98th Fighter Control

Discussion in 'North Africa & the Med' started by BrianP, Mar 21, 2005.

  1. BrianP

    BrianP Member

    My grandfather served in the USAAF from June 1942 through February 1946. According to his discharge papers and report of seperation, he served in the 98th Fighter Control. He served state-side for most of the war, first at the AAF Technical School in Tomah, Wisconsin and later in Chicago, Illinois. In training, he received certificates in CNS (Control Net System) and in High Frequency Radio. After his training, he was stationed in Oregon and Washington state. In February 1945 he departed the U.S. out of New York for overseas. He first was based in Cairo, Egypt and later Habbaniyah, Iraq. He returned to the U.S. in February 1946 and was discharged at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

    I pieced together the above information from my grandfather's papers. The main sources of information was his discharge papers, report of seperation, and an address book where he kept the home addresses of other soldiers and a list places he visited while in the service. Despite having this wealth of information, I still have questions about the unit he served in:

    1.) Would anyone know, or know where I can find out, the parent unit of the 98th Fighter Control while they were in the Middle East? I know that the U.S. 9th, 12th, and 15th Air Forces served in the area, but from what I can gather from their unit histories, after 1943 were mainly in Italy and never found any mention of the 98th Fighter Control.

    2.) Was it common to have American personnel in the Middle East in 1945 and 46? I always assumed there would only have been British/Commonwealth forces in that area by the end of the war. Was it possible that the 98th Fighter Control was attached to an RAF unit?

    The reason for me asking these question is that although I know the basic information of my grandfather's service, I don't know anything about the unit itself. I cannot find anything, anywhere about the 98th Fighter Control. If I can piece together a history of the unit, or its parent orginization, I can get a better sense of what my grandfather did and experienced during the war.

    Thank you in advance for you help. Any advice or leads are appreciated!
     
  2. tundra

    tundra Junior Member

  3. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    The USAAF was in the Middle East during 1942 and after. USAAF squadrons provided air support at Alamein and long-range bombing of Axis-held ports in Libya and elsewhere. The first strike on Ploesti was launched from the Middle East, Operation Halpro. After the war moved out of the Middle East, the USAAF remained in the area to patrol the US-Soviet Lend-Lease pipeline through Iran. I hope that helps.
     

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