Air Force History and Museums Program

Air Power for Patton's Army - the Xix Tactical Air Command in the Second World War Air Force History and Museums Program

This insightful work holds many lessons in tactical air-ground operations. Despite peacetime rivalries in the drafting of service doctrine, in World War II the immense pressures of wartime drove army and air commanders to cooperate in the effective prosecution of battlefield operations. In northwest Europe during the war, the combination of U. S. Third Army commanded by Lt. Gen. George S. Patton and the XIX Tactical Air Command led by Brig. Gen. Otto P. Weyland proved to be the most effective allied air-ground team of World War II. The great success of Patton?s drive across France, ultimately crossing the Rhine, and then racing across southern German, owed a great deal to Weyland?s airman of the XIX tactical Air Command. This deft cooperation paved the way for allied victory in Western Europe and today remains a classic example of air-ground effectiveness.