The 3rd Air Division (3d AD) 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 ...

organization. Its last assignment was with

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 ...

, assigned to

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 ...

, being stationed at

Hickam AFB Hickam Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam. The installation merged in 2010 with Naval Station Pearl Harbor to become part of the newly formed Joint B ...

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 ...

. It was inactivated on 1 April 1992. The 3rd Air Division was created in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

during World War II as the 3rd Bombardment Division, an upper command echelon 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 ...

. With five combat bomb wings and 14 heavy bomber groups assigned, it was one of the two largest U.S. air combat organizations during World War II.

World War II

The 3rd Air Division was activated in September 1943 as an intermediate command and control organization between command and wing levels. It was assigned to VIII Bomber Command,

. The Division commanded three combat bombardment wings (4th, 13th and 45th), consisting of seven

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 ...

bomb groups. The addition of the 92nd and 93rd Combat Bomb Wings in 1944 and additional bomb groups to the other wings increased the number of combat groups to fourteen. Between May 1944 and September 1944 the division operated both

(nine groups) and

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 ...

(five groups) aircraft, before converting to an all-B-17 organization for the remainder of the war. In September 1944 the 66th Fighter Wing was assigned directly to the division for fighter support. The bomb groups were engaged in strategic bombardment combat operations against

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

targets in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

(ETO). During the weeks immediately preceding D-Day (6 June 1944), division aircraft bombed tactical targets such as German communications centers and lines of support, and on D-Day hit targets on the Cherbourg Peninsula immediately behind the landing beaches. After V-E Day, the 3rd Air Division briefly became part of the

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

. As former Eighth Air Force units were withdrawn from Europe and returned to the United States during the summer and fall of 1945, the Division was assigned to VIII Fighter Command and controlled a mixture of bombardment and fighter groups before itself being inactivated on 21 November 1945.

In Europe from 1948

In August 1948, in response to the

Berlin blockade The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road ...

, the U.S. deployed long-range

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 ...

strategic bombers to four English East Anglian bases. The 3rd Air Division (Provisional) was activated as part of

to receive, support and operationally control the B-29 units deployed for training. At this time these units were only expected to take part in 30- to 60-day temporary duty cycles. It was formed at

RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...

, and on 23 August 1948, the provisional title was dropped, and on 8 September the headquarters moved into quarters at

Bushy Park Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is the second largest of London's Royal Parks, at in area, after Richmond Park. The park, most of which is open to the public, is immediately north of Hampton Court Palace and Hampton ...

and remained there until April 1949 when it moved to the Victoria Park Estate,

South Ruislip South Ruislip is an area of west London in the London Borough of Hillingdon, south-east of Ruislip, south of Eastcote, north-west of Northolt, and west of South Harrow. A 2017 estimation put the population of South Ruislip ward as 13,150 resident ...

. It also provided aircraft maintenance support at

RAF Burtonwood Royal Air Force Burtonwood (or RAF Burtonwood) is a former Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces base that was located in Burtonwood, Northwest of Warrington in Cheshire, England. The base was opened in 1940 in response to World Wa ...

for

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 ...

aircraft used in the

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road ...

. It was briefly elevated to the

Major Command Major Command or Major Commands are large formations of the United States Armed Forces. Historically, a Major Command is the highest level of command. Within the United States Army, the acronym MACOM is used for Major Command. Within the United Stat ...

level from 3 January 1949 – 21 January 1951. When the Berlin Airlift ended in 1949, the division participated in the Military Assistance Program in England and began an extensive air base construction program through May 1951 and a large number of USAF organizations based in the United Kingdom. With the advent of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and the growing

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 ...

threat of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, the U.S. and UK agreed to an even greater U.S. military presence in the United Kingdom. The resulting growing size and complexity of the American military presence required a larger command and organizational structure, that could meet the needs of the increased operations. The 3rd Air Division was inactivated on 1 May 1951. In its place

United States Air Forces Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

activated

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 ...

to command its units in the United Kingdom.

(SAC) had activated the

7th Air Division The 7th Air Division (7 AD) served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way. History Hawaii As the 7th Fighter Wing, the divis ...

a few days earlier to control its forces deployed in Europe. SAC's intent in activating a separate headquarters was to maintain control of these forces by keeping them out of the control of the theater commander and avoid what it regarded as the misuse of its forces in the

, in which its bombers had been kept from striking strategic targets by the theater commander.

In the Pacific from 1954

The 3rd Air Division was activated again at

Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

in June 1954 as the

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

for all SAC units in the Pacific. The

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

replaced the Far East Air Forces Bomber Command (Provisional), which was simultaneously discontinued at

Yokota Air Base , is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and United States Air Force (USAF) base in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo. It occupies portions of Akishima, Fussa, Hamura, Mizuho, Musashimurayama, and Tachikawa. The base houses 14,000 personnel ...

