USAAF US Army Air Force Patch United States 5 AAF 1942 Australian made b

 

US Army Air Force Patch United States 5 AAF 1942 Far East Air Force FEAF Australian made Embroidered on wool cut edge 72mm two and seven eighth inches diameter.

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History

WWII Philippines Defence

US Army Air Forces activated Philippine Department Air Force at Nichols Field Luzon on 20 September 1941 assigned to the US Army Philippine Department as part of the build up and reinforcement of forces in the west Pacific. PDAF was redesignated Far East Air Force on 16 November 1941.

WWII Australia

Following the Japanese attacks on 7 December 1941 and subsequent Japanese advances Far East Air Force escaped the Philippines with fourteen B 17 Flying Fortress bombers which flew from Mindanao to Darwin Australia on 20 December 1941 to regroup. FEAF Headquarters relocated to Australia and was reassigned to US Forces in Australia USFIA on 23 December 1941 and redesignated 5 Air Force on 24 December 1941. 5 Air Force relocated to RAAF Station Darwin on 31 December 1941. US Forces in Australia was redesignated US Army Forces in Australia USAFIA on 5 January 1942.

5 AF had most of its combat aircraft based on fields on Java with 19 Bombardment Group and 7 Bombardment Group with B 17 Fortress and LB 30 Liberators carried out missions against the Japanese advance. 5 Air Force relocated to Bandoeng Airfield Java on 18 January 1942. 5 Air Force was reassigned to the American British Dutch Australian Command ABDACOM on 23 February 1942. With further Japanese advances 5 Air Force relocated from the Dutch East Indies to Brisbane US Army Air Force Base Australia 1 March 1942.

435 Bomb Squadron had identified the regrouping of the Japanese fleet around Rabaul providing the US Navy with vital reconnaissance information for the Battle of the Coral Sea which took place 7 and 8 May 1942. With the Japanese still advancing 5 Air Forces surviving personnel and aircraft were detached to other commands and the headquarters remained unmanned for several months. 5 Air Force was redesignated Fifth Air Force with Headquarters Fifth Air Force restaffed at Brisbane Australia on 18 September 1942. Fifth Air Force was assigned 8 35 and 49 Fighter Groups 3 19 22 38 and 43 Bomb Groups two transport Squadrons and one photographic reconnaissance Squadron.

WWII Papua New Guinea

Fifth Air Force was reassigned to Allied Air Force Southwest Pacific Area SWPA on 2 November 1942. On 4 November 1942 Fifth Air Force began offensive combat operations against the Japanese on Papua New Guinea and with the Royal Australian Air Force provided the aerial spearhead for General MacArthurs island hopping campaign. Fifth Air Force relocated to Nadzab Airfield New Guinea on 15 June 1944.

WWII Dutch East Indies

Fifth Air Force was reassigned to the newly created United States Far East Air Forces FEAF on 3 August 1944 along with Thirteenth Air Force in the Central Pacific Area and Seventh Air Force in Hawaii. FEAF served as the headquarters of Allied Air Forces Southwest Pacific Area and reported direct to the U.S. Army Forces Far East Command. Fifth Air Force relocated to Owi Airfield Schouten Islands Dutch East Indies on 10 August 1944.

Fifth Air Force moved up through the Bismark Sea. MacArthur reached Morotai in the Dutch East Indies on 15 September 1944 which provided airfield facilities within bomber range of the southern Philippines.

WWII Philippines Liberation

Fifth Air Force began undertaking operations against the Japanese in the Philippines with elements moving forward to liberated airfields. Fifth Air Force relocated to Bayug Airfield Leyte Philippines on 20 November 1944 and then to McGuire Field Mindoro Philippines in January 1945. With the advance moving forward Fifth Air Force relocated to Clark Field Luzon Philippines in April 1945. Fifth Air Force supported operations during the Battle of Okinawa from 1 April 1945 to 22 June 1945 and relocated to Hamasaki Motobu Airfield Okinawa on 4 August 1945. Fifth Air Force continued support to the Philippines Campaign which concluded with the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945. Fifth Air Force was credited with 3445 fighter combat victories with ten recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Japan Occupation

Fifth Air Force relocated to Irumagawa Air Base Japan on 25 September 1945 as part of the Allied occupation forces. Fifth Air Force was reassigned to Pacific Air Command United States Army on 6 December 1945 on the redesignation of Far East Air Forces. Fifth Air Force relocated to Tokyo Air Base on 13 January 1946 and moved to Nagoya Air Base on 20 May 1946. Fifth Air Force was reassigned to Far East Air Forces on 1 January 1947 on the redesignation of Pacific Air Command United States Army.

