The 65th Air Division is an inactive

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

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

, assigned to Seventeenth Air Force, being stationed at

Lindsey Air Station The Europaviertel (European quarter) in Wiesbaden is a former barracks area named ''Gersdorff Kaserne'' at the edge of the city center of the Hessian state capital, approximately 2 kilometers southwest of the Marktkirche. Barracks (1868–1945) ...

, Germany. It was inactivated on 30 June 1991.

History

Established as the 4 Air Defense Wing, the unit was not activated or manned. Redesignated as the 65th Fighter Wing, the wing and its subordinate units transferred to England and was assigned to

VIII Fighter Command The VIII Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit of command above the wings and below the numbered air force. Its primary mission was command of fighter operations within the Eighth Air Force. In the World War II European The ...

in June 1943 and began flying combat missions. "Subordinate units escorted bombers, flew counter air patrols, and dive bombing missions. They attacked airdromes, marshaling yards, missile sites, industrial areas, ordnance depots, oil refineries, trains, and highways. During Big Week n lateFebruary 1944, the 65th participated in the assaults against the German Air Force and the German aircraft industry. Its units supported the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 1944); the Allied ground troops during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

(December 1944 through January 1945); the Allied airborne attack on the Netherlands ( Operation Market Garden, September 1944); the defense of the Remagen bridgehead against German air attacks (March 1945); and the airborne attack across the Rhine (March 1945)." "As an Air Division, it carried out air defense operations in Iceland from 1952 to 1954. Activated three years later it transferred to Spain, where it cooperated with Spanish Air Force units in the Air Defense Direction Centers (ADDCs). The 65th Air Division directed base construction, and the establishment of off base housing and radar sites. Its fighter squadrons flew air defense interceptions over Spanish airspace." The air division "also controlled the operations of attached tactical fighter squadrons deployed to Spain for temporary duty. Assigned or attached units of the division participated in numerous exercises with the Spanish Air Defense Command, and in some instances, with the

United States Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...

. In June 1985, the 65th assumed responsibility for integrating the

's electronic combat systems to maximize overall warfighting potential." In this role, it supervised the 66th Electronic Combat Wing and

601st Tactical Control Wing The 601st Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force organization. It was last active as the 601st Air Base Wing with the Seventeenth Air Force at Sembach Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 31 March 1995. The ...

. The division was inactivated in June 1991 as the Air Force eliminated air divisions to shorten the chain of command.

Lineage

* Established as the 4th Air Defense Wing on 25 March 1943 : Activated on 27 March 1943 : Redesignated 65th Fighter Wing on 24 July 1943 : Inactivated on 21 November 1945 * Redesignated 65th Air Division (Defense) on 17 April 1952 : Organized on 24 April 1952 : Discontinued on 8 March 1954 * Activated on 8 April 1957 : Discontinued and inactivated on 1 January 1965 * Redesignated 65th Air Division and activated on 1 June 1985 : Inactivated on 30 June 1991

Assignments

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 ...

, 27 March 1943 * Army Service Forces, Port of Embarkation 6 May 1943 * Eighth Air Force, 2 June 1943 *

, 4 June 1943 * 2 Bombardment (later, 2 Air) Division, 15 September 1944 * 3 Air Division, 1 June – 21 November 1945 *

Iceland Air Defense Force The 85th Group is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe at Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, assigned as a unit of the 48th Fighter Wing whose home station is at RAF ...

, 24 April 1952 – 8 March 1954 *

Sixteenth Air Force The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ele ...

, 8 April 1957 *

, 1 July 1960 – 1 January 1965 * Seventeenth Air Force, 1 June 1985 – 30 June 1991

Components

Wings *

52d Tactical Fighter Wing The 52nd Fighter Wing (52 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It flies the F-16CJ fighter aircraft. It was activated in 1948, but derives significant elements of its history from the predeces ...

: 1 June 1985 – 30 June 1991 * 66th Electronic Combat Wing: 1 June 1985 – 30 June 1991 *

: 1 June 1985 – 31 July 1987 Groups *

4th Fighter Group The 4th Fighter Group was an American element of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force during World War II. The group was known as the Debden Eagles because it was created from the three Eagle Squadrons of the Royal Air Force: ...

, c. 7 August 1943 – c. 31 May 1945 * 56th Fighter Group, c. 7 August 1943 – c. 31 May 1945 *

78th Fighter Group The 78th Fighter Group (78 FG) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 78th Fighter Wing, at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 February 1961. During World War II the group was an Eigh ...

