311th Air Division

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 311th Air Division


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dates= 1944-1949
country= United States
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branch= United States Air Force
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role= Command and Control
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command_structure= Strategic Air Command
garrison= Forbes AFB, Kansas
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battle_honours=The 311th Air Division (311th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, being stationed at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas. It was inactivated on 1 Nov 1949

History

Lineage

* Established as 311 Photographic Wing, Mapping and Charting on 31 Jan 1944: Activated on 1 Feb 1944: Redesignated: 311 Reconnaissance Wing on 30 Jul 1945: Redesignated: 311 Air Division, Reconnaissance on 16 Apr 1948: Redesignated: 311 Air Division on 5 Jan 1949: Inactivated on 1 Nov 1949..

Assignments

* United States Army Air Forces, 1 Feb 1944: Continental Air Forces (later, Strategic Air Command), 13 Dec 1945:: Fifteenth Air Force, 1 May 1946
* Strategic Air Command, 31 Mar 1947-1 Nov 1949.

Stations

* Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., 1 Feb 1944
* Buckley Field, Colorado, c. 24 Nov 1944
* MacDill Field, Florida, c. 17 Apr 1946
* Andrews Field, Maryland, c. 1 Jun 1947,
* Topeka (later, Forbes) AFB, Kansas, c. 20 Jul 1948
* Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, c. 28 Oct-1 Nov 1949.

Components

Units
* 5 Reconnaissance Group: 26 May-16 Jul 1949 (Clark Field, Phillipines): 5 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing: 16 Jul-1 Nov 1949 (Mountain Home AFB)

* 91 Reconnaissance Group: 1 Oct 1947-10 Nov 1948. (Andrews Field): 91 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing: 10 Nov 1948-1 Nov 1949 (McGuire AFB)

* 55 Reconnaissance Group: 24 Feb 1947-19 Jul 1948 (MacDill Field): 55 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing: 19 Jul 1948-14 Oct 1949 (Topeka AFB)

Wings
* 9 Strategic Reconnaissance: 1 May-1 Nov 1949 (Fairfield-Susan AFB)

Groups
* 1 Photographic: 5 Mar-5 Oct 1944
* 11 Photographic: 5 Mar-5 Oct 1944
* 66 Strategic Reconnaissance: 27 Jun-1 Nov 1949

Aircraft

* B-17/F-9 Flying Fortress, 1944-1949

Operational History

The 311th began its existence in Feb 1944, at Bolling Field, DC, and operated in the United States for its entire active period. Subordinate units, however, between Feb 1944 and Aug 1945, deployed to diverse areas of the world such as Africa, the Middle East, the China Burma India Theater, Mexico, Canada, Alaska, and the Caribbean. These units conducted mapping and charting operations, and in some instances flew reconnaissance missions.

After World War II, the 311th transferred to Continental Air Forces (later, Strategic Air Command), In Mar 1946 became the major reconnaissance organization of Strategic Air Command. Resignated as a division two years later.

References

External links