The 4711th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued
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
30th Air Division
The 30th Air Division (30th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa. It was inactivated on ...
of
Air Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), 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 est ...
(ADC) at
Selfridge Air Force Base
Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Uni ...
, Michigan, where it was discontinued in 1956. It was established in 1952 at
Presque Isle Air Force Base
Presque Isle Air Force Base was a military installation of the United States Air Force located near Presque Isle, Maine. In the late 1950s and early 1960s it became a base for Strategic Air Command.
The original airport was constructed in 1930 ...
, Maine as the 4711th Defense Wing in a general reorganization of
Air Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), 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 est ...
(ADC), which replaced
wings
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 expresse ...
responsible for a base with wings responsible for a geographical area.
It assumed control of several
fighter Interceptor squadrons that had been assigned to the
23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing
3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality
* Three-dimensional space
** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data
** 3D film, a ...
, including two
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
squadrons mobilized for 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 ...
. In early 1953 it also was assigned six
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
squadrons in Maine, Vermont, and New York and its dispersed fighter
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
s combined with colocated air base squadrons into air defense groups. The wing was redesignated as an air defense wing in 1954. In 1956, as ADC prepared to implement the
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of mainframe computer, large computers and associated computer network, networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image ...
(SAGE) air defense system, the wing lost its combat components and moved to Selfridge, where it was discontinued.
History
The
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 expres ...
was organized as the 4711th Defense Wing at the beginning of February 1952 at
Presque Isle AFB
Presque Isle Air Force Base was a military installation of the United States Air Force located near Presque Isle, Maine. In the late 1950s and early 1960s it became a base for Strategic Air Command.
The original airport was constructed in 193 ...
, Maine
[Cornett & Johnson, p. 67] as part of a major reorganization of ADC responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying
fighter squadrons to best advantage. The wing assumed operational control and 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, ...
mission of fighter
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
s formerly assigned to the inactivating
23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing
3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality
* Three-dimensional space
** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data
** 3D film, a ...
(FIW). The
74th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
The 74th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23d Fighter Group and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron is equipped with the Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II ground attack aircr ...
(FIS) and
74th FIS, flying
North American 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 ...
aircraft
[Cornett & Johnson, p. 118] were at Presque Isle, while the
101st FIW's
132d FIS, flying
Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star
The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...
s
[Cornett & Johnson, p. 123] was at
Dow AFB
Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base. Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U.S. Army just before World War II and renamed Godfrey Army Airfield and later Dow Arm ...
, Maine, and the
134th FIS, flying
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 ...
era
North American F-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 H ...
s
was at
Burlington Municipal Airport, Vermont.
The two dispersed squadrons were federalized
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
(ANG) squadrons that had been attached to the 23rd FIW.
The
27th FIS at
Griffiss AFB
Griffiss Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force installation in the northeastern United States, located in Central New York state at Rome, about northwest of Utica.
Missions included fighter interceptors, electronic research, i ...
, another F-86 squadron,
[Cornett & Johnson, p. 114] was transferred to the wing from direct assignment to
Eastern Air Defense Force
The Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.
History
EADF was ...
. The support elements of the 23rd FIW's 23rd Air Base Group and 23rd Maintenance & Supply Group were replaced at Presque Isle by an air base squadron and air base squadrons were activated at Presque Isle and Burlington to support the fighter squadrons at those
bases. The wing's mission was to train and maintain tactical units in a state of
readiness to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft attempting to penetrate the air defense system in the Northeastern United States.
In June, the 74th FIS converted to
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 ...
interceptor aircraft
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 cap ...
, but by fall its F-89Cs had been grounded and the squadron was forced to convert to
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 ope ...
s.
In November 1952, the two ANG fighter squadrons were returned to the control of their states and replaced by the
37th FIS at Ethan Allen and the
49th FIS at Dow.
In February 1953, another major reorganization of ADC activated Air Defense Groups at ADC bases with dispersed fighter squadrons. Two
group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
s were assigned to the wing and assumed direct control of the fighter squadrons, as well as support squadrons to carry out their role as the USAF host organizations at their bases. As a result of this reorganization, the
528th Air Defense Group
The 528th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4711th Air Defense Wing at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine. It was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The group was originally acti ...
activated at Presque Isle and assumed control of the fighter squadrons there, while the
517th Air Defense Group
The 517th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4711th Air Defense Wing at Ethan Allen Air Force Base, Vermont. It was inactivated on 18 August 1955.
The group was originally acti ...
activated to command the squadron at Ethan Allen AFB.
[Cornett & Johnson, pp. 82–83] The reorganization also resulted in the wing adding the
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
detection, control and warning mission, and it was assigned six Aircraft Control & Warning Squadrons (AC&W Sq) to perform this mission.
[Cornett & Johnson, p. 95][Cornett & Johnson, p. 165–166][Cornett & Johnson, p. 157] The 49th FIS traded in its F-80s for F-86s in the same month.
[Cornett & Johnson, p. 116] Meanwhile, the 75th FIS moved to
Suffolk County AFB
Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base is an Aerospace Defense Command, air defense military installation located at civilian public-use Francis S. Gabreski Airport, located just north of Westhampton Beach, New York. It is currently the hom ...
in October and was reassigned to another wing.
In 1954, two of the wing's squadrons upgraded to radar equipped and
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
armed fighters. The 49th FIS received later model F-86D Sabres, while the 27th FIS converted to F-94C Starfires.
