3d Air Division (United States)
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The 3rd Air Division (3d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
, assigned to
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
, being stationed at Hickam AFB, Hawaii. It was inactivated on 1 April 1992. The 3rd Air Division was created in England during World War II as the 3rd Bombardment Division, an upper command echelon of the
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
. With five combat bomb wings and 14 heavy bomber groups assigned, it was one of the two largest U.S. air combat organizations during World War II.


World War II

The 3rd Air Division was activated in September 1943 as an intermediate command and control organization between command and wing levels. It was assigned to VIII Bomber Command,
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
. The Division commanded three combat bombardment wings (4th, 13th and 45th), consisting of seven
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
bomb groups. The addition of the 92nd and 93rd Combat Bomb Wings in 1944 and additional bomb groups to the other wings increased the number of combat groups to fourteen. Between May 1944 and September 1944 the division operated both
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
(nine groups) and
B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
(five groups) aircraft, before converting to an all-B-17 organization for the remainder of the war. In September 1944 the 66th Fighter Wing was assigned directly to the division for fighter support. The bomb groups were engaged in strategic bombardment combat operations against Axis targets in the
European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...
(ETO). During the weeks immediately preceding D-Day (6 June 1944), division aircraft bombed tactical targets such as German communications centers and lines of support, and on D-Day hit targets on the Cherbourg Peninsula immediately behind the landing beaches. After V-E Day, the 3rd Air Division briefly became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe. As former Eighth Air Force units were withdrawn from Europe and returned to the United States during the summer and fall of 1945, the Division was assigned to VIII Fighter Command and controlled a mixture of bombardment and fighter groups before itself being inactivated on 21 November 1945.


In Europe from 1948

In August 1948, in response to the Berlin blockade, the U.S. deployed long-range B-29 Superfortress strategic bombers to four English East Anglian bases. The 3rd Air Division (Provisional) was activated as part of United States Air Forces in Europe to receive, support and operationally control the B-29 units deployed for training. At this time these units were only expected to take part in 30- to 60-day temporary duty cycles. It was formed at
RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...
, and on 23 August 1948, the provisional title was dropped, and on 8 September the headquarters moved into quarters at Bushy Park and remained there until April 1949 when it moved to the Victoria Park Estate, South Ruislip. It also provided aircraft maintenance support at
RAF Burtonwood Royal Air Force Burtonwood (or RAF Burtonwood) is a former Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces base that was located in Burtonwood, Northwest of Warrington in Cheshire, England. The base was opened in 1940 in response to World Wa ...
for C-54 Skymaster aircraft used in the Berlin Airlift. It was briefly elevated to the
Major Command Major Command or Major Commands are large formations of the United States Armed Forces. Historically, a Major Command is the highest level of command. Within the United States Army, the acronym MACOM is used for Major Command. Within the United Stat ...
level from 3 January 1949 – 21 January 1951. When the Berlin Airlift ended in 1949, the division participated in the Military Assistance Program in England and began an extensive air base construction program through May 1951 and a large number of USAF organizations based in the United Kingdom. With the advent of the Korean War and the growing
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 ...
threat of the Soviet Union, the U.S. and UK agreed to an even greater U.S. military presence in the United Kingdom. The resulting growing size and complexity of the American military presence required a larger command and organizational structure, that could meet the needs of the increased operations. The 3rd Air Division was inactivated on 1 May 1951. In its place United States Air Forces Europe activated Third Air Force to command its units in the United Kingdom.
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(SAC) had activated the
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 ...
a few days earlier to control its forces deployed in Europe. SAC's intent in activating a separate headquarters was to maintain control of these forces by keeping them out of the control of the theater commander and avoid what it regarded as the misuse of its forces in the Korean War, in which its bombers had been kept from striking strategic targets by the theater commander.


