The 39th Air Division (39th AD) is 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 ...

organization. Its last assignment was with

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organ ...

Misawa Air Base is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...

, Japan. It was inactivated on 15 January 1968.

History

"Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the 39th Air Division controlled all of the units responsible for the air defense of north Japan, which included northern

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

and

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

islands and the contiguous territorial waters." "In this role the 39th trained the assigned units and controlled aerial interception missions when Japanese air space was violated. The division also controlled air refueling and ECM missions, and trained personnel of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force in flying operations, radar operations and maintenance, and proper radio procedures." "After the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

shot down an RB-29 aircraft on 7 November 1954, the 39th provided fighter escort for all friendly reconnaissance aircraft flying near Soviet territory and the Northern Air Defense Sector." "The division also supported combat operations during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Lineage

* Designated as the 39th Air Division (Defense) and organized on 1 March 1952 : Redesignated as: 39th Air Division on 18 March 1955 : Discontinued and inactivated on 15 January 1968

Assignments

* Japan Air Defense Force, 1 March 1952 *

, 1 September 1954 – 15 January 1968

Stations

, Japan, 1 March 1952 – 15 January 1968

Components

Wings

* 4th Fighter-Bomber Wing (later 4th Fighter-Day Wing): attached 1 – 7 March 1955, assigned 8 March 1955 – 8 December 1957 * 12th Strategic Fighter Wing: attached 18 May – 10 August 1953 and 10 May – 7 August 1954 *

21st Tactical Fighter Wing The 21st Wing (21 WG) is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force. It was established in 1953 as the 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing, deploying to Europe to join NATO's Allied Command Europe, before being inactivated in 1958. It reactivated i ...

: 10 November 1958 – 18 June 1960 * 27th Fighter-Escort Wing (later 27th Strategic Fighter Wing): attached 13 October 1952 – c. 13 February 1953 * 31st Fighter-Escort Wing (later 31 Strategic Fighter Wing): attached 10 July – 11 October 1952 and 10 November 1953 – 12 February 1954 * 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing: attached 7 November 1953 – 1 March 1955, assigned 1 March 1955 – 15 April 1957 * 407th Strategic Fighter Wing: attached 8 August – 10 November 1954 * 506th Strategic Fighter Wing: attached 13 August – 7 November 1953 * 508th Strategic Fighter Wing: attached 18 February – 18 May 1953

Squadrons

4th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

: attached 10 August 1954 – 1 March 1955, assigned 1 March 1955 – 20 June 1965 * 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 25 April 1960 – 15 January 1968 * 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 15 December 1967 – 15 January 1968 * 339th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 March 1955 – 15 January 1958 *

356th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 356th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force fighter squadron. It is assigned to the 354th Fighter Wing, being stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. It was reactivated in 2019 to operate the Lockheed Martin F-35 Li ...

: 29 November 1965 – 15 January 1968 *

416th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 416th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron was inactivated on 1 July 1993. The squadron was first activated ...

: 18 June 1960 – 16 June 1964 *

418th Fighter-Day Squadron The 418th Test and Evaluation Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit assigned to the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group, and stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it was activated on 1 October 2021. The unit was or ...

: 10 December 1957 – 25 March 1958 * 531st Tactical Fighter Squadron: 18 June 1960 – 16 June 1964 * 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 3 November 1965 – 15 January 1968

Aircraft

Republic F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet is an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunde ...

, 1952 – 1954, 1958 – 1959 *

Boeing KB-29 Superfortress The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P. The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons ( Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Month ...

, 1953 – 1954 *

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 Sov ...

, 1954 – 1960 *

North American F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Century Series of American jet fighters, it was the first United ...

, 1957 – 1964 *

Convair F-102 Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger is an interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Convair. A member of the Century Series, the F-102 was the first operational supersonic interceptor and delta-wing fighter op ...

, 1960 – 1965 * McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo, 1958 – 1968 *

Republic F-105 Thunderchief The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War. It ...

History

Lineage

Assignments

Stations

Components

Wings

Squadrons

Aircraft

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography