810th Strategic Aerospace Division
810th Strategic Aerospace Division | |
---|---|
Active | 1952–1971 |
Country | United States |
Role | Command of Strategic Strike Forces |
Part of | Strategic Air Command |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | General John Dale Ryan |
Insignia | |
Emblem of the 810th Strategic Aerospace Division (approved 20 April 1956)[1] |
The 810th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command (SAC), assigned to Fifteenth Air Force at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1971.
The division was first activated in 1952 to manage
In 1962, SAC assumed control of bases in the northern United States from
History
Biggs Air Force Base
The 810th Air Division was activated in 1952 at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas when Strategic Air Command (SAC) departed from the wing base organization system and created air divisions as the headquarters on bases with two operational wings.
The
The 97th Bomb Wing's tactical squadrons flew the Boeing B-50 Superfortress and it was also assigned a refueling squadron with Boeing KB-29 Superfortress tankers.[3] The division's 95th Bomb Wing was not manned, but was also nominally a medium bombardment wing.[2]
In July 1953, the 95th wing began to receive personnel, but when it was equipped and began training the following month, it was as a Convair B-36 Peacemaker wing.[2] The division assured the manning, training, and equipping of its two assigned wings to conduct long-range bombardment missions using either nuclear or conventional weapons.[1] Each wing deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The 97th wing deployed all its squadrons from December 1952 until March 1953 and again from December 1953 until July 1954.[3][a 1] The 95th wing deployed from July to November 1955.[2]
The 97th Bomb Wing continued to fly B-50s until 1955, when it converted to the
Although the 4024th was assigned directly to the division,
In 1958, the division began a transformation of its bomber force. The 97th Bomb Wing began to lose its B-47s. In January 1959, it became non-operational.[3] In July the 97th moved to Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas, where it re-equipped with Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses and was assigned to another division.[3]
Meanwhile, starting in 1959, the 95th wing replaced its B-36s with B-52s. At the same time, it participated in a SAC plan to disperse its B-52s over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.
The move of the 97th Bomb Wing left only a single wing, the 95th, at Biggs. The 810th transferred support responsibilities at Biggs to the 95th wing and assumed a new role as an operational headquarters only for B-52 wings at multiple bases in July 1959, when the
Minot Air Force Base
On 1 July 1962, SAC assumed host responsibility at
Soon after detection of Soviet missiles in Cuba, each of the division's wings was directed to put two additional planes on alert. Two days later, 1/8 of the division's B-52s were placed on airborne alert. Additional KC-135 were placed on alert to replace KC-135s devoted to maintaining the B-52 bomber force on airborne alert. On the 24th, SAC went to DEFCON 2, placing all aircraft on alert. Tanker Task Forces in Spain, Alaska, and the Northeast were increased in size and some division tankers moved and were placed under their operational control.[16] SAC maintained the increased airborne alert until 21 November, when it returned to normal airborne alert posture and assumed DEFCON 3.[17] On 27 November, SAC returned to normal ground alert posture.[18]
In November, in the middle of the
The division's three strategic wings were Major Command controlled (MAJCON) units that could not carry a permanent history or lineage.
