http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40638 Enemy railroads suffered the heaviest bombardment. Rail yards, troop concentrations, highways, bridges, ports, and supply centers were attacked, to deny the enemy his supplies and mobility.
The period under review starts with the invasion of Italy on 3 September 1943, but the preparation for the operation had been going on since the fall of Sicily on 17 August, with the Twelfth assisting the strategic heavy bombers in neutralizing enemy airfields in southern Italy. The main weight of the Twelfth Air Force cooperated with the Fifth Army landing at Salerno on 9 September and subsequently its medium bombers put road blocks around Naples which aided in its capture on 1 October.
With the taking of Naples and the Foggia region and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, the Twelfth Air Corps moved to new bases on the islands and on the mainland. By now, winter had set in, yet in spite of bad weather, tactical planes continued to operate with the armies on the Cassino-Pescara line.
In an effort to break the winter stalemate, the Allied plans provided an end-run assault at Anzio by the Ground Forces. The Air Forces bombed out German airdromes in Italy and southern France and guarded the invasion convoys closely. The Anzio landing achieved complete surprise and it was not until D-plus-3, 5 January, that air or ground opposition developed. In the ensuing weeks, though handicapped by bad weather and the lack of an airfield on the beachhead, Twelfth Air Force was made responsible for isolating the battle area and preventing the enemy from bringing up the reinforcements and supplies necessary for a successful counterattack.
This report was prepared by the Army Air Forces and is dated Feb. 27, 1945.]]> en-us Gallery 2 RSS Module, version 1.1.7 Fri, 24 May 2013 06:21:14 -0700 120 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=40643 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40638 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=47021 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=47021
in World War II went overseas as commanding general of the 12th Air Support Command for the Western Task Force during the invasion of French Morocco.

He moved to Algeria as commanding general of the 12th Bomber Command. Through March and April 1943 General Cannon organized an air training command for the Mediterranean Theater and in May became deputy commanding general of the Allied Tactical Air Force for the Sicilian campaign and the invasion of Italy. He was promoted to major general in June and by December became commanding general of the 12th Air force and the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force, being responsible for all air operations for the invasion of southern Europe In August 1944. The following March he was promoted to lieutenant general and named air commander in chief of all Allied Air Forces in the Mediterranean Theater and in May became commanding general of U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

He earned four Distinguished Service Medals, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal and decorations from Great Britain, France, Italy, Poland, Yugoslavia and Morocco. General Cannon returned to the U.S. in April 1946 as commanding general of Air Training Command at Barksdale Field, La. In October 1948 he returned to Europe as commanding general, U.S. Air Forces in Europe. In March 1950, he was designated Commander in Chief of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. He was promoted to full general in October 1951 and appointed commanding general of Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va.]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:35:29 -0800 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=46207 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=46207 ]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:18:56 -0800 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=46204 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=46204 ]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:17:06 -0800 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=46201 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=46201 ]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:39:37 -0800 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40707 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40707 ]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Sat, 02 Aug 2008 14:11:30 -0700 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40696 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40696
Gift to Barbi (321stBG,447thBS,Dad/ Ed Ennis) Connolly, 321st Historian, (2007-____) from previous Historian, Terry Webb (445th BS/Dad, Pete Webb)

When hostilities ended, Twelfth Air Force was inactivated at Florence, Italy, on August 31, 1945]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:32:26 -0700 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40690 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40690 ]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:32:25 -0700 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40685 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40685 ]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:51:00 -0700 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40683 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40683
On August 20, 1942, Twelfth Air Force activated at Bolling Field. On September 23, 1942, General Jimmy Doolittle formally assumed command of Twelfth Air Force with Colonel Hoyt S. Vandenberg as chief of staff. Barely four months after it was conceived, Twelfth Air Force made its first contributions to World War II. When D-Day arrived for the invasion of North Africa on November 8, 1942, Twelfth Air Force was ready to meet its assigned missions.

Later, Twelfth Air Force saw action in Sicily, Italy, and Southern France. By VE-Day, Twelfth Air Force had flown 430,681 sorties, dropped 217,156 tons of bombs, claimed destruction of 2,857 enemy aircraft, and lost 2,667 of its own aircraft.]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:27:24 -0700 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40675 http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=40675
One of the most important roles in the Mediterranean theater campaigns was played in aerial warfare by the 57th. Bomb Wing, A command composed of B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. Some of which began their combat history as early as the first landings in North Africa in November 1942. Since that time, the B-25's have participated in every major campaign from Tunisia to the final drive.


More than 60,000 missions by B-25's were flown to attacks in the eight campaigns they supported.The 310th., the 321st., and the 340th. Groups under the 57th. Bomb Wing have accounted for 52,098 of these sorties in 2,774 missions and dropped 71,934 tons of bombs on a great variety of targets. During this time the Mitchell's flew 165,573 combat flying hours.


The history of the bomb groups under the 57th. Bomb Wing reads in the order of the Mediterranean campaigns. After the North African landings came the battle of Kasserine Pass, a German counter offensive, the failure of which became the turning point of the war. From support of the North African landings, the B-25's flew to attack Axis concentrations and airfields in Tunisia, as well as carry out sea sweeps against enemy shipping. After Tunisia, the Mitchell's concentrated upon the small, heavily fortified Islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa which threatened any future thrust toward Europe from the South. The aerial campaign against these two Islands resulted in the first surrender of troop solely from air attack without the aid of ground troops.]]> Barbi Ennis Connolly photo Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:25:43 -0800