The 519th Air Defense Group is a disbanded

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 the 4709th Air Defense Wing, stationed at

Suffolk County Air Force Base Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base is an air defense military installation located at civilian public-use Francis S. Gabreski Airport, located just north of Westhampton Beach, New York. It is currently the home base of the New York Ai ...

, New York, where it was inactivated in 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 iden ...

was originally activated as the 519th Air Service Group, a support unit for the

485th Bombardment Group 485th may refer to: * 485th Aero Construction Squadron, part of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico * 485th Air Expeditionary Wing, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command * 485t ...

at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in Italy and then redeployed to the United States where it was inactivated in 1945. The group was activated once again in 1953, when

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...

ADC established it as the headquarters for a dispersed fighter-interceptor squadron and the medical, maintenance, and administrative

squadrons Squadron(s) may refer to: Military * 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 ...

supporting it. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the

52d Fighter Group 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...

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 and Post-War

The

was activated as the 519th Air Service Group in Italy shortly before the end of

in early 1945 as part of a reorganization of

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(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 945th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 769th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. It supported the

in Italy. The group returned to the US, where it continued to support heavy bombardment groups. The group was scheduled to move overseas in 1946, but its movement was cancelled. It was reduced to nominal strength of 4 officers and 7 enlisted men in March 1946, but re-manned in April. The group deployed to Alaska with the 97th Bombardment Group.Mueller, pp. 143, 145 It was replaced by 97th Airdrome Group, 97th Maintenance & Supply Group, and 97th Station Medical Group as part of the Air Force Wing/Base reorganization (

Hobson Plan The Hobson Plan was an organizational structure established by the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1948, following experimental organization in 1947. Known as the "Wing-Base Organization," it replaced the organization used by the United States A ...

) in 1947, which was designed to unify control at air bases. It was disbanded in 1948.Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOOR 887e), 8 October 1948, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units

Cold War

The 519th was reconstituted, redesignated as an air defense group, and activated at

, New York in 1953Cornett & Johnson, p. 82 with responsibility for air defense of the Northeastern United States. It was assigned the 45th and 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons (FIS), which were already stationed at Suffolk County, 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 Sov ...

sCornett & Johnson, p. 118 as its operational components.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 202Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 274 The 45th and 75th FIS had been assigned directly to the 4709th Defense Wing. The group replaced the 77th Air Base Squadron as USAF host unit at Suffolk County. It was assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.Cornett & Johnson, p.147 Eight days after the group activated, the

331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command at Webb Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 1 March 1967. During World War II the squadron (avia ...

, equipped with a

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

equipped and Mighty Mouse rocket armed model of the SabreCornett & Johnson, p.136 was activated and assigned to the group.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p.408 In May 1953, the 45th FIS moved to Morocco and was reassigned away from the group. Later in 1953, the 75th FIS upgraded to improved radar equipped Sabres. The 519th was inactivated and replaced by the

(Air Defense) as result of

'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: 519th Air Service Group : Activated on 20 January 1945 : Inactivated 1 December 1947 : Disbanded 8 October 1948 * Reconstituted and redesignated as: 519th Air Defense Group on 21 January 1953 : Activated on 16 February 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

* Unknown, 20 January 1945 – c. May 1945 *

20th Bombardment Wing The 20th Bombardment Wing is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force at MacDill Field, Florida, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1946. It was later disbanded in October 1948 History The 20 ...

(later VIII Bomber Command), c. 1945 *

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 ...

, March 1946 – 1947 * 4709th Defense Wing (later 4709th Air Defense Wing), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Stations

Venosa Airfield The Foggia Airfield Complex was a series of World War II military airfields located within a radius of Foggia, in the Province of Foggia, Italy. The airfields were used by the United States Army Air Forces' Fifteenth Air Force as part of the st ...

, Italy, 20 January 1945 – 8 May 1945 *

Capodichino Airport San Pietro a Patierno is a suburb of Naples, the chief city in Campania, Italy. Geography It is one of the largest suburbs of Naples and is relatively lightly populated compared to surrounding areas, with around 20,000 residents. The district ...

, Naples, Italy, 8 May 1945 – 15 May 1945 *

Camp Patrick Henry Camp Patrick Henry is a decommissioned United States Army base which was located in Warwick County, Virginia. After World War II, the site was redeveloped as a commercial airport, and became part of City of Newport News in 1958 when the former C ...

, Virginia, 24 May 1945 – 24 May 1945 *

Sioux City Army Air Base The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translation: ...

, Iowa, Jul 1945–8 September 1945 *

Salina Army Air Field Salina Regional Airport , formerly Salina Municipal Airport, is located in Salina, Kansas, United States. The airport is owned by the Salina Airport Authority. It is used for general aviation, and has service by one passenger airline, SkyWest ...

, Kansas, 8 September 1945 – 4 October 1947 * Mile 26 Field, Alaska, 4 October 1947 – 1 December 1947 * Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Components

Operational Squadrons * 45th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 28 May 1953 * 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 24 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 Support Units * 519th Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 519th Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 519th Medical Squadron (later 519th USAF Infirmary), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 769th Air Materiel Squadron, 20 January 1945 – 1 December 1947 * 945th Air Engineering Squadron, 20 January 1945 – 1 December 1947

Aircraft

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

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

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) * * * * *

External links

{{USAAF 15th Air Force World War II 0519 Aerospace Defense Command units Military units and formations disestablished in 1984 Military units and formations established in 1953