Air Disarmament Command

Command

In 1944, the Allies began to consider how to conduct the demobilization of Germany, and began to plan how they both could dismantle Germany's war making capabilities and exploit its technology after victory. As the Allies advanced into France in late 1944, they seized German aviation equipment and technology for study, the US delineated a specific Air Disarmament policy as part of this process, to deal with captured German Aviation equipment.



In September 1944, Air Disarmament Command was established to carry out the disarmament of captured enemy aircraft, disposal of captured equipment and to gain intelligence on Luftwaffe. Its four areas of responsibility were:



1-The physical separation of war materiel from the personnel of the Luftwaffe including supervising Luftwaffe compliance with surrender terms, and the supervision and control of German Air Force units and personnel until they could be given to Allied ground forces for ultimate disposition.

2- The administration of Luftwaffe personnel and units until they were given over to ground force for discharge.

3-The gathering of intelligence about the materiel, operation and administration of the German Air Force.

4- The seizure, security, inventory, operation, maintenance and disposal of all Luftwaffe war materiel and structures.



Air Disarmament Command was disbanded on 23 January 1945, when its mission was assigned to 9th Air Force Service Command.

Connections

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Unit stations

Station Location Date

Established

15 September 1944

Other

Disbanded

23 January 1945

Encompassing

Revisions

Date
ContributorEmily
Changes
Sources

Freeman, Mighty Eighth War Manual pp 123-124

Frederick Johnson, Captured Eagles: Secrets of the Luftwaffe, pp 70-72