The 39th Air Division (39th AD) 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. Its last assignment was with

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organizat ...

Misawa Air Base is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...

, Japan. It was inactivated on 15 January 1968.

History

"Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the 39th Air Division controlled all of the units responsible for the air defense of north Japan, which included northern

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island se ...

and

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

islands and the contiguous territorial waters." "In this role the 39th trained the assigned units and controlled aerial interception missions when Japanese air space was violated. The division also controlled air refueling and ECM missions, and trained personnel of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force in flying operations, radar operations and maintenance, and proper radio procedures." "After the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

shot down an RB-29 aircraft on 7 November 1954, the 39th provided fighter escort for all friendly reconnaissance aircraft flying near Soviet territory and the Northern Air Defense Sector." "The division also supported combat operations during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

Lineage

* Designated as the 39th Air Division (Defense) and organized on 1 March 1952 : Redesignated as: 39th Air Division on 18 March 1955 : Discontinued and inactivated on 15 January 1968

Assignments

* Japan Air Defense Force, 1 March 1952 *

, 1 September 1954 – 15 January 1968

Stations

, Japan, 1 March 1952 – 15 January 1968

Components

Wings

* 4th Fighter-Bomber Wing (later 4th Fighter-Day Wing): attached 1 – 7 March 1955, assigned 8 March 1955 – 8 December 1957 * 12th Strategic Fighter Wing: attached 18 May – 10 August 1953 and 10 May – 7 August 1954 *

21st Tactical Fighter Wing The 21st Space Wing (21 SW) was the United States Space Force's ground–based missile warning and space control wing. The 21st Space Wing was assigned to Space Operations Command and headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The 21 ...

: 10 November 1958 – 18 June 1960 *

27th Fighter-Escort Wing 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

(later 27th Strategic Fighter Wing): attached 13 October 1952 – c. 13 February 1953 * 31st Fighter-Escort Wing (later 31 Strategic Fighter Wing): attached 10 July – 11 October 1952 and 10 November 1953 – 12 February 1954 * 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing: attached 7 November 1953 – 1 March 1955, assigned 1 March 1955 – 15 April 1957 * 407th Strategic Fighter Wing: attached 8 August – 10 November 1954 * 506th Strategic Fighter Wing: attached 13 August – 7 November 1953 * 508th Strategic Fighter Wing: attached 18 February – 18 May 1953

Squadrons

* 4th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: attached 10 August 1954 – 1 March 1955, assigned 1 March 1955 – 20 June 1965 * 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 25 April 1960 – 15 January 1968 * 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 15 December 1967 – 15 January 1968 * 339th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 March 1955 – 15 January 1958 * 356th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 29 November 1965 – 15 January 1968 * 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 18 June 1960 – 16 June 1964 * 418th Fighter-Day Squadron: 10 December 1957 – 25 March 1958 * 531st Tactical Fighter Squadron: 18 June 1960 – 16 June 1964 * 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 3 November 1965 – 15 January 1968

Aircraft

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 Thun ...

, 1952 – 1954, 1958 – 1959 *

Boeing KB-29 Superfortress The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P. The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons (Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Month ...

, 1953 – 1954 *

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 ...

, 1954 – 1960 *

North American F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

, 1957 – 1964 *

Convair F-102 Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft designed and manufactured by Convair. Built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s, it entered service in 1956. Its main purpos ...

, 1960 – 1965 *

McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is a supersonic jet fighter which served the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Initially designed by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation as a long-range bomber escort (known as a ''p ...

, 1958 – 1968 *

Republic F-105 Thunderchief The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...

History

Lineage

Assignments

Stations

Components

Wings

Squadrons

Aircraft

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography