Northwest African Coastal Air Force

The Northwest African Coastal Air Force (NACAF) was a sub-command of the Northwest African Air Forces which itself was a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) with the responsibility for air defense of North Africa, sea/air reconnaissance, antisubmarine air operations, air protection of Allied shipping, and air interdiction of enemy shipping. These new Allied air force organizations were created at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 to promote cooperation between the British Royal Air Force (RAF), the American United States Army Air Force (USAAF), and their respective ground and naval forces in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). Effective February 18, 1943, the NACAF and other MAC commands existed until December 10, 1943 when MAC was disbanded and the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were established. Initially, Group Captain G. G. Barrett was Officer Commanding (Acting) of NACAF but he was soon relieved by Air Vice-Marshal Sir Hugh Pughe Lloyd. The components of NACAF at the time of the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) on July 10, 1943 are illustrated below.^[1][2]

Northwest African Coastal Air Force
Air Vice-Marshal Sir Hugh Lloyd
Order of Battle, July 10, 1943

^No. 242 Group Air Commodore Kenneth Cross	British Units	American Units
No. 323 Wing No. 73 Squadron, Spitfire No. 255 Squadron, Beaufighter No. II/5 Escadre (French), P-40 No. II/7 Escadre (French), Spitfire Air Sea Rescue Units: No. 283 Squadron, Walrus No. 284 Squadron, Walrus	RAF Units No. 13 Squadron, Blenheim No. 614 Squadron, Blenheim No. 36 Squadron, Wellington No. 253 Squadron, Hurricane No. 274 Squadron Hurricane No. 313 Squadron, Hurricane No. 500 Squadron, Hudson No. 608 Squadron, Hudson Flight No. 1575, Halifax, Ventura	52nd Fighter Group Lieutenant Colonel James Coward 2nd Squadron, Spitfire 4th Squadron, Spitfire 5th Squadron, Spitfire 414th Night Fighter Squadron, Beaufighter Major Arden Cowgill 415th Night Fighter Squadron, Beaufighter Captain Gordon Timmons
No. 328 Wing No. 14 Squadron, B-26 Marauder No. 39 Squadron, Beaufort No. 47 Squadron, Beaufort No. 144 Squadron, Beaufighter No. 52 Squadron Baltimore No. 221 Squadron (Det.), Wellington No. 458 Squadron (RAAF), Wellington	Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Units Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance No. 813 Squadron (Det.), Swordfish No. 820 Squadron, Albacore c No. 821 Squadron, Albacore n No. 826 Squadron, Albacore r No. 828 Squadron, Albacore r	81st Fighter Group Lieutenant Colonel Michael Gordon Oran, Algeria Sector: 92nd Squadron, P-39 Airacobra 1st Air Defense Wing: 91st Squadron, P-39 Airacobra 93rd Squadron, P-39 Airacobra
Information in table taken from: 1) Participation of the Ninth & Twelfth Air Forces in the Sicilian Campaign, Army Air Forces Historical Study No. 37, Army Air Forces Historical Office Headquarters, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, 1945.	Bone, Algeria Sector: No. 32 Squadron, Hurricane No. 87 Squadron, Hurricane No. 219 Squadron, Beaufighter	350th Fighter Group Lieutenant Colonel Marvin McNickle 345th Squadron, P-39 Airacobra 346th Squadron, P-39 Airacobra 347th Squadron, P-39 Airacobra
2) Maurer, Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, 1983.	2nd Air Defense Wing: No. 153 Squadron, Beaufighter	480th Antisubmarine Group Colonel Jack Roberts 1st Squadron, B-24 Liberator 2nd Squadron, B-24 Liberator

Notes:
^No. 242 Group was originally a part of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) but later transferred to NACAF.
The 1st and 2nd Antisubmarine Squadrons were assigned to NACAF for administration and placed under the operational control of United States Navy Fleet Air Wing 15 of the Moroccan Sea Frontier commanded by Rear Admiral Frank J. Lowry.
No. 144 Squadron was attached from the United Kingdom.
Air Ministry was asked to provide two additional Wellington squadrons.
An Africa-based RAF Hudson of No. 608 Squadron was the first aircraft to sink a U-boat using rockets.

Citations

1. Craven, Wesley F. and James L. Cate. The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume 2, Chicago, Illinois: Chicago University Press, 1949 (Reprinted 1983, ISBN 0-912799-03-X).
2. Richards, D. and H. Saunders, The Royal Air Force 1939-1945 (Volume 2, HMSO, 1953).

References

• Howe, George F., Northwest Africa: Seizing the Initiative in the West, Center of Military History, Washington, DC., 1991.