The 4711th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

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 (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 Unit ...

, 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 193 ...

, Maine as the 4711th Defense Wing in a general reorganization of Air Defense Command (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 expre ...

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, including two Air National Guard 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, we ...

squadrons in Maine, Vermont, and New York and its dispersed fighter squadrons 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 large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. S ...

(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 e ...

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 ...

, MaineCornett & 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 mission of fighter squadrons formerly assigned to the inactivating 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing (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 ...

aircraftCornett & Johnson, p. 118 were at Presque Isle, while the 101st FIW's 132d FIS, flying Lockheed F-80 Shooting StarsCornett & Johnson, p. 123 was at Dow AFB, 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 opposing ...

era

North American F-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, 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 ...

s was at Burlington Municipal Airport, Vermont. The two dispersed squadrons were federalized Air National Guard (ANG) squadrons that had been attached to the 23rd FIW. The 27th FIS at Griffiss AFB, 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 c ...

, 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 ide ...

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 activated to command the squadron at Ethan Allen AFB.Cornett & Johnson, pp. 82–83 The reorganization also resulted in the wing adding the

detection, control and warning mission, and it was assigned six Aircraft Control & Warning Squadrons (AC&W Sq) to perform this mission.Cornett & Johnson, p. 95Cornett & Johnson, p. 165–166Cornett & 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 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 home base of the New York Air ...

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 The Pirna 014 was an axial turbojet designed in East Germany (or the GDR) in the mid- to late 1950s by former Junkers engineers, who were repatriat ...

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

(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, 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), Vermont, 16 February 1953 – 1 March 1956 * 765th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Charleston AFS, Maine, 16 February 1953 – 1 March 1956 * 766th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Caswell AFS, 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, 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
Retrieved 13 March 2012 * Col. James O. Beckwith, 1952 – unknown

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
* * *