The 21st Air Division (21st AD) is an inactive

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

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 Ju ...

, being stationed at

Griffiss Air Force Base Griffiss Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force installation in the northeastern United States, located in Central New York state at Rome, about northwest of Utica. Missions included fighter interceptors, electronic research, ...

, New York. It was inactivated on 23 September 1983.

History

World War II

Initially established in 1942 as the 21st Bombardment Wing, the organization functioned as a staging wing for

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...

, and later as a command, processing heavy bombardment crews and aircraft for overseas movement, and then processing men returning from overseas, from 1942–1946.

Air Force Reserve

From December 1946, it performed routine training duties in the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commi ...

through 27 June 1949 when it was inactivated due to budget reductions.

Strategic Air Command

Reactivated as an intermediate command echelon of

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 ...

in February 1951 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. The 21st Air Division controlled

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. ...

medium bombardment wings at Forbes and

Lake Charles Air Force Base Chennault International Airport (IATA: CWF, ICAO: KCWF, FAA LID: CWF) is a center of aerospace activity based in Lake Charles, Louisiana, serves the needs of civilian and military aircraft from around the world with world-class infrastructure ...

, Louisiana. It was responsible for aircrew training, bomber replacement crews, and replacements for strategic reconnaissance slots until September 1964 when the B-47 was phased out of the inventory.

Air Defense Command

The command was reactivated by

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inac ...

(ADC) in January 1966 at

McGuire Air Force Base McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the j ...

, New Jersey as one of ten new Air Divisions organized by the command to replace inactivating Air Defense Sectors in an organizational realignment. Assumed additional designation of 21st NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at the

Cheyenne Mountain Complex The Cheyenne Mountain Complex is a Space Force installation and defensive bunker located in unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado, next to the city of Colorado Springs, at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, which hosts the activities o ...

, Colorado and reporting was transferred to

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

from ADC at

Ent Air Force Base Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A tent city, established in 1943 during construction of the base, was initially commanded by Major General Uzal Girar ...

in April 1966. Under ADC the 21st AD was placed under

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 C ...

and assumed the jurisdiction of the former

New York Air Defense Sector The Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) is a United States Air Force unit of Air Combat Command (ACC), permanently assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). A joint, bi-national military organization, EADS is composed of ...

, controlling interceptor and radar units over eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the New York City/

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

area and the coast of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. This included operations of the

Semi Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. SA ...

(SAGE) blockhouse DC-01. For operational control the division was also the 21st NORAD/CONRAD Region. During this time, it participated in air defense training exercises, accomplished live and simulated intercepts, and directed numerous flying sorties until inactivation in December 1967 as part of an ADC consolidation of intermediate level command and control organizations, driven by budget reductions required to fund USAF operations in Southeast Asia. The 21st AD was reactivated in November 1969 under Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) at Hancock Field, New York. The command provided air defense over most of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and the New England area, commanding interceptor and radar stations. Also included were ADCOM radar stations located in Newfoundland, Canada. In addition command of the SAGE DC-03/CC-01 blockhouse was assumed by the 21st AD, as well as

CIM-10 Bomarc The Boeing CIM-10 BOMARC (Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center) (IM-99 Weapon System prior to September 1962) was a supersonic ramjet powered long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) used during the Cold War for the air defense of Nort ...

surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile squadrons near Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, Niagara Falls Air Force Missile Site, New York and

, New Jersey. In 1975, a new JCS Unified Command Plan designated Air Defense Command as a specified command and changed its name to the Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) on 1 July 1975. The division assumed additional designation 21st ADCOM Region for operational control on 8 December 1978. Air Defense ADCOM was reorganized on 1 October 1979. The atmospheric defense resources (interceptors and warning radars) of ADCOM. including the 21st AD were reassigned to

(ADTAC). It moved to

, New York in 1983 when Hancock Field was closed. In 1983, when the air defense mission of CONUS was reassigned to the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

, the 21st Air Division (ADTAC) was inactivated and its assets transferred to Northeast Air Defense Sector.

