The 14th Air Division is an inactive

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 ...

unit. Its last assignment was with

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...

, stationed at

Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host ...

, California. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.

History

World War II

The organization was initially activated in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

as the 14th Pursuit Wing to contribute to the defense of the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. Its designation was soon changed to Hawaiian Interceptor Command. The Hawaiian Interceptor Command suffered heavy losses during the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

(7 December 1941), but airmen managed to shoot down several enemy aircraft. A short time later, it was inactivated and its men and equipment became the

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

for

VII Fighter Command The VII Fighter Command was a command and control organization of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces. The Headquarters were based at several locations with forward command moving with the campaigns ...

. The wing was reformed as the 14th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the primary

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

heavy strategic bombardment groups of the

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

2d Bombardment Division D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History The ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Its subordinate groups flew bombing missions against

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

airfields, oil installations, and marshalling yards. Wing components supported

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

, the invasion of Normandy, in June 1944 by attacking strong points in the beachhead area and transportation targets behind the front lines. Later, in December 1944 – January 1945, the wing helped to check the German offensive during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

. In March 1945, subordinate units supported

Operation Lumberjack Operation Lumberjack was a military operation with the goal of capturing the west bank of the Rhine River and seizing key German cities, near the end of World War II. The First United States Army launched the operation in March 1945 to capture s ...

, the campaign to cross the

Rhine River ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sourc ...

Cold War

Reactivated in 1951, the 14th Air Division was an intermediate command echelon of

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

. The command provided operational reconnaissance, maintained round the clock radar surveillance to detect sea launched ballistic missiles from the Pacific Ocean area, and provided for crisis management during periods of increased operational readiness. For a brief period, between 1962 and 1965, the division maintained a

SM-68 Titan I The SM-68 Titan (individual variants later designated HGM-25 Titan I and LGM-25 Titan II) was the designation of two intercontinental ballistic missiles developed for the United States Air Force. The Titan I and Titan II missiles were operational b ...

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

complex, in addition to its assigned aircraft. The division also supervised all of

's initial combat crew training for the

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpor ...

Boeing B-52G Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

and B-52H,

Lockheed U-2 The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...

, and

Lockheed SR-71 The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by the United States Air Force ...

aircraft. It was inactivated in 1991 as part of the military drawdown of the USAF after the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

Lineage

* Established as the 14th Pursuit Wing on 19 October 1940 : Activated on 1 November 1940 : Inactivated on 23 January 1942 * Redesignated 14th Bombardment Wing on 23 August 1942 : Activated on 1 October 1942 : Redesignated: 14th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 1 February 1943 : Redesignated: 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 7 August 1944 : Redesignated: 14th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 15 June 1945 : Inactivated on 7 November 1945 * Redesignated 14th Air Division on 1 February 1951 : Organized on 10 February 1951 : Discontinued on 16 June 1952 * Activated on 16 June 1952 : Redesignated: 14th Strategic Aerospace Division on 1 March 1962 : Redesignated: 14th Air Division on 31 March 1972 : Inactivated on 1 September 1991

Assignments

Hawaiian Air Force The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...

, 1 November 1940 – 23 January 1942 * Eighth Air Force, 1 October 1942 : Attached to:

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in E ...

, 1 October 1942 – c. 11 May 1943 *

VIII Bomber Command 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

, 4 June 1943 * 2d Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy), August 1943 *

(later 2 Air) Division), 13 September 1943 : Attached to:

96th Combat Bombardment Wing The 96th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Tenth Air Force at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949. As the 96th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the pri ...

, Heavy, 5 – 15 June 1945 * 3d Air Division, 16 June-26 August 1945 *

Army Service Forces The Army Service Forces was one of the three autonomous components of the United States Army during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces, created on 9 March 1942. By dividing the Army into three large comman ...

, 27 August 1945 *

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reser ...

, 6 September-7 November 1945 *

, 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952; 16 June 1952 – 1 September 1991

Components

Wings * 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (later 5th Bombardment Wing): 10 February 1951 – 25 July 1968 (detached 14 January-12 April 1955) * 6th Strategic Wing (later 6th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing): 30 June 1971 – 1 October 1976; 1 October 1985 – 9 August 1990 *

9th Bombardment Wing The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is to ...

(later 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing): 10 February 1951 – 1 May 1953; 25 June 1966 – 1 September 1991 * 17th Bombardment Wing: 30 September 1975 – 30 September 1976 *

22d Bombardment Wing The 22d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and also functions as the host wing for McConnell. Its primary missio ...

(later 22d Air Refueling Wing): 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971; 23 January 1987 – 1 July 1988 * 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing: 30 June 1971 – 1 October 1976; 1 October 1985 – 1 September 1991 * 92d Strategic Aerospace Wing: attached 15 June-1 July 1968, assigned 2 July 1968 – 31 March 1970 * 93d Bombardment Wing: 1 October 1976 – 1 October 1985 * 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (later 100 Air Refueling Wing): 30 June 1971 – 1 August 1972; 30 September 1976 – 15 March 1983 * 320th Bombardment Wing: 1 February 1963 – 1 July 1965; 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971; 1 October 1972 – 1 October 1982 * 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing (later, 456 Bombardment Wing): 1 February 1963 – 30 June 1971; 1 October 1972 – 30 September 1975 * 4126th Strategic Wing: 8 February 1959 – 1 February 1963 * 4134th Strategic Wing: 1 May 1958 – 1 February 1963 * 4200d Strategic Reconnaissance Wing: 1 January 1965 – 25 June 1966 Groups *

15th Pursuit Group 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...

