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.
History
"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 57 Bombardment Wing in March 1944. "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 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 the 8th Pursuit Wing on 19 October 1940
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Wing on 6 July 1942
- Redesignated 57th Air Division on 10 April 1951
- Activated on 16 June 1952
- Activated on 22 January 1975
Assignments
- General Headquarters Air Force, 6 November 1940
- Southeast Air District, 16 January 1941
- Interceptor Command, 21 April 1941
- III Interceptor Command, c. 1 July – 1 November 1941
- IX Fighter Command, 24 July 1942
- Ninth Air Force, 22 December 1942
- 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
Wings
; Bombardment Wings; Strategic Missile Wings
; Air Refueling Wings
; Reconnaissance Wings
Groups
- 12th Bombardment Group: 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944
Stations
- Maxwell Field, Alabama, 6 November 1940
- Army Air Base, West Palm Beach, 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, 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, Italy, 7 October 1943
- Foggia Airfield, Italy, 29 October 1943
- Pollena Trocchia, 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 Air Force Base, Washington, 16 April 1951
- Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, 4 September 1956 – 2 July 1969
- Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, 22 January 1975 – 14 June 1991
Campaigns
- Campaign Streamers: World War II: Naples Foggia ; Rome Arno
Aircraft and missiles
- Seversky P-35, 1941;
- Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1941.
- North American B-25 Mitchell, 1941–1945;
- Martin B-26 Marauder, 1944.
- Douglas B-26 Invader, 1951;
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1951–1952;
- Boeing RB-29 Superfortress, 1951–1952;
- Convair B-36 Peacemaker, 1951–1954, 1954–1956;
- Convair RB-36 Peacemaker], 1952–1956;
- Convair GRB-36 Peacemaker, 1955–1956;
- Republic RF-84F Thunderflash, 1955–1956;
- Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 1956–1969, 1975–1991;
- Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1956–1965;
- Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1957–1969, 1975–1991;
- Boeing EC-135 Looking Glass, 1964–1969.
- Minuteman III, 1975–1991;
- Boeing C-135 Stratolifter, 1980–1982;
- Boeing E-4, 1980–1982;
- EC-135 Looking Glass, 1980–1982;
- Boeing RC-135 Cobra Ball, 1980–1982;
- LGM-30F Minuteman II, 1982–1987.