500th Air Defense Group

500th Air Defense Group

71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron F-86A Sabre[a 1]
Active 1945-1947, 1953–1955
Country  United States
Branch  United States Air Force
Type Fighter Interceptor
Role Air Defense
Part of Air Defense Command
Equipment F-86 Sabre

The 500th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force (USAF) organization. Its last assignment was with the 4708th Air Defense Wing at Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Pennsylvania. It was last active on 18 August 1955.

The group was originally activated as a support group at the end of World War II and provided logistics and administrative support for the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Germany and the United States until 1946, when the two groups were inactivated. The groups were activated again in 1947, but the 500th was soon discontinued when the USAF reorganized its combat and support units in the wing base reorganization in which a single wing was responsible for a base.

The group was activated once again in 1953, when ADC established it as the headquarters for a dispersed fighter-interceptor squadron and the medical, maintenance, and administrative squadrons supporting it. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the 54th Fighter Group in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.

History

World War II

The group was activated as the 500th Air Service Group shortly after V-E Day in a reorganization of Army Air Forces (AAF) support groups in which the AAF replaced Service Groups that included personnel from other branches of the Army and supported two combat groups with Air Service Groups including only Air Corps units. It was designed to support a single combat group.[1] Its 918th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 742nd Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support.[1] It supported 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Germany and then returned to the US, where both groups were inactivated.[2]

Cold War

When the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was reactivated in 1947, the 500th Air Service Group once again activated to support it.[3] The 500th was inactivated and replaced by 67th Airdrome Group, 67th Station Medical Group, and 67th Maintenance & Supply Group in the experimental Wing Base reorganization of 1947 (Hobson Plan),[3][4] which was designed to unify control at air bases[5] The group was disbanded in 1948.[6]

The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 500th Air Defense Group, and activated at Greater Pittsburgh Airport 18 February 1953[7] with responsibility for air defense of Western Pennsylvania. It was assigned the 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was already stationed at Greater Pittsburgh Airport, and flying F-86 Sabres,[8] as its operational component.[9] The 71st had been assigned directly to the 4708th Defense Wing.[9] The group also replaced the 81st Air Base Squadron as host organization for USAF portion of Greater Pittsburgh Airport. The group was assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.[10] The group was inactivated[7] and replaced by 54th Fighter-Interceptor Group in 1955[11] as part of ADC's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[12] The group was disbanded once again in 1984.[13]

Lineage

Activated on 1 June 1945
Inactivated on 31 March 1946
Activated on 25 July 1947
Inactivated on 25 November 1947
Disbanded on 8 October 1948
Activated on 16 February 1953
Inactivated on 18 August 1955
Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

Stations

  • Shaw Field, South Carolina, February 1946 - 31 March 1946[15]
  • March Field, California, 25 July 1947 - 15 November 1947[3]
  • Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Pennsylvania, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Components

Aircraft

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ At the time the picture was taken, the 71st was still assigned to another group

Citations

  1. 1 2 Coleman, p. 208
  2. ↑ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 133
  3. 1 2 3 See Mueller, p. 371
  4. ↑ See Ravenstein, p. 10
  5. ↑ Goss, in Craven & Cate, p. 75
  6. ↑ Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOOR 887e), 8 October 1948, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units
  7. 1 2 Cornett & Johnson, p. 81
  8. ↑ Cornett & Johnson, p.118
  9. 1 2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 99
  10. ↑ Cornett & Johnson, p.147
  11. ↑ Maurer, Combat Units, p.116
  12. ↑ Buss, Sturm, Volan, & McMullen, p.6
  13. ↑ Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 Sep 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units
  14. ↑ "Abstract, History 500th Air Service Group, Mar-Apr 1946". Air Force History Index. Retrieved February 8, 2014. lists stations in 1945-1946
  15. ↑ Mueller, p.531
  16. ↑ Robertson, Patsy (2007-12-20). "Fact Sheet, 71 Fighter Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  17. ↑ Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOMO 882h), 14 January 1954 Subject: Redesignation of Certain USAF Medical Units

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

Further Reading

External links

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