4th Air Division

The 4th Air Division (4th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. It was inactivated on 23 August 1988.

As the 4th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the primary B-17 Flying Fortress heavy strategic bombardment wings of VIII Bomber Command and later, Eighth Air Force in World War II.

During the Cold War, the 4th AD was an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command, controlling strategic bombardment and intercontinental strategic missile wings until inactivated in 1988.

Lineage

 * Established as 4 Bombardment Wing on 19 October 1940
 * Activated on 18 December 1940
 * Inactivated on 1 October 1941


 * Activated on 7 June 1942
 * Redesignated as: 4 Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 30 August 1943
 * Redesignated as: 4 Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 24 August 1944
 * Disestablished on 18 June 1945


 * Reestablished, and redesignated 4 Bombardment Wing, Light on 31 December 1946
 * Activated in the Reserve on 20 December 1946
 * Redesignated 4 Air Division, Bombardment on 16 April 1948
 * Inactivated on 27 June 1949


 * Redesignated 4 Air Division on 1 February 1951
 * Organized (Table of Distribution) on 10 February 1951
 * Discontinued on 16 June 1952


 * Activated (Table of Organization) on 16 June 1952
 * Redesignated as: 4 Strategic Aerospace Division on 1 September 1964
 * Redesignated as: 4 Strategic Missile Division on 30 June 1971
 * Redesignated as: 4 Air Division on 1 March 1973
 * Inactivated on 23 August 1988.

Assignments

 * General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force, 18 December 1940 – 1 October 1941.
 * Apparently further assigned to Northeast Air District (later, First Air Force) c. 16 January 1941


 * VIII Bomber Command, 7 June 1942
 * 3d Bombardment Division, 13 September 1943 – 18 June 1945
 * First Air Force, 20 December 1946 – 27 June 1949
 * Second Air Force, 16 June 1952
 * Fifteenth Air Force, 31 March 1970 – 23 August 1988.

Components
Wings
 * 2 Bombardment: 1 April 1963 – 1 September 1964
 * 28 Bombardment: 15 January 1973 – 1 May 1982
 * 44 Strategic Missile: 30 June 1971 – 1 May 1982; 23 January 1987 – 15 July 1988
 * 55 Strategic Reconnaissance: 1 October 1976 – 1 April 1980
 * 90 Strategic Missile: 30 June 1971 – 23 August 1988
 * 91 Strategic Reconnaissance (later, 91 Strategic Missile): 10 February – 11 September 1951; 30 June 1971 – 30 November 1972
 * 92 Strategic Aerospace: 31 March 1970 – 30 June 1971
 * 97 Bombardment: 1 July 1959 – 1 July 1963
 * 301 Bombardment (later, 301 Air Refueling): 10 February 1951 – 15 April 1958 (detached 3 December 1951 – c. 4 March 1953; c. 10 February-c. 17 April 1954); 5 January – 23 August 1988
 * 319 Bombardment: 1 September 1964 – 30 June 1971; 15 January 1973 – 22 January 1975; 1 May 1982 – 23 January 1987
 * 321 Strategic Missile: 1 November 1964 – 22 January 1975; 1 May 1982 – 23 January 1987
 * 340 Bombardment: 1 September 1963 – 1 September 1964 (detached c. 1–31 August 1964). 321 Strategic Missile: 1 November 1964 – 22 January 1975; 1 May 1982 – 23 January 1987
 * 341 Strategic Missile: 30 June 1971 – 15 January 1973; 23 January 1987 – 23 August 1988
 * 351 Strategic Missile: 30 June 1971 – 1 July 1973
 * 376 Bombardment: 1 June 1951 – 3 December 1957 (detached 1 June – 10 October 1951)
 * 401 Provisional Combat Wing Bombardment: 6 June – 14 September 1943
 * 410 Bombardment: 1 September 1964 – 31 March 1970
 * 454 Bombardment: 1 February – 1 July 1963
 * 494 Bombardment: 1 July 1963 – 1 July 1964
 * 4130 Strategic: 1 July-l September 1963
 * 4228 Strategic: 1 July 1958 – 1 February 1963
 * 4238 Strategic: 1 March 1958 – 1 April 1963.

