XIII Fighter Command
The XIII Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force, based at Manila, Luzon, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 March 1946.
History
XIII Fighter Command was a World War II command and control organization for Thirteenth Air Force. Its mission was to provide command and control authority of Army Air Force fighter organizations within the Thirteenth Air Force Area of Responsibility.It participated in the following campaigns: China Defensive; Guadalcanal; New Guinea; Northern Solomons; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines; China Offensive.
Lineage
- Constituted as the XIII Fighter Command on 14 December 1942
Assignments
- Thirteenth Air Force, 13 January 1943 – 15 March 1946
Stations
- Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, New Caledonia, Melanesia, 13 January 1943
- Pekoa Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 22 January 1943
- Carney Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, December 1943
- Sansapor (March) Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 15 August 1944
- Bayug Airfield, Burauen, Leyte, Philippines, 10 January 1945
- Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, 1 March 1945
- Manila, Luzon, Philippines, November 1945 – 15 March 1946
Components
; Groups- 18th Fighter Group, 14 April 1943 – 15 March 1946
- 42nd Bombardment Group, attached 1 October 1944 – 8 January 1945, c. 22 March – c. September 1945
- 347th Fighter Group: 13 January 1943 – 1 January 1946
- 414th Fighter Group: 1 January–30 September 1946
- 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron: 10 December 1945 – 1 February 1946
- 419th Night Fighter Squadron: 25 August 1944 – 10 January 1946
- 550th Night Fighter Squadron: 12 December 1944 – 15 December 1945