The 4707th Air Defense Wing 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 Signal ...

organization. Its last assignment was with the

26th Air Division The 26th Air Division (26th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Tactical Air Command, assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inacti ...

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), 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 est ...

(ADC) at

Otis Air Force Base Otis may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Otis (Superman), in the films ''Superman'' and ''Superman II'' and related DC Comics media ** Otis Graves, in the TV series ''Supergirl'' * Otis (''The Walking Dead''), in the Image Comics ...

, Massachusetts where it was discontinued in 1956. The

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

was established in 1952 at Otis as the 4707th Defense Wing in a general reorganization of ADC, which replaced

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

responsible for a base with wings responsible for a geographical area. It assumed control of several fighter Interceptor squadrons that had been assigned to the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Wing. In early 1953 it also was assigned six

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

squadrons in New England, some of which were

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 ...

squadrons mobilized for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and its dispersed fighter

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

s were combined with colocated air base squadrons into air defense groups. The wing was discontinued in 1956 and its units transferred to other ADC commands, primarily the 33d Fighter Wing for units at Otis and the 26th Air Division for units at other locations.

History

Origin

59th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron F-94B Otis AFB 1952

The

was organized at the beginning of February 1952 as part of a major reorganization of

(ADC) fighter units responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter

s to best advantage. The wing replaced the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Wing (FIW) at

, Massachusetts five days later and assumed control of the 33 FIW's operational elements. The wing's

564th Air Base Group The 564th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4707th Air Defense Wing, stationed at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it was inactivated in 1955. The group was origina ...

assumed support responsibilities for Otis AFB from the inactivating 33d Air Base Group and 33d Maintenance & Supply Groups.Cornett & Johnson. p. 84 The operational squadrons transferred from the 33d FIW were the

58th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 58th Fighter Squadron is part of the 33d Fighter Wing, a joint graduate flying and maintenance training wing for the F-35A, B, and C, organized under Air Education and Training Command's 19th Air Force, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Its ...

(FIS) and 59th FIS at Otis AFB and the 60th FIS at

Westover Air Force Base Westover may refer to: People * Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia * Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian * Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, ...

, Massachusetts.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 231 The 58th and 60th FIS flew

F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...

aircraft,Cornett & Johnson, pp. 116-117 while the 59th FIS was equipped with

F-94 Starfire The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet powered all-weather, day/night interceptor of the United States Air Force. A twin-seat craft, it was developed from the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star trainer in the late 1940s. It reached ope ...

aircraft. The wing also was assigned a federalized

(ANG) squadron from the 101st FIW, the 133d FIS at

Grenier Air Force Base Grenier is a surname. It is a French word for ''attic, loft,'' or ''granary''. Notable people with the surname include: * Adrian Grenier * Angèle Grenier, Canadian maple syrup producer * Auguste Jean François Grenier (1814–1890), French doctor ...

, New Hampshire, flying

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

era

F-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomber ...

aircraft.Cornett & Johsnon, p. 123 The wing mission was to train and maintain tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the northeastern United States. Shortly after joining the wing, the 58th FIS converted from F-86 to F-94 aircraft. Although it remained assigned to the wing until February 1953, the 59th FIS moved to Goose Bay Airport, Labrador on 28 October 1952 and was detached from the wing to

Northeast Air Command The Northeast Air Command (NEAC) was a short-lived organization in the United States Air Force tasked with the operation and defense of air bases in Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland. It was formed in 1950 from the facilities of the United St ...

until it was reassigned. In November its place at Otis was taken by the newly activating 437th FIS. The same month the 48th FIS activated at Grenier to replace the 133d FIS, which was inactivated and returned to the control of the ANG.

1953–1954 changes

47th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Republic F-47D-40-RA Thunderbolt 45-49431 1952

The wing was reassigned to

32d Air Division The 32d Air Division (32d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was last active with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force at Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, where it was inactivated on 31 December 1969. The di ...

as part of complete reorganization of

Eastern Air Defense Force The Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960. History EADF was ...

in February 1953. This reorganization also resulted in the activation of Air Defense Groups at ADC fighter bases, and the new

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

s assumed direct command of the fighter squadrons at these stations. The 564th Air Base Group redesignated as the 564th Air Defense Group and the 58th FIS was reassigned to it at Otis, The

518th Air Defense Group The 518th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4707th Air Defense Wing, stationed at Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, New York, where it was inactivated in 1955. The group was or ...

activated at

Niagara Falls Municipal Airport Niagara Falls International Airport is located east of downtown Niagara Falls, in the Town of Niagara in Niagara County, New York, United States. Owned and operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the airport is a joint civ ...

