The 316th Airlift Division (316th 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 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 ...

, assigned to

Seventeenth Air Force The Seventeenth Expeditionary Air Force (17 EAF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during (1953–1996) and AFAFRICA, United Sta ...

, being stationed at

Ramstein Air Base Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...

, Germany. It was inactivated on 1 May 1991.

History

Lineage

* Established as 316 Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 4 August 1944. : Activated on 14 August 1944. : Redesignated: 316 Composite Wing on 8 January 1946 : Redesignated: 316 Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 6 May 1946 : Inactivated on 21 June 1948 * Redesignated 316 Air Division (Defense) on 26 June 1953 : Organized on 18 September 1953 : Discontinued on 1 April 1960 * Redesignated 316 Air Division on 1 June 1985 : Activated on 14 June 1985 : Inactivated on 1 May 1991

Assignments

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

, 14 August 1944 : Attached XXII Bomber Command, c. 14 August – c. 7 December 1944 *

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 ...

, 8 July 1945 * United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific :

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 ...

, 5 September 1945 * Pacific Air Command, U.S. Army : 1 Air Division, 13 June 1946 – 21 June 1948 *

, 18 September 1953 *

, 15 November 1959 – 1 April 1960 *

, 14 June 1985 – 1 May 1991.

Stations

Peterson Field Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the Nor ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, 14 August 1944 – 7 July 1945 * Kadena (later, Kadena Field, Kadena AAB, Kadena AFB),

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 ...

, 17 August 1945 – 21 June 1948 * Rabat Salé AB, French Morocco (later, Morocco), 18 September 1953 – 1 April 1960 *

Ramstein AB Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...

, West Germany (later Germany), 14 June 1985 – 1 May 1991.

Components

Wing * 86th Tactical Fighter: 14 June 1985 – 1 May 1991. Groups * 22d Bombardment: 31 May 1946-by 31 May 1948 * 333d Bombardment: 31 August 1945 – 28 May 1946 * 346th Bombardment: 31 July 1945 – 30 June 1946 * 382d Bombardment: 31 August 1945 – 4 January 1946 * 383d Bombardment: 31 August 1945 – 3 January 1946 Squadrons * 28th Photographic Reconnaissance: 15–29 May 1946 * 45th Fighter-Interceptor (later, 45 Fighter-Day): 18 September 1953 – 8 January 1958 * 324th Fighter-Interceptor: 1 July 1958 – 8 March 1960 * 357th Fighter-Interceptor: 18 September 1953 – 8 March 1960.

Aircraft

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 ...

, 1945–1948 *

F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...

, 1953–1960 *

F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

, 1956–1957 *

F-16 Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...

, 1985–1991.

Operational history

The 316th Bombardment Wing trained in the United States before transfer to

in August 1945. Assigned units ferried Allied prisoners of war from Japan to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. In September 1953, the 316th Division manned, equipped, trained, and maintained assigned units until April 1960. It provided warning and defense against potential hostile air operations against the Moroccan region of North Africa. In 1985, the division gained operational responsibility to implement war and contingency plans. It also provided host support to units in the

Kaiserslautern Military Community Kaiserslautern Military Community is a community of Americans living in and around Kaiserslautern, Germany, supporting United States Armed Forces and NATO installations, such as the Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Kapaun Ai ...

(KMC) as well as logistical support for other organizations in the European theater. In April–May 1991, assigned units deployed aircraft and personnel to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

in support of

Operation Provide Comfort Operation Provide Comfort and Provide Comfort II were military operations initiated by the United States and other Coalition nations of the Persian Gulf War, starting in April 1991, to defend Kurdish refugees fleeing their homes in northern ...

, a humanitarian relief effort to save the Kurds from starvation and resettle them in northern

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

References

External links

* {{Coord, 49.4372, N, 7.6003, E, display=title Air divisions of the United States Air Force