42d Air Division
Encyclopedia
The 42d Air Division was a unit of the United States Air Force
. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991.
groups as part of Twelfth Air Force. The wing first saw combat in the invasion of Italy
, where its units flew close support missions to stop the German
counterattack on the beachhead at Salerno
during September 1943. As the Allied
forces progressed, the 42d took a leading part in interdicting Axis road and rail transport, and later in 1944, in the attacks
against the monastery
at Cassino. In August 1944, it supported the Allied landings in southern France. As the war drew to a close the 42d attacked German positions along the Siegfried Line
and, in support of the Allied forces in their sweep across southern Germany, bombed enemy strong points, and communications and supply facilities.
Reactivated an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command
in March 1951, the 42d Air Division equipped and trained its assigned units to conduct strategic air warfare using nuclear or conventional weapons anywhere in the world. It also trained and maintained air refueling assets. Tankers from units assigned to the 42d supported the Eielson Tanker Task Force and, over the years, occasionally deployed to Spain for Spanish Area Support. The division conducted numerous staff assistance visits and simulated no notice inspections, and participated in exercises such as Buy None and Global Shield.
Aircraft and personnel from units assigned to the division, at various times in the late 1960s and early 1970s, deployed to Southeast Asia and took part in Operation Arc Light
and Operation Young Tiger missions. Subordinate units of the 42d deployed aircraft and personnel in support of the war in Southeast Asia
.
Inactivated in 1991 as part of the Cold War
drawdown of USAF forces.
Groups
Squadrons
, 1940;
B-26 Marauder
, 1943–1945;
P-38 Lightning
, 1943.
B-36 Peacemaker
, 1951–1952;
F-84 Thunderjet
, 1951–1952.
B-36 Peacemaker, 1952–1957;
F-84 Thunderjet, 1952–1958;
KB-29 Superfortress, 1953–1957;
F-101 Voodoo
, 1957–1958;
KC-97 Stratotanker
, 1957–1958.
B-52 Stratofortress
, 1963–1969;
KC-135 Stratotanker
, 1963–1969;
Titan II (LGM-25C), 1963–1969;
EC-135
, 1966–1969.
B-52 Stratofortress, 1970, 1973–1988;
KC-135 Stratotanker, 1972–1988;
Titan II (LGM-25C), 1970, 1973–1982;
EC-135, 1970–1973, 1982–1988;
KC-10 Extender
, 1982–1988;
B-1 Lancer
, 1988–1991;
Minuteman-III (LGM-30G), 1988–1991.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991.
History
Activated in 1943 as the 42d Bombardment Wing and controlled B-26 MarauderB-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
groups as part of Twelfth Air Force. The wing first saw combat in the invasion of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where its units flew close support missions to stop the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
counterattack on the beachhead at Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
during September 1943. As the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
forces progressed, the 42d took a leading part in interdicting Axis road and rail transport, and later in 1944, in the attacks
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
against the monastery
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
at Cassino. In August 1944, it supported the Allied landings in southern France. As the war drew to a close the 42d attacked German positions along the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
and, in support of the Allied forces in their sweep across southern Germany, bombed enemy strong points, and communications and supply facilities.
Reactivated an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
in March 1951, the 42d Air Division equipped and trained its assigned units to conduct strategic air warfare using nuclear or conventional weapons anywhere in the world. It also trained and maintained air refueling assets. Tankers from units assigned to the 42d supported the Eielson Tanker Task Force and, over the years, occasionally deployed to Spain for Spanish Area Support. The division conducted numerous staff assistance visits and simulated no notice inspections, and participated in exercises such as Buy None and Global Shield.
Aircraft and personnel from units assigned to the division, at various times in the late 1960s and early 1970s, deployed to Southeast Asia and took part in Operation Arc Light
Operation Arc Light
Operation Arc Light was the 1965 deployment of B-52D Stratofortresses as conventional bombers from bases in the US to Guam to support ground combat operations in Vietnam...
and Operation Young Tiger missions. Subordinate units of the 42d deployed aircraft and personnel in support of the war in Southeast Asia
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Inactivated in 1991 as part of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
drawdown of USAF forces.
