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21st Air Division
USAF - 21st Air Division
Emblem of the 21st Air Division
Active 1942–1983
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Role Command and Control
Part of Tactical Air Command (ADTAC)
21st AD - Map

21st Air Division ADC/TAC/NORAD Region AOR 1966–1983

60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron McDonnell F-101B 57-0364 1970

60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron McDonnell F-101B-95-MC Voodoo Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 1970.

The 21st Air Division (21st AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, being stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 23 September 1983.

History[]

World War II[]

Initially established in 1942 as the 21st Bombardment Wing, the organization functioned as a staging wing for Second Air Force, and later as a command, processing heavy bombardment crews and aircraft for overseas movement, and then processing men returning from overseas, from 1942–1946. From December 1946, it performed routine training duties in the Air Force Reserve through 27 June 1949 when it was inactivated due to budget reductions.

Strategic Air Command[]

Reactivated as an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command in February 1951 at Forbes AFB, Kansas. The 21st Air Division controlled B-47 Stratojet medium bombardment wings at Forbes AFB, Kansas and Lake Charles AFB, Louisiana. It was responsible for aircrew training, bomber replacement crews, and replacements for strategic reconnaissance slots until September 1964 when the B-47 was phased out of the inventory.

Air Defense Command[]

The command was reactivated by Air Defense Command (ADC) in January 1966 at McGuire AFB, New Jersey as one of ten new Air Divisions organized by the command to replace inactivating Air Defense Sectors in an organizational realignment. Assumed additional designation of 21st NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado and reporting was transferred to NORAD from ADC at Ent AFB in April 1966.

Under ADC the 21st AD was placed under First Air Force and assumed the jurisdiction of the former New York Air Defense Sector, controlling interceptor and radar units over eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the New York City/Long Island area and the coast of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including Cape Cod. This included operations of the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) blockhouse DC-01. During this time, it participated in air defense training exercises, accomplished live and simulated intercepts, and directed numerous flying sorties until inactivation in December 1967 as part of an ADC consolidation of intermediate level command and control organizations, driven by budget reductions required to fund USAF operations in Southeast Asia.

The 21st AD was re-activated in November 1969 under Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) at Hancock Field, New York. The command provided air defense over most of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and the New England area, commanding interceptor and radar stations. Also included were ADCOM radar stations located in Newfoundland, Canada. In addition command of the SAGE DC-03/CC-01 blockhouse was assumed by the 21st AD, as well as CIM-10 Bomarc surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile squadrons near Otis AFB, Massachusetts, Niagara Falls, New York and McGuire AFB, New Jersey.

In 1975, a new JCS Unified Command Plan designated Air Defense Command as a specified command and changed its name to the Aerospace Defense Command (ADCOM) on 1 July 1975. Air Defense ADCOM was reorganized on 1 October 1979. The atmospheric defense resources (interceptors and warning radars) of ADCOM. including the 21st AD were reassigned to Tactical Air Command (ADTAC). It moved to Griffiss AFB, New York in 1983 when Hancock Field was closed.

In 1983, when the air defense mission of CONUS was reassigned to the Air National Guard, the 21st Air Division (ADTAC) was inactivated.

Lineage[]

  • Established as 21st Bombardment Wing on 16 December 1942
Activated on 22 December 1942
Redesignated I Staging Command on 27 September 1945
Inactivated on 3 April 1946
  • Activated in the Reserve on 20 December 1946
Redesignated: 21st Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 31 December 1946
Redesignated: 21st Air Division, Bombardment on 16 April 1948
Inactivated on 27 June 1949
  • Redesignated 21st Air Division on 5 February 1951
Activated on 16 February 1951
Inactivated on 8 April 1952
Organized on 8 April 1952
Discontinued on 16 October 1952
  • Activated on 16 October 1952
Redesignated 21st Strategic Aerospace Division on 15 February 1962
Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 September 1964
  • Reactivated on 20 January 1966
Organized on 1 April 1966, replacing New York Air Defense Sector
Assumed additional designations 21st NORAD/CONRAD Region, 1 April 1966
Discontinued, and inactivated, on 31 December 1967
  • Re-established and activated on 19 November 1969
Assumed additional designation 21st ADCOM Region, 8 December 1978
Inactivated on 23 September 1983, assets transferred to Northeast Air Defense Sector

Assignments[]

Stations[]

Components[]

World War II[]

  • 48th Staging Wing: 18 July 1945-c. 21 March 1946

Strategic Air Command[]

Forbes AFB, Kansas, 20 June 1960 – 1 September 1964
Lake Charles AFB, Louisiana, 4 August 1951 – 8 April 1952. 8 April – 16 June 1952
Forbes AFB, Kansas, 1–16 October 1952; 16 October 1952 – 1 September 1964
Lake Charles AFB, Louisiana, 10 October 1951 – 8 April 1952. 8 April-c. 15 May 1952

Forbes AFB, Kansas, 14 March 1951 – 8 April 1952. 8 April – 16 October 1952. 16 October 1952 – 20 June 1960.
Forbes AFB, Kansas, attached: 10 October 1951 – 8 April 1952; 8–17 April 1952
Forbes AFB, Kansas, attached: 28 March – 4 September 1952
Forbes AFB, Kansas, attached: 1 June – 10 October 1951

Air Defense Command[]

Fighter-Interceptor units[]
Suffolk County AFB, New York, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967
Otis AFB, Massachusetts, 4–31 December 1969

Loring AFB, Maine, 19 November 1969 – 1 July 1971
Griffiss AFB, New York, 19 November 1969 – 23 September 1983
Otis AFB, Massachusetts, 19 November 1969 – 30 April 1971
Loring AFB, Maine, 1 July 1971 – 30 June 1972

K. I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan1 Aug 1981-23 September 1983
Dover AFB, Delaware, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967
McGuire AFB, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 31 August 1967

Missile units[]
Otis AFB, Massachusetts, 19 November 1969 – 30 April 1972
Niagara Falls Air Force Missile Site, New York, 19 November – 31 December 1969
McGuire AFB, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967; 19 November 1969 – 31 October 1972
Radar units[]
Thule AB, Greenland, 1 October 1976 – 1 October 1979
North Truro AFS, Massachusetts, 1 March 1970 – 1 January 1974
Charleston AFS, Maine, 1 March 19790-1 January 1974

Otis AFB, Massachusetts, 1 October 1978 – 1 October 1979
Stephenville AS, Newfoundland, Canada, 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971
Melville AS, Labrador, Canada, 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971
Highlands AFS, New Jersey, 1 April – 1 July 1966
Benton AFS, Pennsylvania, 19 November 1969 – 30 June 1975
Watertown AFS, New York, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978
Saratoga Springs AFS, 19 November 1969 – 30 June 1977
Palermo AFS, New Jersey, 19 November 1969 – 30 May 1970
Lockport AFS, New York, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978

Saint Albans AFS, Vermont, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978
Charleston AFS, Maine, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978
Caswell AFS, Maine, 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978
Gibbsboro AFS, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967; 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978
Montauk AFS, New Jersey, 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1967; 19 November 1969 – 8 December 1978
Bucks Harbor AFS, Maine, 19 November 1969 – 30 June 1979
Saglek AS, Labrador, Canada, 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971

Air Base units[]
  • 4683d Air Base Group
Thule AB, Greenland, 31 December 1969 – 31 March 1977
  • 4684th Air Base Group
Sondrestrom AB, Greenland, 31 December 1969 – 1 December 1979

Emblem[]

The Division's emblem consists of a Shield divided by a diagonal line from the upper right to middle left, light blue and white, a sword slanting from upper left to lower right, the point to lower right base, the hilt and pommel yellow encircled with five stars, yellow, the lower blade of the sword over a branch of olive in base green. (Approved 17 July 1952)

See also[]

References[]

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

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 21st Air Division and the edit history here.
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