In the Pacific from 1954

The 3rd Air Division was activated again at
Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...
, Guam in June 1954 as the
headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...
for all SAC units in the Pacific. The division replaced the Far East Air Forces Bomber Command (Provisional), which was simultaneously discontinued at Yokota Air Base, Japan.Schake, et al., p. 77 In addition to the strategic bomber force, the division exercised operational control over numerous deployed tactical components, and all
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(SAC) operations in the region came under its jurisdiction. It also supported air refueling needs of all United States military agencies operating in or transiting the region. In mid-1958, the deployment of entire SAC wings to Guam was replaced by an "Air Mail" alert program, whereby several B-47 Stratojet wings in the U.S. maintained a specific number of B-47s and KC-97s at
Andersen AFB Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...
to meet both routine and alert requirements. In April 1964, the division switched from "Air Mail" B-47 / KC-97 to "Reflex" B-52 / KC-135 alert forces, again with aircraft and crews furnished in deployed status from U.S. based SAC wings. In 1965, it became heavily involved in Arc Light and Young Tiger operations in the Far East and SE Asia (SEA). Strategic Air Command wings in the U.S. furnished the aircrews and aircraft for these operations. The first elements of the 3rd Air Division to enter combat in SEA were the tanker forces under Young Tiger. In June 1965, Arc Light B-52s struck suspected Viet Cong targets in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
, commencing the first SAC combat missions. B-52s began striking targets in North Vietnam on 11 April 1966; the initial attack against the Mu Gia Pass marked the largest single bomber raid since World War II. By late 1969, most Arc Light operations staged from
U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield U-Tapao–Rayong–Pattaya International Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานอู่ตะเภา ระยอง–พัทยา; ) also spelled ''Utapao'' and ''U-Taphao'', is a joint civil–military public airport serving ...
, Thailand, while others were mounted from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa and Andersen. Andersen AFB remained the primary base for SAC deployed forces from the U.S., however, and aircraft and crews were sent from Guam to Kadena and U Tapao for combat missions. On 1 April 1970 the 3rd Air Division's resources passed to the
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
. Effective 1 January 1975, 3rd Air Division again controlled all SAC operations in the Western Pacific, Far East, and Southeast Asia. Additionally, it assumed responsibility for air refueling support of all U.S. military forces in these areas. During Persian Gulf operations in late 1990 through early 1991, it tasked and supported numerous sorties supporting the deployment in the Pacific Area of Responsibility (AOR).


Lineage

* Established as 3rd Bombardment Division on 30 August 1943 : Activated on 13 September 1943 : Redesignated 3rd Air Division on 1 January 1945 : Inactivated on 21 November 1945 : Organized on 23 August 1948 : Discontinued on 1 May 1951 * Redesignated 3rd Air Division (Operational) on 8 October 1953 : Activated on 25 October 1953 : Inactivated on 1 March 1954 * Redesignated 3rd Air Division on 8 June 1954 : Activated on 18 June 1954 : Inactivated on 1 April 1970 * Activated on 1 January 1975 : Inactivated on 1 April 1992


Assignments

* VIII Bomber Command (later, Eighth Air Force), 13 September 1943 * VIII Fighter Command, 16 July – 21 November 1945 * United States Air Forces in Europe, 23 August 1948 * United States Air Force, 3 January 1949 * United States Air Forces in Europe, 21 January – 1 May 1951, 25 October 1953 – 1 March 1954 *
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
, 18 June 1954 – 1 April 1970, 1 January 1975 *
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
, 31 January 1982 – 1 April 1992


Components


Wings

* VIII Bomber Command : 4th Combat Bombardment: 13 September 1943 – 18 June 1945 : 4th Bombardment (Provisional): 18 November 1944 – 10 February 1945 : 13th Combat Bombardment (later, 13th Bombardment): 13 September 1943 – c. 6 August 1945 : 45th Combat Bombardment: 13 September 1943 – 18 June 1945 : 92nd Combat Bombardment: 31 March 1944 – c. 13 June 1945 : 93rd Combat Bombardment: 10 January 1944 – c. 13 July 1945 : 401st Provisional Combat, Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 402nd Provisional Combat, Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 403rd Provisional Combat, Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 * VIII Fighter Command : 1st Bombardment: 12 August – c. 26 August 1945 : 2nd Bombardment: 12 August – c. 25 August 1945 : 14th Bombardment: 16 June – 26 August 1945 : 20th Bombardment: 16 June – c. 6 August 1945 : 65th Fighter: 1 June – 1 November 1945 : 66th Fighter: 15 September 1944 – 1 November 1945 : 67th Fighter: 12 August – 1 November 1945 *
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
: 307th Strategic: 1 January – 30 September 1975 : 376th Strategic: 1 January 1975 – 30 October 1991 *
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
: 6th Bombardment: 9 August 1990 – 1 April 1992 Temporary attached Air Mail/Reflex units not listed. Check AFHRA link for details.