, New YorkCornett & Johnson, p. 82 and was assigned the 47th FIS, which had been assigned to another wing. Another result of this reorganization is that the wing assumed the

detection, warning, and control mission and assigned six Aircraft Control & Warning Squadrons (AC&W Sq) to perform this mission.Cornett & Johnson, p. 94Cornett & Johnson, p. 154Cornett & Johnson, p. 157Cornett & Johnson, p. 165 Two of these squadrons, the 113th AC&W Sq and the 119th AC&W Sq, were federalized ANG squadrons, which were returned to state control in December, while their personnel and equipment were transferred to the 700th AC&W Sq.Cornett & Johnson, p. 100 In the spring of 1953, five new AC&W Sqs were activated at Grenier AFB for transfer to stations in Canada.Cornett & Johnson, pp. 104–105 These squadrons were all reassigned to Northeast Air Command shortly after their activation. The 614th AC&W Sq moved to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and was reassigned later in December. The wing was assigned an additional Air Defense Group in September 1954 when the 4700th Air Base Group at

Stewart Air Force Base Stewart may refer to: People *Stewart (name), Scottish surname and given name *Clan Stewart, a Scottish clan *Clan Stewart of Appin, a Scottish clan Places Canada *Stewart, British Columbia *Stewart Township, Nipissing District, Ontario (histor ...

, New York was assigned an operational fighter squadron and redesignated the

4700th Air Defense Group The 4700th Air Defense Group is a discontinued United States Air Force (USAF) organization. Its last assignment was with the 4709th Air Defense Wing at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was activated in 1950 as a support unit for USAF units a ...

.Cornett & Johnson, p. 88 The 4707th was also assigned an additional

unit two months later.Cornett & Johnson, p. 155

Project Arrow and replacement

324th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron - North American F-86D-40-NA Sabre - 52-3841

In 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars. As a result of Project Arrow, the

15th Fighter Group 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious nu ...

(Air Defense)Robertson, Pats
AFHRA Factsheet, 15 Wing
12 February 2010 Retrieved 20 February 2012 replaced the 518th Air Defense Group at Niagara Falls, the

33d Fighter Group ''033'' or ''Zero Three Three'' is a 2010 Bengali film directed by Birsa Dasgupta in a directorial debut and produced by Moxie Entertainments. It stars Rudranil Ghosh and Parambrato Chattopadhyay. 033 is the STD code for Kolkata city, and the ...

(Air Defense)Bailey, Carl E.
AFHRA Factsheet, 33 Operations Group
28 November 2007 Retrieved 20 February 2012 replaced the 564th Air Defense Group at Otis. The 4700th Air Defense Group at Stewart was replaced by the

329th Fighter Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

(Air Defense), although the 329th group was assigned to another wing until mid-1956 due to shifting areas of air defense responsibility.Butler, William M.
AFHRA Factsheet, 329 Armament Systems Group
27 December 2007 Retrieved 20 February 2012 Because Project Arrow called for fighter squadrons to be assigned to their traditional group headquarters, the 60th FIS at Westover returned to Otis and was replaced at Westover by the 337th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which took over its personnel and aircraft. Later in 1955, the wing assumed command of two other fighter squadrons, the 49th FIS at Laurence G. Hanscom Airport, Massachusetts, and the 324th FIS, which activated at Westover. Both squadrons flew F-86D aircraft. The wing was reassigned to the

in March 1956 when the 26th Air Division region of responsibility was extended, resulting in reassignment of radar and

interceptor aircraft An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are cap ...

units as well.Cornett & Johnson, p. 156Cornett & Johnson, p. 167Robertson, Patsy
AFHRA Factsheet, 52 Operations Group
13 August 2010 Retrieved 3 March 2012 Shortly thereafter, ADC reactivated Fighter Wings at its large installations and the 4707th was discontinued later that year with its equipment and personnel being reassigned to the unit it had originally replaced, now designated the 33d Fighter Wing (Air Defense).

Lineage

* Designated as the 4707th Defense Wing and organized on 1 February 1952 : Redesignated 4707th Air Defense Wing on 1 September 1954 : Discontinued on 18 October 1956

Assignments

* Eastern Air Defense Force, 1 February 1952 * 32d Air Division, 16 February 1953 * 26th Air Division, 1 March – 18 October 1956

Components

If no station is given, units were at Otis Air Force Base.

