15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force ( 15 EMTF ) was one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) . It was headquartered at Travis Air Force Base , California . The 15 EMTF was inactivated on 20 March 2012 . 15 EMTF provided strategic and theater airlift for all United States Department of Defense agencies as well as air refueling for the Air Force in both peace and wartime . Primary aircraft assigned to its units were the C - 5 Galaxy , C - 9 Nightingale , C - 17 Globemaster III , C - 21 , C - 130 Hercules , KC - 10 Extender , and KC - 135 Stratotanker . 15 EMTF was a redesignation of Fifteenth Air Force , effective 1 October 2003 . Established on 1 November 1943 , Fifteenth AF was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force deployed to the European Theater of World War II , engaging in strategic bombardment operations from bases in southern Italy and engaging in air to air fighter combat against enemy aircraft . During the Cold War , 15 AF was one of three Numbered Air Force s of the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) , commanding USAF strategic bombers and missiles on a global scale . Elements of 15th Air Force engaged in combat operations during the Korean War ; Vietnam War , as well as Operation Desert Storm . World War II . Fifteenth Air Force ( 15th AF ) was established on 1 November 1943 in Tunis , Tunisia as part of the United States Army Air Forces in the World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations as a strategic air force and commenced combat operations the day after it was formed . The first commander was General Jimmy Doolittle . 15th AF resulted from a reorganization of Doolittle ' s Twelfth Air Force into the 15th with Doolittle in command , and the Ninth Air Force ( 9th AF ) with Lewis H . Brereton in command . The new air force was activated with a strength of ninety B - 24 Liberator s and 210 B - 17 Flying Fortress es , inherited from the Twelfth Air Force and Ninth Air Force . In December , new groups , most of which were equipped with B - 24s soon started arriving from the United States . Thirteen new groups were added . It was hoped that the 15th AF stationed in the Mediterranean would be able to operate when the Eighth Air Force ( 8th AF ) in England was socked in by bad English weather . The 9th AF would later move to England to serve as a tactical unit to take part in the invasion of Europe . Once bases around Foggia in Italy became available , the 15th was able to reach targets in southern France , Germany , Poland , Czechoslovakia , and the Balkans , some of which were difficult to reach from England . Operational Units . Airfields : Amendola Airfield ( 2d BW ) , Celone Airfield ( 463d BW ) , Cerignola Airfield ( 97th BW ) , Foggia ( 2d BW , 463d BW ) , Lucera Airfield ( 301st BW ) , Manduria , ( 68th RG ) , Maricianise ( 97th BW ) , Sterparone ( 483d BW ) , Torotella ( 99th BW , 483d BW ) < hr width = 60 % > Airfields : Brindisi ( 98th BG ) , Grottaglie ( 449th BG ) , Lecce ( 98th BG ) , Manduria ( 98th BG ) , San Pancrazio ( 376th BG , 450th BG ) < hr width = 60 % > Airfields : Gina del Colle ( 451st BG ) , San Pancrazio ( 451st BG ) , Torretta ( 484th BG ) < hr width = 60 % > Airfields : Gioia ( 464th BG ) , Pantanella ( 465th BG ) , Spinazzola Airfield ( 460th BG ) , Venosa Airfield ( 485th BG ) < hr width = 60 % > Airfields : Giulia Airfield ( 455th BG ) , San Giovanni Airfield ( 454th BG , 455th BG , 456th BG ) < hr width = 60 % > Airfields : Gioia del Colle Airfield ( 1st FG ) , Leisna ( 14th FG 82d FG ) , Salosa ( 1st FG ) , Triolo Airfield ( 14th FG ) , Vincenzo Airfield ( 82d FG ) < hr width = 60 % > Airfields : Capodichino ( 332d FG ) , Cattolica ( 332d FG ) , Madna Airfield ( 52d FG ) , Mondolfo ( 31st FG . 325th FG ) , Montecorvino ( 332d FG ) , Piagiolino ( 52d FG ) , Ramitelli ( 332d FG ) , Rimini ( 325th FG ) , Vincenzo Airfield ( 325th FG ) . * Sent to Aghione , Corsica from 10 – 21 August 1944 for Operation DRAGOON ( Invasion of Southern France ) < hr width = 60 % > < hr width = 60 % > < hr width = 60 % > Initial Operations . The 15th Air Force began its operations on 2 November 1943 , attacking the Messerschmitt factory at Wiener Neustadt , Austria . On 1 December 1943 , the Headquarters was moved to Bari Airfield , Italy . On 4 January 1944 , Fifteenth , along with Twelfth Air Force were organized into Mediterranean Allied Air Forces , along with the Royal Air Force 205 Group . MAAF was the southern component of U . S . Strategic Air Forces , Europe , the overall USAAF command and control organization in Europe . The first major operation carried out by Fifteenth Air Force was bombing missions