502d Air Defense Group

The group was activated as the 502d Air Service Group toward the end of World War II shortly after V-E Day in a reorganization of Army Air Forces (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. It was designed to support a single combat group.[1] Its 920th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 744th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support.[1] The group supported the 404th Fighter Group in Germany in 1945 until returning to the US[2] for inactivation. The group was disbanded in 1948.[3]

During the Cold War, the group was redesignated as the 502d Air Defense Group, reconstituted and activated at Youngstown Municipal Airport in 1953[4] to provide air defense of Pittsburgh, western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio area. Assigned the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was already stationed at Youngstown Municipal Airport, flying Republic F-84 Thunderjets.[5] as its operational component.[6] The 86th had previously been assigned directly to the 4708th Defense Wing.[6] In July 1953, the 86th replaced its F-84s with Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket armed and radar equipped North American F-86 Sabres.[5] The group replaced the 88th Air Base Squadron as USAF host unit at Youngstown. It was assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities. It was inactivated and replaced by 79th Fighter Group (Air Defense) in 1955[4][7][8] as part of Air Defense Command'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.[9] The group was disbanded again in 1984.[10]

• Unknown 1945 (probably IX Air Force Service Command until return to US, then Third Air Force)
• 4708th Defense Wing (later 4708th Air Defense Wing), 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955

• AAF Station Fritzlar, Germany, 1 Jun 1945 - c. July 1945
• Flak Kaserne, Stuttgart, Germany ca. July 1945 - c. 20 September 1945[12]
• Unknown, October 1945 - c. 9 November 1945
• Youngstown Municipal Airport, Ohio, 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955

• 86th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955
• 502nd Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955
• 502nd Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955
• 502nd Medical Squadron (later 502nd USAF Infirmary), 16 February 1953 - 18 August 1955
• 744th Air Materiel Squadron, 1 Jun 1945 - ca. 9 November 1945
• 920th Air Engineering Squadron, 1 Jun 1945 - ca. 9 November 1945

• Republic F-84C Thuderjet, 1953
• North Emrican F-86D Sabre, 1953–1955

• Lt Col. Benjamin P. Rambo, 1 June 1945 - 1945[11]
• Unknown, 1945 - c. 9 Nov 1945
• Unknown, 16 February 1953 -18 August 1955

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• 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)
• Coleman, John M (1950). The Development of Tactical Services in the Army Air Forces. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
• Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.

Further Reading

• Grant, C.L., (1961) The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
• Leonard, Barry (2009). History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense (PDF). Vol I. 1945-1955. Fort McNair, DC: Center for Military History. ISBN 978-1-4379-2131-1.