500th Air Defense Group
| 500th Air Defense Group | |
|---|---|
Air Defense | |
| Equipment | North American F-86 Sabre |
The 500th Air Defense Group is a disbanded
Greater Pittsburgh Airport
, Pennsylvania. It was last active on 18 August 1955.
The
67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Germany and the United States until 1946, when the two groups were inactivated. The groups were activated again in 1947, but the 500th was soon discontinued when the USAF reorganized its combat and support units in the wing base reorganization
in which a single wing was responsible for a base.
The group was activated once again in 1953, when ADC established it as the headquarters for a dispersed fighter-interceptor squadron and the medical, maintenance, and administrative squadrons supporting it. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the 54th Fighter Group in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.
History
World War II
The
67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Germany and then returned to the US, where both groups were inactivated.[2]
Cold War
When the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was reactivated in 1947, the 500th Air Service Group once again activated to support it.[3] The 500th was inactivated and replaced by 67th Airdrome Group, 67th Station Medical Group, and 67th Maintenance & Supply Group in the experimental Wing Base reorganization of 1947 (Hobson Plan),[3][4] which was designed to unify control at air bases[5] The group was disbanded in 1948.[6]
The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 500th Air Defense Group, and activated at
54th Fighter-Interceptor Group in 1955[11] as part of ADC's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[12] The group was disbanded once again in 1984.[13]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 500th Air Service Group on 16 December 1944
- Activated on 1 June 1945
- Inactivated on 31 March 1946
- Activated on 25 July 1947
- Inactivated on 25 November 1947
- Disbanded on 8 October 1948
- Reconstituted and redesignated 500th Air Defense Group on 21 January 1953
- Activated on 16 February 1953[7]
- Inactivated on 18 August 1955[7]
- Disbanded on 27 September 1984[13]
Assignments
- Unknown 1945 – March 1946, (probably IX Air Force Service Command – September 1945, Third Air Force – January 1946, First Air Force– March 1946)
- Tactical Air Command, March 1946 – 31 March 1946
- Twelfth Air Force, 25 July 1947 – 15 November 1947
- 4708th Defense Wing (later 4708th Air Defense Wing), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955[7]
Stations
- Haguenau Airfield, France, 1 June 1945[14]
- Drew Field, Florida, 16 September 1945[14]
- MacDill Field, Florida, 21 December 1945[14]
|
Components
- 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955[16]
- 500th Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955
- 500th Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955[17]
- 500th Medical Squadron (later 500th USAF Infirmary, 500th USAF Dispensary),[18] 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955
- 742nd Air Materiel Squadron 1 June 1945 – 31 March 1946, 25 July 1947 – 15 November 1947
- 918th Air Engineering Squadron 1 June 1945 – 31 March 1946, 25 July 1947 – 15 November 1957
Aircraft
- North American F-86A Sabre, 1953–1955[8]
See also
- List of United States Air Force Aerospace Defense Command Interceptor Squadrons
- List of F-86 Sabre units
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- Military Aircraft Storage and Disposal Center and scrapped in 1958. Baugher, Joe (19 January 2023). "1946-1948 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 5 April 2023. At the time the picture was taken in 1950, the 71st Squadron was still assigned to another group.
- Citations
- ^ a b Coleman, p. 208
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 133
- ^ a b c See Mueller, p. 371
- ^ See Ravenstein, p. 10
- ^ Goss, in Craven & Cate, p. 75
- ^ Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOOR 887e), 8 October 1948, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units
- ^ a b c d e f Cornett & Johnson, p. 81
- ^ a b Cornett & Johnson, p.118
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 99
- ^ Cornett & Johnson, p.147
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p.116
- ^ Buss, Sturm, Volan, & McMullen, p.6
- ^ a b Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 September 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units
- ^ a b c "Abstract, History 500th Air Service Group, Mar–Apr 1946". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 8 February 2014. (lists stations in 1945–1946)
- ^ Mueller, p.531
- ^ Dollman, TSG David (17 October 2016). "Fact Sheet, 71 Fighter Training Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
- ^ Cornett & Johnson, p.146
- ^ Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOMO 882h), 14 January 1954 Subject: Redesignation of Certain USAF Medical Units
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, (1956)
- Coleman, John M (1950). The Development of Tactical Services in the Army Air Forces. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
- Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
Further reading
- Grant, C.L., (1961) The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
- Leonard, Barry (2009). History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense (PDF). Vol. I. 1945–1955. Fort McNair, DC: Center for Military History. ISBN 978-1-4379-2131-1. Archived from the original(PDF) on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
External links
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