During the 1960s, various shifts in SAC's division alignment resulted in wings not stationed at Minot being assigned to and reassigned from the wing. The division briefly commanded two wings equipped with
Between 1966 and 1973, the 810th's subordinate organizations loaned KC-135 Stratotanker and B-52 Stratofortress aircraft and crews, at various times, to Strategic Air command organizations flying Operation Arc Light combat missions in Southeast Asia.[1]
In the spring of 1968, some division aircraft and crews deployed to Okinawa in response to the
The 810th also periodically participated in tactical
On 30 November 1972, SAC tested a revival of the use of air divisions on its multi-wing bases, forming the Air Division, Provisional, 810th at Minot and attaching the 5th and 91st wings to it. The test and the provisional division were discontinued on 14 January 1973.[23][27] Despite the similarity in names and basing, the provisional division is unrelated to the 810th Strategic Aerospace Division.[21]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 810th Air Division on 4 June 1952
- Activated on 16 June 1952
- Redesignated 810th Strategic Aerospace Division on 1 November 1962
- Inactivated on 30 June 1971[1]
Assignments
- Eighth Air Force, 16 June 1952
- Fifteenth Air Force, 1 April 1955
- Second Air Force, 1 July 1963
- Fifteenth Air Force, 2 July 1966 – 30 June 1971[29]
Stations
- Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, 16 June 1952
- Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, 1 July 1962 – 30 June 1971[29]
Components
Wings
- 5th Bombardment Wing: 25 July 1968 – 30 June 1971
- 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing: 1 September 1964 – 2 July 1966
- Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas[30]
- 91st Bombardment Wing (later 91 Strategic Missile Wing): 1 February 1963 – 1 July 1963, 1 July 1966 – 30 June 1971 (attached to Advanced Echelon, 3d Air Division c. 5 February 1968 – 15 April 1968)[23]
- Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana
- 95th Bombardment Wing: 16 June 1952 – 1 July 1962 (attached to 3d Air Division 23 July 1955 – 19 November 1955)[2]
- 97th Bombardment Wing: 16 June 1952 – 1 July 1959 (attached to 7th Air Division 5 May 1956 – 4 July 1956)[3]
- 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing: 15 March 1965 – 25 June 1966
- Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska[31]
- 319th Bombardment Wing: 1 February 1963 – 1 September 1964
- Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota[24]
- 341st Strategic Missile Wing: 2 July 1968 – 30 June 1971
- Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana[28]
- 450th Bombardment Wing: 1 February 1963 – 25 July 1968
- 455th Strategic Missile Wing: 1 November 1962 – 25 June 1968
- 4128 Strategic Wing: 1 July 1959 – 1 July 1962[a 4]
- Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas[32]
- 4133 Strategic Wing: 1 July 1962 – 1 February 1963
- Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota[24]
- 4136 Strategic Wing: 1 July 1962 – 1 February 1963
- 4141 Strategic Wing: 1 July 1962 – 1 February 1963[29]
- Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana[29]
Groups
- 95th Combat Support Group: 1 January 1959 – 1 July 1959
- 810th Air Base Group: 16 June 1952 – 1 January 1959[4]
- 828th Medical Group: 1 January 1959 – 1 July 1959
- 862d Combat Support Group: 1 July 1962 – 30 June 1971[33]
- 862d Medical Group: 1 July 1962 – 2 July 1969[34][a 5]
Squadrons
- 34th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 April 1965 – 1 July 1965
- 4024 Bombardment Squadron: 1 April 1955 – 1 August 1956[29] (attached to 97th Bombardment Wing)[3]
Other
- USAF Regional Hospital, Minot: 2 July 1969 – 30 June 1971[34]
Aircraft and Missiles
- Boeing B-50 Superfortress, 1952–1955
- RB-50, 1954–1956
- Boeing KB-29 Superfortress, 1952–1956
- ERB-29, 1954–1956
- Convair B-36 Peacemaker, 1953–1959
- Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1954–1957
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1955–1959,[29] 1964–1965[25]
- Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 1959–1962, 1963–1971
- Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1959–1962, 1963–1971
- EC-135, 1966–1969
- Atlas, 1964–1965
- Minuteman I, 1963–1971
- Minuteman II, 1968–1971
- Minuteman III, 1968–1971[29]
Commanders
Brig Gen John D. Ryan, 16 Jun 1952; Brig Gen John M. Reynolds, by Oct 1953; Col Salvatore E. Manzo, 15 Jul 1958; Brig Gen John B. McPherson, 11 Jul 1962; Col James H. Thompson, 15 Jun 1964; Brig Gen Henry L. Hogan III, 6 Oct 1965; Brig Gen Ralph T. Holland, 29 Jul 1968; Brig Gen Roy N. Casbeer, 4 Aug 1969; Brig Gen Alan C. Edmunds, 3 Sep 1970 – 30 Jun 1971
See also
- List of United States Air Force air divisions
- List of USAF Bomb Wings and Wings assigned to Strategic Air Command
- List of missile wings of the United States Air Force
- List of USAF Strategic Wings assigned to the Strategic Air Command
- List of MAJCOM wings of the United States Air Force
- List of B-29 units of the United States Air Force
- List of B-50 units of the United States Air Force
- List of B-47 units of the United States Air Force
- List of B-52 Units of the United States Air Force
References
- Notes
- ^ Wing headquarters remained at Biggs for both these deployments.