Lineage
- Established as 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943
- Activated on 16 February 1943
- Redesignated 42 Bombardment Wing (Medium) on 31 July 1943
- Redesignated 42 Bombardment Wing, Medium on 23 October 1944
- Inactivated on 25 October 1945
- Redesignated 42 Air Division on 2 March 1951
- Organized on 10 March 1951
- Discontinued on 16 June 1952
- Activated on 16 June 1952
- Inactivated on 8 January 1958
- Activated on 15 July 1959.
- Redesignated 42 Strategic Aerospace Division on 1 June 1962
- Redesignated 42 Air Division on 1 July 1963
- Inactivated on 2 July 1969
- Activated on 1 January 1970
- Inactivated on 9 July 1991
Assignments
- Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 16 February 1943 - Twelfth Air Force, 31 July 1943
- Northwest African Strategic Air Force, 21 August 1943
- XII Bomber CommandXII Bomber CommandThe XII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Twelfth Air Force, based in Corsica, France...
, 1 September 1943 - Fifteenth Air ForceFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
1 November 1943 - Twelfth Air Force, 1 January 1944
- XII Tactical Air CommandXII Tactical Air CommandThe XII Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, based at Bad Kissingen, Germany...
, 27 November 1944 - First Tactical Air Force (Provisional), 6 January 1945
- XII Tactical Air CommandXII Tactical Air CommandThe XII Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, based at Bad Kissingen, Germany...
, 21 May 1945 - United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in EuropeThe United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
, 26 July 1945
- Army Service ForcesArmy Service ForcesThe Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces. They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"...
(for inactivation), 13 25 October 1945 - Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, 10 March 1951 – 16 June 1952; 16 June 1952 - Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 1 April 1955 - Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, 1 July 1957 - Eighteenth Air ForceEighteenth Air ForceEighteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force component of the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It was activated on 1 October 2003 and headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois...
, 1 October 1957 - Twelfth Air Force, 1–8 January 1958
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 15 July 1959 – 2 July 1969 - Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 1 January 1970 - Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, 1 January 1975 – 9 July 1991
Components
Wings- 2nd Bombardment Wing: 1 July 1965 – 2 July 1969; 1 December 1982-16 June 1988
- 12 Fighter Escort (later, 12 Strategic Fighter; 12 Fighter Day) Wing12th Flying Training WingThe 12th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas...
: 9 April 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 20 July – 20 November 1951). 16 June 1952 – 8 January 1958 (detached 18 May – 10 August 1953 and 10 May – 7 August 1954) - 17th Bombardment Wing: 1 July 1973 – 30 September 1975
- 19th Bombardment (later, 19 Air Refueling) Wing: 30 June 1971 – 16 June 1988
- 27th Fighter Escort (later, 27 Strategic Fighter; 27 Fighter Bomber) Wing: 6 August 1951 – 16 June 1952. 16 June 1952 – 8 January 1958 (detached 6 October 1952 – 13 February 1953 and 7 May – 17 August 1955)
- 43rd Bombardment Wing: 1–31 January 1970
- 68th Bombardment Wing: 30 June 1971 – 30 September 1982
- 97th Bombardment Wing: 1 July 1963 – 2 July 1969. 1 January 1970 – 30 June 1971; 1 July 1973 – 16 June 1988
- 131st Fighter Bomber Wing: c. 10 March-c. 31 July 1951
- 301st Air Refueling Wing301st Air Refueling WingThe 301st Air Refueling Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force being last assigned to the Strategic Air Command at Malmstrom AFB, Montana. It was inactivated on 1 June 1992....
: 31 March 1970 – 1 July 1973; 1 July 1975 – 30 September 1979 - 305th Air Refueling Wing: 1 January 1970 – 1 July 1973; 1 December 1982 – 16 July 1988
- 306th Bombardment Wing: 30 June 1971 – 1 July 1974
- 308th Strategic Missile Wing: 1 January – 31 March 1970; 1 April 1973 – 1 December 1982
- 319th Bombardment Wing: 16 June 1988 – 9 July 1991
- 321st Strategic Missile Wing: 16 June 1988 – 9 July 1991
- 381st Strategic Missile Wing: 1 March 1962 – 1 July 1963
- 454th Bombardment Wing454th Bombardment WingThe 454th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 42d Air Division, stationed at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. It was inactivated on 25 July 1968....
