| Thirteenth Air Force Like the Fifth Air Force, the Thirteenth Air Force has never been stationed in the United States; it is also one of the oldest, continuously active, numbered air forces. It engaged in combat in the Pacific during World War II. Since World War II, it has provided air defense in the Far East, primarily the Philippines, until the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo forced the closure of Clark AB. Numerous Thirteenth Air Force organizations participated in Southeast Asia combat operations in the 1960s and 1970s. - Lineage
- Established as Thirteenth Air Force on December 14, 1942. Activated on January 13, 1943, on New Caledonia Island. Moved to Espiritu Santo Island, New Hebrides in January 1943 as part of U.S. Army Forces in the Far East. Moved to Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, in January 1944, and to Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands, in June 1944. Assigned to Far East Air Forces on June 15, 1944. Moved to Hollandia, then Noemfoor Island, New Guinea, in September 1944; to Morotai Island in October 1944; to Leyte, Philippine Islands, in March 1945; and to Luzon, Philippine Islands about January 1, 1946. Moved without personnel or equipment to Kadena AB, Okinawa, on December 1, 1948, and to Clark AFB (later, AB), Philippine Islands, in May 1949. Assigned to Pacific Air Force (later, Pacific Air Force/FEAF [Rear]), on May 17, 1955. Assigned to Pacific Air Forces, on July 1, 1957. Moved without or personnel or equipment from Clark AB, Philippine Islands, to Andersen AFB, Guam, on December 2, 1991.
- The preceding web-site text was obtained from the Air Force Historical Agency. The text layout has been modified to conform to this webpage and for ease of reading.
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