[
In 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units that had compiled memorable records in the two world wars. As a result of Project Arrow, the 23d Fighter Group (Air Defense), replaced the 528th Air Defense Group at Presque Isle, while the ]14th Fighter Group 014 may refer to:
* Argus As 014
* 014 Construction Unit
* Divi Divi Air Flight 014
* Pirna 014
* Tyrrell 014
The Tyrrell 014 was a Formula One car, designed for Tyrrell Racing by Maurice Philippe for use in the season. The cars were powered by ...
replaced the 517th Air Defense Group at Ethan Allen. In October, a second F-89 squadron, the 465th FIS, activated at Griffiss AFB
In preparation for the implementation of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of mainframe computer, large computers and associated computer network, networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image ...
(SAGE) air defense system, the 4711th wing lost its operational units in March 1956[ and moved to Selfridge AFB where it was discontinued shortly thereafter.]
Lineage
* Designated as the 4711th Defense Wing and organized on 1 February 1952
: Redesignated as the 4711th Air Defense Wing on 1 September 1954
: Discontinued on 8 July 1956
Assignments
* Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 February 1952
* 32nd Air Division, 16 February 1953
* 30th Air Division, 1 March 1956 – 18 October 1956
Components
Groups
Fighter Groups
* 14th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 18 August 1955 – 1 March 1956
: Ethan Allen AFB, Vermont, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955
* 23d Fighter Group (Air Defense), 18 August 1955 – 1 March 1956
Air Defense Groups
* 517th Air Defense Group
: Ethan Allen AFB, Vermont, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955
* 528th Air Defense Group, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955
Squadrons
Fighter Squadrons
* 27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
: Griffiss AFB, New York, 6 February 1952 – 1 March 1956
* 37th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
: Ethan Allen AFB, Vermont, 1 November 1952 – 16 February 1953
* 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
: Dow AFB, Maine, 1 November 1952 – 5 November 1955
* 74th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 6 February 1952 – 16 February 1953
* 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 6 February 1952 – 16 October 1952
* 132d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
: Dow AFB, Maine, 6 February 1952 – 1 November 1952
* 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
: Burlington Municipal Airport (renamed Ethan Allen AFB), Vermont, 6 February 1952 – 1 November 1952
* 465th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
: Griffiss AFB, New York, 8 October 1955 – 1 March 1956
Support Squadrons
* 75th Air Base Squadron
: Ethan Allen AFB, Vermont, 1 February 1952 – 16 February 1953
* 85th Air Base Squadron, 1 February 1952 – 16 February 1953
Radar Squadrons
* 127th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: Fort Williams, Maine, 16 February 1953 – 1 September 1953[
* 128th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: Dow AFB, Maine, 16 February 1953 – 1 September 1953][
* 655th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: ]Watertown AFS
Watertown Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations, ADCOM General Surveillance Radar station 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Watertown (town), New York, Wa ...
, New York, 16 February 1953 – 1 March 1956[
* 677th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: Fort Williams AFS, Maine, 1 September 1953 – May 1954
* 679th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: Dow AFB, Maine, 1 September 1953 – December 1953
* 764th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: Bellevue Hill (later ]Saint Albans AFS
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
), Vermont, 16 February 1953 – 1 March 1956[
* 765th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: ]Charleston AFS
Charleston Air Force Station is a defunct Air Force Station that opened in 1952 and closed in 1980. It was located in Charleston, Maine and is the site of a radar station and other buildings. After closure, it was redeveloped into a juvenile ja ...
, Maine, 16 February 1953 – 1 March 1956[
* 766th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: ]Caswell AFS
Caswell Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located north of Limestone, Maine. It was closed in 1980.
History
Caswell was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second ...
, Maine, 16 February 1953 – 1 March 1956[
* 792d Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: Ethan Allen AFB, Vermont, 1 November 1953 – December 1953
* 907th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: ]Syracuse AFS
Hancock Field Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, co-located with Syracuse Hancock International Airport. It is located north-northeast of Syracuse, New York, at 6001 East Molloy Road, Mattydale, NY 13211.
The installatio ...
, New York, November 1954 – February 1955, Bucks Harbor AFS, Maine – 1 March 1956
* 911th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
: Syracuse AFS, New York, June 1955 – 1 March 1956
Stations
* Presque Isle AFB, Maine, 1 February 1952
* Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 1 March 1956 – 8 July 1956
Aircraft
* F-51D, 1952–1953
* F-80C, 1952
* F-86A, 1952
* F-86D, 1953–1956
* F-86F, 1953–1954
* F-89C, 1952, 1953–1954
* F-89D, 1954–1956
* F-94B, 1952–1953
* F-94C, 1954–1956
Commanders
* Col. Charles H. McDonald, 1 February 1952 – after Mar 1952 Abstract, History of 4711 Def Wg, Feb 1952 – Mar 1952
Retrieved 13 March 2012
* Col. Norvel K. Heath, by Jul 1952 – 1952[ Abstract, History of 4711 Def Wg, Jul 1952 – Dec 1952](_blank)
Retrieved 13 March 2012
* Col. James O. Beckwith, 1952 – unknown
See also
* 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 ...
*
*
References
Notes
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)
*
* Grant, C.L., (1961
The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*
*
*
{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=autocollapse
Four Digit Wings of the United States Air Force
Air defense wings of the United States Air Force
Military units and formations established in 1952
Military units and formations disestablished in 1956
Military units and formations in Maine