The 12th Air Division an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

unit. Its last assignment was with the

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

, based at

Ellsworth Air Force Base Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Glob ...

, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 31 July 1990.

History

The division was established as the 12th Pursuit Wing in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

on 20 November 1940. The organization commanded pursuit groups and squadrons for

Sixth Air Force Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixth ...

until 6 March 1942. It was reassigned to

in England during November 1942 as a bombardment wing, but never made operational . All personnel and equipment were withdrawn in January 1943, and the organization did not serve in combat. Reactivated in 1951, the 12th Air Division was an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command. It conducted training for worldwide bombardment operations. From 1963–1984 and 1988–1990. It maintained an

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...

capability, conducted staff assistance visits, and monitored programs such as retention, domestic actions, and medical capabilities of its subordinate units. Its mission was to assure unit Emergency War Order (EWO) capability and combat crew training conducted at Castle and Dyess Air Force Bases, continually evaluate qualification training, direct correction or improvement when appropriate, and represent training concerns to higher headquarters. It was inactivated in 1990 as part of the military drawdown of the USAF after the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

Lineage

* Established as the 12th Pursuit Wing on 19 October 1940 : Activated on 20 November 1940 : Inactivated on 6 March 1942 * Redesignated: 12th Bombardment Wing on 23 August 1942 : Activated on 8 September 1942 : Disestablished on 9 October 1944 * Reestablished and redesignated 12th Bombardment Wing, Light on 3 July 1947 : Activated in the Reserve on 3 August 1947 : Redesignated: 12th Air Division, Bombardment on 16 April 1948 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated: 12th Air Division on 1 February 1951 : Organized on 10 February 1951 : Discontinued on 16 June 1952 * Activated on 16 June 1952 : Redesignated: 12th Strategic Aerospace Division on 1 June 1962 : Redesignated: 12th Strategic Missile Division on 30 June 1971 : Redesignated: 12th Air Division on 1 March 1973 : Inactivated on 31 July 1990

Assignments

* Unknown, 20 November 1940 * 6th Interceptor Command, 25 October 1941 – 6 March 1942 *

, 8 September 1942 * VIII Bomber Command (later, Eighth Air Force), c. December 1942 – 9 October 1944 *

Eleventh Air Force The Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska.This unit is not related to the Eleventh Air Force headquart ...

, 3 August 1947 *

First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern & Air Forces Space; 1 AF-AFNORTH & AFSPACE) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission i ...

, 1 July 1948 *

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint D ...

, 23 February – 27 June 1949 *

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...

, 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952 * Fifteenth Air Force, 16 June 1952 * Eighth Air Force, 1 July 1989 – 31 July 1990

Components

Wings *

6th Strategic Aerospace Wing Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixt ...

(later 6th Strategic Wing): 1 July 1965 – 25 March 1967; 2 July 1968 – 30 June 1971 *

22d Bombardment Wing The 22d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and also functions as the host wing for McConnell. Its primary missi ...

(later 22d Air Refueling Wing): 10 February 1951 – 1 January 1962 (detached 5 September – 4 December 1951, 7 December 1953 – 5 March 1954, 1 April – 5 July 1957); 1 August 1972 – 1 October 1985 *

28th Bombardment Wing The 28th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Eighth Air Force (8 AF) of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) and is stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. The wing is also the "host unit" at Ellswort ...

: 15 July 1988 – 31 July 1990 * 44th Bombardment Wing (later 44 Strategic Missile Wing): 10 February – 4 August 1951; 15 July 1988 – 31 July 1990 *

55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ari ...

: 2 July 1966 – 30 June 1971; 1 October 1982 – 1 October 1985 * 93d Bombardment Wing: 1 October 1985 – 15 July 1988 * 95th Bombardment Wing: 1 July 1964 – 25 June 1966 * 96th Bombardment Wing: 1 July 1973 – 15 July 1988 * 99th Strategic Weapons Wing: 10 August 1989 – 31 July 1990 * 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (later 100 Air Refueling Wing): 25 June 1966 – 30 June 1971; 1 August 1972 – 30 September 1976 * 106th Bombardment Wing: by September 1951 – 1 December 1952 * 303d Bombardment Wing: 15 March 1960 – 15 June 1964 * 308th Strategic Missile Wing: 30 June 1971 – 1 April 1973 * 320th Bombardment Wing: 1 December 1952 – 15 September 1960 (detached 3 June – 4 September 1954, 5 October 1956 – 11 January 1957); 23 January 1987 – 15 July 1988 * 330th Bombardment Wing: attached 1 May – 16 June 1951 (not operational for entire period) * 381st Strategic Missile Wing: 30 June 1971 – 1 July 1973 * 384th Air Refueling Wing: 1 December 1972 – 1 July 1973 * 390th Strategic Missile Wing: 1 January 1962 – 31 July 1984 * 4080th Strategic Wing: 12 July 1963 – 25 June 1966 Groups *

16th Pursuit Group The 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW) at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of three United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The 1st Special Operations Wing i ...

