66th Fighter Wing
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The 66th Fighter Wing is a disbanded unit of the
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 ...
, last stationed at Chicago Municipal Airport, Illinois. It was withdrawn from the
Illinois Air National Guard The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois Natio ...
and inactivated on 31 October 1950.


History


World War II

Established in March 1943 at Norfolk Army Airfield Virginia. Supervised training of fighter units for overseas duty.Maurer, p. 403 Reorganized and deployed to England, became an intermediate-level command and control organization for
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 Thea ...
with responsibility for fighter-escort groups of
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 ...
. Assigned groups provided fighter escort to B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator heavy bomber groups during combat missions over Occupied Europe July 1943 – May 1945. Inactivated in England, 21 November 1945.


Air National Guard

Allotted to the
Illinois Air National Guard The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois Natio ...
to control ANG fighters and bombers in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. Extended federal recognition and activated on 26 November 1946. At the end of October 1950, the Air National Guard converted to the wing-base
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 ...
organization. As a result, the wing was withdrawn from the Illinois ANG and was inactivated on 31 October 1950. The 126th Composite Wing was established by the
National Guard Bureau The National Guard Bureau (NGB) is the federal agency responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was c ...
, allocated to the state of Illinois, recognized and activated 1 November 1950; assuming the personnel, equipment and mission of the inactivated 66th Fighter Wing.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 5th Air Defense Wing on 25 March 1943 : Activated on 27 March 1943 : Re-designated 66th Fighter Wing on 3 July 1943. : Inactivated on 21 November 1945. * Allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946 : Extended federal recognition and activated on 26 November 1946 : Inactivated, and returned to the control of the Department of the Air Force, on 31 October 1950 * Disbanded on 15 June 1983


Assignments

*
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 ...
, 27 March 1943 *
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 Thea ...
, 3 July 1943 – 21 November 1945 *
Illinois Air National Guard The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois Natio ...
, 26 November 1946 – 31 October 1950


Components


World War II

*
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 ...
: 23 July – 4 November 1945 * 55th Fighter Group: 14 September 1943 – 23 July 1945 * 56th Fighter Group: 15 September – 11 October 1945 * 78th Fighter Group: April 1943 – October 1945 * 339th Fighter Group: 4 April 1944 – October 1945 * 353d Fighter Group: 3 August 1943 – October 1945 *
357th Fighter Group The 357th Fighter Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The 357th operated P-51 Mustang aircraft as part of the U.S. Eighth Air Force and its members were known unofficially as the Yoxford ...
, 31 January 1944 – 8 July 1945 * 358th Fighter Group, 20 October 1943 – 3 July 1944 *
359th Fighter Group The 359th Fighter Group was a United States Army Air Force fighter unit that was active during World War II. Following organization and training in the United States, the group (military aviation unit), group deployed to the European Theater of ...
: October 1943 – November 1945 *
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 is one of two flying groups assigned to the 127th Wing. The group operates Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbol ...
: 30 November 1943 – 1 February 1945; April 1945 * 479th Fighter Group: 15 May 1944 – 21 November 1945


Illinois Air National Guard

* 126th Bombardment Group, 29 June 1947 – 31 October 1950 * 169th Fighter Squadron, 21–29 June 1947 * 122d Fighter Group, 9 December 1946 – 7 December 1947 (Indiana ANG) * 127th Fighter Group, 29 September 1946 – 31 October 1950 (Michigan ANG) * 128th Fighter Group, 29 June 1948 – 31 October 1950 (Wisconsin ANG) * 112th Bombardment Squadron, 2 December 1946 – 7 December 1947 (Ohio ANG) * 162d Fighter Squadron, 22 November-7 December 1947 (Ohio ANG) * 166th Fighter Squadron, 10 November-7 December 1947 (Ohio ANG)


Stations

* Norfolk Airport, Virginia, 27 March-c. 11 May 1943 * RAF Duxford (AAF-357), England, c. 3 June 1943 * Sawston Hall (AAF-371), England, 20 August 1943 * RAF Troston (AAF-595), England, C. 25 October – 21 November 1945 * Chicago Municipal Airport, Illinois, 26 November 1946 – 31 October 1950


References

; Notes


Bibliography

* * {{Navboxes , list = {{USAAF 8th Air Force UK 066 0066 066 Military units and formations in Illinois Military units and formations disestablished in 1950