, Japan.Schake, et al., p. 77 In addition to the strategic bomber force, the division exercised operational control over numerous deployed tactical components, and all

(SAC) operations in the region came under its jurisdiction. It also supported air refueling needs of all United States military agencies operating in or transiting the region. In mid-1958, the deployment of entire SAC wings to Guam was replaced by an "Air Mail" alert program, whereby several

B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...

wings in the U.S. maintained a specific number of B-47s and KC-97s at Andersen AFB to meet both routine and alert requirements. In April 1964, the division switched from "Air Mail" B-47 / KC-97 to "Reflex" B-52 / KC-135 alert forces, again with aircraft and crews furnished in deployed status from U.S. based SAC wings. In 1965, it became heavily involved in Arc Light and Young Tiger operations in the Far East and SE Asia (SEA). Strategic Air Command wings in the U.S. furnished the aircrews and aircraft for these operations. The first elements of the 3rd Air Division to enter combat in SEA were the tanker forces under Young Tiger. In June 1965, Arc Light B-52s struck suspected

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

targets in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, commencing the first SAC combat missions. B-52s began striking targets in

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

on 11 April 1966; the initial attack against the Mu Gia Pass marked the largest single bomber raid since World War II. By late 1969, most Arc Light operations staged from

U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานอู่ตะเภา ระยอง–พัทยา; ) also spelled ''Utapao'' and ''U-Taphao'', is a joint civil–military public airport serving ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, while others were mounted from

Kadena Air Base (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

and Andersen. Andersen AFB remained the primary base for SAC deployed forces from the U.S., however, and aircraft and crews were sent from Guam to Kadena and U Tapao for combat missions. On 1 April 1970 the 3rd Air Division's resources passed to the

. Effective 1 January 1975, 3rd Air Division again controlled all SAC operations in the Western Pacific,

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

, and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. Additionally, it assumed responsibility for air refueling support of all U.S. military forces in these areas. During

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

operations in late 1990 through early 1991, it tasked and supported numerous sorties supporting the deployment in the Pacific Area of Responsibility (AOR).

Lineage

* Established as 3rd Bombardment Division on 30 August 1943 : Activated on 13 September 1943 : Redesignated 3rd Air Division on 1 January 1945 : Inactivated on 21 November 1945 : Organized on 23 August 1948 : Discontinued on 1 May 1951 * Redesignated 3rd Air Division (Operational) on 8 October 1953 : Activated on 25 October 1953 : Inactivated on 1 March 1954 * Redesignated 3rd Air Division on 8 June 1954 : Activated on 18 June 1954 : Inactivated on 1 April 1970 * Activated on 1 January 1975 : Inactivated on 1 April 1992

Assignments

* VIII Bomber Command (later, Eighth Air Force), 13 September 1943 *

VIII Fighter Command The VIII Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit of command above the wings and below the numbered air force. Its primary mission was command of fighter operations within the Eighth Air Force. In the World War II European Thea ...

, 16 July – 21 November 1945 *

, 23 August 1948 *

, 3 January 1949 *

, 21 January – 1 May 1951, 25 October 1953 – 1 March 1954 *

, 18 June 1954 – 1 April 1970, 1 January 1975 *

, 31 January 1982 – 1 April 1992

Components

Wings

* VIII Bomber Command : 4th Combat Bombardment: 13 September 1943 – 18 June 1945 : 4th Bombardment (Provisional): 18 November 1944 – 10 February 1945 : 13th Combat Bombardment (later, 13th Bombardment): 13 September 1943 – c. 6 August 1945 : 45th Combat Bombardment: 13 September 1943 – 18 June 1945 : 92nd Combat Bombardment: 31 March 1944 – c. 13 June 1945 : 93rd Combat Bombardment: 10 January 1944 – c. 13 July 1945 : 401st Provisional Combat, Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 402nd Provisional Combat, Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 403rd Provisional Combat, Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 * VIII Fighter Command : 1st Bombardment: 12 August – c. 26 August 1945 : 2nd Bombardment: 12 August – c. 25 August 1945 : 14th Bombardment: 16 June – 26 August 1945 : 20th Bombardment: 16 June – c. 6 August 1945 : 65th Fighter: 1 June – 1 November 1945 : 66th Fighter: 15 September 1944 – 1 November 1945 : 67th Fighter: 12 August – 1 November 1945 *

: 307th Strategic: 1 January – 30 September 1975 : 376th Strategic: 1 January 1975 – 30 October 1991 *

: 6th Bombardment: 9 August 1990 – 1 April 1992 Temporary attached Air Mail/Reflex units not listed. Check AFHRA link for details.

