The 575th 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

4708th Air Defense Wing The 4708th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Selfridge Air Force Base (AFB), Michigan, where it was discontinued in 1956. I ...

Selfridge Air Force Base Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Un ...

, Michigan, where it was inactivated in 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 iden ...

was originally activated as the 575th Air Service Group, a support unit for the

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 Forc ...

after the 4th returned to the United States 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 ...

and performed that mission until it was inactivated in 1947. The group was activated once again in 1952 as the 575th Air Base Group to replace the support elements of the inactivating

56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing The 56th Fighter Wing is a fighter wing in the United States Air Force. It is the world's largest Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II wing and one of two Air Force F-35 training locations. Additionally, it is one of two active-duty F-16 training b ...

. A year later

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 ...

established it as an operational headquarters for fighter-interceptor squadrons as well. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the

1st Fighter Group 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: Arts and entertainment *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *''001'', also known as the ''Princess of Klaxosaurs'', is a character and the central antagonist from ''DARLING in the FRANXX'' *Player number of b ...

in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.

History

Strategic Air Command

The

was activated in 1946 as the 575th Air Service Group to support the

Selfridge Field Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Un ...

, Michigan. Its 1044th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the fighter group, its 1054th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. The group moved to

Andrews Field Andrews may refer to: Places Australia *Andrews, Queensland * Andrews, South Australia United States * Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places * Andrews, Indiana * Andrews, Nebraska *Andrews, North Carolina * Andrews, Oregon * Andrews, ...

, Maryland, where it was inactivated in August 1947 and its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 4th Airdrome Group, which assumed its mission under the experimental Wing/Base reorganization. It was disbanded in October 1948.Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOOR 887e), 8 October 1948, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units

Air Defense Command

172d Fighter Squadron - North American P-51D-25-NA Mustang 44-73227

The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 575th Air Base Group, and activated at Selfridge in 1952Cornett & Johnson, pp. 84–85 in a major reorganization of

(ADC) responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage. It replaced the 56th Air Base Group as the USAF host unit for Selfridge. The group was assigned seven squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.Cornett & Johnson, p. 134Cornett & Johnson, p. 152''See'
Abstract, History of 575th Food Service Squadron, Feb–Mar 1952
(accessed 17 June 2012)''See'
Abstract, History of 575th Motor Vehicle Squadron, Apr–Jun 1952
(accessed 17 June 2012)''See'
Abstract, History of 575th Supply Squadron, Feb–Jun 1952
(accessed 17 June 2012) It also maintained aircraft stationed at Selfridge.Cornett & Johnson pp.142

61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron - Lockheed F-94B-1-LO Starfire 50-0888

The group was redesignated as the 575th Air Defense Group in 1953 and assumed responsibility for air defense of the upper Great Lakes area. It was assigned the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), flying single seat

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 ...

aircraft,Cornett & Johnson, p.116 the 61st FIS, flying two-seat

Lockheed F-94 Starfire The Lockheed F-94 Starfire is a first-generation jet powered all-weather day/night interceptor aircraft designed and produced by Lockheed Corporation. It was the first operational United States Air Force (USAF) fighter equipped with an afterbu ...

aircraft, armed with 20mm cannon,Cornett & Johnson, p.117 and the 431st FIS, flying

era

North American F-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...

aircraftCornett & Johnson, p.128 from the

4708th Defense Wing The 4708th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Selfridge Air Force Base (AFB), Michigan, where it was discontinued in 1956. ...

as its operational elements.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 227Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 237Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 532–533 The three squadrons were already stationed at Selfridge. In May 1953, the 431st FIS converted to Sabres and the following month moved to Libya and was assigned away from the group. Meanwhile, in April 1953, the

13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Minot Air Defense Sector, stationed at Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana where it was inactivated on 30 June 1968. The squadron w ...

, flying a newer

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 F-86 aircraftCornett & Johnson, p.114 was activated as a fourth operational squadron. In July the 56th FIS upgraded to newer radar equipped "Sabres," so that when the 61st FIS moved to Newfoundland and was transferred out of the group in August, all squadrons of the 575th were flying the same aircraft, the F-86D, for the first time. In September, the group's medical squadron responsibility expanded when the nearby Percy Jones Army Hospital closed. The group was inactivated and replaced by

(Air Defense) in 1955 as part 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. It was disbanded again in 1984.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 September 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units

Lineage

* Constituted as the 575th Air Service Group : Activated c. 5 September 1946 : Inactivated on 15 August 1947 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948 * Reconstituted and redesignated 575th Air Base Group on 1 January 1952 : Activated on 1 February 1952 * Redesignated as 575th Air Defense Group on 16 February 1953 : Inactivated on 18 August 1955 : Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

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 ...

, c. 5 September 1946 *

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

, 26 March 1947 – 15 August 1947 * 4708th Defense Wing (later 4708th Air Defense Wing), 7 February 1952 – 18 August 1955

Stations

* Selfridge Field, Michigan, 5 September 1946 * Andrews Field, Maryland, 26 March 1947 – 15 August 1947 * Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 7 February 1952 – 18 August 1955

Components

Operational Squadrons * 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 27 April 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 * 61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 6 August 1953 * 431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 23 June 1953 Support Squadrons * 575th Air Police Squadron, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 575th Food Service Squadron, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 575th Field Maintenance Squadron, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 575th Installations Squadron, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 575th Medical Squadron (later 575th USAF Hospital),''See'
Abstract, History of 575th USAF Hospital, Jan–Jun 1954
(accessed 17 June 2012) 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 575th Motor Vehicle Squadron, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 575th Operations Squadron, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 575th Supply Squadron, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955 * 1044th Air Engineering Squadron, ''ca''. 5 September 1946 – 15 August 1947 * 1054th Air Materiel Squadron, ''ca''. 5 September 1946 – 15 August 1947

Aircraft

* North American F-51D Mustang, 1953 * North American F-86D Sabre, 1953–55 * North American F-86F Sabre, 1953 * Lockheed F-94B Starfighter, 1953

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