Howard Air Force Base, Canal Zone, 1939–1976

Rio Hato Army Air Base, Panama, 1931–1948

Borinquen (later Ramey) Air Force Base, Puerto Rico, 1936–1971

(Assigned to Strategic Air Command, 26 May 1949)

• Wartime/Lend-Lease

List of commanders

No.	Commander		Term
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
1		Andrews, Frank M.Major General Frank M. Andrews	6 December 1940	19 September 1941	287 days
2		Johnson, DavenportMajor General Davenport Johnson	19 September 1941	23 November 1942	1 year, 65 days
3		Harmon, Hubert R.Major General Hubert R. Harmon	23 November 1942	8 November 1943	350 days
4		Wooten, Ralph H.Brigadier General Ralph H. Wooten	8 November 1943	16 May 1944	190 days
5		Sorensen, Edgar P.Brigadier General Edgar P. Sorensen	16 May 1944	21 September 1944	128 days
6		Butler, William O.Major General William O. Butler	21 September 1944	24 July 1945	306 days
7		DeFord, Earl H.Brigadier General Earl H. DeFord	24 July 1945	1 February 1946	192 days
8		Harmon, Hubert R.Major General Hubert R. Harmon	1 February 1946	4 October 1947	1 year, 245 days
-		Jamison, Glen C.Brigadier General Glen C. Jamison Acting	4 October 1947	13 November 1947	40 days
9		Hale, Willis H.Major General Willis H. Hale	13 November 1947	20 October 1949	1 year, 341 days
10		Beam, RosenhamBrigadier General Rosenham Beam	20 October 1949	15 November 1950	1 year, 26 days
11		Kiel, Emil C.Brigadier General Emil C. Kiel	15 November 1950	11 June 1953	2 years, 208 days
12		Hood, Reuben C.Major General Reuben C. Hood	11 June 1953	20 June 1956	3 years, 9 days
13		Landon, Truman H.Major General Truman H. Landon	20 June 1956	3 August 1959	3 years, 44 days
14		Stranathan, Leland S.Major General Leland S. Stranathan	3 August 1959	11 September 1963	4 years, 39 days
15		Breitweiser, Robert A.Major General Robert A. Breitweiser	11 September 1963	6 August 1966	2 years, 329 days
16		Clizbe, Reginald J.Major General Reginald J. Clizbe	6 August 1966	14 June 1968	1 year, 313 days
17		Sanborn, Kenneth O.Major General Kenneth O. Sanborn	14 June 1968	7 April 1972	3 years, 298 days
18		Salisbury, Arthur G.Major General Arthur G. Salisbury	7 April 1972	October 1974	c. 2 years, 191 days
19		Breedlove, James M.Major General James M. Breedlove	October 1974	1 January 1976	c. 1 year, 78 days

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

1. Conaway, William. "VI Bombardment Command History". Planes and Pilots of World War Two.
2. Maurer 1983, p. 462.
3. "United States Air Forces Southern Command" (PDF). usafunithistory.com. 15 December 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2023.

• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) . Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• ArmyAirForces.com
• "United States Air Forces Southern Command". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 25 March 2009.

v t e USAAF Sixth Air Force in World War II
Previously: Panama Canal Air Force (1940-1941); Caribbean Air Force (1941-1942)
Airfields	Caribbean Coolidge (Antigua) Dakota (Aruba) Batista (Cuba) Camaguey (Cuba) Hato (Curaçao) Vernam (Jamaica) Arecibo (Puerto Rico) Borinquen (Puerto Rico) Losey (Puerto Rico) Benedict (Saint Croix) Beane (Saint Lucia) Carlsen (Trinidad) Piarco Airport (Trinidad) Waller (Trinidad) Canal Zone Albrook France Howard Panama Aguadulce Anton Calzada Larga Chame David La Chorrera Madden Patilla Point Pocri Río Hato Central and South America Belém (Brazil) Atkinson (British Guiana) Zandery (Dutch Guiana) Salinas (Ecuador) Baltra (Galápagos Islands) Guatemala City (Guatemala) Talara (Peru)
Units	Commands VI Bomber Command VI Fighter Command XXVI Fighter Command XXXVI Fighter Command VI Air Force Service Antilles Air Command Wings 6th Fighter 13th Bombardment 19th Composite 24th Composite Groups Fighter 16th Fighter 32d Fighter 36th Fighter 37th Fighter 53d Fighter Bomber 6th Bombardment 9th Bombardment 25th Bombardment 40th Bombardment Reconnaissance 72d Reconnaissance Squadrons 1st Depot Repair 20th Troop Carrier 23d Antisubmarine 91st Reconnaissance
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

• Major commands of the United States Air Force
• Military units and formations established in 1963
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1976