- 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, which had conducted the operation from 1950 to 1954.
- ^ In December 1965, Secretary McNamara directed the phaseout of the B-52C and several later models by 1971. Knaack, p. 248 n.41
- ^ The 810 SAD Factsheet incorrectly gives the dates for assignment as 1 July 1962 – 1 February 1963. Compare "Factsheet 22 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2014. (Wing assigned to 22d Air Division on same dates), and see "Abstract, History 4128 Strategic Wing May 1962". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 29 April 2014. (22d Air Division to move from Malmstrom and assume command from 810 Air Division in 1962)
- ^ The Minot hospital was not located on Minot Air Force Base, but just north of the Souris River, across from the city of Minot, North Dakota
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Factsheet 810 Strategic Aerospace Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 11 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Ravenstein, Combat wings, p. 132
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ravenstein, Combat Wings, p. 136
- ^ a b "Abstract, History 810 Air Division Apr 1954". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 421
- ^ See, e.g. "Abstract (Unclassified), Final Temporary Duty Report, Crew R-40MO 340 Bombardment Squadron (Confidential)". Air Force History Index. 21 May 1954. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ AF Pamphlet 900-2, p. 533
- ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), Vol 1, History of Strategic Air Command, Jan–Jun 1957 (Secret)". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 413–414
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 415
- ^ "Abstract, Volume 1, History 4128 Strategic Wing Jan 1959 – Mar 1960". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 717–718
- ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), History of the Strategic Bomber since 1945 (Top Secret, downgraded to Secret)". Air Force History Index. 1 April 1975. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ^ a b Mueller, pp. 417–421
- ^ McMullen, pp. 41, 43–45
- ^ Kipp, et al., p. 34-35
- ^ Kipp, et al., p. 47
- ^ Kipp, et al., p. 61
- ^ a b Ravenstein, Combat Wings, p. 250
- ^ Kipp, et al., pp. 72-74 (only Minuteman missiles on alert during the crisis were at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
- ^ a b Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). A Guide to Air Force Lineage and Honors (2d, Revised ed.). Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Historical Research Center. p. 12.
- ^ a b Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 245–246
- ^ a b c d e Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 125–127
- ^ a b c Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 169–170
- ^ a b c Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 138–140
- ^ a b c d Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 88–90
- ^ a b c Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 14–16
- ^ a b Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 180–181
- ^ a b c d e f g Except as noted, assignments, stations, wing and squadron components, and aircraft and missiles assigned are in the 810th Air Division Factsheet
- ^ Robertson, Patsy (31 December 2009). "Factsheet 55 Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ Ravenstein, Combat Wings, p. 139
- ^ Ravenstein, Combat Wings, p. 255
- ^ See "Abstract, History 810 Air Division [sic] Feb 1963". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Abstract, History 810 Air Division [sic] Jul–Sep 1969". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Kipp, Robert; Peake, Lynn; Wolk, Herman. "Strategic Air Command Operations in the Cuban Crisis of 1962, SAC Historical Study No. 90 (Top Secret NOFORN, FRD, redacted and declassified)" (PDF). Strategic Air Command. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- Knaack, Marcelle Size (1988). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems. Vol. 2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 248 n.41. ISBN 0-912799-59-5.
- 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.
- McMullen, Richard F. (1964). The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962–1964 (PDF). ADC Historical Study No. 27. Ent Air Force Base, Colorado: Air Defense Command. (Confidential, declassified 22 Mar 2000)
- Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6.
- 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.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). A Guide to Air Force Lineage and Honors (2d, Revised ed.). Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Historical Research Center.
- "AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits" (PDF). Washington, DC: Department of the Air Force. 15 June 1971. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2016.