in support of the Anzio Landings in Italy , Operation Shingle beginning on 22 January 1944 . Strikes on German and fascist Italian targets were carried out and caused widespread damage to Axis forces . Big Week . " Big Week " was the name of an intense Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces series of attacks on Germany in a series of co - ordinated raids on the German aircraft industry . The plan , code - named " Operation Argument " , was to use both American strategic air forces in Europe , with support by the Royal Air Force with night bombing raids to destroy or seriously cripple the German ability to produce combat aircraft . The Americans were facing strong Luftwaffe fighter opposition to their daylight bombing raids over Nazi - occupied Europe , and it was planned to initiate Operation Argument at the earliest possible date . On 22 February 1944 , Fifteenth Air Force made its first attack on Germany , with an attack on Regensburg . The Fifteenth dispatched a force of 183 bombers to the Oberstraubing Messerschmidt assembly plant . Some 118 bombed with good results but fourteen were shot down . The next day the 15th sent 102 bombers to the Steyr ball - bearing works in Austria where they destroyed twenty percent of the plant . On 24 February , over 180 Liberators inflicted considerable damage to the Messerschmitt Bf 110 assembly plant at Gotha , losing 28 aircraft . On 25 February 114 B - 17s and B - 24s were dispatched to Steyr again , but the force became separated and the Liberators bombed the Fiume oil refinery instead . Seventeen bombers were lost . Despite these losses , it was believed that the USSTAF had dealt the German aircraft industry a severe blow . Oil Industry Targets . In April , General Eisenhower ordered the USSTAF to attack German fuel production centers by striking both the oil refineries and the factories producing synthetic fuels . The 15th started the offensive on 5 April when it dispatched 235 B - 17s and B - 24s from Italy to transportation targets in the vicinity of the Ploesti oilfields in Romania . The refineries were attacked again on 15 and 24 April , inflicting additional damage . Attacks on oil targets had assumed top priority by October and vast fleets of heavy bombers , escorted by P - 38 Lightning and P - 51 Mustang fighters escorted missions to attack refineries in Germany , Czechoslovakia and Romania . The P - 51 escorts were able to establish an environment of air superiority , enabling the bombers to roam widely across southern and eastern Europe , attacking targets at Brux in Czechoslovakia , Budapest , Komárom , Győr and Pétfürdő in Hungary , Belgrade and other cities in Yugoslavia and Trieste in north - eastern Italy . Soviet Support . By June 1944 , the 15th Air Force was bombing railway networks in south - east Europe in support of Soviet military operations in Romania . Throughout the summer of 1944 , Austrian aircraft manufacturing centers at Wiener Neustadt were bombed and oil producing centers were attacked . On 2 , 15 June Air Force flew its first " shuttle " mission when 130 B - 17s and P - 51 escorts landed in Russia n controlled territory after a raid in Hungary . Two more shuttle missions followed . Operation Anvil . In July , the 15th began attacking targets in Southern France in preparation for Operation Anvil , the invasion of Southern France . Marseilles , Lyon , Grenoble and Toulon were all attacked by B - 24s and B - 17s . The end of the Third Reich . An historic 15th Air Force operation mission occurred on 24 March 1945 when 666 bombers struck Berlin , Munich , and other German targets as well as Czechoslovakia . The Berlin force was attacked by Me 262 jets that inflicted losses ( ten bombers and five fighters ) while the Mustangs claimed eight jets downed . Despite their speed , the German jets were too few and produced too late to stop the Allied aerial armadas from simply overwhelming the Luftwaffe and leveling their targets . The last major effort came on 25 April when 467 bombers struck rail targets in Austria , severing communications into Czechoslovakia . The 15th ' s final bombing mission was flown 1 May when 27 B - 17s attacked Salzburg rail targets . With the German surrender in Italy , 15th Air Force aircraft began dropping supplies over Yugoslavia and evacuating Allied prisoners of war . A total of around 2 , 110 bombers were lost on operations by its fifteen B - 24 and six B - 17 bombardment groups , while its seven fighter groups claimed a total of 1 , 836 enemy aircraft destroyed . The Fifteenth was inactivated in Italy 15 September 1945 . Postwar era in late 1940s . On 31 March 1946 , Fifteenth Air Force was reactivated at Colorado Springs AAB , Colorado and assigned to the ten - day old Strategic Air Command . 