Korean War

With the outbreak of the Korean War on 25 June 1950 the USAF activated Fifth Air Force Advance at Itazuki Air Base Japan as a temporary Command to control USAF combat operations over Korea. Fifth Air Force itself was still undertaking occupation force tasking in Japan. The USAF assigned Fifth Air Force Advance to Fifth Air Force on 14 July 1950. Fifth Air Force Advance relocated to Taegu Air Base South Korea and was redesignated Fifth Air Force in Korea on 24 July 1950 and was redesignated Fifth Air Force in Korea at the same time where it reported direct to Far East Air Forces. Fifth Air Force in Korea operated Detachments at Pusan Air Base and Seoul Air Base. Fifth Air Force in Korea was inactivated on 1 December 1950 when Fifth Air Force relocated to Seoul Air Base K 16 South Korea to take over the command of combat air operations. The Air Force assisted in the establishment and growth of the Republic of Korea Air Force.  Fifth Air Force relocated to Taegu Air Base K 2 South Korea on 22 December 1950. Fifth Air Force relocated back to Seoul Air Base K 16 South Korea on 15 June 1951.

By the end of hostilities on 27 July 1953 Fifth Air Force had undertaken over 625000 missions with 953 fighter combat victories over North Korean and Chinese pilots and accounted for 47 percent of all enemy troop casualties with close air support operations. Fifth Air Force relocated back to Osan Air Base South Korea on 25 January 1954.

Japan

Fifth Air Force moved back to Nagoya Air Base Japan on 1 September 1954 and began assisting with the formation of the Japan Air Self Defense Force. Fifth Air Force relocated to Fuchu AS Japan and was reassigned to Pacific Air Forces on the redesignation of Far East Air Forces on 1 July 1957.

With the direct US engagement in Vietnan following the Gulf of Tonkin incident on 2 August 1964 air combat operations over Vietnam was commanded by Pacific Air Forces Thirteen Air Force at Clark Air Force Base Philippines joined by Seventh Air Force activated at Tan Son Nhut Air Base South Vietnam on 1 April 1966. Fifth Air Force provided aircraft air crews ground personnel and supplies to support the Pacific Air Forces operations over Vietnam. Seventh Air Force relocated to Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Navy Base Thailand on 29 March 1973.

Fifth Air Force remained responsible for defensive operations in South Korea and support operations in Japan and relocated from Fuchu AS to Yokota Air Base Japan on 11 November 1974. Seventh Air Force was inactivated on 30 June 1975.

Fifth Air Force assets were first to get to the wreckage location of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 which had been shot down with air to air missiles by the Soviet Air Force on 1 September 1983. With increasing aggression by North Korea the Seventh Air Force was reactivated at Osan AB Korea on 8 September 1986 as a higher command to replace Fifth Air Forces 314 Air Division as the USAF component of the US and ROK Combined Forces Command Air Component Command. With Seventh Air Force taking responsibility for Korea Fifth Air Force focus concentrated on Japan.

In response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait 2 August 1990 Fifth Air Force deployed assets and moved supplies to Southwest Asia for Operation Desert Shield and the offensive phase Operation Desert Storm commencing 17 January 1991. Fifth Air Force provided humanitarian and assistance following natural disasters including the Great Hanshin earthquake which affected Kobe in 1995 and Super Typhoon Paka Guam in 1997. Fifth Air Force continued providing assets for operations in Southwest Asia in support of Operations Northern and Southern Watch Iraq and to Afghanistan. Fifth Air Force provided humanitarian and assistance following the earthquake and tsunami the northern coast of Japan on 11 March 2011.

 

This patch dates from 1942.