: 1 July 1963 – 2 July 1969 - 4347st Combat Crew Training Wing: 15 July 1959 – 15 June 1963
- 4397th Air Refueling Training Wing4397th Air Refueling Training WingThe United States Air Force's 4397th Air Refueling Wing, Training was an Air Refueling training unit located at Randolph AFB, Texas. It operated the KC-97 Stratocruisers with an authorization for 40 aircraft....
: 15 July 1959 – 15 June 1962.
Groups
- 1st Fighter Group: 24 August – 15 December 1953
- 17th Bombardment Group: 24 August 1943 – 29 May 1945
- 31 Bombardment (French Air Force): attached 6 January – c. 1 May 1945
- 34 Bombardment (French Air Force): attached 6 January – c. 1 May 1945
- 68th Air Refueling Group: 30 September 1982 – 16 June 1988
- 319th Bombardment Group: 24 August 1943 – 10 November 1944
- 320th Bombardment Group: 24 August 1943 – 29 May 1945
- 325th Fighter Group: 24 August – 22 October 1943.
Squadrons
- 307th Air Refueling Squadron307th Air Refueling SquadronThe 307th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 410th Bombardment Wing, stationed at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan. It was inactivated on 1 August 1990.-History:...
, 1 Jul 1953 – 18 Nov 1953
Stations
- Birmingham Army Airfield, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, 22 February – 31 July 1943
- Deployed at Anniston Army Airfield, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, 16–30 June 1943- Ariana Airfield, Tunisia, 21 August 1943
- Elmas Airfield, Sardinia, 15 November 1943
- Borgo Airfield, Corsica, 21 September 1944
- Dijon-Longvic AirfieldDijon Bourgogne - Longvic AirportDijon Air Base is a Front-line French Air Force NATO air base. The base is located approximately east-southeast of Longvic; about southeast of Paris...
(Y-9), France, 24 November 1944 - Camp ShanksCamp ShanksCamp Shanks, named after Major General David Carey Shanks was a United States Army installation in and around Orangeburg in the Town of Orangetown, New York. Situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River, it served as a point of embarkation for troops departing overseas...
, New York, 24–25 October 1945
- Bergstrom AFB, Texas, 10 March 1951 – 16 June 1952; 16 June 1952-8 January 1958
- McConnell AFB, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 15 July 1959 - Blytheville AFB, ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, 1 July 1963 – 2 July 1969; 1 January 1970 - McCoy AFB, Florida, 30 June 1971
- Blytheville AFB (later, Eaker AFB), ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, 1 September 1973 - Grand Forks AFB, North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, 16 June 1988 – 9 July 1991
Aircraft and missiles
P-40 WarhawkCurtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
, 1940;
B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
, 1943–1945;
P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
, 1943.
B-36 Peacemaker
Convair B-36
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built , although there have...
, 1951–1952;
F-84 Thunderjet
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
, 1951–1952.
B-36 Peacemaker, 1952–1957;
F-84 Thunderjet, 1952–1958;
KB-29 Superfortress, 1953–1957;
F-101 Voodoo
F-101 Voodoo
The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
, 1957–1958;
KC-97 Stratotanker
KC-97 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker was a United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.-Design and development:...
, 1957–1958.
B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
, 1963–1969;
KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
, 1963–1969;
Titan II (LGM-25C), 1963–1969;
EC-135
Boeing EC-135
The Boeing EC-135 was a command & control version of the C-135 Stratolifter. Modified for the "Looking Glass" program, during the Cold War EC-135 were airborne 24 hours a day to serve as flying command platforms for the military in the event of nuclear war...
, 1966–1969.
B-52 Stratofortress, 1970, 1973–1988;
KC-135 Stratotanker, 1972–1988;
Titan II (LGM-25C), 1970, 1973–1982;
EC-135, 1970–1973, 1982–1988;
KC-10 Extender
KC-10 Extender
The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is the military adaptation of the three-engined DC-10 airliner for the United States Air Force . The KC-10 incorporates military-specific equipment for its primary roles of transport and aerial refueling. It was developed to supplement the KC-135 Stratotanker...
, 1982–1988;
B-1 Lancer
B-1 Lancer
The Rockwell B-1 LancerThe name "Lancer" is only applied to the B-1B version, after the program was revived. is a four-engine variable-sweep wing strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force...
, 1988–1991;
Minuteman-III (LGM-30G), 1988–1991.
Decorations
This unit earned the following unit decorations:- French Croix de GuerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
with Palm, April 1944 – June 1944.