64th Air Division (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 64th Air Division


caption= Emblem of the 64th Air Division
dates= 1942-1963
country= United States
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branch= United States Air Force
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role= Command and Control
size=
command_structure= Air Defense Command
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battle_honours=The 64th Air Division (64th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 1 July 1963

History

Lineage

* Established as 3 Air Defense Wing on 12 Dec 1942: Activated on 12 Dec 1942: Redesignated 64 Fighter Wing on 24 Jul 1943: Inactivated on 5 Jun 1947
* Redesignated 64 Air Division (Defense) on 17 Mar 1952: Activated on 8 Apr 1952: Inactivated on 20 Dec 1952
* Organized on 20 Dec 1952: Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 Jul 1963

Assignments

* First Air Force: I Fighter Command, 12 Dec 1942-c. 7 Feb 1943
* Army Service Forces, c. 7 Feb 1943
* Twelfth Air Force: XII Fighter Command, 22 Feb 1943: XII Air Support Command (later, XII Tactical Air Command), 9 Mar 1943-5 Jun 1947.:: Attached First Tactical Air Force [Provisional] , 27 Nov 1944-May 1945
* Northeast Air Command, 8 Apr 1952 - 1 Apr 1957
* Air Defense Command, 1 Apr 1957 - 1 Jul 1963

Stations

* Mitchel Field, New York, 12 Dec 1942-23 Jan 1943
* Oran, Algeria, 22 Feb 1943
* Thelepte, Tunisia, 1 Mar 1943
* Sbeitla, Tunisia, 18 Mar 1943
* Le Sers, Tunisia, 12 Apr 1943
* Korba, Tunisia, 18 May 1943
* Gela, Sicily, 12 Jul 1943
* Milazzo, Sicily, 1 Sep 1943
* Frattamaggiore, Italy, 7 Oct 1943
* San Felice de Circeo, Italy, 1 Jun 1944
* Rocca di Papa, Italy, 7 Jun 1944
* Orbetello Airfield, Italy, 19 Jun 1944
* Santa Maria di Capua, Italy, 19 Jul 1944
* St Tropez, France, 15 Aug 1944
* Dole, France, 19 Sep 1944
* Ludres, France, 3 Nov 1944
* Nancy, France, 15 Jan 1945
* Edenkoben, Germany, 1 Apr 1945
* Schwabisch Hall, Germany, 29 Apr 1945
* Darmstadt, Germany, 7 Jul 1945
* Bad Kissingen, Germany, 1 Dec 1945-5 Jun 1947
* Pepperrell AFB, Newfoundland, 20 Dec 1952
* Stewart AFB, New York, 1 Jul 1960-1 Jul 1963

Components

Air Force
* Air Forces Iceland: 1 Jul 1962-1 Jul 1963.: Keflavik Air Base, Iceland

Sector
* Goose Air Defense (Manual): 1 Apr 1960-1 Jul 1963.

Wing
* 4683 Air Defense: 1 Jul 1960-1 Jul 1963.: Thule AB, Greenland

GroupsWorld War II
* 27 Fighter Bomber (later, 27 Fighter): c. 28 May 1943-c. 22 Oct 1945; c. 13 Aug 1946-5 Jun 1947
* 31 Fighter: 1 Sep 1943-31 Mar 1944
* 33 Fighter: c. 9 Mar 1943-14 Feb 1944
* 36 Fighter: 15 Nov 1945-15 Feb 1946
* 50 Fighter: c. 29 Sep 1944-22 Jun 1945
* 52 Fighter: 9 Nov 1946-5 Jun 1947
* 69 Tactical Reconnaissance: c. 22 Mar-30 Jun 1945
* 79 Fighter: 18 Jan-29 Sep 1944
* 86 Fighter-Bomber (later, 86 Fighter): c. 31 Jul-c. 31 Dec 1943; 10 Mar 1945-c. 15 Feb 1946; 20 Aug 1946-5 Jun 1947World War II
* 324 Fighter: 22 Aug 1943-c. 5 Mar 1944; 30 Apr-14 Aug 1945
* 354 Fighter: 4 Jul 1945-c. 15 Feb 1946
* 355 Fighter: c. 15 Apr-l Aug 1946
* 358 Fighter: c. 30 May-18 Jul 1945
* 363 Reconnaissance: 18 May-20 Nov 1945
* 366 Fighter: 4 Jul 1945-20 Aug 1946
* 370 Fighter: 27 Jun-17 Sep 1945
* 404 Fighter: 23 Jun-2 Aug 1945
* 406 Fighter: 5 Aug 1945-20 Aug 1946Air Defense Command
* 4731 Air Defense: 1 Apr 1957-1 Jul 1960: Harmon AFB, Newfoundland
* 4732 Air Defense: 1 Apr 1957-1 Apr 1960: Goose Bay AB, Labrador
* 4733 Air Defense: 1 Apr 1957-1 May 1958: Frobisher Bay AB, Baffin Island, Northwest Territories
* 4734 Air Defense: 1 Apr 1957-1 May 1958: Thule AB, Greenland