15th AF assumed the assets and personnel of the former Continental Air Forces Second Air Force , which was inactivated on 30 March . The original bomb groups assigned to 15th Air Force were : . * Group became subordinate element to wing . However , demobilization was in full swing and few of these groups were fully equipped or manned . All of these groups were equipped with B - 29 Superfortress es , most or all of which were aircraft which returned from Twentieth Air Force groups which returned from the Pacific War . When SAC was established in 1946 , its primary bomber aircraft was the B - 29 . Although there were many in storage they were war - weary . The plane was greatly improved and soon new models , designated the B - 50 Superfortress , began joining the inventory replacing the older aircraft . The 15th AF returned to a combat - ready role as a result of the 1948 Berlin Crisis , A squadron from the 301st Bombardment Group was deployed with its B - 29s at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base , Germany . SAC immediately ordered the group ' s other two squadrons to Goose Bay Air Base , Labrador to prepare for immediate deployment to Germany . The 307th and 28th Bombardment Groups were placed on alert and ordered to be ready to deploy within three and twelve hours respectively . Within a few weeks , the other 301st Bomb Groups squadrons had joined the first . Later in 28 July Bombardment Group left Rapid City AFB , South Dakota for RAF Scampton , in the United Kingdom . The 307th Bombardment Group left MacDill AFB , Florida for RAF Marham and RAF Waddington in the UK . The 56th Fighter Wing at Selfridge in Michigan left Fifteenth Air Force on 1 December 1948 , transferring to Tenth Air Force . On 7 November 1949 , Headquarters Fifteenth Air Force was relocated to March AFB , California . As part of this realignment , Most SAC bomber forces west of the Mississippi River were reassigned to 15th AF . Those east of the Mississippi were assigned to SAC ' s other strategic air force , Eighth Air Force , was reassigned to Westover AFB , Massachusetts , where it commanded all SAC bases in the eastern United States . From 1947 onwards Fifteenth Air Force incorporated a number of fighter escort wings and strategic fighter wings , intended to escort bombers to their targets . Among these units were the 56th Fighter Wing , 71st Strategic Fighter Wing , the 82nd Fighter Wing , and the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing . They were all redesignated and transferred to other USAF components in 1957 – 58 with the end of the fighter escort concept . Korean War . On 25 June 1950 , the armed forces of the Democratic People ' s Republic of Korea ( North Korea ) invaded South Korea . On 27 June the United Nations Security Council voted to assist the South Koreans in resisting the invasion . President Harry S . Truman authorized General Douglas MacArthur ( commander of the US occupying forces in Japan ) to commit units to the battle . MacArthur ordered General George E . Stratemeyer , CIC of the Far Eastern Air Force ( FEAF ) to attack attacking North Korean forces between the front line s and the 38th parallel . At that time , the 22 B - 29s of the Twentieth Air Force 19th Bomb Group stationed at Andersen Field on Guam were the only aircraft capable of hitting the Korean peninsula , and this unit was ordered to move to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa and begin attacks on North Korea . These raids began on 28 June . On 29 June , clearance was given for B - 29 attacks on airfields in North Korea . On 8 July , a special FEAF Bomber Command was set up under the command of Major General Emmett O ' Donnell . Although President Truman wasn ' t willing to risk extensive use of the U . S . bomber force in the United States , which was being used as a deterrent for possible Soviet aggression in Europe , a few groups of B - 29 bombers – that were not part of the nuclear strike force – were released . On 13 July , the FEAF Bomber Command took over command of the Twentieth Air Force 19th Bombardment Group and of the Fifteenth Air Force ' s 22nd and 92nd Bombardment Groups which had been transferred from SAC bases in the United States . Later in July , the Fifteenth Air Force 98th and 307th Bombardment Groups were sent to Japan to join the FEAF . The 92nd and 98th BGs and the 31st SRG operated from bases in Japan , whereas the 19th , 22nd , and 307th BGs were based in Okinawa . When the Korean War ended on 27 July 1953 , the B - 29s had flown over 21 , 000 sorties , nearly 167 , 000 tons of bombs had been dropped , and 