Lineage

* Established as the 21st Bombardment Wing on 16 December 1942 : Activated on 22 December 1942 : Redesignated I Staging Command on 27 September 1945 : Inactivated on 3 April 1946 * Activated in the Reserve on 20 December 1946 : Redesignated: 21st Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 31 December 1946 : Redesignated: 21st Air Division, Bombardment on 16 April 1948 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated 21st Air Division on 5 February 1951 : Activated on 16 February 1951 : Inactivated on 8 April 1952The 1952 organizational changes reflect only changes of the type of division's headquarters from a Table of Organization unit to a Table of Distribution unit and back. ''See''

List of MAJCOM wings of the United States Air Force This is a list of Major Air Command (MAJCOM) Wings of the United States Air Force (USAF), a designation system in use from the summer of 1948 to the mid-1990s. From 1948 to 1991 MAJCOMs had the authority to form wings using manpower authorizati ...

: Organized on 8 April 1952 : Discontinued on 16 October 1952 * Activated on 16 October 1952 : Redesignated 21st Strategic Aerospace Division on 15 February 1962 : Discontinued and inactivated on 1 September 1964 * Activated on 20 January 1966 (not organized) : Organized on 1 April 1966 : Discontinued and inactivated on 31 December 1967 * Activated on 19 November 1969 : Inactivated on 23 September 1983

Assignments

, 22 December 1942 *

Continental Air Forces Continental Air Forces (CAF) was a United States Army Air Forces major command, active 1944–1946. It was tasked with combat training of bomber and fighter personnel, and for Continental United States (CONUS) air defense after the Aircraft Wa ...

, 18 July 1945 *

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Res ...

, 19 November 1945 – 3 April 1946 *

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organiza ...

, 20 December 1946 *

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

, 22 December 1948 * Fourteenth Air Force, 1 February – 27 June 1949 *

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 ...

, 16 July 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 * Second Air Force, 1 January 1959 – 1 September 1964 *

, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1967 *

Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly ina ...

, 19 November 1969 * Air Defense, Tactical Air Command, 1 October 1979 – 23 September 1983

Stations

* Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, 22 December 1942 * Topeka Army Air Field, Kansas, 31 May 1943 * Merced Army Air Field (later Castle Field), California, 7 October 1945 – 3 April 1946 *

Memphis Municipal Airport Memphis Municipal Airport is a city-owned public use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) northeast of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Hall County, Texas, United States. Facilities and aircraft Memphis Municipal A ...

, Tennessee, 20 December 1946 – 27 June 1949 * Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, 16 February 1951 – 1 September 1964 * McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1967 * Hancock Field, New York 19 November 1969 * Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, 31 August – 23 September 1983

Components

World War II

* 48th Staging Wing: 18 July 1945 – c. 21 March 1946 *

95th Bombardment Group 95 or 95th may refer to: * 95 (number) * one of the years 95 BC, AD 95, 1995, 2095, etc. * 95th Division (disambiguation) * 95th Regiment ** 95th Regiment of Foot (disambiguation) * 95th Squadron (disambiguation) * Atomic number 95: americ ...

: 29 May 1947 – 27 June 1949 * 333d Bombardment Group: attached 15 July 1942 – 21 February 1943 *

346th Bombardment Group The 346th Bombardment Group is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to the 316th Bombardment Wing at Kadena Airfield, Okinawa, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1946. The group was originally a heavy bomber train ...

: attached 7 September 1942 – 25 February 1943 *

384th Bombardment Group 384th may refer to: *384th Air Expeditionary Group, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command *384th Air Expeditionary Wing, inactive unit of the United States Air Force *384th Air Refueling Squadron (384 ARS) is p ...

: 16 July 1947 – 27 June 1949

Strategic Air Command

* 40th Bombardment Wing (later 40 Strategic Aerospace Wing): 20 June 1960 – 1 September 1964 * 44th Bombardment Wing : Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana, 4 August 1951 – 8 April 1952. 8 April – 16 June 1952 *

55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz ...

