57th Air Division

57th Air Division

57th Air Division emblem
Active 19 October 1940 – 1 November 1941;
6 July 1942 – 12 September 1945;
10 April 1951 – 2 July 1969;
22 January 1975 – 14 June 1991
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 "Honors" section below

The 57th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force, based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It was inactivated on 24 June 1991.

Established as the 8th Pursuit Wing, it conducted training from 1940 to 1941. As a paper unit, it moved to India and then to Egypt in December 1942.

Finally gained personnel and aircraft, and became operational as the 8 Fighter Wing on 6 July 1942 and later as the 57 Bombardment Wing on 6 April 1943. Initially, the 57th flew close air support missions against enemy troops and gun emplacements in the vicinity of Anzio, Italy; later, it flew bombing missions against railway marshalling yards at Foligno, Littoria, and Terni, Italy. Between 19 March 1944 and 11 May 1944 the 57th took part in Operation Strangle to destroy Italian marshalling yards, railroad repair facilities and other rail targets such as bridges, tunnels, and viaducts. It continued to fly close air support and interdiction missions in Italy throughout the war, and supported the invasion of southern France on 15 August 1944. The unit was inactivated at the end of the war.

Reactivated an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command in 1951, the 57th Air Division assumed a supervisory role of subordinate bombardment units. Its units trained to conduct long range bombardment, air refueling, and strategic reconnaissance operations around the world. Between 1965 and 1969, division units supported Operation Arc Light bombing and Operation Young Tiger air refueling operations in Southeast Asia. In 1980 the 57th reorganized to employ Strategic Air Command conventional strategic forces (bomber, tanker, and reconnaissance) in crisis situations worldwide.

Inactivated in June 1991 due to budget constraints and the reduction of forces after the end of the Cold War.

Contents

History

Lineage

Activated on 6 November 1940
Inactivated on 1 November 1941
Activated on 24 July 1942
Redesignated 57th Bombardment Wing on 6 April 1943
Inactivated on 12 September 1945
Organized on 16 April 1951
Discontinued on 16 June 1952.
Inactivated on 16 June 1952
Inactivated on 2 July 1969
Inactivated on 14 June 1991

Assignments

Attached to III Fighter Command, 26 July c. 28 October 1942
Attached to IX Fighter Command, 22 December 1942 unknown 1943

Components

5 Bombardment: 22 January 1975 – 14 June 1991
17 Bombardment: 1 July 1965 – 2 July 1968
19 Bombardment: 25 July 1968 – 2 July 1969
28 Bombardment: 1 May 1982 – 23 January 1987
44 Strategic Missile: 1 May 1982 – 23 January 1987
55 Strategic Reconnaissance: 1 April 1980 – 1 October 1982
68 Bombardment: 1 July 1964 – 1 July 1965; attached 10 August – 1 September 1966, assigned 2 September 1966 – 2 July 1969.
91 Strategic Missile: 22 January 1975 – 14 June 1991
92 Bombardment: 16 April 1951 – 16 June 1952. 16 June 1952-4 September 1956 (detached 14 October 1954-12 January 1955 and 26 April – 6 July 1956); 23 January 1987 – 15 June 1988
98 Bombardment: 16 April 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 16 April 1951 – 16 June 1952). 16 June 1952-25 November 1953 (detached entire period)
99 Strategic Reconnaissance (later, 99 Bombardment): 1 January 1953 – 2 July 1969 (detached 29 January – 25 April 1956; c. 1 October 1967-c. 1 April 1968 and c. 23 September 1968-c. 1 April 1969)
111 Bombardment (later, 111 Strategic Reconnaissance): 21 April 1951 – 1 January 1953
301 Air Refueling: 15 November 1965 – 2 July 1966
319 Bombardment: 22 January 1975 – 1 May 1982; 23 January 1987-16 June 1988
321 Strategic Missile: 22 January 1975 – 1 May 1982; 23 January 1987-16 June 1988
416 Bombardment: 2 July – 2 September 1966 (detached 10 August – 2 September 1966)
465 Bombardment: attached 10 August – 1 September 1966, assigned 2 September 1966 – 25 July 1968
499 Air Refueling: 1 January 1963 – 25 June 1966
4050 Air Refueling: 4 September 1956 – 1 January 1963.
49 Pursuit: 24 May – 2 October 1941 (detached 6 August – 2 October 1941)
12 Bombardment: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944)
47 Bombardment: 6 October – 10 December 1943 (detached entire period)
57 Fighter: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached entire period)
79 Fighter: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached entire period)
321 Bombardment: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached 4 November 1943 – 1 January 1944) 1 March 1944-12 September 1945 (detached 20 August – 12 September 1945)
340 Bombardment: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944); 1 March 1944-26 July 1945.
310 Bombardment: 15 March 1944 – 12 September 1945 (detached 20 August – 12 September 1945)
319 Bombardment: 10 November 1944 – 10 January 1945

Stations

  • Tunis, Tunisia, 28 August 1943
  • Lentini, Sicily, 4 September 1943

Honors

Emblem

Per bend azure and gules, a bend argent between in chief a globe of the third lined sable emitting three lightning flashes or and issuing from base a hand holding a torch of the fourth garnished of the fifth flammant of the second and silver. (Approved 7 April 1954). ].

Aerospace vehicles

See also

United States Air Force portal
Military of the United States portal


References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links