Groups

Fighter groups * 15th Fighter Group (Air Defense) : Niagara Falls Airport, New York, 18 August 1955 – 1 March 1956 * 33d Fighter Group (Air Defense), 18 August 1955 – 18 October 1956 *

52d Fighter Group 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

(Air Defense) :

Suffolk County Air Force Base Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base is an air defense military installation located at civilian public-use Francis S. Gabreski Airport, located just north of Westhampton Beach, New York. It is currently the home base of the New York Air ...

, New York, 1 March 1956 – 8 July 1956 * 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense) : Stewart AFB, New York, 8 July 1956 – 18 October 1956 Air defense groups * 518th Air Defense Group : Niagara Falls Airport, New York, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 564th Air Base Group (later 564th Air Defense Group), 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 4700th Air Defense Group, 20 September 1954 – 18 August 1955 : Stewart Air Force Base, New York, 20 September 1954 – 18 August 1955

Squadrons

=Fighter squadrons

= * 47th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, New York, 1 December 1952 – 16 February 1953 * 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, 1 November 1952 – 14 January 1953 * 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Laurence G. Hanscom Airport, Massachusetts, 15 November 1955 – 16 June 1956 * 58th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 6 February 1952 – 16 February 1953 * 59th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 6 February 1952 – 1 February 1953 * 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 6 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 133d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, 6 February 1952 – 1 November 1952 * 324th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron : Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 18 October 1955 – 18 October 1956 * 337th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron AFHRA Factsheet, 337 Flight Test Squadron
4 July 2008 Retrieved 12 March 2012 : Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 18 August 1955 – 18 October 1955 * 437th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 27 November 1952 – 16 February 1953

=Support squadrons

= * 76th Air Base Squadron : Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, New York, 1 February 1952 – 18 February 1953 * 4681st Air Base Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, 1 February 1952 – 16 February 1953

=Radar squadrons

= * 113th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, 16 February 1953 – 1 December 1953 * 119th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 1 December 1953 * 614th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, 16 February 1953 – 24 December 1953 * 644th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron :

Syracuse Air Force Station Hancock Field Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, co-located with Syracuse Hancock International Airport. It is located north-northeast of Syracuse, New York, at 6001 East Molloy Road, Mattydale, NY 13211. The installation ...

, New York, 1 October 1954 – July 1955, Portsmouth (later Rye AFS), New Hampshire – 18 October 1956 * 648th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Benton Air Force Station, Pennsylvania, 8 July 1956 – 18 October 1956 * 654th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron :

Brunswick Naval Air Station Naval Air Station Brunswick , also known as NAS Brunswick, was a military airport located southeast of Brunswick, Maine, with a number of Navy-operated maritime patrol aircraft. As of November 28, 2009, the last aircraft ( P-3 Orions) left. The ...

, Maine, 16 February 1953 – 1 March 1956 * 656th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Schuylerville (later

Saratoga Springs AFS Saratoga Springs (Also known as Schuylerville) Air Force Station (ADC ID: P-50, NORAD ID: Z-50) is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located southeast of Saratoga Springs, New York. It was closed by t ...

), New York, 16 February 1953 – 18 October 1956 * 700th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire, 1 December 1953 – 1 May 1954 * 762d Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron :

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 Servic ...

, Massachusetts, 16 February 1953 – 18 October 1956 * 763d Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Shawnee (later

Lockport Air Force Station Lockport may refer to: Places ;In Canada: * Lockport, Manitoba, an unincorporated community * Lockport, Newfoundland and Labrador, an abandoned fishing village ;In the United States: * Lockport, Illinois, a city ** Lockport Historic District * ...

), New York, 16 February 1953 – 1 July 1956 * 773d Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron :

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

, New York, 1 March 1956 – 18 October 1956 * 921st Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, 26 May 1953 – 1 October 1953 * 922d Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, 26 May 1953 – 1 October 1953 * 923d Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, 13 June 1953 – 1 November 1953 * 924th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, 13 June 1953 – 1 December 1953 * 926th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron : Grenier Air Force Base, 13 June 1953 – 1 December 1953

Stations

* Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 6 February 1952 – 18 October 1956

Aircraft

* F-47D, 1952–1953 * F-80C, 1952–1953 * F-86A, 1952 * F-86D, 1953–1956 * F-86E, 1952–1953 * F-89D, 1955–1956 * F-89H, 1956 * F-94B, 1952–1953 * F-94C, 1953–1955

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, (1956) * * Grant, C.L., (1961
The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
* * *