6th Air Force
October 1940 to January 1976
United States of America
TYPE: USAAF Unit
IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil
HEADQUARTERS: Howard Field, Panama Canal Zone
FORMER NAME: Panama Canal Department
OTHER NAMES: Panama Canal Air Force (1940-1941), Caribbean Air Force (1941-1942), Sixth Air Force (1942-1946), Caribbean Air Command (1946-1963), USAF Southern Command (1963-1976)
SUBSEQUENT NAME: Southern Air Division, Tactical Air Command
The 6th Air Force was formed on 19 October 1940 from the various air units assigned to the Panama Canal Department air defense organization, as the number of those units increased as part of the pre-WWII buildup. Its main mission was the defense of the Panama Canal, along with hunting down German submarines in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The 6th Air Force operated a few Commandos in the Troop Carrier roles, under the following units: