The 327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing is an inactive

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

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 Si ...

last based at

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, origina ...

, Oklahoma. It was last assigned to

Air Force Materiel Command Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command ( MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Co ...

's Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. The

was first activated in 1942 as the 327th Fighter Group. It initially flew the

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 ...

in 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 ...

role, but later acted as an operational and replacement training unit on

Republic 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-bomber ...

s until it was disbanded in a major 1944 reorganization of the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. In 1955, as part of

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inac ...

's Project Arrow, which was aimed at reviving fighter units that had served during

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the group was reactivated at

Paine Field Paine Field , also known as Snohomish County Airport, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in unincorporated Snohomish County, Washington, between th ...

, where it replaced the 520th Air Defense Group. It provided air defense for the Pacific northwest with North American F-86 Sabres and

Convair F-102 Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft designed and manufactured by Convair. Built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s, it entered service in 1956. Its main purpo ...

s until it was inactivated in 1966. The group was upgraded to wing size in 2005 and activated at

when

(AFMC) replaced its traditional directorate organizations with wings, groups and squadrons. It controlled logistic support systems for various large aircraft until 2010, when it was inactivated as AFMC returned to its previous organizational structure.

History

World War II

The 327th Fighter Group was activated at

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territory ...

, New York flying

s and assigned to

I Fighter Command I Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces intermediate command responsible for command and control of the fighter operations within the First Air Force during World War II. It was initially established in June 1941 as the 1st In ...

in late August 1942 with the 323d,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 398 324th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 399 and 325th Fighter SquadronsMaurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 400–401 assigned. Within a few days of activation, the group moved to

Philadelphia Airport Philadelphia International Airport is the primary airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The airport served 19.6 million passengers annually in 2021, making it the 21st busiest airport in the United States. The airport is located from t ...

, and the following month to

Richmond Army Air Base Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community (in Henrico County). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Richmond, the capital of ...

, Virginia. The group was part of the

force in the Mid-Atlantic region, and also served as an Operational Training Unit (OTU). The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups."Craven & Cate, Introduction, p. xxxvi In February 1943, the 327th replaced its Warhawks with

s and added a fourth squadron, the 443d Fighter Squadron, to the group.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 548–549 In 1944 the group became a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) training replacement Thunderbolt pilots for combat duty. As an RTU, the group split, with group headquarters and the 323d and 324th Squadrons remaining at Richmond, while the 325th and 443d Squadrons moved to Norfolk Army Air Field, Virginia.The 325th Squadron had briefly moved to

Millville Army Air Field Millville Executive Airport is in Millville, in Cumberland County, New Jersey. The airport, southwest of the Millville city center, is owned by the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) and the City of Millville. It was dubbed "America's ...

in September 1943, but returned to Richmond before moving to Norfolk. However, the

was finding that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were not well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each of its bases was organized into a separate numbered unit. In the general reorganization, the group was disbanded on 10 April 1944 and replaced by Army Air Forces Base Units at Richmond and Norfolk as part of a major reorganization of the

Cold War

323d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron North American F-86D-30-NA Sabre 51-5949

The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 327th Fighter Group (Air Defense), and activated in 1955 to replace the 520th Air Defense Group as part of

's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.Buss, ''et al''., p.6 It assumed the personnel and equipment of the 520th, while the 520th's operational squadrons, the 432d and 456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons transferred their personnel and rocket armed and radar equipped

North American F-86D Sabre The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog",) was an American transonic jet fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor ...

sCornett & Johnson, p. 125 to the 323d and 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons, which moved on paper to Truax from Larson Air Force Base, Washington and

Hamilton Air Force Base Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, California respectively. These moves were made because another purpose of Project Arrow was to reunite fighter squadrons with their traditional groups. The group was assigned air defense of

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

area and also was the host organization for USAF units at Truax. It was assigned a number of support organizations to fulfill its host responsibilities.Cornett & Johnson, p. 145 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 2 F-102s 1960

325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 2 F-102s 1960

The group's 323d Squadron converted to Convair F-102A Delta Daggers in November 1956, while the 325th Squadron followed in February 1957. In October 1957, the

61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 61st Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 56th Operations Group, at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, conducting Instructor Pilot training. The 61st, known as ...

was assigned to the group and moved to Truax Field from

Ernest Harmon Air Force Base Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Ki ...

, Canada, where it had been part of the

4731st Air Defense Group The 4731st Air Defense Group is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 64th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, Canada, where it was inactivated in ...

,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 237 in a swap with the 323d, which replaced the 61st at Ernest Harmon. The group was reduced to a single operational squadron in 1960, when the 61st inactivated. On 22 October 1962, at the beginning of the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

, when

President Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until assassination of Joh ...

announced the presence of Soviet

intermediate-range ballistic missile An intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km (1,864–3,418 miles), between a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Classifying ...

s in Cuba.

Continental Air Defense Command Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) was a Unified Combatant Command of the United States Department of Defense, tasked with air defense for the Continental United States. It comprised Army, Air Force, and Navy components. It included Army P ...

(CONAD) directed the dispersal of

interceptors An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are ca ...

within the United States. The group sent one third of its aircraft to Grand Island Airport, Nebraska. All group aircraft, including those at home and those at Grand Island were armed and placed on fifteen-minute alert status. The increased alert posture was maintained through mid-November, when CONAD returned units to their normal alert status, except for those under the control of its 32d Region, which controlled air defense in the Southeastern United States. Although the number of ADC interceptor squadrons remained almost constant in the early 1960s, attrition (and the fact that production lines closed in 1961) caused a gradual drop in the number of planes assigned to a squadron, from 24 to typically 18 by 1964. The force reduction continued, finally resulting in a reduction in the number of interceptor units, and the group was inactivated in the spring of 1966.Cornett & Johnson, p. 79

Logistics support

The group was redesignated the 327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing and activated in 2005 as part of the

Transformation initiative that replaced traditional staff offices in the command's centers with wings, groups, and squadrons. The wing organized, directed and controlled total life-cycle management of 94

Boeing 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 ...

