The 527th Air Defense Group is a disbanded

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

organization. Its last assignment was with the 4708th Air Defense Wing at

Wurtsmith Air Force Base Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan. It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. On January 18, 1994 it was listed as a Superfund due to extensive groundwater contaminatio ...

, Michigan. It was inactivated on 18 August 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 461st Bombardment Group at the end of

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 opposing ...

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

412th Fighter Group 41 may refer to: * 41 (number) * one of the years 41 BC, AD 41, 1941, 2041 Art and entertainment * ''41'' (film), a 2007 documentary about Nicholas O'Neill, the youngest victim of the Station nightclub fire * ''41'', a 2012 film by Glenn Triggs * ...

in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.

History

World War II

The

was activated as the 527th Air Service Group in Italy shortly after

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

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. Designed to support a single combat group.Coleman, p. 208 Its 953rd Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 777th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. The group supported the 461st Bombardment Group in Italy. It returned to the US, passing through

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, VA, and was inactivated. It was disbanded in 1948.

Cold War

During the Cold War, the group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 527th Air Defense Group, and activated at Wurtsmith AFB in 1953Cornett & Johnson, p. 83 with responsibility for air defense of the Great Lakes area. The group was assigned the 63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), which was already stationed at Oscoda Air Force Base, (renamed Wurtsmith Air Force Base the day before the 527th was activated), and flying

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 ...

sCornett & Johnson, p.117 as its operational component.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 241–242 The 63rd FIS had been assigned directly to the 4706th Defense Wing. The group also replaced the 84th Air Base Squadron as USAF Host unit at Wurtsmith. It was assigned three

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 to perform its support responsibilities.Cornett & Johnson, p.147''See'' The 63d FIS upgraded to later model Mighty Mouse rocket armed and airborne intercept

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, we ...

equipped Sabres in May 1954 and to two-seat

Northrop F-89 Scorpion The Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an American all-weather, twin-engined interceptor aircraft built during the 1950s, the first jet-powered aircraft designed for that role from the outset to enter service. Though its straight wings limited its per ...

s in early 1955. The 527th was inactivated and replaced by the

(Air Defense) 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. The group was disbanded once again in 1984.

Lineage

* Constituted as 527th Air Service Group : Activated on 27 May 1945 : Disbanded on 28 August 1948 * Reconstituted and redesignated as 527th Air Defense Group on 21 January 1953 : Activated on 16 February 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

* Unknown, 27 May 1945 – 28 August 1945 (probably

Air Service Command, Mediterranean Theater of Operations The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

) * 4708th Defense Wing (later 4708th Air Defense Wing), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Stations

* Santuario dell' Incoronata, Italy, 27 May 1945 – 1945 * Torretto, Italy, 1945–1945 * Sioux Falls Army Airfield, SD, 1945 – 28 August 1945 * Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Components

Operational Squadron * 63d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 Support Units * 527th Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 527th Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 527th Medical Squadron (later 527th USAF Infirmary), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 777th Air Materiel Squadron, 27 May 1945 – 28 August 1945 * 953rd Air Engineering Squadron, 27 May 1945 – 28 August 1945

Aircraft

* North American F-86F Sabre, 1953–1954 * North American F-86D Sabre, 1954–1955 * Northrop F-89D Scorpion, 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) * * * *