4th Air Division

4th Air Division
Active 1940–41, 1942–45, 1946–49, 1951–52, 1952–88
Country  United States
Branch  United States Air Force
Role Command of strategic strike forces
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 James Doolittle
Frederick W. Castle
Insignia
4th Air Division emblem (approved 25 June 1974)[1]

The 4th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. It was inactivated on 23 August 1988.

As the 4th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the primary B-17 Flying Fortress heavy strategic bombardment wings of VIII Bomber Command (later Eighth Air Force in World War II.

During the Cold War, the 4th Air Division' was an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command, controlling strategic bombardment and intercontinental strategic missile wings until inactivated in 1988.

History

The 4th Bombardment Wing moved to England in June 1943 and as a part of Eighth Air Force began bombing operations against German occupied Europe. Targets included shipyards, synthetic rubber plants, chemical plants, marshalling yards, and oil facilities. In July the wing grew to seven combat groups, which resulted in a reorganization of its groups on 13 September 1943 into the 3d Bombardment Division as a new higher echelon over the 4th and two wings which had groups assigned for the first time: the 13th and 45th Combat Bomb Wings. The 4th CBW administratively controlled only two groups until December 1943, when the newly arrived 447th BG was assigned to it.

In 1944, some subordinate units attacked coastline defenses and marshalling yards in preparation for the Allied invasion of France. Some units supported ground troops during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 – January 1945) and the assault across the Rhine (March 1945 – April 1945).

In the postwar years, the command was part of Air Defense Command assigned as a reserve wing assigned to First Air Force from 1946 to 1949.[1]

Rectivated in 1951 as an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command, the 4th Air Division was part of Second Air Force, controlling B-29, Boeing B-50 Superfortress and B-47 wings. In 1962, units controlled by the 4th Air Division supported 2d Air Force's post attack command and control system, and became responsible for the Advanced Airborne Command Post. It participated in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and trained in electronic countermeasures and conducted combat operations in Southeast Asia in the late 1960s.

Reassigned to SAC's Fifteenth Air Force in 1970, the 4th assured that assigned units were capable of conducting strategic aerospace warfare using intercontinental ballistic missiles, long-range bombardment, and air refueling resources, according to the Emergency War Order. In addition, the division assumed airborne command and control responsibilities that consisted of supporting auxiliary airborne command post aircraft.

Inactivated in 1988[1] as a result of budget reductions and a consolidation of SAC's command and control echelons.

Lineage

Activated on 18 December 1940
Inactivated on 1 October 1941
Redesignated 4th Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 30 August 1943
Redesignated 4th Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 24 August 1944
Disestablished on 18 June 1945
Activated in the Reserve on 20 December 1946
Redesignated 4th Air Division, Bombardment on 16 April 1948
Inactivated on 27 June 1949
Organized on 10 February 1951
Discontinued on 16 June 1952
Redesignated 4th Strategic Aerospace Division on 1 September 1964
Redesignated 4th Strategic Missile Division on 30 June 1971
Redesignated 4th Air Division on 1 March 1973
Inactivated on 23 August 1988[1]

Assignments

Apparently further assigned to Northeast Air District (later, First Air Force) c. 16 January 1941

Components

Wings

Groups

Squadron

Stations

  • Mitchel Field, New York, 18 December 1940
  • Westover Field, Massachusetts, 20 March – 1 October 1941; 7 June 1942
  • Bolling Field, District of Columbia, c. 28 July c. 28 August 1942
  • RAF High Wycombe (Camp Lynn) (AAF-101), England, 12 September 1942
  • Marks Hall (AAF-160), England, 18 January 1943
  • Camp Blainey, England, June 1943

Aircraft and missiles

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Factsheet 4 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2014.

Bibliography

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

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