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USSTAF... Anybody have further detail on what they did/how they were organized?


Garandomatic
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Garandomatic

Picked up a nice Ike jacket to a semi-local fellow. British-made bullion USAAF on the left, British-made USSTAF on white felt on the right. I get that they were divested from the VIII Bomber Command or what have you, in February 1944 to facilitate D-Day and put all the "strategic" stuff under one roof to finish the war in Europe. I tried looking into it, but the wikipedia page was pretty bland... I can understand the roles of various parts of a Bomb Group, but wondered what all departments or responsibilities did USSTAF fill? What I have found seems like a huge range of functions, from Intel to "base services."

 

Just hoping somebody can give me a "here's the deal... " in simple terms.

 

 

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  • 7 months later...

One thing (of many) that USSTAF did was to organize combat cargo, aircraft delivery, medevac, etc. on a theater basis in the ETO. They supported the Allied drive across Europe. Under USSTAF, Air Service Command, 302nd Transport Wing, the 27th and 31st Air Transport Groups performed many of these missions. There is a unit history of the 27th available from Schiffer if you are interested in pursuing it. They had some administrative control over 8th and 9th AF. They directed ops for the Berlin Airlift. It is little known, but some elements went to Guam to prepare for the invasion of Japan.

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Here is a WW2 booklet on the USSTAF.. This apparently was a series that was printed.. This particular booklet is Volume 1 number 4 dated 7 April 1945.

 

In booklet it describes what the mission of the 8th Air Force is as part of the USSTAF.

 

In one illustration it shows how Air Forces (8th and 9th) worked together on a raid on German aircraft industry in February 1944, showing the combined efforts of the two forces.

 

And in one other illustration it shows the Commands of the USSTAF.

 

Leigh

 

post-5554-0-93485400-1580066957.jpg

 

post-5554-0-23933000-1580066967.jpg

 

post-5554-0-34757300-1580066976.jpg

 

 

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