First Allied Airborne Army

First Allied Airborne Army
Badge of the First Allied Airborne Army.
Active	2 August 1944 – 20 May 1945
Disbanded	20 May 1945
Allegiance	Allies
Type	Airborne forces
Engagements	World War II Operation Market Garden Battle of the Bulge Operation Varsity
Commanders
Lieutenant General	Lewis H. Brereton

The First Allied Airborne Army was an Allied formation formed on 2 August 1944 by the order of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force.

The formation was part of the Allied Expeditionary Force and controlled all Allied airborne forces in Western Europe from August 1944 to May 1945. These included the U.S. IX Troop Carrier Command, the U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps, which controlled the 17th, 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and a number of independent airborne units, all British airborne forces including the 1st and 6th Airborne Division plus the Polish 1st Parachute Brigade.

From the time of its creation until the end of World War II, the formation commanded the Allied airborne forces that participated in the Allied advance through North-West Europe, including Operation Market-Garden in September 1944, repelling the German counter-offensive launched during the Battle of the Bulge between December 1944 and January 1945, and Operation Varsity in March 1945.

After the surrender of Nazi Germany, the formation was deactivated, the constituent units reverting to their national armies on 20 May 1945.