The 521st Air Defense Group is a disbanded

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organization. Its last assignment was with the

31st Air Division The 31st Air Division (31st AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, assigned to Tenth Air Force, being stationed at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa. It was inactivated on 31 ...

at Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa, where it was inactivated in 1955. The

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 ide ...

was originally activated as a support unit for the

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at the end of

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in Italy and then redeployed to the United States where it was inactivated in 1945. The group was activated once again in 1953, when ADC established it as the headquarters for a dispersed fighter-interceptor squadron and the medical, maintenance, and administrative squadrons supporting it. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the 53d Fighter Group in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.

World War II

The

was first activated as the 521st Air Service Group in a reorganization of Army Air Forces (AAF) support groups in which the AAF replaced Service Groups that included personnel from other branches of the Army and supported two combat groups with Air Service Groups including only Air Corps units. It was designed to support a single combat group.Coleman, p. 208 Its 947th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 771st Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. The group supported

in Italy. The group returned to the US in 1945 and was inactivated. It was disbanded in 1948.

Cold War

The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 521st Air Defense Group, and activated at Sioux City Municipal Airport in 1953Cornett & Johnson, p. 82 with responsibility for air defense of central Midwestern United States. It was assigned the 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), which was already stationed at Sioux City Airport, and flying

era

North American F-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team ...

sCornett & Johnson, p.120 as its operational component.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 299–300 The 87th FIS had been assigned directly to the 31st Air Division. The group replaced 79th Air Base Squadron as the host USAF unit at Sioux City Municipal Airport. It was assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.Abstract, History of 521st USAF Infirmary, Jan–Jun 1955
(retrieved 22 June 2012) In the fall of 1953 the 87th FIS upgraded to

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equipped and Mighty Mouse rocket armed

North American 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 ...

jet aircraft and the 14th FIS, also flying "Sabres", was activated as the group's second operational squadron. In November 1954 the 87th FIS moved to England and was reassigned. The 87th FIS was replaced the next month by the 519th FIS, another "Sabre" squadron. The group was inactivated and replaced by the 53d Fighter Group (Air Defense) in 1955 as part of Air Defense Command's 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. Disbanded once again in 1984.

Lineage

* Constituted as 521st Air Service Group : Activated on 1 January 1945Abstract, History of 521st Air Service Group, Jan–Feb 1945
(retrieved 22 June 2012) : Inactivated on or about 7 November 1945 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948 * Reconstituted and redesignated as 521st Air Defense Group on 21 January 1953 : Activated on 16 February 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

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, 1 January 1945 * Unknown, c.. 17 July 1945 – 7 November 1945 * 31st Air Division, 1 January 1953 – 18 August 1955

Stations

* Ghisonaccia Airfield, Corsica, France, 1 January 1945 – 7 April 1945 * Fano Airfield, Italy 7 April 1945 – c.. 6 July 1945 *

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, c.. 6 July 1945 – c.. 17 July 1945 *

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, Virginia, c. 26 Jul 1945 -c.. 30 July 1945 * Unknown, July 1945–7 Nov 1945 * Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa, 1 January 1953 – 18 August 1955

Components

Operational Squadrons * 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 November 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 21 December 1954Bailey, Carl E
AFHRA Factsheet, 87th Flying Training Squadron
9/10/2008 (retrieved 3 March 2012) * 519th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 8 December 1954 – 18 August 1955 Support Units * 521st Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 521st Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 521st Medical Squadron (later 521st USAF Infirmary), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 771st Air Materiel Squadron, 1 January 1945 – 1945 * 947th Air Engineering Squadron, 1 January 1945 – 1945

Aircraft

* North American F-51D Mustang, 1953 * North American F-86D Sabre, 1953–1955

Notes

References

* 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) * * * *

External links

{{USAAF 12th Air Force World War II 0521 Aerospace Defense Command units Military units and formations established in 1953 Military units and formations disestablished in 1955