8th Air Division

The 8th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at McClellan Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 1957.

History

The 8th AD was established in 1949. Its initial assignment was the air defense of North and South Carolina under Fourteenth Air Force. It was inactivated in 1950 with its air defense mission taken over by Eastern Air Defense Force.
In 1954 it was re-activated under Western Air Defense Force with a mission of being the command and control organization for Airborne early warning and control units of Air Defense Command. Its mission also included the training and equipping of Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star AEW&C units.
Division components flew early warning missions in "flying radar stations" off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States until its inactivation in July 1957, its mission being taken over directly by the Western Air Defense Force.

Lineage

Established as the 8th Air Division on 7 April 1949
Redesignated 8th Air Division on 19 April 1954
Assignments
Fourteenth Air Force, 1 May 1949 – 1 August 1950
Western Air Defense Force, 1 May 1954
Air Defense Command, 1 May 1955 - 1 July 1957
Stations
Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, 1 May 1949 – 1 August 1950
McClellan Air Force Base, California, 1 May 1954 - 1 July 1957
Components

Wings

551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing: 18 December 1954 – 1 July 1957
552d Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing: 8 July 1955 – 1 July 1957.

Squadrons

963d Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron: 8 March - 8 July 1955
964th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron: 8 March - 8 July 1955
4701st Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron: 1 May 1954 – 8 March 1955
4712th Airborne Early Warning and Control: 25 May 1954 – 8 March 1955.