73d Air Division

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73d Air Division

Official crest of the 73d Air Division
Active 17 February 1943–15 October 1943;
20 November 1943–31 May 1946;
12 June 1947–27 June 1949;
1 July 1957–1 April 1966
Country United States
Branch Air Force
Part of see "Assignments" section below
Garrison/HQ see "Stations" section below
Equipment see "Aerospace vehicles" section below
Decorations

see "Lineage and honors" section below


Contents

[edit] History

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[edit] Mission

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[edit] Operations

As the 73d wing, it first trained in the U.S. and then moved to Saipan in August 1944. It flew several bombing missions against Truk to gain combat experience before bombing Iwo Jima. In November 1944, the 73d began bombing Japan, with only moderate success. Poor weather, the lack of precision radar bombing equipment, and tremendous winds encountered at high altitudes over Japan made accuracy difficult. Consequently, it turned to devastating low altitude incendiary attacks. In addition to Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, the 73d fire bombed numerous Japanese cities until war's end. As the 73d Air Division, it evaluated, upgraded, and determined the proficiency of the Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor and missile squadrons, 1 July 1957–1 April 1966. The division developed and tested Air Defense Command tactics, equipment, aircraft, guided missiles, and related equipment and armaments. It also maintained active contact with Army, Navy, and other Air Force commands to assure coordinated military effort in the use of rocket and missile ranges, defense plans, air sea land rescue, and airspace and airways directly concerned with the operations of the Air Defense Command Weapons Center.

[edit] Lineage and honors

Constituted as 5th Heavy Bombardment Processing Headquarters on 9 February 1943. Activated on 17 February 1943. Redesignated 73d Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Heavy) on 12 August 1943. Inactivated on 15 October 1943.

Redesignated 73d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 19 November 1943. Activated on 20 November 1943. Redesignated: 73d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, Special on 13 January 1944; 73d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 24 June 1944. Inactivated on 31 May 1946.

Activated in the Reserve on 12 June 1947. Redesignated 73d Air Division, Bombardment on 16 April 1948. Inactivated on 27 June 1949.

Redesignated 73d Air Division (Weapons) on 1 April 1957. Activated on 1 July 1957. Redesignated 73d Air Division on 1 March 1963. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 April 1966.

[edit] Service streamers

This unit earned the following organizational service streamers:

  • World War II American Theater.

[edit] Campaign streamers

This unit earned the following organizational campaign streamers:

  • World War II Asiatic-Pacific Theater: Western Pacific.

[edit] Armed forces expeditionary streamers

This unit earned the following organizational expeditionary streamers:

none

[edit] Decorations

This unit earned the following organizational decorations:

none

[edit] Awards

[edit] Emblem

Azure, a diminished border argent, issuant from base and sinister two piles throughout bendwise the sinister overlapping the dexter and terminating upon the border of the last, each charged with an arrowhead sable garnished of the second and emitting a flight trail throughout or edged gules. (Approved 9 April 1958.)


[edit] Assignments

Second Air Force, 12 August 1943–15 October 1943.

XX Bomber Command, 20 November 1943; Second Air Force, 2 June 1944–30 July 1944; Twentieth Air Force, c.6 August 1944; XXI Bomber Command, 9 November 1944–16 July 1945; Twentieth Air Force, 16 July 1945; Fourth Air Force, 7 December 1945; Third Air Force, 5 January 1946; Strategic Air Command, 21 March 1946; Fifteenth Air Force, 31 March 1946–31 May 1946.

Second Air Force, 12 June 1947; Tenth Air Force, 1 July 1948–27 June 1949.

Air Defense Command, 1 July 1957–1 April 1966.

[edit] Components

Wings:

Groups:

Squadron:

[edit] Stations

Walker Army Air Field, Kansas, 12 August 1943; Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, 30 June 1943–15 October 1943.

Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, 20 November 1943; Colorado Springs, Colorado, 29 February 1944–17 July 1944; Isley Field, Saipan, 24 August 1944–20 October 1945; MacDill Field, Florida, 15 January 1946–31 May 1946.

Orchard Place Airport, Illinois, 12 June 1947–29 June 1949.

Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, 1 July 1957–1 April 1966.

[edit] Aerospace vehicles

B-29 Superfortress, 1943–1946.

B-57 Canberra, c. 1957–c. 1960; F-102 Delta Dagger, c. 1957–c. 1966; F-104 Starfighter, c. 1957–c. 1960; T-33 Shooting Star, c. 1957–1966; F-101 Voodoo, c. 1960–c. 1966; F-106 Delta Dart, c. 1960–c. 1966.

[edit] Commanders

Unknown, 17 February 1943–11 August 1943; Colonel Thomas H. Chapman, 12 August 1943–15 October 1943.

Unknown, 20 November 1943; Colonel Thomas H. Chapman, 27 November 1943; Brigadier General Emmett O'Donnell Jr., 15 March 1944; Colonel Morris J. Lee, 16 September 1945; Colonel Neil B. Harding, 28 January 1946–14 May 1946; Unknown, 15 May 1946-31 May 1946.

Brigadier General Milton H. Askins, 1 July 1957; Major General Frederick R. Terrell, 1 July 1960; Brigadier General Robert W. Burns, 2 July 1962; Colonel Jean H. Daugherty, 8 May 1965; Brigadier General Thomas H. Beeson, 31 July 1965–1 April 1966.

[edit] See also

United States Air Force Portal

[edit] References


This article incorporates text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website which, as a United States government publication, is in the public domain.

[edit] External links