The 11th Air Division was an

air division An air division is an air force or naval air formation that is roughly equivalent to an army division. An air division is usually commanded by a major general and it is composed of multiple wings, groups, air brigades, or equivalently-sized air forc ...

of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. It provided for the

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

of northern

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and supervised base operations at major and minor installations in that area. It furnished detachments at Ice Station Alpha, Drift Station Charlie (November 1957–August 1960), and Drift Station Bravo (T-3) (

Fletcher's Ice Island Fletcher's Ice Island or T-3 was an iceberg discovered by U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph O. Fletcher. Between 1952 and 1978 it was used as a staffed scientific drift station that included huts, a power plant, and a runway for wheeled aircraft.< ...

) (July 1959–August 1960), in the Arctic Ocean."

Lineage

* Established as the 11th Air Division (Defense) on 24 October 1950 : Organized on 1 November 1950 : Discontinued on 27 April 1951 (as a Table of Distribution (T/D) unit) : Activated on 27 April 1951 (as a Table of Organization unit) : Inactivated on 20 July 1951 : Activated on 8 April 1953 : Discontinued and inactivated on 25 August 1960 The discontinuation and activation in April 1951 represents a change by the division's headquarters from a Table of Distribution unit to a Table of Organization unit. ''See''

List of MAJCOM wings of the United States Air Force This is a list of Major Air Command (MAJCOM) Wings of the United States Air Force (USAF), a designation system in use from the summer of 1948 to the mid-1990s. From 1948 to 1991 MAJCOMs had the authority to form wings using manpower authorizati ...

Emblem

A shield variegated azure (shades of blue) within a border argent, charged with eleven stars of blue, over all in bend a rocket or, tipped red, white and blue

Assignments

Alaskan Air Command Alaskan Air Command (AAC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command originally established in 1942 under the United States Army Air Forces. Its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct ...

, 1 November 1950 – 27 April 1951 * Alaskan Air Command, 27 April 1951 – 20 July 1951 * Alaskan Air Command, 8 April 1953 – 25 August 1960

Components

;Squadrons * 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 September 1954 – 20 September 1954; 1 October 1955 – 20 August 1957 * 72d Fighter-Bomber Squadron: attached 1 September 1953 – 15 September 1953 * 416th Fighter-Bomber Squadron: attached 15 September 1953 – 29 September 1953 * 433d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 14 July 1954 – 20 September 1954; 1 October 1955 – 1 November 1957 (not operational after 10 September 1957) * 449th Fighter-All Weather Squadron (later 449th Fighter Interceptor Squadron): attached c. January 1951 – 20 July 1951; assigned 8 April 1953 – 20 September 1954; 1 October 1955 – 25 August 1960 * 455th Fighter-Bomber Squadron: 8 August 1955 – 22 November 1955 * 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron: attached 5 October 1953 – 13 October 1953 * 720th Fighter-Bomber Squadron: 25 December 1953 – 8 August 1955

Stations

Ladd Air Force Base Ladd Army Airfield is the military airfield located at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was originally called Fairbanks Air Base, but was renamed Ladd Field on 1 December 1939, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd, a pilot in the U.S. Ar ...

, Alaska, 1 November 1950 – 27 April 1951 * Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska, 27 April 1950 – 20 July 1951 * Ladd Air Force Base, Alaska, 8 April 1953 – 25 August 1960

Aircraft / Missiles / Space vehicles

North American F-82 Twin Mustang The North American F-82 Twin Mustang is the last American piston-engined fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the North American P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter ...

, 1951 *

Lockheed F-94 Starfire The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather, day/night interceptor of the United States Air Force. A twin-seat craft, it was developed from the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer in the late 1940s. It reached o ...

, 1951, 1953-1954 *

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

, 1953-c. 1956 *

Douglas C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...

, 1953-c. 1956 *

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechani ...

, 1953-c. 1954 *

de Havilland Canada L-20 Beaver The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined high-wing propeller-driven short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft developed and manufactured by de Havilland Canada. It has been primarily operated as a bush plane and has been used ...

, 1953-c. 1956 *

Northrop F-89 Scorpion The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an American all-weather, twin-engined interceptor aircraft built during the 1950s, the first jet-powered aircraft designed for that role from the outset to enter service. Though its straight wings limited its per ...

, 1954–1960 *

Fairchild C-123 Provider The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Re ...

, 1957-1960

Commanders

* Brigadier General David H. Baker, 1 November 1950 – c.20 July 1951 (additional duty, 1 November 1950–c. January 1951). * Brigadier General Donald B. Smith, 8 April 1953 * Colonel Oscar A. Heinlein, c. July 1954 * Brigadier General T. Alan Bennett, 28 August 1954 * Colonel Lewis W. Stocking, c.15 May 1957 * Brigadier General Kenneth H. Gibson, c. July 1957 * Brigadier General Conrad F. Necrason, 11 September 1957 * Brigadier General Gordon H. Austin, by September 1958 – 25 August 1960

References

Notes

Bibliography

* {{cite book, editor=Maurer, Maurer, title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, orig-year=1969, url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf, edition= reprint, year=1982, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-405-12194-6, oclc=72556, lccn=70605402 011

Lineage

Emblem

Assignments

Components

Stations

Aircraft / Missiles / Space vehicles

Commanders

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography