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329th Armament Systems Group

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329th Armament Systems Group 4th Air ForceAirdefensecommand-logo Air Force Materiel Command
File:329th Armament Systems Group.png
Emblem of the 329th Armament Systems Group
Active 1942-1944, 1955–1959, 2005-
Country Flag of the United States United States
Branch Flag of the United States Air Force United States Air Force
Type Systems Development
Part of Air Force Materiel Command
Air Armament Center

The 329th Armament Systems Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last assigned to the Air Armament Center at Eglin AFB, Florida. It was inactivated in 2007.

History[]

World War II[]

The group was activated in 1942 under Fourth Air Force as the 329th Fighter Group, with the 330th,[1] 331st,[2] and 332d Fighter Squadrons[3] assigned.[4]

At first, the group was primarily a replacement training group training P-38 Lightning pilots in the final phases of fighter pilot training before shipping overseas.[4][5] In November 1942, the 337th Fighter Squadron returned to the US from Iceland and was assigned to the wing.[6] The group's squadrons were dispersed for most of this period, stationed at various locations in California and Washington.[1][2][3][6] The group also provided cadres for fighter groups, starting in early 1943.[1][2][3][4][6] During 1943, its 330th Fighter Squadron also served as an air defense unit.[1] The group was disbanded in 1944[4] and its personnel and equipment transferred to the 442d AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter)[7] as part of an Army Air Forces (AAF) reorganization in which units not programmed to deploy overseas were replaced by AAF Base Units in order to free up manpower for overseas assignment because standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the mission. Accordingly a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[8]

Cold War[]

The group was reconstituted in 1955 as the 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and activated[4] by Air Defense Command (ADC) as part of 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 replaced the 4700th Air Defense Group[10] at Stewart AFB and absorbed the 4700th's personnel and equipment. The 330th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS) was reassigned to the 329th,[1] and the 331st FIS replaced[2] the 539th FIS, which moved to McGuire AFB, New Jersey,[11] since another purpose of Project Arrow was to reunite fighter groups with their traditional squadrons.[9] The group was tasked with air defense of upper Northeast United States (1955–1959) flying radar equipped and rocket armed F-86 Sabres.[12][13] The group also served as the host organization for all USAF units stationed at Stewart and was assigned a number of support organizations to fulfil this mission.[14][15][16]

369thfig-patch

Patch of 329th Fighter Group(Air Defense)

In December 1956, both of the group's squadrons began to receive upgraded Sabres equipped with data link communications equipment to interface with the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense system.[13] The group was reduced to a single operational squadron in August 1958, when the 331st FIS moved and was reassigned.[2] In July of the following year, its remaining operational squadron was inactivated[1] and the group and its support squadrons followed the next month.[4][14][16][17][18]

Modern Era[]

In 2006, the group was reactivated and consolidated with the Air Combat Support Systems Group, which had been established as a systems development group at Eglin AFB, Florida[12] as part of the Air Force Materiel Command Transformation, which replaced traditional program offices with named wings, groups, and squadrons. Starting in 2006, these named units were consolidated with World War II groups and wings and assumed their numbers. The group was inactivated in 2007, when the Air Armament Center reduced and realigned its systems units and its subordinate squadrons transferred to other armament systems groups.

Lineage[]

329th Fighter Group

  • Constituted as 329th Fighter Group on 24 June 1942[4]
Activated on 10 July 1942
Redesignated 329th Fighter Group (Twin Engine) on 17 September 1942[12]
Disbanded on 31 March 1944.
  • Redesignated 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense), on 20 June 1955
Activated on 18 August 1955
Inactivated on 1 August 1959.
  • Redesignated 329th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985 (remained inactive)[12]
  • Consolidated with Air Combat Support Systems Group as Air Combat Support Systems Group on 3 May 2006

Air Combat Support Systems Group[12]

  • Constituted as Air Combat Support Systems Group on 23 November 2004
Activated on 27 January 2005
  • Consolidated with 329th Fighter Group (Air Defense) on 3 May 2006
Redesignated 329th Armament Systems Group on 15 May 2006
Inactivated on 7 September 2007

Assignments[]

Stations[]

  • Hamilton Field, California, 10 July 1942[4]
  • Paine Field, Washington, 14 July 1942[4]
  • Grand Central Airport Glendale California,11 September 1942[4]
  • Ontario Army Airfield, California, 27 February – 31 March 1944[4]
  • Stewart AFB, New York, 18 August 1955 – 1 August 1959[4]
  • Eglin AFB, Florida, 27 January 2005 – present[12]

Components[]

Operational Squadrons

  • 330th Fighter Squadron (later 330th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron): 10 July 1942 – 31 March 1944, 18 August 1955 - 1 July 1959
  • 331st Fighter Squadron (later 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron): 10 July 1942 – 31 March 1944, 18 August 1955 - 15 August 1958
  • 332d Fighter Squadron: 10 July 1942 – 31 March 1944
  • 337th Fighter Squadron: 26 November 1942 – 31 March 1944[19]

Support Units

  • 329th USAF Infirmary (later 329th USAF Dispensary), 18 August 1955 - 1 August 1959[15][17]
  • 329th Air Base Squadron, 18 August 1955 - 1 August 1959[16]
  • 329th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 8 July 1957 - 1 August 1959[18]
  • 329th Materiel Squadron, 18 August 1955 - 1 August 1959[14]

Systems Squadrons

  • Agile Combat Support Systems Squadron (later 688th Armament Systems Squadron), 27 January 2005 - 7 September 2007
  • Sensors, Data Link, & Ground Stations Systems Squadron (later 689th Armament Systems Squadron), 27 January 2005 - 7 September 2007

Aircraft[]

  • P-38 Lightning, 1942-1944
  • F-86D Sabre, 1955-1959
  • F-86L Sabre, 1956-1959

Campaigns[]

Notes and References[]

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

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Maurer, Maurer, ed (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 407. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/combat_sq_of_the_af_wwii.pdf. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 408-409
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 410
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 Maurer, Maurer, ed (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 210. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/af_combat_units_wwii.pdf. 
  5. ↑ Abstract, History of 329th Fighter Group, Activation-Dec 1943 (accessed 30 May 2012)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 417
  7. ↑ Abstract, History of 329th Fighter Group, 1942-1944 (accessed 30 May 2012)
  8. ↑ Goss, William A (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F & Cate, James L. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. p. 75. LCCN 48-3657. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Buss, (ed), Sturm, Volan, & McMullen, History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, p.6
  10. ↑ Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946-1980. Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. p. 88. http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/handbookofadcorg.pdf. 
  11. ↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 645-646
  12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 AFHRA Factsheet, 329th Armament Systems Group (accessed 29 May 2012)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Cornett & Johnson, p. 126
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Cornett & Johnson, p. 145
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Abstract, History of 329th USAF Infirmary, Jul-Dec 1955 (accessed 30 May 2012)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Abstract, History of 329th Air Base Squadron, Jan 1958-Jun 1959 (accessed 30 May 2012)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Abstract, History of 329th USAF Dispensary, Jan-Jul 1959 (accessed 30 May 2012)
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Cornett & Johnson, p.139
  19. ↑ AFHRA Factsheet, 337th Flight Test Squadron (retrieved May 30, 2012
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