57th Air Division

The 57th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force, based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It was inactivated on 24 June 1991.

Established as the 8th Pursuit Wing, it conducted training from 1940 to 1941. As a paper unit, it moved to India and then to Egypt in December 1942.

It finally gained personnel and aircraft, and became operational as the 8 Fighter Wing on 6 July 1942 and later as the 57 Bombardment Wing on 6 April 1943. Initially, the 57th flew close air support missions against enemy troops and gun emplacements in the vicinity of Anzio, Italy; later, it flew bombing missions against railway marshalling yards at Foligno, Littoria, and Terni, Italy. Between 19 March 1944 and 11 May 1944 the 57th took part in Operation Strangle to destroy Italian marshalling yards, railroad repair facilities and other rail targets such as bridges, tunnels, and viaducts. It continued to fly close air support and interdiction missions in Italy throughout the war, and supported the invasion of southern France on 15 August 1944. The unit was inactivated at the end of the war.

Reactivated as an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command in 1951, the 57th Air Division assumed a supervisory role of subordinate bombardment units. Its units trained to conduct long range bombardment, air refueling, and strategic reconnaissance operations around the world. Between 1965 and 1969, division units supported Operation Arc Light bombing and Operation Young Tiger air refueling operations in Southeast Asia. In 1980 the 57th reorganized to employ Strategic Air Command conventional strategic forces (bomber, tanker, and reconnaissance) in crisis situations worldwide.

It was inactivated in June 1991 due to budget constraints and the reduction of forces after the end of the Cold War.

Lineage

 * Established as 8th Pursuit Wing on 19 October 1940
 * Activated on 6 November 1940
 * Inactivated on 1 November 1941


 * Redesignated 8th Fighter Wing on 6 July 1942
 * Activated on 24 July 1942
 * Redesignated 57th Bombardment Wing on 6 April 1943
 * Inactivated on 12 September 1945


 * Redesignated 57th Air Division on 10 April 1951
 * Organized on 16 April 1951
 * Discontinued on 16 June 1952.
 * Inactivated on 16 June 1952


 * Activated on 16 June 1952
 * Inactivated on 2 July 1969


 * Activated on 22 January 1975
 * Inactivated on 14 June 1991

Assignments

 * General Headquarters Air Force, 6 November 1940
 * Southeast Air District (later, Third Air Force), 16 January 1941
 * Interceptor Command (of Third Air Force), 21 April 1941
 * III Interceptor Command, c. 1 July – 1 November 1941
 * IX Fighter Command, 24 July 1942
 * Attached to III Fighter Command, 26 July c. 28 October 1942


 * Ninth Air Force, 22 December 1942
 * Attached to IX Fighter Command, 22 December 1942 unknown 1943


 * Twelfth Air Force, c. 23 August 1943


 * XII Air Support Command, 31 August 1943
 * XII Bomber Command, 1 January 1944
 * Twelfth Air Force, 1 March 1944
 * Army Air Forces Service Command, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 15 August – 12 September 1945
 * Fifteenth Air Force, 16 April 1951 16 June 1952
 * Fifteenth Air Force, 16 June 1952
 * Eighth Air Force, 4 September 1956 2 July 1969
 * Fifteenth Air Force, 22 January 1975 14 June 1991.

Components

 * Strategic Air Command Wings


 * 17 Bombardment: 1 July 1965 – 2 July 1968
 * 19 Bombardment: 25 July 1968 – 2 July 1969
 * 68 Bombardment: 1 July 1964 – 1 July 1965; attached 10 August – 1 September 1966, assigned 2 September 1966 – 2 July 1969.
 * 92 Bombardment: 16 April 1951 – 16 June 1952. 16 June 1952 – 4 September 1956 (detached 14 October 1954-12 January 1955 and 26 April – 6 July 1956);
 * 98 Bombardment: 16 April 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 16 April 1951 – 16 June 1952). 16 June 1952 – 25 November 1953 (detached entire period)
 * 99 Strategic Reconnaissance (later, 99 Bombardment): 1 January 1953 – 2 July 1969 (detached 29 January – 25 April 1956; c. 1 October 1967-c. 1 April 1968 and c. 23 September 1968-c. 1 April 1969)


 * 111 Bombardment (later, 111 Strategic Reconnaissance): 21 April 1951 – 1 January 1953
 * 301 Air Refueling: 15 November 1965 – 2 July 1966
 * 416 Bombardment: 2 July – 2 September 1966 (detached 10 August – 2 September 1966)
 * 465 Bombardment: attached 10 August – 1 September 1966, assigned 2 September 1966 – 25 July 1968
 * 499 Air Refueling: 1 January 1963 – 25 June 1966
 * 4050 Air Refueling: 4 September 1956 – 1 January 1963.