Groups

* VIII Bomber command : 385 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 388 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 390 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 94 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943; 18 June – 12 August 1945; 28 September – 1 November 1945 : 95 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943 : 96 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943; 18–12 August 1945; 28 September – 1 November 1945 : 100 Bombardment: 13–14 September 1943; 18 June – 12 August 1945; 28 September – 1 November 1945 : 493 Bombardment: 1–10 January 1944 * VIII Fighter Command : 4 Fighter: 16 October – 1 November 1945 : 339 Fighter: 14 April – c. 6 August 1944 : 355 Fighter: 16 July – October 1945 : 479 Fighter: 16 July – October 1945 * United States Air Forces in Europe : 2 Bombardment: attached 23 August – 17 November 1948; attached 21 February – c. 15 May 1950 : 22 Bombardment: attached 19 November 1948 – 14 February 1949; attached 17 November 1949 – 17 February 1950 : 28 Bombardment: attached 23 August – 18 October 1948 : 43 Bombardment: attached 20 August – 18 November 1949 : 92 Bombardment: attached 6 February – 6 May 1949 : 97 Bombardment: attached 4 November 1948 – 15 February 1949; July 1950 – February 1951 : 98 Bombardment: attached 18 May – 18 August 1949 : 301 Bombardment: attached 19 October 1948 – 17 January 1949; attached 19 May – c. 3 July 1950 : 307 Bombardment: attached 23 August – 4 November 1948; attached 15 February – 30 April 1949 : 509 Bombardment: attached 4 May – 30 August 1949 : 20 Fighter Bomber: attached 20 July – 10 December 1950


Squadrons

* VIII Fighter Command : 36 Bombardment: 12 August – 1 September 1945 : 652 Bombardment (Weather Reconnaissance): 25 August – 1 September 1945; 12 October – 1 November 1945. : 653 Bombardment (Weather Reconnaissance): 12 October – 1 November 1945. : 862 Bombardment: attached 17 February – 7 May 1945. : 418th Bombardment Squadron: attached 7 April 1944 – 31 December 1945. * United States Air Forces in Europe : 2 Air Refueling: attached 6 April – c. 15 May 1950 : 23 Strategic Reconnaissance: attached 22 December 1949 – 6 March 1950 : 72 Strategic Reconnaissance: attached 1 June – 15 November 1950 : 301 Air Refueling: attached 19 May – c. 3 July 1950. *
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
: 82 Strategic Reconnaissance: 25 August 1967 – 2 January 1968


Stations

* Camp Blainey, England, 13 September 1943 * RAF Honington, England, c. 27 October – 21 November 1945 *
RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...
, England, 23 August 1948 * Bushy Park, England, 8 September 1948 * Victoria Park Estate (later, USAF Station), South Ruislip, England, 15 April 1949 – 1 May 1951 * Wiesbaden AB, West Germany, 25 October 1953 – 1 March 1954 *
Andersen AFB Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...
, Guam, 18 June 1954 – 1 April 1970; 1 January 1975 – 12 September 1988 * Hickam AFB, Hawaii, 12 September 1988 – 1 April 1992.


Aircraft


World War II

*
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
1943–1945; *
B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
1944; * P-47 Thunderbolt 1944–1945; *
P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat 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 headed by James ...
1944–1945.


Strategic Air Command

* B-50 Superfortress 1954; * B-36 Peacemaker 1954–1955 1955–1956; * RB-36 1955; * B-47 Stratojet 1955 1956–1964; *
B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
1964–1970; * KC-97 Stratofreighter 1957 – c. 1965; * KC-135 Stratotanker 1965–1970. *
B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
1975–1992; * KC-10 Extender (tankers in TDY status) 1986–1988; * KC-135 Stratotanker 1975–1992; *
RC-135 Rivet Joint The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, and L3 Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and Royal ...
1975–1992.


See also

*
First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern; 1 AF-AFNORTH) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the Co ...
* List of United States Air Force air divisions


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * *


External links

* {{USAAF 8th Air Force UK
003 003, O03, 0O3, OO3 may refer to: *003, fictional British 00 Agent *003, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian ambulance service (until 1986) *1990 OO3, the asteroid 6131 Towen * OO3 gauge model railway *''O03 (O2)'' and other related ...
003 003, O03, 0O3, OO3 may refer to: *003, fictional British 00 Agent *003, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian ambulance service (until 1986) *1990 OO3, the asteroid 6131 Towen * OO3 gauge model railway *''O03 (O2)'' and other related ...
Military units and formations of the United States Army Air Forces