Brig. Gen. Carlyle H. Ridenour

Commanding Officer of the 47th Bomb Wing
from 14 Jan 1943 to 20 Feb 1944

This webpage displays some history of the 47th Bomb Wing during the North African Campaign and the invasions of Sicily and mainland Italy when Brigadier General Carlyle H. Ridenour was its commanding officer. During that time, the 47th Bomb Wing was part of the US Army 12th Air Force and the allied Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) as it moved from Chateaudun, Algeria to El Guerrah, Algeria on 1 Mar 1943, to Souk-el-Arba, Tunisia on 8 Jun 1943, and Hammamet, Tunisia on 7 Aug 1943. In late 1943, the wing was assigned to the 15th Air Force of the Mediterranean Allied Air Force and stationed at Manduria, Italy for the remainder of the war in Europe (11 Nov 1943 - May 1945).

During the North African Campaign, the wing operated primarily in Jimmie Doolittle's Northwest African Strategic Air Force of MAC. Because of the 47th Bomb Wing's diverse bomber and fighter groups, Ridenour may have had more different types of aircraft at his disposal than any other wing commander in WWII. Groups assigned to the 47th Bomb Wing during this period were:

17th Bombardment Group	B-26 Marauder
33rd Fighter Group	P-40 Warhawk
81st Fighter Group	P-39 Airacobra
82nd Fighter Group	P-38 Lightning
98th Bombardment Group	B-24 Liberator
310th Bombardment Group	B-25 Mitchell
319th Bombardment Group	B-26 Marauder B-25 Mitchell
320th Bombardment Group	B-26 Marauder
321st Bombardment Group	B-25 Mitchell
325th Fighter Group	P-40 Warhawk P-47 Thunderbolt P-51 Mustang
376th Bombardment Group	B-24 Liberator
449th Bombardment Group	B-24 Liberator
450th Bombardment Group	B-24 Liberator
451st Bombardment Group	B-24 Liberator

Ridenour Service Record

Carlyle Howe Ridenour

8 Apr 1893 - 27 Aug 1971

United States Army Air Force Service Record

Jun 1940 - Mar 1942: Inspection Officer and Assistant District Supervisor, Central Air Corps Procurement District
5 Jan 1942: Promoted to Colonel (Temporary)
1 Feb 1942: Promoted to Colonel (Army of the United States)
Mar 1942 - Jul 1942: Assistant District Supervisor Glenn L. Martin Company, Baltimore, Maryland
Mar 1942 - Jul 1942: US Army Air Forces Representative, Glenn L. Martin Company, Baltimore, Maryland
Jul 1942 - 13 Mar 1943: Chief of Staff, 12th Bomber Command (United Kingdom-North Africa)
5 Oct 1942: Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel
16 Dec 1942 - 1 Jan 1943: Acting Commanding Officer 12th Bomber Command
14 Jan 1943 - 20 Feb 1944: Commanding Officer 47th Bombardment Wing (North Africa-Italy)
2 Jun 1943: Promoted to Brigadier-General (Army of the United States)
1943: Awarded the Silver Star Medal, HQ, Northwest African Strategic Air Force, General Orders No. 9
Mar 1944 - Nov 1944: Air Inspector, Air Technical Service Command
31 Mar 1945: Brigadier-General (Retired)

Photo Album

Most of these photographs came from Brigadier General Carlyle Ridenour's scrapbook that was discovered by friends of Earl Young in boxes in a chicken house about to be bulldozed in Marietta, Georgia. General Ridenour and Earl Young worked at Lockheed Georgia Aircraft Company in Marietta. Earl Young kindly provided the images for this website.