Groups

* VIII Bomber command : 385 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 388 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 390 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 94 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943; 18 June – 12 August 1945; 28 September – 1 November 1945 : 95 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 96 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943; 18–12 August 1945; 28 September – 1 November 1945 : 100 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943; 18 June – 12 August 1945; 28 September – 1 November 1945 : 493 Bombardment: 1–10 January 1944 * VIII Fighter Command : 4 Fighter: 16 October – 1 November 1945 : 339 Fighter: 14 April – c. 6 August 1944 : 355 Fighter: 16 July – October 1945 : 479 Fighter: 16 July – October 1945 *

: 2 Bombardment: attached 23 August – 17 November 1948; attached 21 February – c. 15 May 1950 : 22 Bombardment: attached 19 November 1948 – 14 February 1949; attached 17 November 1949 – 17 February 1950 : 28 Bombardment: attached 23 August – 18 October 1948 : 43 Bombardment: attached 20 August – 18 November 1949 : 92 Bombardment: attached 6 February – 6 May 1949 : 97 Bombardment: attached 4 November 1948 – 15 February 1949; July 1950 – February 1951 : 98 Bombardment: attached 18 May – 18 August 1949 : 301 Bombardment: attached 19 October 1948 – 17 January 1949; attached 19 May – c. 3 July 1950 : 307 Bombardment: attached 23 August – 4 November 1948; attached 15 February – 30 April 1949 : 509 Bombardment: attached 4 May – 30 August 1949 : 20 Fighter Bomber: attached 20 July – 10 December 1950

Squadrons

* VIII Fighter Command : 36 Bombardment: 12 August – 1 September 1945 : 652 Bombardment (Weather Reconnaissance): 25 August – 1 September 1945; 12 October – 1 November 1945. : 653 Bombardment (Weather Reconnaissance): 12 October – 1 November 1945. : 862 Bombardment: attached 17 February – 7 May 1945. : 418th Bombardment Squadron: attached 7 April 1944 – 31 December 1945. *

: 2 Air Refueling: attached 6 April – c. 15 May 1950 : 23 Strategic Reconnaissance: attached 22 December 1949 – 6 March 1950 : 72 Strategic Reconnaissance: attached 1 June – 15 November 1950 : 301 Air Refueling: attached 19 May – c. 3 July 1950. *

: 82 Strategic Reconnaissance: 25 August 1967 – 2 January 1968

Stations

* Camp Blainey, England, 13 September 1943 *

RAF Honington Royal Air Force Honington or more simply RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. Although used as a bomber station during the Second World War, RAF Honington is now the RAF Regim ...

, England, c. 27 October – 21 November 1945 *

, England, 23 August 1948 * Bushy Park, England, 8 September 1948 * Victoria Park Estate (later, USAF Station), South Ruislip, England, 15 April 1949 – 1 May 1951 *

Wiesbaden AB Lucius D. Clay Kaserne (german: Flugplatz Wiesbaden-Erbenheim) , commonly known as Clay Kaserne, is an installation of the United States Army in Hesse, Germany. The ''kaserne'' is located within Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. Named for General Lucius D. Cl ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, 25 October 1953 – 1 March 1954 * Andersen AFB,

, 18 June 1954 – 1 April 1970; 1 January 1975 – 12 September 1988 *

, 12 September 1988 – 1 April 1992.

Aircraft

World War II

1943–1945; *

1944; *

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

1944–1945; *

P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

1944–1945.

Strategic Air Command

B-50 Superfortress The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and ot ...

1954; *

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 piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest wing ...

1954–1955 1955–1956; * RB-36 1955; *

1955 1956–1964; *

B-52 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 ...

1964–1970; *

KC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Design and developme ...

1957 – c. 1965; *

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 transpo ...

1965–1970. *

1975–1992; *

KC-10 Extender The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo A ...

(tankers in TDY status) 1986–1988; *

1975–1992; *

RC-135 Rivet Joint The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, and L3 Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and Royal ...

1975–1992.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{USAAF 8th Air Force UK

003 003, O03, 0O3, OO3 may refer to: *003, fictional British 00 Agent *003, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian ambulance service (until 1986) *1990 OO3, the asteroid 6131 Towen * OO3 gauge model railway *''O03 (O2)'' and other related ...

Military units and formations of the United States Army Air Forces

World War II

In Europe from 1948

In the Pacific from 1954

Lineage

Assignments

Components

Wings

Groups

Squadrons

Stations

Aircraft

World War II

Strategic Air Command

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links