If you know the area of the world where your Vet fought, you can probably at least determine which Air Force he fought with by looking at the information in the table below:
Final Numerical Name/Date Given |
Formerly Known As |
Theater of Operations |
| 1st AF (April 1941) |
1st Air District (before April 1941) | Zone of the Interior/Northeast |
| 2nd AF (April 1941) |
2nd Air District (before April 1941) | Zone of the Interior/Northwest |
| 3rd AF (April 1941) |
3rd Air District (before April 1941) | Zone of the Interior/Southeast |
| 4th AF (April 1941) |
4th Air District (before April 1941) | Zone of the Interior/Southwest |
| 5th AF (Feb 1942) |
Philippine Department Air Force (from September 20, 1941 to October
28, 1941) Far East Air Force (from October 28, 1941 to February 1942) |
Southwest Pacific Arena (SWPA) |
| 6th AF (?) |
Panama Canal Air Force (from November 20, 1940 to ?) | Caribbean |
| 7th AF (?) |
Hawaiin Air Force (from November 1, 1940 to ?) | Central Pacific Arena (POA) |
| 8th AF (Jan. 1942) |
NA | European Theater (ETO) |
| 9th AF (April 1942) |
5th Air Spport Command (from August 1941 to April 1942) | Eastern Mediterranean & North Africa (MTO), then Europe (ETO) |
| 10th AF (Feb. 1942) |
NA | China, Burma, India (CBI) |
| 11th AF (?) |
Alaskan Air Force (from January 15, 1942 to ?) | Alaska |
| 12th AF (Aug. 1942) |
NA | Europe & Western Mediterranean |
| 13th AF (Jan. 1943) |
NA | South Pacific |
| 14th AF (March, 1943) |
NA | China |
| 15th AF (Nov. 1943) |
NA | Mediterranean |
| 20th AF (April 1944) |
NA | China, Burma & India, then the Pacific |