: c. 1 December 1940-c. 6 March 1942 * 32d Pursuit Group: c. 1 January 1941-c. 6 March 1942 * 37th Pursuit Group: c. 1 February 1940 – 6 March 1942 *

53d Pursuit Group The 53rd Wing is a wing (air force unit), wing of the United States Air Force based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing (military aviation unit), wing reports to the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, ...

: c. 1 January – 6 March 1942 *

321st Bombardment Group The 321st Air Expeditionary Wing was a United States Air Force unit assigned United States Air Forces Central, the USAF component command of United States Central Command. The unit was reestablished on 1 November 2008 and was a nexus of all Coa ...

: 17 October 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

322d 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 and cultural significance in many societies ...

: 17 October 1947 – 27 June 1949

Stations

Albrook Field Albrook Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force facility in Panama. It was closed on 30 September 1997 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties which specified that United States military facilities in the former Panama Canal Zon ...

, 10 November 1940 – 6 March 1942 * MacDill Field, Florida, 8 September – 28 November 1942 * Gourock, Scotland, 15 – 16 December 1942 *

RAF Chelveston Royal Air Force Chelveston or more simply RAF Chelveston is a former Royal Air Force station located on the south side of the B645 (former A45 road), east of Wellingborough, near the village of Chelveston in Northamptonshire, England. During ...

(AAF-105), England, c. 17 December 1942 – 12 January 1943 * Marks Hall (AAF-160), England, 12 January 1943 – 9 October 1944 * Cleveland Municipal Airport, Ohio, 3 August 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

March Air Force Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB), is located in Riverside County, California, between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Comm ...

, California, 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952 * March Air Force Base, California, 16 June 1952 *

Davis Monthan Air Force Base Davis may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Davis (Antarctica) * Davis Island (Palmer Archipelago) * Davis Station, an Australian base and research outpost in the Vestfold Hills * Davis Valley, Queen Elizabeth Land Canada * Davis, Sask ...

, Arizona, 1 January 1962 *

Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...

, Texas, 30 September 1976 *

, South Dakota, 15 July 1988 – 31 July 1990

Aircraft and Missiles

Boeing P-26 Peashooter The Boeing P-26 "Peashooter" is the first American production all-metal fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to enter squadron service with the United States Army Air Corps. Designed and built by Boeing, the prototype first flew in 1 ...

, 1941–1942 *

Curtiss P-36 Hawk The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation ...

, 1941–1942 *

Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...

, 1941–1942 *

Bell P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by th ...

, 1941–1942 *

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...

, 1941–1942 *

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the Bo ...

, 1951–1953 *

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for tro ...

, 1951 * Boeing TB-29 Superfortress, 1951 *

Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Design and developme ...

, 1952–1962 *

Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...

, 1953–1964 * Boeing YRB-47 Stratojet, 1953–1954 *

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...

, 1963–1967, 1972–1988 *

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...

, 1963–1971, 1972–1988 *

LGM-25C Titan II The Titan II was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company from the earlier HGM-25A Titan I, Titan I missile. Titan II was originally designed and used as an ICBM, but was later adapted as a Med ...

, 1963–1984 * Sikorsky CH-3, 1966–1971, 1972–1976 * Lockheed DC-130 Hercules, 1966–1971, 1972–1976 * Boeing EB/RB-47 Stratojet, 1966–1967 * Ryan AQM-34 Firebee (drone), c. 1966–1971, 1972–1976 *

Boeing RC-135 The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, L3Harris Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and ...

, 1966–1971 *

Lockheed U-2 The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed the "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-engine, high–altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since the 1950s. Designed for all- ...

, 1966–1971, 1972–1976 * Lockheed WU-2, 1966-c. 1969 *

Convair T-29 Flying Classroom The Convair C-131 Samaritan is an American twin-engined military transport produced from 1954 to 1956 by Convair. It is the military version of the Convair CV-240 family of airliners.Gradidge 1997, p. 20–21. This was one of the last radial en ...

, 1973 *

McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American tanker and cargo aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1981 to 2024. A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the A ...

, 1982–1985 * Boeing NKC-135 Stratotanker (test configured), 1983–1985 *

Rockwell B-1 Lancer The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It has been nicknamed the "Bone" (from "B-One"). , it is one of the United States Air Force's three strategic bombers, along with t ...

, 1985–1990 * LGM-30F Minuteman II, 1988–1990

Heraldry

Or, a globe azure grid lined of the first between in dexter an airplane palewise ascending argent, exhaust gules and in sinister a missile palewise of the like, overall a gauntlet of the third, grasping an olive branch vert and a lightning flash of the fourth bend sinisterwise and two lightning flashes of the last bendwise, on a chief of the second per chevron inverted seme of mullets argent; all within a diminished bordure of argent (silver gray).

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{USAAF 6th Air Force World War II

012 012 may refer to: * Tyrrell 012, a Formula One racing car * The dialing code for Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive br ...

Military units and formations established in 1947 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command 1942 establishments in the Panama Canal Zone

History

Lineage

Assignments

Components

Stations

Aircraft and Missiles

Heraldry

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography