64th Air Division

The 64th Air Division (64th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 1 July 1963.

World War II
The organization was established during the early days of World War II as an air defense command and control wing assigned to First Air Force at Mitchel Field, New York.

By February 1943, it was clear that no German planes were heading to attack the East Coast, and the organization was realigned to become a command and control organization for Twelfth Air Force, engaged in combat as part of the North African Campaign. The wing moved to North Africa in February 1943 and supported combat operations with a warning and control system, and, occasionally, augmenting the operations section of the XII Air Support Command in the Tunisian campaign.

During the Sicilian and Italian campaigns (1943–1944), it administered fighter and fighter-bomber support to ground forces in a wide range of operations that included cover patrols, battle-area patrols, invasion coverage, escort missions, dive bombing missions, and reconnaissance. In Italy, the 64th directed close air support operations against enemy objectives in advance of Allied troops. Its primary targets included enemy gun positions, road junctions, traffic concentrations, assembly areas, bridges, and targets of opportunity.

In August 1944 during the invasion of southern France, wing personnel, applying techniques developed in the invasion of Sicily and Italy, controlled air operations while aboard ships patrolling the assault beaches. With the landing of troops, a beachhead control unit directed aircraft to hit enemy strong points, ammunition dumps, troop concentrations, road intersections, supply lines, and communications. As Allied forces advanced northward along the Rhone valley, the wing implemented a plan to give more rapid support to the ground troops. Forward control units, equipped with the latest in air ground communications, directed sector air ground support. During the operations in France and Germany (1944–1945), the 64th continued to coordinate the close air-ground support of its fighter aircraft.

After the end of hostilities in May 1945, the wing served in the occupation of Germany as part of the XII Tactical Air Command, United States Air Forces in Europe. In Occupied Germany the wing performed many occupation duties such as destroying captured enemy aircraft, repairing roads, bridges and processing Prisoners of War. It also commanded combat units which were inactivating and sending their aircraft to storage, disposal or return to the United States. It was inactivated in Germany on 5 June 1947.

Cold War
Reactivated as an Air Division under Northeast Air Command (NEAC), being stationed at Pepperrell AFB, Newfoundland in December 1952. NEAC had taken over the former Newfoundland Base Command atmospheric forces and ground air and radar stations in Newfoundland, Northeastern Canada and Greenland upon the former commands inactivation. The 64th Air Division was NEAC's command and control echelon of command over these assets.

It's mission was the administration, training and providing air defense combat ready forces within its designated geographic area of responsibility, exercising command jurisdiction over its assigned units, installations, and facilities. In addition, the division and its subordinate units under its control participated in numerous exercises. NEAC was inactivated in April 1957, and its mission was reassigned to Air Defense Command (ADC).

The 64th AD continued its operations under ADC at Pepperrell AFB including the operational control of the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) and Air Forces Iceland. In January 1960, it activated the Goose Air Defense Sector (Manual) at Goose AFB. On 26 May 1960, the division headquarters moved from Newfoundland to Stewart AFB, New York, when part of its mission was taken over by the 26th Air Division (SAGE) in a realignment of forces.

The Division was reassigned to Stewart AFB, New York, where it assumed the mission of training and providing air defense combat ready forces for the aerospace defense of a 6,000,000 square miles (16,000,000 km2) region of North America, including New Jersey, New York, New England north of Massachusetts, Eastern Canada, and atmospheric forces in Greenland.

The Division was inactivated in July 1963 with the phasedown of ADC at Stewart AFB, it's mission being taken over by First Air Force.

Lineage

 * Established as 3d Air Defense Wing on 12 December 1942
 * Activated on 12 December 1942
 * Redesignated 64th Fighter Wing on 24 July 1943
 * Inactivated on 5 June 1947


 * Redesignated 64th Air Division (Defense) on 17 March 1952
 * Activated on 8 April 1952
 * Inactivated on 20 December 1952


 * Organized on 20 December 1952
 * Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 July 1963

Assignments

 * I Fighter Command, 12 December 1942-c. 7 February 1943
 * Army Service Forces, c. 7 February 1943
 * XII Fighter Command, 22 February 1943
 * XII Air Support Command (later, XII Tactical Air Command)
 * Attached First Tactical Air Force [Provisional], 27 November 1944 – May 1945), 9 March 1943 – 5 June 1947


 * Northeast Air Command, 8 April 1952
 * Air Defense Command, 1 April 1957 – 1 July 1963.

Stations

 * Mitchel Field, New York, 12 December 1942 – 23 January 1943
 * Oran Es Sénia Airport, Algeria, 22 February 1943
 * Thelepte Airfield, Tunisia, 1 March 1943
 * Sbeitla, Tunisia, 18 March 1943
 * Le Sers Airfield, Tunisia, 12 April 1943
 * Korba Airfield, Tunisia, 18 May 1943
 * Ponte Olivo Airfield, Sicily, 12 July 1943
 * Milazzo Airfield, Sicily, 1 September 1943
 * Frattamaggiore, Italy, 7 October 1943
 * San Felice Circeo, Italy, 1 June 1944
 * Rocca di Papa, Italy, 7 June 1944
 * Orbetello, Italy 19 June 1944


 * Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy 19 July 1944
 * St Tropez, France, 15 August 1944
 * ALG Y-7 Dôle/Tavaux, France 19 September 1944
 * Ludres, France, 3 November 1944
 * A-96 Toul/Ochey, France, 15 January 1945
 * Edenkoben, Germany, 1 April 1945
 * Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, 29 April 1945
 * AAF Station Darmstadt/Griesheim, Germany, 7 July 1945
 * AAF Station Bad Kissingen, Germany, 1 December 1945 – 5 June 1947
 * Pepperrell AFB, Newfoundland, 20 December 1952
 * Stewart AFB, New York, 1 July 1960 – 1 July 1963

Groups

 * 27th Fighter Bomber (later, 27 Fighter) Group
 * c. 28 May 1943 – c. 22 October 1945; c. 13 August 1946 – 5 June 1947


 * 31st Fighter Group: 1 September 1943 – 31 March 1944
 * 33d Fighter Group: c. 9 March 1943 – 14 February 1944
 * 36th Fighter Group: 15 November 1945 – 15 February 1946
 * 50th Fighter Group: c. 29 September 1944 – 22 June 1945
 * 52d Fighter Group: 9 November 1946 – 5 June 1947
 * 69th Tactical Reconnaissance Group: c. 22 March – 30 June 1945
 * 79th Fighter Group: 18 January – 29 September 1944
 * 86th Fighter-Bomber (later, 86th Fighter) Group
 * c. 31 July – c. 31 December 1943; 10 March 1945 – c. 15 February 1946; 20 August 1946 – 5 June 1947


 * 324th Fighter Group: 22 August 1943 – c. 5 March 1944; 30 April – 14 August 1945
 * 354th Fighter Group: 4 July 1945 – c. 15 February 1946
 * 355th Fighter Group: c. 15 April – 1 August 1946
 * 358th Fighter Group: c. 30 May – 18 July 1945
 * 363d Reconnaissance Group: 18 May – 20 November 1945
 * 366th Fighter Group: 4 July 1945 – 20 August 1946
 * 370th Fighter Group: 27 June – 17 September 1945
 * 404th Fighter Group: 23 June – 2 August 1945
 * 406th Fighter Group: 5 August 1945 – 20 August 1946

Squadrons

 * 14th Liaison Squadron: 10 July 1946 – 1 May 1947
 * 47th Liaison Squadron: 4 March 1946 – 1 May 1947
 * 111th Reconnaissance Squadron: attached June – September 1943
 * 155th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 August – 24 November 1945
 * 415th Night Fighter Squadron
 * Attached c. 3 September – 5 December 1943
 * Assigned 5 December 1943 – 15 February 1946


 * 416th Night Fighter Squadron: 15 August – 9 November 1946
 * 417th Night Fighter Squadron: 24 March – 17 May 1945; 26 June 1945 – 9 November 1946.

Force

 * Air Forces Iceland
 * Keflavik Airport, Iceland, 1 July 1962 – 1 July 1963

Sector

 * Goose Air Defense Sector
 * Goose AFB, Newfoundland, 1 April 1960 – 1 July 1963

Wings

 * 4083d Air Base Wing (SAC),
 * Thule AB, Greenland, 1 July 1960
 * Replaced by: 4683d Air Defense Wing (ADC), 1 July 1960 – 1 July 1963


 * 6604th Air Base Group (NEAC)
 * Pepperrell AFB, Newfoundland, 8 April 1952
 * Re-designated 6604th Air Base Wing, 1 June 1954
 * Re-designated 4737th Air Base Wing (ADC), 1 April 1957 – 1 May 1958