, c. 24 July 1943 – c. 18 August 1943 * 355th Fighter Group, c. 18 August 1943 – c. 31 May 1945 * 356th Fighter Group, c. 31 October 1943 – c. 8 August 1944 *

361st Fighter Group The 127th Operations Group is a unit of the Michigan Air National Guard. It is stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base and 1s one of two flying groups assigned to the 127th Wing. The group operates Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbol ...

, c. 8 August 1944 – c. 24 December 1944; c. 10 April 1945 – c. 31 May 1945 *

479th Fighter Group 479th may refer to: * 479th Antisubmarine Group, inactive United States Air Force unit * 479th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 479th Field Artillery Brigade (United States), field artillery brigade of the United States ...

, 31 May 1944 – 31 May 1945 Flight * 1 Gunnery and Tow Flight: 17 November 1944 – 29 May 1945 Squadrons * 1st Fighter-Day Squadron (later 1st Tactical Fighter Squadron): attached 27 June 1958 – c.12 November 1958. * 82d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 April 1953 – 8 March 1954. * 157th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 23 November 1961 – 17 July 1962. * 307th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 13 March 1959 – c.31 July 1959. *

308th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 308th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where it trains pilots on the Lockheed Martin F-35A. History World War II Initially established un ...

: attached c. August 1959 – 16 November 1959. * 334th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 1 April 1963 – 13 August 1963. * 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 13 August 1963 – 6 January 1964. *

430th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 451st Expeditionary Operations Group. The 430th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed "The Backdoor Gang", was first activated durin ...

: attached 25 September 1961 – 25 November 1961. * 431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: assigned 1 September 1958 – 1 July 1960; attached 1 July 1960 – c.18 May 1964. *

434th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 434th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 47th Flying Training Wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. It operates Beechcraft T-6 Texan II aircraft conducting flight training. History World War II The squadron was activate ...

: attached 18 March 1960 – unknown; 14 August 1961 – 25 September 1961. *

435th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 435th Fighter Training Squadron is part of the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. It operates Northrop AT-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training. Mission The 435 FTS conducts initial instructor and stud ...

: attached 15 December 1960 – 14 April 1961; 6 August 1962 – 1 November 1962; 2 April 1964 – 18 June 1964. *

436th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 436th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 479th Fighter Group, stationed at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 2 August 1991. History World War II Ac ...

: attached 1 November 1962 – 3 April 1963. *

474th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 474th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its first predecessor is the 474th Bombardment Squadron, which served as a medium bomber training unit from 1942 to 1944, when it was disbanded in a reo ...

: attached 15 November 1958 – 14 March 1959. *

476th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It flew North American F-100 Super Sabre and Lockheed F-104 Starfighter fighters at George Air Force Base, California from October 1957 until 1968, when moved to ...

: attached 16 November 1959 – 18 March 1960; 16 April 1961 – 11 August 1961; 6 January 1964 – 2 April 1964. * 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 5 July 1958 – 1 July 1960; attached 1 July 1960 – 17 June 1964 * 871st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, : Villatobas Air Station, Spain * 872d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, : Constantina Air Station, Spain * 874th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, : Inoges Air Station, Spain * 875th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, : Rosas Air Station, Spain * 876th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, : Alcoy Air Station, Spain * 877th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, : Elizondo Air Station, Spain * 880th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, : Soller Air Station, Mallorca, Spain

Stations

* Hamilton Field, California, 27 March – 6 May 1943 *

RAF Debden Royal Air Force Debden or more simply RAF Debden is a former Royal Air Force station located southeast of Saffron Walden and approximately north of the village of Debden in North Essex, England History The airfield was opened in April 1937 ...

(AAF-356), England, 4 June 1943 *

Saffron Walden Saffron Walden is a market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England, north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and north of London. It retains a rural appearance and some buildings of the medieval period. The population was 15, ...

(AAF-370), England, c. 17 June 1943 *

Elveden Hall Elveden Hall is a large stately home on the Elveden Estate in Elveden, Suffolk, England. The seat of the Earls of Iveagh, it is a Grade II* listed building. It is located centrally to the village and is close to the A11 and the Parish Church. Curr ...

, England (AAF-116), c. 1 September 1945 * RAF Troston, England (AAF-595), c. 25 October – 21 November 1945 * Keflavik Airport, Iceland, 24 April 1952 – 8 March 1954 *

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, Spain, 8 April 1957 * Torrejon Air Base, Spain, 1 October 1957 – 1 January 1965 *

Sembach Air Base Sembach Kaserne is a United States Army post in Donnersbergkreis, Germany, near Kaiserslautern, and is about 19 miles (30 km) east of Ramstein Air Base. Prior to 2010, the installation was a United States Air Force installation and prior to ...

, Germany, 1 June 1985 *

, Germany, 1 October 1987 – 30 June 1991

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II 065 1945 establishments in the United States