91st Air Division (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 91st Air Division


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dates= 1943-1949
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= First Air Force
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nickname="'|patron=
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* World War II: American Campaign (1943-1944): Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (1944-1945)
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* Phillipine Presidential Unit Citation
battle_honours=The 91st Air Division (91st AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Forces, assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at Newark Municipal Airport, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 24 Jun 1949

History

Lineage

* Established as 91 Photographic Wing, Reconnaissance on 9 Oct 1943: Activated on 20 Oct 1943: Redesignated 91 Reconnaissance Wing on 20 Jun 1945. : Inactivated on 27 Jan 1946
* Activated in the Reserve on 20 Dec 1946: Redesignated 91 Air Division, Reconnaissance on 16 Apr 1948: Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949.

Assignments

* Third Air Force, 20 Oct 1943-20 Feb 1944
* Army Service Forces, 20 Feb-30 Mar 1944
* Fifth Air Force, 30 Mar 1944
* Far East Air Forces (later, Pacific Air Command, U.S. Army), 8 Aug 1944-27 Jan 1946
* Continental Air Command: First Air Force, 20 Dec 1946-27 Jan 1949.

Stations

* Will Rogers Field, Oklaholma, 20 Oct 1943
* Birmingham AAB, Alabama, 9 Nov 1943-20 Feb 1944
* Nadzab, New Guinea, 30 Mar 1944
* Biak, 10 Aug 1944
* Leyte, Philippines, 12 Nov 1944
* Mindoro, Philippines, 28 Jan 1945
* Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 24 Mar 1945
* Okinawa, 30 Jul 1945
* Honshu, Japan, 5 Oct 1945-27 Jan 1946
* Newark AAB (later, Municipal Airport), New Jersey, 20 Dec 1946-27 Jun 1949.

Components

Groups
* 6 Photographic, Reconnaissance: 12 Apr 1944-10 Nov 1945
* 66 Reconnaissance: 27 Dec 1946-27 Jun 1949
* 71 Reconnaissance: c. 15 May 1944-10 Nov 1945
* 74 Reconnaissance: 27 Dec 1946-27 Jun 1949.

Squadrons
* 17 Reconnaissance: attached c. 21 Oct-10 Nov 1945
* 20 Reconnaissance: 10 Nov-1 Dec 1945
* 25 Liaison: 15 Apr 1944-16 Feb 1945.

Aircraft

* B-25 Mitchell, 1944–1945;
* B-26 Marauder, 1944;
* F-4 Lightning, 1944;
* F-5 Lightning, 1944–1945;
* L-5 Sentinel, 1944–1945;
* UC-78 Bobcat, 1944–1945;
* B-24 Liberator, 1945;
* C-47 Skytrain, 1945.

Operational History

Subordinate units of the 91st began combat missions in Mar 1944, photographing Japanese airfields, harbors, beach defenses, and personnel areas in New Guinea, the Bismarcks, Borneo, and the southern Philippines. They also reconnoitered target areas and enemy troop positions to provide intelligence for Air Force and Army units.

Liaison aircraft rescued Allied flyers forced down in Pacific jungles, and evacuated wounded personnel from forward areas. Frequently fighters, assigned to subordinate units, attacked gun emplacements, bridges, supply dumps, and other installations in support of ground troops.

In 1945, as the war with Japan came to a close, the subordinate units flew photographic missions over Kyushu. After hostilities ceased, these flights continued, and the aerial photographs obtained helped to locate prisoner of war (POW) camps and in assessing damage done to the Japanese communications system.

Activated in the Reserve at Newark, New Jersey, Dec 1946-Jan 1949. The organization was redesignated as a division in Apr 1948.

ee also

* First Air Force

References

External links