The 802d Air Division is a discontinued

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 Si ...

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 ...

Schilling Air Force Base Salina Regional Airport , formerly Salina Municipal Airport, is three miles southwest of Salina, Kansas, United States. The airport is owned by the Salina Airport Authority. It is used for general aviation, with service by one passenger airline, ...

, where it was inactivated on 20 June 1960. Through most of its existence the division controlled

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, ...

wings flying

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 and based at Schilling. When its second wing was moved to another base as the B-47 was withdrawn from the

inventory, only one SAC wing remained at Schilling and the division was inactivated.

History

The 802d Air Division was activated at Smoky Hill Air Force Base, Kansas in 1952 when

(SAC) departed from the wing base organization system and created air divisions as the headquarters on bases with two operational wings. The division's components, the 40th Bombardment Wing,

310th Bombardment Wing 31 may refer to: * 31 (number) Years * 31 BC * AD 31 * 1931 CE ('31) * 2031 CE ('31) Music * ''Thirty One'' (Jana Kramer album), 2015 * ''Thirty One'' (Jarryd James album), 2015 * "Thirty One", a song by Karma to Burn from the album '' ...

, and 802d Air Base Group, were all activated the same day as the division.Ravenstein, pp. 68–69Ravenstein, pp. 158–159 The 310th wing was activated at

Forbes Air Force Base ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...

, Kansas, where it trained with the

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

under the supervision of the 90th Bombardment Wing. It moved to Smoky Hill in September. The 40th wing was not manned until early February 1953, when it began receiving personnel from the Tactical and Maintenance Squadron, Provisional, 40th at

Davis Monthan Air Force Base Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Saskatchewan, an unincorporated community * Davis Strait, between Nunavut and Gre ...

, Arizona. This squadron had been formed as a holding organization for personnel surplus to the needs of the 43d Bombardment Wing. Once its personnel arrived at Smoky Hill, they began training with the 310th wing. The division monitored and coordinated the manning, equipping, and training of its assigned wings for global strategic air warfare, including

and

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 ...

operations and participated in

exercises Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic s ...

. In 1954, both of the division's wings transitioned into the

. Once the wings became combat ready in the B-47, they periodically deployed to advanced bases in England. During these deployments the wings came under the operational control of 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 ...

. In March 1957 Smoky Hill was renamed Schilling Air Force Base in honor of Col. David C. Schilling, who had died in an automobile accident the previous year. In June 1960 the 40th wing moved on paper to Forbes Air Force Base, where it assumed the personnel and B-47s of the 90th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, which was inactivated. With only a single wing remaining at Schilling, the 802d was inactivated and the 310th wing became the base host organization.

Lineage

* Constituted as 802 Air Division on 9 May 1952 : Activated on 28 May 1952 : Discontinued on 20 June 1960

Assignments

, 28 May 1952 *

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 Forc ...

, 1 July 1955 * Fifteenth Air Force, 1 January 1959 – 20 June 1960

Stations

* Smoky Hill Air Force Base (later Schilling Air Force Base), Kansas, 28 May 1952 – 20 June 1960

Components

Wings * 40 Bombardment Wing: 28 May 1952 – 20 June 1960 (attached to 310th Bombardment Wing 6 February – 1 May 1953; 7th Air Division 9 June 1955 – 9 September 1955 and c. 1 July 1957 – c. 1 October 1957) * 310th Bombardment Wing: 28 May 1952 – 20 June 1960 (attached to 21st Air Division until 4 September 1952; 7th Air Division 10 March 1955 – 8 June 1955 and 3 October 1956 – 9 January 1957)

Groups

* 802d Air Base Group (later 802d Combat Support Group), 28 May 1952 – 20 June 1960 * 802d Medical Group, 1 February 1959 – 20 June 1960

Squadrons

310th Air Refueling Squadron The 310th Expeditionary Air Refueling Flight is a provisional United States Air Force unit. The flight was last active as the 310th Air Refueling Squadron in October 1994, when it was assigned to the 380th Air Refueling Wing at Plattsburgh Air ...

, 1 March 1954 – 28 March 1954 * 550th Aviation Squadron, 1 March 1954 – 1 July 1954 (attached to 802d Air Base Group)

Other

* 4166th USAF Hospital, 15 February 1954 – 1 February 1959 (attached to 802d Air Base Group after April 1954)

Aircraft

* Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1953 – 1954 *

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 ...

, 1953 – 1960 * Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1954 – 1960

Commanders

* Col John H. de Russy, 11 June 1952
Maj Gen Wiley D. Ganey
25 November 1952
Brig Gen John R. Sutherland
24 April 1954
Brig Gen James W. Wilson
21 February 1956
Col Harold W. Ohlke
24 March 1958 * Col George Y. Jumper, 7 July 1959 – 20 June 1960

References

Notes

Bibliography

* *

External links

{{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 Kansas 1960 disestablishments in Kansas