Major General Nathan Twining, commander of the Fifteenth Air Force in Italy, talks to a B-17 crew just returned from a mission.The Fifteenth Air Force was established in November 1942 and began operating in January 1943 from its base in Tunisia. The air force was responsible for strategic bombing operations against targets in Italy, Germany, and Austria. In October 1943, the Fifteenth Air Force moved its base of operations to Italy. There, it continued its strategic bombing campaign against targets in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Greece. The success of the Fifteenth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign was critical to the Allied victory in World War II. The air force destroyed factories that produced warplanes and other military equipment, hampering the Axis powers' ability to wage war. In addition, the Fifteenth Air Force's bombs disrupted transport and communication networks, making it difficult for the Axis powers to move troops and supplies around. TheFifteenth Air Force played a significant role in softening up targets for ground armies as well. As Allied ground forces advanced through Italy and into southern Germany, they often did so with air support from the Fifteenth Air Force. The air force continued its bombing campaign until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945.