The 525th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the

4710th Air Defense Wing The 4710th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued unit of the United States Air Force. It was last stationed at O'Hare International Airport, Illinois, where it was assigned to the 37th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC), and where it was disco ...

New Castle County Airport Wilmington Airport (formerly known as New Castle Airport, New Castle County Airport, sometimes referred to as Wilmington-New Castle Airport, or to a lesser extent Wilmington/Philadelphia Regional Airport and Greater Wilmington Airport) is an a ...

, Delaware. It was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The group was originally activated as a support unit for a combat group at the end of World War II in Italy and then redeployed to Maine, where it supported redeploying units until it was inactivated in 1945. The group was activated once again in 1953, when ADC established it as the headquarters for a dispersed

fighter-interceptor 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 ...

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

82d Fighter Group 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

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 group was first activated in Italy as the 525th Air Service Group shortly before the end of World War II 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. Designed to support a single combat group.Coleman, p. 208 Its 951st Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 775th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. It provided support to a combat group in Italy in 1945. The group redeployed to US and provided support to flying groups redeploying from Europe until it was inactivated. It was disbanded in 1948.

Cold War

The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 525th Air Defense Group, and activated 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 ...

at New Castle County Airport in 1953Cornett & Johnson, p. 83 with responsibility for air defense of Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The group was assigned the

96th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 96th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 340th Flying Training Group and is the reserve associate to the 47th Flying Training Wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. It operates T-1 Jayhawk, T-6 Texan II, and T-38 Talon aircraft con ...

(FIS), which was already stationed at New Castle, and flying Lockheed F-94 StarfiresCornett & Johnson, p.121 as its operational component.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 321 The 96th FIS had been assigned directly to the 4710th Defense Wing. The group also replaced 82nd Air Base Squadron as USAF host organization at New Castle County Airport. 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, de ...

s to perform its support responsibilities.Cornett & Johnson, p.147''See'' One month after the group was activated, the 332d FIS, flying later model "Starfires" armed with Mighty Mouse Rockets rather than cannons, was activated as the group's second operational squadron. In July 1953 the 96th FIS upgraded to the newer model "Starfires" as well. The 525th was inactivated and replaced by the

(Air Defense) as part 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 ...

'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 once again in 1984.

Lineage

* Constituted as 525th Air Service Group : Activated on 12 May 1945 : Inactivated on 15 October 1945 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948 * Reconstituted and redesignated as 525th Air Defense Group on 21 January 1953 : Activated on 16 February 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

* Unknown, 12 May 1945 – 1945 (probably Air Service Command, Mediterranean Theater of Operations) * Atlantic Division, Air Transport Command, 1945 – 8 October 1945 * 4710th Defense Wing (later 4710th Air Defense Wing), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Components

Operational Squadrons * 96th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 332d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 27 March 1953 – 18 August 1955 Support Units * 525th Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 525th Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 525th Medical Squadron (later 525th USAF Infirmary), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 775th Air Materiel Squadron, 12 May 1945 – 15 October 1945 * 951st Air Engineering Squadron, 12 May 1945 – 15 October 1945

Stations

* Italy, 12 May 1945 – 1945 *

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, Maine, 1945 – 15 October 1945 * New Castle County Airport, Delaware, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Aircraft

* Lockheed F-94B Starfire, 1953 * Lockheed F-94C Starfire, 1953–1955

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) * * * *

External links

{{Aerospace Defense Command, state=collapsed 0525 Aerospace Defense Command units Military units and formations disestablished in 1984 Military units and formations established in 1953