: 1 – 16 October 1952; 16 October 1952 – 1 September 1964 * 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing : Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana, 10 October 1951 – 8 April 1952. 8 April – c. 15 May 1952 * 90th Bombardment Wing (later 90 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing):14 March 1951 – 8 April 1952. 8 April – 16 October 1952. 16 October 1952 – 20 June 1960. *

308th Bombardment Wing The 308th Armament Systems Wing (308 ARSW) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Armament Center, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It was inactivated on 30 July 2010. History : ''For additional ...

:10 October 1951 – 8 April 1952; 8 – 17 April 1952 * 310th Bombardment Wing: attached: 28 March – 4 September 1952 *

376th Bombardment Wing 376th may refer to: * 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, inactive wing of the United States Air Force, last stationed at the Transit Center at Manas International Airport, Kyrgyz Republic *376th Air Refueling Squadron, inactive United States Air Force u ...

:attached: 1 June – 10 October 1951 * 373d Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 October 1951 – 8 April 1952; 8 – 17 April 1952 * 374th Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 October 1951 – 8 April 1952; 8 – 17 April 1952 * 375th Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 October 1951 – 8 April 1952; 8 – 17 April 1952

Air Defense Command

* Air Forces Iceland: 31 December 1969 – 1 October 1975

=Fighter-Interceptor units

= * 52d Fighter Wing : Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967 * 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing : Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 4 – 31 December 1969 * 27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron :

Loring Air Force Base Loring Air Force Base was a United States Air Force installation in northeastern Maine, near Limestone and Caribou in Aroostook County. It was one of the largest bases of the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command during its existence, and was t ...

, Maine, 19 November 1969 – 1 July 1971 * 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron :

, New York, 19 November 1969 – 23 September 1983 * 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 19 November 1969 – 30 April 1971 * 83d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron :

, Maine, 1 July 1971 – 30 June 1972 * 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron :

K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force (USAF) installation in Marquette County, Michigan, south of the city of Marquette. Near the center of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the base operated for nearly forty years ...

, Michigan, 1 August 1981 – 23 September 1983 *

95th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 95th Fighter Squadron (95 FS) is a disbanded F-22 Raptor squadron of the United States Air Force. Last activated on 11 October 2013 and stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, the squadron's aircraft and personnel were distributed ac ...

Dover Air Force Base Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. 436th AW is the host wing and runs the busiest and largest a ...

, Delaware, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967 *

539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 31 August 1967. During World War II, the ...

: McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 31 August 1967

=Missile units

= * 26th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC) : Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 19 November 1969 – 30 April 1972 * 35th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC) : Niagara Falls Air Force Missile Site, New York, 19 November – 31 December 1969 * 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron (BOMARC) : McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967; 19 November 1969 – 31 October 1972

=Radar units

= * 12th Missile Warning Group :

Thule Air Base Thule Air Base (pronounced or , kl, Qaanaaq Mitarfik, da, Thule Lufthavn), or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Space Force's northernmost base, and the northernmost installation of the U.S. Armed Forces, located north ...

, Greenland, 1 October 1976 – 1 October 1979 * 762d Air Defense Group :

North Truro Air Force Station North Truro Air Force Station (AFS) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located east of North Truro, Massachusetts. Most of the site was inactivated by 1994 and turned over to the National Park Servi ...

, Massachusetts, 1 March 1970 – 1 January 1974 * 765th Air Defense Group :

Charleston Air Force Station Charleston Air Force Station is a defunct Air Force Station that opened in 1952 and closed in 1980. It was located in Charleston, Maine and is the site of a radar station and other buildings. After closure, it was redeveloped into a juvenile jai ...

, Maine, 1 March 19790 – 1 January 1974 * 6th Missile Warning Squadron : Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 1 October 1978 – 1 October 1979 *

640th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron 64 or sixty-four or ''variation'', may refer to: * 64 (number) Dates * one of the years 64 BC, AD 64, 1864, 1964, 2064, etc. * June 4th (6/4) ** the date of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre * April 6th (6/4) * April 6 AD (6/4) * ...

