802d Air Division

The 802d Air Division is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force at Schilling Air Force Base, where it was inactivated on 20 June 1960.

802d Air Division
Strategic Air Command Boeing B-47 Stratojets as flown by the 802d Air Division wings
Active1952–1960
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleBombardment
Part ofStrategic Air Command
Insignia
810th Strategic Aerospace Division emblem (approved 27 August 1954)[1]

Through most of its existence the division controlled bombardment wings flying Boeing B-47 Stratojets and based at Schilling. When its second wing was moved to another base as the B-47 was withdrawn from the United States Air Force inventory, only one SAC wing remained at Schilling and the division was inactivated.

History

The 802d Air Division was activated at Smoky Hill Air Force Base, Kansas in 1952 when Strategic Air Command (SAC) departed from the wing base organization system and created air divisions as the headquarters on bases with two operational wings. The division's components, the 40th Bombardment Wing, 310th Bombardment Wing, and 802d Air Base Group,[2] were all activated the same day as the division.[3][4] The 310th wing was activated at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, where it trained with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress under the supervision of the 90th Bombardment Wing. It moved to Smoky Hill in September.[4]

The 40th wing was not manned until early February 1953, when it began receiving personnel from the Tactical and Maintenance Squadron, Provisional, 40th at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. This squadron had been formed as a holding organization for personnel surplus to the needs of the 43d Bombardment Wing.[3][5] Once its personnel arrived at Smoky Hill, they began training with the 310th wing.[3][4]

The division monitored and coordinated the manning, equipping, and training of its assigned wings for global strategic air warfare, including bombardment and air refueling operations and participated in exercises.[1] In 1954, both of the division's wings transitioned into the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. Once the wings became combat ready in the B-47, they periodically deployed to advanced bases in England. During these deployments the wings came under the operational control of the 7th Air Division.[3][4]

In March 1957 Smoky Hill was renamed Schilling Air Force Base[6] in honor of Col. David C. Schilling, who had died in an automobile accident the previous year.[7] In June 1960 the 40th wing moved on paper to Forbes Air Force Base, where it assumed the personnel and B-47s of the 90th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, which was inactivated.[3][8] With only a single wing remaining at Schilling, the 802d was inactivated and the 310th wing became the base host organization.[1]

Lineage
  • Constituted as 802 Air Division on 9 May 1952
Activated on 28 May 1952
Discontinued on 20 June 1960[1]

Assignments

Stations
  • Smoky Hill Air Force Base (later Schilling Air Force Base), Kansas, 28 May 1952 – 20 June 1960[1]

Components

Wings

  • 40 Bombardment Wing: 28 May 1952 – 20 June 1960 (attached to 310th Bombardment Wing 6 February – 1 May 1953; 7th Air Division 9 June 1955 – 9 September 1955 and c. 1 July 1957 – c. 1 October 1957)
  • 310th Bombardment Wing: 28 May 1952 – 20 June 1960[1] (attached to 21st Air Division until 4 September 1952; 7th Air Division 10 March 1955 – 8 June 1955 and 3 October 1956 – 9 January 1957)[4]

Groups
  • 802d Air Base Group (later 802d Combat Support Group), 28 May 1952 – 20 June 1960
  • 802d Medical Group, 1 February 1959 – 20 June 1960

Squadrons

Other
  • 4166th USAF Hospital, 15 February 1954 – 1 February 1959 (attached to 802d Air Base Group after April 1954)[10]

Aircraft
  • Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1953 – 1954
  • Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker, 1953 – 1960
  • Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1954 – 1960[1]

Commanders

See also

References

Notes
  1. "Factsheet 802 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 11 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  2. "Abstract, History 802 Air Division May 1958". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  3. Ravenstein, pp. 68–69
  4. Ravenstein, pp. 158–159
  5. Mueller, p. 103
  6. "Abstract, History 802 Air Division Mar 1957". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  7. Newlon, Lt Col Clarke (January 1957). "The Man Who Gave Us a SAC-full of Fighters". Air Force Magazine Vol. 40 No. 1. Retrieved 14 March 2014.,
  8. Ravenstein, pp. 123–125
  9. "Abstract, History 802 Air Division". Air Force History Index. 1 March 1954. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  10. "Abstract, History 802 Air Division Nov 1955". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 3 April 2014.

Bibliography

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

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