, 1 December 1940 – 23 January 1942 *

18th Pursuit Group 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

, 1 November 1940 – 23 January 1942 * 44th Bombardment Group, 13 September 1943 – 14 June 1945 (detached 19 September-c. 18 October 1943) *

94th Bombardment Group The Type 094 (; Chinese designation: 09- IV; NATO reporting name: Jin class) is a class of ballistic missile submarine developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force. The Type 094 succeeds the Type 092 submarine and ...

, 16 June-8 August 1945 * 307th Air Refueling Group, 1 July 1977 – 1 October 1983 * 385th Bombardment Group, 16 June-8 August 1945 * 392d Bombardment Group, 13 September 1943 – 14 June 1945 * 447th Bombardment Group, 16 June-c. 1 August 1945 *

486th Bombardment Group 486th may refer to: * 486th Air Expeditionary Wing, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command * 486th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 486th Fighter Squadron, inactive United States Air ...

, 16 June–August 1945 * 487th Bombardment Group, 16 June-c. 26 August 1945 *

490th Bombardment Group The 490th Bombardment Group is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. The group was activated in October 1943 . After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations and participated in the strategic bo ...

, c. July–August 1945 * 491st Bombardment Group, 15 August 1944-c. 28 June 1945 * 492d Bombardment Group, 12 March-5 August 1944 Squadrons * 23d Pursuit Squadron: attached 5 October 1941 – 23 January 1942 *

91st Air Refueling Squadron The 91st Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions. The squadron was first activated in January 1941 ...

: 1 April-1 August 1972 * 916th Air Refueling Squadron: 25 July 1968 – 31 March 1970; 1 April 1972 – 1 July 1977

Stations

Wheeler Field Wheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii. It is a National Histo ...

, Hawaii, 1 November 1940 *

Fort Shafter Fort Shafter, in Honolulu CDP, Page 4/ref> City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific, which commands most Army forces in the Asia-Pacific region with the exception of Korea. Geographically, Fort ...

, Hawaii, 17 December 1941 – 23 January 1942 *

MacDill Field MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...

, Florida, 1 October 1942 – May 1943 * Camp Lynn, High Wycombe, England, 1 June 1943 *

RAF Hethel Royal Air Force Hethel or more simply RAF Hethel is a former Royal Air Force station which was used by both the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. The airfield is located south we ...

, England, 4 June 1943 * Camp Thomas, Old Patton, England, c. 1 July 1943 *

RAF Shipdham Royal Air Force Shipdham or more simply RAF Shipdham is a former Royal Air Force station located 3 miles south of Dereham, Norfolk, England. The airfield now operates as Shipdham Airfield. History USAAF use RAF Shipdham was the first US ...

, England, 13 September 1943 *

RAF Bury St Edmunds Rougham Airfield, formerly Royal Air Force Station Bury St Edmunds or more simply RAF Bury St Edmunds is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. It is not to be confused with the RAF grass strip o ...

, England, 13 June-26 August 1945 *

McChord Field McChord Field is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord Field is the home of the 62d Airlift Wing, Air Mobility Command, the field's primary mission being worldw ...

, Washington, 6 September-7 November 1945 *

Travis Air Force Base Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, in Solano County, Californi ...

, California, 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952; 16 June 1952 – 25 January 1960 *

, California, 25 January 1960 – 1 September 1991

Aircraft and Missiles

* A-12 Shrike, 1940–1941; * B-12, 1940–1941; * BT-9, 1940; * OA-3 Dolphin, 1940; * OA-8, 1940–1942; * Grumman OA-9 Goose, 1940–1941; *

Boeing P-26 Peashooter The Boeing P-26 "Peashooter" was the first American production all-metal fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to enter squadron service with the United States Army Air Corps. Designed and built by Boeing, the prototype first flew in ...

, 1940–1941; *

Curtiss P-36 Hawk The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation ...

, 1940–1941; *

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

, 1940–1942. *

North American AT-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

, 1941–1942; *

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company f ...

, 1941–1942; * Republic P-47, 1941–1942; *

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time an ...

, 1941–1942. * Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945; *

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

, 1945. *

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

, 1951–1953; * Boeing RB-29 Superfortress, 1951; * Convair RB-36 Peacemaker, 1951–1955, 1955–1958; *

Convair B-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced Reciprocating engine, piston-engined aircraft ever built. It ...

, 1955–1958; * Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 1958–1971, 1972–1991; * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1959–1991; * SM-68 (later LGM-25) Titan I, 1962–1965; *

Northrop T-38 Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces. The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most ...

, 1965–1966; * Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, 1966–1991; *

Ryan AQM-34 Firebee The Ryan Firebee is a series of target drones developed by the Ryan Aeronautical Company beginning in 1951. It was one of the first jet-propelled drones, and remains one of the most widely used target drones ever built. Development Ryan Fireb ...

, 1971–1972; *

Sikorsky CH-3 The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R. The S-61R served in the United States ...

, 1971–1972; *

Lockheed DC-130 Hercules The Lockheed DC-130 was a variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, C-130 Hercules, designed for unmanned aerial vehicle, drone control. It could carry four Ryan Firebee drones underneath its wings. Development Origin of the design Since Worl ...

, 1971–1972; * Boeing EC-135 ARIA, 1971–1976, 1986–1991; * Boeing RC-135 Rivet Joint, 1971–1976, 1986–1991; *

, 1971–1972, 1976–1991; *

Boeing E-4 The Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post (AACP), the current "Nightwatch" aircraft, is a strategic command and control military aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The E-4 series are specially modified from the Boeing ...

"Nightwatch", 1975–1976, 1986–1991; * Lockheed TR-1, 1982–1991; * TC-135, 1986–1991

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{USAAF 8th Air Force UK 014 014 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command 1940 establishments in Hawaii