: Stephenville Air Station, Newfoundland, Canada, 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971 * 641st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Melville Air Station, Labrador, Canada, 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971 * 648th Radar Squadron :

Highlands Air Force Station Highlands Air Force Station was a military installation in Middletown Township near the borough of Highlands, New Jersey. The station provided ground-controlled interception radar coverage as part of the Lashup Radar Network and the Semi-Autom ...

, New Jersey, 1 April – 1 July 1966 * 648th Radar Squadron :

Benton Air Force Station Ground Equipment Facility QRC ( FUDS C03PA046300: "Benton Air Force Communications Annex") is an FAA radar station that was part of a Cold War SAGE radar station (Benton Air Force Station, call sign: Oppose) for aircraft control and warning ...

, Pennsylvania, 19 November 1969 – 30 June 1975 * 655th Radar Squadron :

Watertown Air Force Station Watertown Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force ADCOM General Surveillance Radar station 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of Watertown, New York. Prior to the Air Defense squadron inactivating on 1 November 1979, the station was ...

, New York, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978 * 656th Radar Squadron : Saratoga Springs Air Force Station, 19 November 1969 – 30 June 1977 * 680th Radar Squadron :

Palermo Air Force Station Palermo Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-54, NORAD ID: Z-54) is a closed United States Air Force (USAF) General Surveillance Radar station. It was located in Palermo, New Jersey, north of Sea Isle City, in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States ...

, New Jersey, 19 November 1969 – 30 May 1970 * 763d Radar Squadron : Lockport Air Force Station, New York, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978 * 764th Radar Squadron : Saint Albans Air Force Station, Vermont, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978 * 765th Radar Squadron :

, Maine, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978 *

766th Radar Squadron Caswell Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located north of Limestone, Maine. It was closed in 1980. History Caswell was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second ...

: Caswell Air Force Station, Maine, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978 *

772d Radar Squadron 77 may refer to: * 77 (number) * one of the years 77 BC, AD 77, 1977, 2077 Music * 77 (band), a Spanish hard rock band * ''77'' (Matt Kennon album) * '' Talking Heads: 77'', debut album by Talking Heads * ''77'' (Nude Beach album), an album by t ...

: Gibbsboro Air Force Station, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967; 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978 * 773d Radar Squadron :

Montauk Air Force Station Montauk Air Force Station was a US military base at Montauk Point on the eastern tip of Long Island, New York. It was decommissioned in 1981 and is now owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation as Camp H ...

, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967; 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978 * 907th Radar Squadron : Bucks Harbor Air Force Station, Maine, 19 November 1969 – 30 June 1979 * 924th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron : Saglek Air Station, Labrador, Canada, 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971

=Air Base units

= * 4683d Air Base Group : Thule Air Base, Greenland, 31 December 1969 – 31 March 1977 * 4684th Air Base Group : Sondrestrom Air Base, Greenland, 31 December 1969 – 1 December 1979

Emblem

The Division's emblem consists of a Shield divided by a diagonal line from the upper right to middle left, light blue and white, a sword slanting from upper left to lower right, the point to lower right base, the hilt and pommel yellow encircled with five stars, yellow, the lower blade of the sword over a branch of olive in base green. (Approved 17 July 1952)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * "ADCOM's Fighter Interceptor Squadrons". ''The Interceptor'' (January 1979) Aerospace Defense Command, (Volume 21, Number 1) {{Navboxes , list = {{Strategic Air Command {{Aerospace Defense Command {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II Military units and formations established in 1942 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command

021 021 is: * in Brazil, the telephone area code for the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities (Greater Rio de Janeiro) * in China, the telephone area code for the city of Shanghai. * in Indonesia, the area code for the city of Jakarta ...

1942 establishments in Kansas

History

World War II

Air Force Reserve

Strategic Air Command

Air Defense Command

Lineage

Assignments

Stations

Components

World War II

Strategic Air Command

Air Defense Command

=Fighter-Interceptor units

=Missile units

=Radar units

=Air Base units

Emblem

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography