Mediterranean Air Command
| Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) | |
|---|---|
| Active | Effective February 18, 1943 |
| Allegiance | Allies of World War II |
| Branch | Royal Air Force, United States Army Air Forces, and other Allied air forces |
| Type | Major Command |
| Role | "Reorganize the Allied air forces in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO)" |
| Engagements |
1943-02-18 North African campaign |
1943-02-18 North African campaign
1943-02-18 Tunisia Campaign
The Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) was an Allied air force command active during 1943. It was active in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) between February 18 and December 10, 1943. MAC was commanded by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder whose headquarters were established next to those of Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower at Algiers, Algeria for planning the Allied campaigns in Tunisia, Pantelleria, Sicily, and the invasion of mainland Italy during World War II.
After Operation Torch in November 1942, the United States (U.S.) Army 12th Air Force established bases in Morocco and Algeria making it necessary for the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) to coordinate its operations with the Allied ground forces and the Royal Air Force (RAF) which had been fighting the Axis forces primarily in Egypt and Libya for two years. Thus, coordination and cooperation between the USAAF, the RAF, and the Allied naval and ground forces were major concerns of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, American President Franklin Roosevelt, and their staffs at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943. Effective February 18, 1943, the Allied air forces in the MTO were reorganized into the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) and Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder was named Air Commander-in-Chief. The principal components of MAC are illustrated in the table below:
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