The 806th Air Division is an inactive
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. It was assigned to
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
of
Strategic Air Command at
Chennault Air Force Base
Chennault International Airport ( IATA: CWF, ICAO: KCWF, FAA LID: CWF) is a center of aerospace activity based in Lake Charles, Louisiana, serves the needs of civilian and military aircraft from around the world with world-class infrastructu ...
, Louisiana. where it was inactivated on 15 June 1960.
The
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
was activated to manage the two
Strategic Air Command medium bombardment wings at Chennault in 1952. Shortly after the division was activated, its mission changed from crew training to strategic bombardment, originally with
Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, then with
Boeing B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
s. It was inactivated with one of its wings, which left Chennault as a single wing base.
History
The 806th Air Division was activated in 1952 at
Lake Charles Air Force Base
Chennault International Airport ( IATA: CWF, ICAO: KCWF, FAA LID: CWF) is a center of aerospace activity based in Lake Charles, Louisiana, serves the needs of civilian and military aircraft from around the world with world-class infrastructu ...
, Louisiana when Strategic Air Command (SAC) departed from the
wing base organization system and created air divisions as the headquarters on bases with two operational wings. The
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
's components were the
44th and
68th Bombardment Wings, and the newly activated 806th Air Base Group. Both its operational wings flew variants of the
Boeing B-29 Superfortress.
[ Its 44th wing served as an Operational Training Unit for B-29 aircrews and maintenance personnel being assigned to ]Far East Air Forces
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...
until late August.[Ravenstein, pp. 73–74]
The following year, the division's bombardment
A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire or by dropping bombs from aircraft on fortifications, combatants, or towns and buildings.
Prior to World War I, the term was only applied to the bombardment of defenseless or undefended objects, ...
units upgraded to the Boeing B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
and expanded to include air refueling
Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft ...
squadrons flying Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter
The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.
Design and developm ...
s. The 98th Air Refueling Squadron
The 98th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 92d Operations Group at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1998.
Two of the squadron's predec ...
moved to Lake Charles from MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
, Florida in November 1953 and was assigned to the division.[ The squadron was inactivated a few days later and its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 68th wing's 68th Air Refueling Squadron. The division monitored and coordinated the units' manning, equipping, and training for global strategic air warfare on a global scale. In fulfilling its mission, the division participated in numerous tactical exercises.][
The division's 44th wing deployed as a unit to ]5th Air Division
The 5th Air Division (5th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, based at Sidi Slimane Air Base, Morocco. It was inactivated on 15 July 1958.
The unit's origins begin with its predec ...
forward locations in Morocco in Operation Reflex,[ while the 68th deployed to bases in the United Kingdom controlled by ]7th Air Division
The 7th Air Division (7 AD) served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way.
History
Hawaii
As the 7th Fighter Wing, the divis ...
. The division's tanker units deployed separately to locations including Canada.
On 14 November 1958, Lake Charles Air Force Base was renamed Chennault Air Force Base in honor of General Claire Lee Chennault
Claire Lee Chennault (September 6, 1893 – July 27, 1958) was an American military aviator best known for his leadership of the "Flying Tigers" and the Chinese Air Force in World War II.
Chennault was a fierce advocate of "pursuit" or fighte ...
, the founder of the Flying Tigers
The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States ...
, who died in July of that year.
The 806th was inactivated in June 1960[ when the 44th Bombardment Wing was inactivated][ as a first step toward the planned closure of Chennault in 1962. This left only a single wing at Chennault and the 68th Bombardment Wing and its 68th Combat Support Group assumed host base responsibility as the sole remaining wing at Chennault.
]
Lineage
* Constituted as the 806 Air Division on 4 June 1952
: Activated on 16 June 1952
: Discontinued on 15 June 1960[
]
Assignments
* Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
, 16 June 1952 – 15 June 1960.[
]
Stations
* Lake Charles Air Force Base (later Chennault Air Force Base), Louisiana, 16 June 1952 – 15 June 1960[
]
Components
Wings
* 44th Bombardment Wing: 16 June 1952 – 15 June 1960[ (attached to 5th Air Division 19 January 1953 – 22 February 1953 and 19 April 1954 – 17 June 1954)
* 68th Bombardment Wing: 16 June 1952 – 15 June 1960][
Groups
* 806th Air Base Group (later 806th Combat Support Group): 16 June 1952 – 15 June 1960
* 806th Medical Group: 1 December 1958 – 15 June 1960]
Squadrons
* 98th Air Refueling Squadron: 22 November 1953 – 25 November 1953[
* 505th Aviation Squadron: 18 September 1953 – 1 July 1954
Other
* 4232d USAF Hospital: 1 April 1954 – 1 December 1958 (attached to 806th Air Base Group)]
Aircraft
* Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1952–1953
* Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1953–1960
* Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1953–1960[
]
Commanders
Col Carlos J. Cochrane, 16 June 1952; Brig Gen Raymond L. Winn, 3 November 1952; Brig Gen Henry K. Mooney, 2 August 1954; Brig Gen John K. Hester, 1 August 1955; Col Jacob J. Brogger, 24 July 1957; Col Robert H. Strauss, 4 December 1958; Col William J. Cain Jr., 27 May – 15 June 1960[
]
See also
* List of United States Air Force air divisions List of United States Air Force air divisions is a comprehensive and consolidated list of USAF Air Divisions.
;Air Divisions 1–15
*1st Strategic Aerospace Division
* Air Division, Provisional, 1 1962–1963 Homestead Air Force Base Cuban Missil ...
*
* List of B-29 units of the United States Air Force
This is a list of Boeing B-29 Superfortress units consisting of nations, their air forces, and the unit assignments that used the B-29 during World War II, Korean War, and post war periods, including variants and other historical information
Del ...
* List of B-47 units of the United States Air Force
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
{{Strategic Air Command
Military units and formations established in 1952
Units and formations of Strategic Air Command
Air divisions of the United States Air Force
1952 establishments in Louisiana
1960 disestablishments in Louisiana