73d Air Division

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 73d Air Division


caption= 73d Air Division emblem
dates= 17 February 1943–15 October 1943; 20 November 1943–31 May 1946;
12 June 1947–27 June 1949; 1 July 1957–1 April 1966
country= United States
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branch= Air Force
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equipment= see "Aerospace vehicles" section below
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* World War II: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
(1944-1945)
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anniversaries=The 73d Air Division (73d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, based at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 April 1966.

History

The unit's origins begin with its predecessor, the World War II 73d Bombardment Wing (73d BW) was part of Twentieth Air Force. The 73d BW engaged in very heavy bombardment B-29 Superfortress operations against Japan.

Lineage

* Constituted as 5th Heavy Bombardment Processing Headquarters on 9 Feb 1943. : Activated on 17 Feb 1943: Redesignated 73d Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Heavy) on 12 Aug 1943.: Inactivated on 15 Oct 1943
* Redesignated 73d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 19 Nov 1943: Activated on 20 Nov 1943: Redesignated: 73d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, Special on 13 Jan 1944: Redesignated; 73d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 24 Jun 1944. : Inactivated on 31 May 1946.
* Activated in the Air Force Reserve on 12 Jun 1947. : Redesignated 73d Air Division, Bombardment on 16 Apr 1948. : Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949.
* Redesignated 73d Air Division (Weapons) on 1 Apr 1957. : Activated on 1 Jul 1957. : Redesignated 73d Air Division on 1 Mar 1963. : Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 Apr 1966..

Assignments

* Second Air Force, : 12 Aug - 15 Oct 1943: 2 Jun - 30 Jul 1944: 12 Jun 1947 - 1 Jul 1948
* XX Bomber Command, 20 Nov 1943 - 2 June 1944
* Twentieth Air Force, c. 6 Aug - 9 Nov 1944, 16 Jul - 7 Dec 1945
* XXI Bomber Command, 9 Nov 1944-16 Jul 1945

* Fourth Air Force, 7 Dec 1945 - 5 Jan 1946
* Third Air Force, 5 Jan 1946 - 21 Mar 1946
* Strategic Air Command, 21 - 31 Mar 1946
* Fifteenth Air Force, 31 Mar - 31 May 1946
* Tenth Air Force, 1 Jul 1948 - 27 Jun 1949
* Air Defense Command, 1 Jul 1957 - 1 Apr 1966

Bases Assigned

* Walker AAF, Kansas, 17 Feb 1943
* Smoky Hill AAF, Kansas, : 30 Jun - 15 Oct 1943: 20 Nov 1943
* Colorado Springs AAF, Colorado, 29 Feb-17 Jul 1944
* Isley Field, Saipan, 24 Aug 1944 - 20 Oct 1945

* MacDill Field, Florida, 15 Jan-31 May 1946.
* Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field, Illinois, : 12 Jun 1947-29 Jun 1949.
* Tyndall AFB, Florida, 1 Jul 1957-1 Apr 1966.

Units Assigned

Groups

World War II
* 497th Bombardment: 20 Nov 1943-31 Mar 1946
* 498th Bombardment: 20 Nov 1943-31 May 1946
* 499th Bombardment: 20 Nov 1943-16 Feb 1946
* 500th Bombardment: 20 Nov 1943-17 Jan 1946Postwar Era
* 338th Bombardment: 17 Oct 1947-27 Jun 1949
* 351th Bombardment: 17 Oct 1947-4 Jun 1948
* 381st Bombardment: 4 Jun 1948-27 Jun 1949

Wings

Air Defense Command
* 4750th Air Defense: 1 Jul 1957-25 Jun 1960
* 4751th Air Defense Missile: 15 Jan 1958-1 Oct 1959
* 4756th Air Defense: : 1 Jul 1957-1 Jul 1960:: 4756th Air Defense Group:: 1 Jul 1960-1 Sep 1962 : 1 Sep 1962-1 Apr 1966
* 4780th Air Defense: 1 Jul 1962-1 Apr 1966

Aerospace vehicles

B-29 Superfortress, 1943–1946.
B-57 Canberra, c. 1957–c. 1960;
F-102 Delta Dagger, c. 1957–c. 1966;
F-104 Starfighter, c. 1957–c. 1960;
T-33 Shooting Star, c. 1957–1966;
F-101 Voodoo, c. 1960–c. 1966;
F-106 Delta Dart, c. 1960–c. 1966.