34 B - 29s had been lost in combat ( 16 to fighters , four to flak , and fourteen to other causes ) . B - 29 gunners had accounted for 34 Communist fighters ( 16 of these being MiG - 15 s ) probably destroyed another 17 ( all MiG - 15s ) and damaged 11 ( all MiG - 15s ) . Losses were less than 1 per 1000 sorties . Cold War . With the end of fighting in Korea , President Dwight D . Eisenhower , who had taken office in January 1953 , called for a " new look " at national defense . The result : a greater reliance on nuclear weapon s and air power to deter war . His administration chose to invest in the Air Force , especially Strategic Air Command . The nuclear arms race shifted into high gear . The Air Force retired nearly all of its propeller - driven B - 29 / B - 50s and they were replaced by new Boeing B - 47 Stratojet aircraft . By 1955 the Boeing B - 52 Stratofortress would be entering the inventory in substantial numbers , as prop B - 36 s were phased out of heavy bombardment units rapidly . Also after the deployment of forces to Far East Air Force to engage in combat over Korea , the history of Fifteenth Air Force becomes indistinguishable from that of Strategic Air Command . During the Cold War , Fifteenth Air Force aircraft stood nuclear alert , providing a deterrence against an attack on the United States by the Soviet Union . During the Vietnam War , squadrons of 15th Air Force B - 52 Stratofortesses ( B - 52Ds mostly , some B - 52Gs ) were deployed to bases on Guam , Okinawa and Thailand conducting Arc Light strikes on communist forces . The 15th Air Force also included missile squadrons , such as the 703d Strategic Missile Wing and 706th Strategic Missile Wing . Post Vietnam . Between the Vietnam War and 1991 , 15th AF units commanded reconnaissance aircraft , Bomber ( B52H ) , KC135 and intercontinental ballistic missiles . Fifteenth Air Force became exclusively a tanker command on 1 September 1991 . When Strategic Air Command was inactivated 1 June 1992 , and its assets divided between the newly created Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command , Fifteenth Air Force became part of Air Mobility Command . Headquarters Fifteenth Air Force moved from March Air Force Base to Travis Air Force Base on 2 July 1993 with the BRAC transition of March AFB to March Air Reserve Base , and merged its tankers with the airlift aircraft of the Twenty - Second Air Force . The Twenty - Second Air Force ' s flag moved to the Air Force Reserve Command at Dobbins Air Force Base , Georgia . As a result of the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001 , Fifteenth Air Force was redesignated the Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force , and is currently engaged in operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism . 21st - century . Fifteenth Air Force was one of the two numbered air forces assigned to the Air Mobility Command . Headquartered at Travis Air Force Base , Calif . , its main area of operations was the region stretching west of the Mississippi River to the east coast of Africa , pole to pole , but was often tasked to support Air Mobility Command ' s global reach mission . Its primary mission was to provide strategic and theater airlift for all Department of Defense agencies as well as air refueling for the Air Force in both peace and wartime . This included the aeromedical evacuation of sick and injured . The task force provided rapid and flexible transportation from six major Air Force bases in the United States and 47 locations throughout the Pacific . More than 71 , 000 people , including active duty and gained Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel , operated and supported airlift , tanker and aeromedical aircraft as part of the 15 EMTF . With the assigned military work force of 28 , 912 personnel and an assigned civilian work force of 5 , 288 people , Fifteenth Air Force managed almost 300 aircraft and many support facilities in the United States and in the Pacific and Indian Oceans — all the way to Diego Garcia . Units . Primary operating units of 15 EMTF were : The 15 AF commander was also the Commander , Task Force 294 ( TF 294 ) , which provides aerial refueling to aircraft that support the United States Strategic Command ( USSTRATCOM ) in time of war . TF 294 includes 26 units from the 18 AF , the Air National Guard , and the Air Force Reserve Command . The 15 AF staff assured the operational readiness of its units by conducting readiness assessment visits and staff assistance visits . It acted as an advocate for its subordinate units and enforces higher headquarters policies and directives . Components . World War II Wings Postwar Air Divisions