8th Air Division

The 8th Air Division (8th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at McClellan Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 1957.

8th Air Division
Lockheed EC-121D as flown by the division
Active1949-1957
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleCommand and Control
Part ofAir Defense Command
Insignia
8th Air Division emblem (approved 21 June 1957)[1]

History

The 8th AD was established in 1949. Its initial assignment was the air defense of North and South Carolina under Fourteenth Air Force. It was inactivated in 1950 with its air defense mission taken over by Eastern Air Defense Force.

In 1954 it was re-activated under Western Air Defense Force with a mission of being the command and control organization for Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) units of Air Defense Command. Its mission also included the training and equipping of Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star AEW&C units.

Division components flew early warning missions in "flying radar stations" off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States until its inactivation in July 1957, its mission being taken over directly by the Western Air Defense Force.[1]

Lineage

  • Established as the 8th Air Division (Tactical) on 7 April 1949
Activated on 1 May 1949.
Inactivated on 1 August 1950
  • Redesignated 8th Air Division (Airborne Early Warning and Control) on 19 April 1954
Activated on 1 May 1954
Inactivated on 1 July 1957[1]

Assignments

Stations

Components

Wings

Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts
McClellan Air Force Base, California

Squadrons

McClellan Air Force Base, California
McClellan Air Force Base, California
  • 4701st Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron: 1 May 1954 – 8 March 1955
McClellan Air Force Base, California
  • 4712th Airborne Early Warning and Control: 25 May 1954 – 8 March 1955.
McClellan Air Force Base, California

See also

References

Notes

  1. "Factsheet 8 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 9 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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