Groups
 * 34th Bombardment Group: 18 August-c. 1 October 1941
 * 43d Bombardment Group: August-5 September 1941
 * 94th Bombardment Group: 13 June 1943 – 6 January 1945
 * 95th Bombardment Group: July-13 September 1943
 * 96th Bombardment Group: c. May-c. September 1943
 * 100th Bombardment Group: 6 June 1943 – 1 January 1944
 * 319th Bombardment Group: 17 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
 * 320th Bombardment Group: 17 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
 * 385th Bombardment Group: c. June 1943-c. August 1945
 * 388th Bombardment Group: c. July 1943-c. August 1945
 * 390th Bombardment Group: c. July-13 September 1943
 * 447th Bombardment Group: c. November 1943-c. June 1945
 * 486th Bombardment Group: c. January-c. June 1945
 * 487th Bombardment Group: c. January-c. August 1945

Squadron
 * 376th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 June 1951 – 20 May 1952; 1 December 1957 – 15 April 1958.

Stations

 * Mitchel Field, New York, 18 December 1940
 * Westover Field, Massachusetts, 20 March – 1 October 1941; 7 June 1942
 * Bolling Field, DC, c. 28 July c. 28 August 1942
 * RAF High Wycombe (Camp Lynn) (AAF-101), England, 12 September 1942
 * Marks Hall (AAF-160), England, 18 January 1943
 * Camp Blainey, England, June 1943


 * RAF Bury St Edmunds (AAF-468), England, 13 September 1943 – 18 June 1945
 * Mitchel Field, New York, 20 December 1946 – 27 June 1949
 * Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 10 February 1951 16 June 1952; 16 June 1952 – 1 September 1964
 * Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, 1 September 1964
 * Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, 30 June 1971 – 23 August 1988

Aircraft and missiles

 * A-29 Hudson 1941;
 * B-17 Flying Fortress 1941;
 * B-18 Bolo 1941;
 * LB-30 1941.
 * B-17 Flying Fortress 1943–1945.
 * B/RB-45 Tornado 1951;
 * RB-50 Superfortress 1951;
 * B-29 Superfortress 1951 – 1952;
 * KB-29 Superfortress 1951 – 1952.
 * B-29 Superfortress 1952 – 1954;
 * KB-29 Superfortress 1952 – 1953;
 * B-47 Stratojet 1953 – 1958;
 * KC-97 Stratotanker 1953 – 1958;


 * B/E/EB-47 Stratojet 1954 – 1957;
 * RB-47 Stratojet 1958;
 * B-52 Stratofortress 1959 – 1988;
 * KC-135 Stratotanker 1959 – 1988;
 * LGM-30A Minuteman I 1963 – 1974;
 * LGM-30F Minuteman II 1965 – 1988;
 * LGM 30G Minuteman III 1971 – 1972 1973 – 1988;
 * C-135 Stratolifter 1977 – 1980;
 * E-4 Nightwatch 1977 – 1980;
 * EC-135 Looking Glass 1977 – 1982;
 * RC-135 Rivet Joint 1977 – 1980;
 * LGM-118A Peacekeeper 1986 – 1988.

Operations
The 4th Bombardment Wing moved to England in 1943 and as a part of Eighth Air Force began bombing operations against German occupied Europe. Targets included shipyards, synthetic rubber plants, chemical plants, marshalling yards, and oil facilities. In 1944, some subordinate units attacked coastline defenses and marshalling yards in preparation for the Allied invasion of France. Some units supported ground troops during the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 – January 1945) and the assault across the Rhine (March 1945 – April 1945).

In the postwar years, the command was part of Air Defense Command assigned as a reserve wing assigned to First Air Force (1946–1949)

Rectivated in 1951 as an intermediate command echelon of Strategic Air Command, the 4th Air Division was part of Second Air Force, controlling B-29, B-50 and B-47 wings. In 1962, units controlled by the 4th Air Division supported 2d Air Force's post attack command and control system, and became responsible for the Advanced Airborne Command Post. It participated in the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and trained in electronic countermeasures and conducted combat operations in Southeast Asia in the late 1960s.

Reassigned to SAC's Fifteenth Air Force in 1970, the 4th assured that assigned units were capable of conducting strategic aerospace warfare using intercontinental ballistic missiles, long-range bombardment, and air refueling resources, according to the Emergency War Order. In addition, the division assumed airborne command and control responsibilities that consisted of supporting auxiliary airborne command post aircraft.

Inactivated in 1988 as a result of budget reductions and a consolidation of SAC's command and control echelons.