13 Strategic Missile Division

13 Strategic Missile Division
Emblem of the 13 Strategic Missile Division
Active	1940–1966
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Strategic Missile Command and Control

The 13 Strategic Missile Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, based at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. It was inactivated on 2 July 1966.

History

Heraldry

Light blue, issuant from base a sphere light green with land areas vert, grid lined azure, the sinister quarter of the last with grid lines of the field, above the sphere in chief an olive branch arched fesswise or, overall an aircraft and a missile bendwise each trailing speedlines of the like and all within a diminished border of the last. (Approved 4 January 1961.)

Lineage

• Established as 13 Composite Wing on 2 October 1940

Activated on 10 October 1940

Inactivated on 25 October 1941

• Redesignated: 13 Bombardment Wing on 23 August 1942

Activated on 1 October 1942

Redesignated: 13 Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 1 February 1943

Redesignated: 13 Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 30 August 1943

Redesignated: 13 Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 24 August 1944

Redesignated: 13 Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 18 June 1945

Redesignated: 13 Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 17 August 1945

Inactivated on 17 October 1945

• Redesignated: 13 Air Division on 20 May 1959

Activated on 1 July 1959

Redesignated: 13 Strategic Missile Division on 1 January 1963

Discontinued, and inactivated, on 2 July 1966.

Assignments

• Unknown, 10 October 1940
• Panama Canal (later, Caribbean) Air Force, c. 1 November 1940 – 25 October 1941
• Third Air Force, 1 October 1942
• Eighth Air Force, c. 1 June 1943
• VIII Bomber Command, 4 June 1943
• VIII Fighter Command, Unknown

• 3d Air Division, 16 July 1945
• Second Air Force, c. 15 August 1945 – 17 October 1945
• Fifteenth Air Force, 1 July 1959
• Eighth Air Force, 1 July 1963
• Fifteenth Air Force, 1 July 1965 – 2 July 1966.

Components

Wings

• 90 Strategic Missile: 1 July 1963 – 2 July 1966
• 389 Strategic Missile: 1 July 1961 – 25 March 1965
• 451 Strategic Missile: 1 July 1961 – 25 June 1965
• 703 Strategic Missile: 1 July 1959 – 1 July 1961
• 706 Strategic Missile: 1 July 1959 – 1 July 1961

Squadron

• 34 Air Refueling: 1 July 1965 – 25 June 1966.

Groups

• 25th Bombardment Group: 1 November 1940-c. 6 January 1941
• 36th Pursuit Group: January-3 June 1941
• 40th Bombardment Group: 1 May – 25 October 1941
• 95th Bombardment Group: September 1943-c. 19 June 1945
• 100th Bombardment Group: c. September 1943-c. December 1945
• 390th Bombardment Group: 13 September 1943-c. 4 August 1945
• 490th Bombardment Group: c. March–August 1945
• 493d Bombardment Group: c. March–August 1945.

Stations

• Langley Field, Virginia, 10–26 October 1940
• Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico, 1 November 1940
• San Juan, Puerto Rico, c. 6 January 1941
• Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico, c. 1 May – 25 October 1941
• MacDill Field, Florida, 1 October 1942-c. 10 May 1943
• Marks Hall, England, c. 2 June 1943

• Camp Blainey, England, c. 13 June 1943
• RAF Horham, England, 13 September 1943-c. 6 August 1945
• Sioux Falls AAF, South Dakota, c. 15 August 1945
• Peterson Field, Colorado, 17 August – 17 October 1945
• Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, 1 July 1959 – 2 July 1966.

Aircraft and Missiles

• B-18 Bolo, 1940–1941
• B-17 Flying Fortress, 1941, 1943–1945
• B-26 Marauder, 1941
• P-39 Aircobra, 1941
• P-40 Warhawk, 1941

• SM-65 Atlas, 1960–1965
• Titan I, 1962–1965
• LGM-30 Minuteman I, 1964–1966
• EC-135, 1965–1966
• KC-135, 1965–1966.

Operations

Activated in the United States in October 1940, the wing moved to Puerto Rico where it remained until inactivated in October 1941.

Following second activation, it moved in May 1943 to England for duty with the Eighth Air Force. Groups assigned in September 1943 began strategic bombing of enemy aircraft, petroleum, and ball bearing industries as well as German airfields. Later, organizational units took part in the famous raid against the ball bearing industry at Schweinfurt in October 1943 and followed with missions against shipyards and shipbuilding installations at Wilhelmshaven and Bremen.

During the 1960s, the division organized, manned, trained, and equipped several strategic missile wings in Wyoming.

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• 13 Strategic Missile Division Factsheet, AFRHA