SquadronsWorld War II
* 14 Liaison: 10 Jul 1946-1 May 1947
* 47 Liaison: 4 Mar 1946-1 May 1947
* 111 Reconnaissance: attached Jun-Sep 1943
* 155 Photo Reconnaissance: 1 Aug-24 Nov 1945
* 415 Night Fighter: Attached c. 3 Sep-5 Dec 1943: Assigned 5 Dec 1943-15 Feb 1946
* 416 Night Fighter: 15 Aug-9 Nov 1946
* 417 Night Fighter: 24 Mar-17 May 1945; 26 Jun 1945-9 Nov 1946. Northeast Air Command/Air Defense Command
* 59 Fighter-Interceptor: Attached 1 Nov-20 Dec 1952 and 20 Dec 1952-31 Jan 1953: Assigned 1 Feb 1953-1 Apr 1957: Goose Bay AB, Labrador
* 61 Fighter-Interceptor: 6 Aug 1953-1 Apr 1957: Harmon AFB, Newfoundland
* 74 Fighter-Interceptor: 21 Aug 1954-1 Apr 1957; 1 May-25 Jun 1958: Thule AB, Greenland
* 318 Fighter-Interceptor: 1 Jul 1953-8 Aug 1954: Thule AB, Greenland
* 327 Fighter-Interceptor: 3 Jul 1958-25 Mar 1960: Thule AB, Greenland

Operational History

During World War II the wing moved to North Africa in February 1943 to support combat operations in North Africa with a warning and control system, and, occasionally, augmenting the operations section of the XII Air Support Command in the Tunisian campaign. During the Sicilian and Italian campaigns (1943–1944), it administered fighter and fighter-bomber support to ground forces in a wide range of operations that included cover patrols, battle-area patrols, invasion coverage, escort missions, dive bombing missions, and reconnaissance. In Italy, the 64th directed close air support operations against enemy objectives in advance of Allied troops. Its primary targets included enemy gun positions, road junctions, traffic concentrations, assembly areas, bridges, and targets of opportunity.

In August 1944 during the invasion of southern France, wing personnel, applying techniques developed in the invasion of Sicily and Italy, controlled air operations while aboard ships patrolling the assault beaches. With the landing of troops, a beachhead control unit directed aircraft to hit enemy strong points, ammunition dumps, troop concentrations, road intersections, supply lines, and communications. As Allied forces advanced northward along the Rhone valley, the wing implemented a plan to give more rapid support to the ground troops. Forward control units, equipped with the latest in air ground communications, directed sector air ground support. During the operations in France and Germany (1944–1945), the 64th continued to coordinate the close air-ground support of its fighter aircraft. After the end of hostilities in May 1945, the wing served in the occupation of Germany.

Redesignated as an Air Division in April 1952, it administered, trained, and provided air defense combat ready forces within its designated geographic area of responsibility, which included eastern Canada and later the northeastern United States. It exercised command jurisdiction over assigned units, installations, and facilities. In addition, the division and its subordinate units participated in numerous exercises until 1 July 1963.

References

* Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).

External links

* [http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/rso/airdivision_pages/0064ad.asp Air Force Historical Research Agency: 64th Air Division (Defense)]