The 530th 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 9th Air Division at

Geiger Field Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport located approximately west-southwest of downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and includes are ...

, Washington. 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

301st Bombardment 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 ...

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 continued to support the 301st until 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 84th Fighter Group 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 first activated as the 530th Air Service Group toward the end of

to provide support for a flying unit in Italy in 1945 as part of 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 956th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 780th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. The 530th supported the

at Foggia, Italy. The group returned to the United States and briefly supported the 301st Bombardment Group again at Pyote Army Air Field before all units at Pyote were inactivated in late 1945. The 530th was disbanded in 1948.

Cold War

During the Cold War the group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 530th Air Defense Group, and activated at Geiger Field on 18 February 1953Cornett & Johnson, p. 83 with responsibility for air defense of the Northwestern United States. The group replaced the 87th Air Base Squadron as USAF host organization at Geiger Field. It was assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.Cornett & Johnson, p. 147 The organizations it supported included its headquarters, the

4702d Defense Wing The 4702nd Defense Wing (Def Wg) is a discontinued wing of the United States Air Force, last assigned to the 25th Air Division at Geiger Field, Washington. It was established in 1952 at Hamilton AFB, California in a general reorganization of Air De ...

, and later the 9th Air Division. Its first operational squadron, the

440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Erding Air Station, Germany, where it was inactivated on 1 January 1960. The squadron serv ...

(FIS), was activated at Geiger two days laterMaurer, p. 545 flying 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 and Mighty Mouse rocket armed North American F-86D Sabre aircraft. In March 1953, a second F-86D squadron, the 445th FIS was activated at Geiger. In July 1954, the 440th FIS moved overseas and was reassigned away from the group. In December 1954, the 530th once again had two flying squadrons, when the 520th FIS, another F-86D unit, was activated. The 530th was inactivated and replaced by the 84th 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. The group was disbanded again in 1984.

Lineage

* Constituted as 530th Air Service Group on 16 December 1944 : Activated on 18 May 1945 : Inactivated on 17 October 1945 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948 * Reconstituted and redesignated 530th Air Defense Group on 21 January 1953 : Activated on 16 February 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

* Unknown, 1 June 1945 (probably XV Air Force Service Command) * 20th Bombardment Wing (later VIII Bomber Command),''ca''. July 1945 – 17 October 1945 * 4702d Defense Wing, 16 February 1953 * 9th Air Division 8 October 1954 – 18 August 1955

Stations

* Unknown (possibly

Lucera Lucera ( Lucerino: ) is an Italian city of 34,243 inhabitants in the province of Foggia in the region of Apulia, and the seat of the Diocese of Lucera-Troia. Located upon a flat knoll in the Tavoliere Plains, near the foot of Daunian Mount ...

), Italy 18 May 1945 * Foggia, Italy, 1 June 1945 – ''ca''. July 1945Foggia was a center for Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombardment units. A complex of airfields was located nearby, and station information for the period is inconsistent. Lucera Airfield was also Foggia Airfield No. 12. Units stationed there are sometimes shown as located at Foggia, rather than Lucera. * Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho 17 August 1945 * Pyote Army Airfield, 23 August 1945 – 17 October 1945 * Geiger Field, Washington, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Components

Operational Squadrons * 440th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 February 1953 – 1 July 1954 * 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 20 March 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 520th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 8 December 1954 – 18 August 1955 Support Organizations * 530th Air Base Squadron 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 530th Materiel Squadron 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 530th Medical Squadron (later 530th USAF Infirmary) 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 780th Air Materiel Squadron 18 May 1945 – 17 October 1945 * 956th Air Engineering Squadron 18 May 1945 – 17 October 1945

Aircraft

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

References

Notes

Explanatory 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) * * * * Further reading * Grant, C.L., (1961
The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
*

External links

{{USAAF 15th Air Force World War II 0530 Aerospace Defense Command units Military units and formations disestablished in 1984 Military units and formations established in 1953