Operational History

World War II

The 73d Bombardment Wing was activated as part of Second Air Force on 17 February 1943. Its original mission was a control organization for Replacement Training Units (RTU), with command and control over B-17/B-24 training units based in the midwest. It was inactivated on 15 October 1943 with the phasedown of heavy bomber training.

The wing was reactivated and redesignated as the 73d Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) on 20 November 1943 at Smokey Hill AAF, Kansas. The new B-29 Superfortress wing was assigned four newly organized groups, (497th, 498th, 499th and 500th Bombardment Groups) which were training in New Mexico and Arizona on B-17 and B-24s, due to a lack of B-29 aircraft. In April 1944, the groups were brought to several airfields in Kansas (Great Bend AAF, Smokey Hill AAF and Walker AAF) where they were equipped with new B-29s manufactured by Boeing at their Wichita, Kansas plant.

By August the wing's groups completed their training and their aircraft were readied for deployment. Originally assigned to Twentieth Air Force's XX Bomber Command in India, the wing was instead assigned to the new XXI Bomber Command in the Pacific Theater. The 73d Wing deployed to newly-constructed airfields on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.

From Saipan, the groups of the 73d Bomb Wing flew several bombing missions against Truk to gain combat experience before bombing Iwo Jima. In November 1944, the groups of the 73d began bombing Japan, with only moderate success. Poor weather, the lack of precision radar bombing equipment, and tremendous winds encountered at high altitudes over Japan made accuracy difficult. Consequently, it turned to devastating low altitude incendiary attacks. In addition to Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, the 73d fire bombed numerous Japanese cities until war's end.

Strategic Air Command

With the end of the war the wing's four bomb groups were all returned to the United States, with their B-29s either being flown to Clark Air Base for scrapping, or were flown to storage facilities in Texas or Arizona. The 73d Bomb Wing was reassigned to the United States in December 1945, being assigned first to Continental Air Force's Fourth Air Force, then to the new Strategic Air Command on 21 March 1946. However demobilization was in full swing and few SAC units were actually equipped and manned. The 73d Bomb Wing was inactivated on 31 March and the unit was allocated on paper to the Air Force Reserve.

In 1947, the 73d Bomb Wing was reactivated with the 338th and 351st Bomb Groups being assigned to it, both reserve B-29 Superfortress organizations. A third group, the 381st was added in 1948. However SAC was having enough difficulties keeping its front-line active duty bomb units in the air to maintain even minimal pilot proficiency in the late 1940s. The wing and its bomb groups were all inactivated in 1949.

Air Defense Command

The organization was reactivated as part of Air Defense Command (ADC) in 1957 as the 73d Air Division. As part of ADC, it evaluated, upgraded, and determined the proficiency of the Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor and missile squadrons, 1 July 1957–1 April 1966. The division developed and tested Air Defense Command tactics, equipment, aircraft, guided missiles, and related equipment and armaments. It also maintained active contact with Army, Navy, and other Air Force commands to assure coordinated military effort in the use of rocket and missile ranges, defense plans, air sea land rescue, and airspace and airways directly concerned with the operations of the Air Defense Command Weapons Center.

With the dimishing need for an active-duty air defense mission in the United States, the 73d Air Division was inactivated on 1 April 1966.

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
* Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
* Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.

External Links

* [http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/rso/airdivision_pages/0073ad.asp Air Force Historical Research Agency: 73d Air Division]
* [http://www.marchfield.org/b29a.htm March Field Museum B-29 from the 500th Bomb Wing]