 * 6602d Air Base Group (NEAC)
 * Ernest Harmon AFB, Newfoundland, 8 April 1952
 * Re-designated 6605th Air Base Wing, 1 June 1954
 * Re-assigned to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)


 * 6603d Air Base Group (NEAC)
 * Goose AFB, Labrador, 8 April 1952
 * Re-designated 6606th Air Base Wing, 1 June 1954
 * Re-assigned to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)


 * 6612th Air Base Group (NEAC)
 * Thule AB, Greenland, 8 April 1952
 * Re-designated 6607th Air Base Wing, 1 June 1964
 * Re-assigned to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)


 * 4061st Support Wing
 * Paramus, New Jersey, 1 October 1960 – 1 July 1963


 * 4602d Support Wing
 * Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 1 January 1961 – 1 July 1963

Groups

 * 4684th Air Base Group
 * Sondrestrom AB, Greenland, 1 July 1960 – 1 July 1963


 * 4737th Air Base Group
 * Pepperrell AFB, Newfoundland, 1 May 1958 – 1 September 1960


 * 4731st Air Defense Group
 * Ernest Harmon AFB, Newfoundland, 1 April 1957 – 1 July 1960


 * 4732d Air Defense Group
 * Goose AFB, Labrador, 1 April 1957 – 1 July 1960


 * 4733d Air Defense Group
 * Frobisher Bay AFB, Northwest Territories, 1 April 1957 – 1 May 1958


 * 4734th Air Defense Group
 * Thule AB, Greenland, 1 April 1957 – 1 May 1958


 * 6611th Air Base Group (NEAC)
 * Narsarsuaq AB, Greenland, 8 April 1952
 * Re-assigned to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)


 * 6621st Air Base Group (NEAC)
 * Sondrestrom AB, Greenland, 8 April 1952
 * Re-assigned to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)


 * 6614th Air Transport Group (NEAC)
 * Pepperrell AFB, Newfoundland, 8 April 1952
 * 6622d Air Transport Squadron, Torbay Airport NF
 * 6614th Air Ttransport Squadron, Harmon AB, NF
 * 6615th Air Transport Squadron, Goose Bay AFB, LB
 * Transferred to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)

Squadrons

 * 6614th Air Transport Squadron (NEAC)
 * Ernest Harmon AFB, Newfoundland, 8 April 1952
 * Transferred to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)


 * 6615th Air Transport Squadron (NEAC)
 * Goose AFB, Labrador, 8 April 1952
 * Transferred to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)


 * 6622d Transportation Squadron (NEAC)
 * Pepperrell AFB, Newfoundland, 8 April 1952
 * Transferred to Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 (Inactivated)


 * 59th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
 * Goose AFB, Labrador, 28 October 1952 – 31 December 1966


 * 61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
 * Ernest Harmon AFB, Newfoundland, 6 August 1953 – 17 October 1957


 * 74th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
 * Thule AB, Greenland, 20 August 1954 – 25 June 1958


 * 318th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
 * Thule AB, Greenland, 1 July 1953 – 5 August 1954


 * 327th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
 * Thule AB, Greenland, 3 July 1958 – 25 March 1960


 * 639th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
 * Lowther AS, Ontario, 15 November 1958 – 1 April 1959


 * 105th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (Fed ANG) (NEAC)
 * Stephenville AS, Newfoundland, 8 April 1952
 * Re-designated: 640th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, 1 January 1953 (NEAC)
 * Reassigned to Air Defense Command, 1 November 1957 – 6 June 1960


 * 642d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
 * Red Cliff AS, Newfoundland, 1 January 1953 – 1 October 1961


 * 920th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (NEAC)
 * Resolution Island AS, Northwest Territory, 19 January 1952 – 1 April 1957


 * 921st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (NEAC)
 * Saint Anthony AS, Labrador, 1 October 1953 – 1 April 1957


 * 923d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (NEAC)
 * Hopedale AS, Labrador, 1 October 1953 – 1 April 1957


 * 924th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (NEAC)
 * Saglek AS, Labrador, 1 October 1953 – 1 April 1957


 * 926th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (NEAC)
 * Frobisher Bay AB, Northwest Territory, 1 October 1953 – 1 April 1957


 * 931st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
 * Thule AS, Greenland, 1 May 1958 – 1 July 1960