, 585

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 trans ...

s and C-135s, 69 Rockwell B-1 Lancers and 416 contractor logistics (including tanker, trainer, telemetry, airlift, command & control and US Presidential aircraft) aircraft. Other supported systems included the

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit The Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying ...

Boeing E-3 Sentry The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weath ...

aircraft, Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems (TRACALS), and the worldwide High Frequency Global Communications System. The wing was also responsible for modification and upgrades to these systems. It was inactivated in 2010 and replaced by the Aerospace Sustainment Directorate of Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center when Materiel Command returned to its traditional organizational structure.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 327th Fighter Group (Single Engine) on 24 June 1942 : Activated on 19 August 1942 : Disbanded on 10 April 1944 * Reconstituted and redesignated 327th Fighter Group (Air Defense), on 20 June 1955 : Activated on 18 August 1955 : Discontinued and inactivated on 25 June 1966 * Redesignated 327th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985 * Redesignated 327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing on 31 January 2005Air Force Organization Status Change Report, Feb 2005, Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency : Activated on 18 February 2005 : Inactivated on 30 June 2010Air Force Organization Status Change Report, Jun 2010, Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency

Assignments

, 18 August 1942 – 1943 (attached to Philadelphia Air Defense Wing, 27 August 1942 – 22 September 1942) * Philadelphia Air Defense Wing, 1943 * I Fighter Command, 1943 – 10 April 1944 *

4706th Air Defense Wing The 4706th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force (USAF) organization. Its last assignment was with the 37th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at O'Hare International Airport (IAP), Illinois where it was discontinued in ...

, 18 August 1955 * 37th Air Division, 8 July 1956 * 30th Air Division, 1 April 1959 * Chicago Air Defense Sector, 1 June 1959 * 20th Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 25 June 1966 * Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, 18 February 2005 – 30 June 2010

Stations

* Mitchel Field, New York, 25 August 1942 *

, Pennsylvania, 27 August 1942 * Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, ''ca''. 22 September 1942 – 10 April 1944 * Truax Field, Wisconsin, 18 August 1955 – 25 June 1966Cornett & Johnson, p. 79 *

, Oklahoma, 18 February 2005 – 30 June 2010

Components

Operational Squadrons

* 61st Fighter Squadron, 10 October 1957 – 25 July 1960 * 323d Fighter Squadron (later Fighter-Interceptor Squadron), 25 August 1942 – 10 April 1944; 18 August 1955 – 15 October 1957 * 324th Fighter Squadron, 25 August 1942 – 10 April 1944 * 325th Fighter Squadron (later Fighter-Interceptor Squadron), 25 August 1942 – 10 April 1944; 18 August 1955 – 25 June 1966 : detached to Philadelphia Fighter Wing, 15 September 1943 – 28 January 1944 * 443d Fighter Squadron, 24 February 1943 – 10 April 1944

Support Units

* 327th USAF Infirmary (later 327th USAF Dispensary), 18 August 1955 – 25 June 1966 * 327th Air Base Squadron (later 327th Combat Support Squadron), 18 August 1955 – 25 June 1966 * 327th Armament & Electronics Maintenance Squadron, 1 December 1958 – 1 August 1960Cornett & Johnson, p. 139 * 327th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 8 July 1957 – 1 December 1958, 1 August 1960 – 25 June 1966 * 327th Field Maintenance Squadron, 1 December 1958 – 1 August 1960 * 327th Materiel Squadron, 18 August 1955 – 1 August 1964 * 327th Organizational Maintenance Squadron, 1 December 1958 – 1 August 1960 * 327th Supply Squadron, 1 August 1964 – 25 June 1966

* 327th Bomber and Cruise Missile Sustainment Group (later 327th Aircraft Sustainment Group), 18 February 2005 – 30 June 2010 :: 540th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron * 427th Aircraft Sustainment Group, 11 January 2008 – 30 June 2010< :: 553d Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 554th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 555th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron * 639th Aircraft Sustainment Group, 1 April 2008 – 30 June 2010Air Force Organization Status Change Report, Apr 2008, Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency :: 536th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 537th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 538th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 539th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron * 727th Aircraft Sustainment Group, 14 April 2006 – 30 June 2010Air Force Organization Status Change Report, Apr 2006, Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency :: 544th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 545th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 546th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 547th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron * 747th Aircraft Sustainment Group, 14 April 2006 – 30 June 2010 :: 557th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 558th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron * 827th Aircraft Sustainment Group, 14 April 2006 – 30 June 2010 :: 550th Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 551st Aircraft Sustainment Squadron :: 552nd Aircraft Sustainment Squadron

Aircraft

* Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1942–1943 * Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1944 * North American F-86D Sabre, 1955–1957 * Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, 1956–1966

Campaigns

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air * Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1956 * :: * * * McMullen, Richard F. (1964) ''The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962–1964'', ADC Historical Study No. 27 (Confidential, declassified 22 March 2000) * ''NORAD/CONAD Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis'', Historical Reference Paper No. 8, Directorate of Command History Continental Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1 Feb 63 (Top Secret NOFORN declassified 9 March 1996)

External links

Tinker AFB Home Page

Tinker Take Off July 23 – July 27, 2010: Article, 327th ASW holds inactivation ceremony
Retrieved 15 June 2012 {{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II 0327 1942 establishments in the United States