 * Strategic Air Command 1975-1991
 * 5 Bombardment: 22 January 1975 – 14 June 1991
 * 28 Bombardment: 1 May 1982 – 23 January 1987
 * 44 Strategic Missile: 1 May 1982 – 23 January 1987
 * 55 Strategic Reconnaissance: 1 April 1980 – 1 October 1982
 * 91 Strategic Missile: 22 January 1975 – 14 June 1991
 * 92 Bombardment Wing: 23 January 1987 – 15 June 1988
 * 319 Bombardment: 22 January 1975 – 1 May 1982;
 * 321 Strategic Missile: 22 January 1975 – 1 May 1982; 23 January 1987 – 16 June 1988


 * Third Air Force Groups
 * 49 Pursuit: 24 May – 2 October 1941 (detached 6 August – 2 October 1941)


 * Twelfth Air Force Groups
 * 12 Bombardment: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944)
 * 47 Bombardment: 6 October – 10 December 1943 (detached entire period)
 * 57 Fighter: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached entire period)
 * 79 Fighter: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached entire period)
 * 321 Bombardment: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached 4 November 1943 – 1 January 1944) 1 March 1944 – 12 September 1945 (detached 20 August – 12 September 1945)
 * 340 Bombardment: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944 (detached 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944); 1 March 1944 – 26 July 1945.
 * 310 Bombardment: 15 March 1944 – 12 September 1945 (detached 20 August – 12 September 1945)
 * 319 Bombardment: 10 November 1944 – 10 January 1945

Stations

 * Maxwell Field, Alabama, 6 November 1940
 * West Palm Beach AB (later, Morrison Field), Florida, 16 May – 1 November 1941


 * Drew Field, Florida, 24 July – 29 October 1942
 * Bombay airport, India, 29 November 1942
 * Deolali, India, 3 December 1942
 * Port Tewfik (Suez), Egypt, 22 December 1942
 * Landing Ground 91 (near Cairo), Egypt, 23 December 1942
 * RAF Kabrit, Egypt, 12 February 1943
 * RAF Deversoir, Egypt, 5 June 1943


 * Tunis, Tunisia, 28 August 1943
 * Lentini, Sicily, 4 September 1943


 * Capodichino Airport, Naples, Italy, 7 October 1943
 * Foggia Airfield, Italy, 29 October 1943
 * Pollena Trocchia (Naples), Italy, 4 January 1944
 * Ghisonaccia Airfield, Corsica, 20 April 1944
 * Migliacharo, Corsica, c. 5 October 1944
 * Fano Airfield, Italy, 7 April 1945
 * Pomigliano Airfield, Italy, 23 August – 12 September 1945
 * Fairchild AFB, Washington, 16 April 1951
 * Westover AFB, Massachusetts, 4 September 1956 – 2 July 1969
 * Minot AFB, North Dakota, 22 January 1975 – 14 June 1991.

Honors

 * Campaign Streamers: World War II: Naples Foggia (Air); Rome Arno..

Emblem
Per bend azure and gules, a bend argent between in chief a globe of the third lined sable emitting three lightning flashes or and issuing from base a hand holding a torch of the fourth garnished of the fifth flammant of the second and silver. (Approved 7 April 1954). ].

Aerospace vehicles

 * P-35, 1941;
 * P-40 Warhawk, 1941.
 * B-25 Mitchell, 1941–1945;
 * B-26 Marauder, 1944.
 * B-26 Invader, 1951;
 * B-29 Superfortress, 1951–1952;
 * RB-29 Superfortress, 1951–1952;
 * B-36 "Peacemaker", 1951–1954, 1954–1956;
 * RB-36 "Peacemaker", 1952–1956;
 * GRB-36 "Peacemaker", 1955–1956;
 * RF-84 Thunderflash, 1955–1956;


 * B-52 Stratofortress, 1956–1969;
 * KC-97 Stratotanker, 1956–1965;
 * KC-135 Stratotanker, 1957–1969;
 * EC-135 Looking Glass, 1964–1969.
 * B-52 Stratofortress, 1975–1991;
 * KC-135 Stratotanker, 1975–1991;
 * Minuteman III, 1975–1991;
 * C-135 Stratolifter, 1980–1982;
 * E-4B Advanced Airborne Command Post, 1980–1982;
 * EC-135 Looking Glass, 1980–1982;
 * RC-135 Cobra Ball, 1980–1982;
 * Minuteman II, 1982–1987.