The 502d Air Defense Group is a disbanded

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

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)'s

4708th Air Defense Wing The 4708th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Selfridge Air Force Base (AFB), Michigan, where it was discontinued in 1956. ...

, at Youngstown Municipal Airport,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. It was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The

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 ...

was originally activated as a support group at the end of

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 ...

and provided logistics and administrative support for the

404th Fighter Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky in many East Asian c ...

in Germany until returning to the United States, where it was inactivated. The group was activated once again in 1953, when ADC established it as the headquarters for a dispersed fighter-interceptor squadron and the medical, maintenance, and administrative squadrons supporting it. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the 79th Fighter Group in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.

History

World War II

The

was activated as the 502d Air Service Group toward the end of

shortly after

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

in a reorganization of

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 ...

(AAF) support groups in which the AAF replaced Service Groups that included personnel from other branches of the Army and supported two combat groups with Air Service Groups including only Air Corps units. It was designed to support a single combat group.Coleman, p. 208 Its 920th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 744th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. The group supported the

in Germany in 1945 until returning to the US for inactivation. The group was disbanded in 1948.

Cold War

During the

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 ...

, the group was redesignated as the 502d Air Defense Group, reconstituted and activated at Youngstown Municipal Airport in 1953Cornett & Johnson, p. 81 to provide

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, ...

of Pittsburgh, western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio area. Assigned the

86th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 86th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 79th Fighter Group at Youngstown Air Force Base, Ohio, where it was inactivated on 1 March 1960. The squadron was first activat ...

, which was already stationed at Youngstown Municipal Airport, flying

Republic F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...

s.Cornett & Johnson p. 120 as its operational component.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 297 The 86th had previously been assigned directly to the

4708th Defense Wing The 4708th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Selfridge Air Force Base (AFB), Michigan, where it was discontinued in 1956. ...

. In July 1953, the 86th replaced its F-84s with

Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket The Mk 4 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR), also known as "Mighty Mouse", was an unguided rocket used by United States military aircraft. It was 2.75 inches (70 mm) in diameter. Designed as an air-to-air weapon for interceptor aircraft to ...

armed and

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 ...

equipped

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 ...

s. The group replaced the 88th Air Base Squadron as USAF host unit at Youngstown. It was assigned three

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 to perform its support responsibilities. It was inactivated and replaced by 79th Fighter Group (Air Defense) in 1955 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. The group was disbanded again in 1984.

Lineage

* Constituted as 502nd Air Service Group on 16 December 1944 : Activated on 1 June 1945 : Inactivated c. 9 November 1945 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948 * Reconstituted on 21 January 1953 and redesignated 502d Air Defense Group : Activated on 16 February 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

* Unknown 1945 (probably IX Air Force Service Command until return to US, then

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 ...

) * 4708th Defense Wing (later 4708th Air Defense Wing), 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955

Stations

AAF Station Fritzlar Fritzlar Air Base (German: ''Heeresflugplatz Fritzlar'', IATA: FRZ, ICAO: ETHF) is a military air field of the German Army Aviation Corps. It is located near the town of Fritzlar in northern Hesse, Germany. The airfield is part of the Georg-F ...

, Germany, 1 Jun 1945 - c. July 1945 * Flak Kaserne, Stuttgart, Germany ''ca''. July 1945 - c. 20 September 1945 * Unknown, October 1945 - c. 9 November 1945 * Youngstown Municipal Airport, Ohio, 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955

Components

* 86th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955 * 502nd Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955 * 502nd Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955 * 502nd Medical Squadron (later 502nd USAF Infirmary), 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955 * 744th Air Materiel Squadron, 1 Jun 1945 - ''ca''. 9 November 1945 * 920th Air Engineering Squadron, 1 Jun 1945 - ''ca''. 9 November 1945

Aircraft

* Republic F-84C Thuderjet, 1953 * North Emrican F-86D Sabre, 1953–1955

Commanders

* Lt Col. Benjamin P. Rambo, 1 June 1945 - 1945 * Unknown, 1945 - c. 9 Nov 1945 * Unknown, 16 February 1953 -18 August 1955

Awards and campaigns

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) * * * * Further Reading * Grant, C.L., (1961
The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
*

External links

{{USAAF 9th Air Force UK 0502 Aerospace Defense Command units Military units and formations in Ohio Military units and formations disestablished in 1984 Military units and formations established in 1953