19th Air Division (United States)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 19th Air Division


caption= 19th Air Division emblem
dates= 8 May 1929–25 October 1941
24 July 1942–20 November 1945
20 December 1946–27 June 1949
1 February 1951–30 September 1988
country= United States
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branch= United States Air Force
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decorations= see "Lineage and honors" section below
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History

From 1 April 1931–25 October 1941, the 19th Wing defended the Panama Canal, participated in maneuvers, flew patrol missions, made good will flights to Central American and South American countries, and flew mercy missions in South America. In January 1939, it flew missions to aid earthquake victims in Santiago, Chile. As the IX Bomber Command, transferred to North Africa in 1942, where its subordinate units attacked enemy storage areas, motor transports, troop concentrations, airdromes, bridges, shipping, and other targets in Libya, Tunisia, and other areas. It moved to England in November 1943, and its assigned units bombed German occupied territory in Europe through May 1945. Redesignated as 19 Bombardment Wing, it served another brief period with the Reserve from 1946–1949, carrying out routine training activities. It was redesignated again in February 1951, to Air Division, and some of its subordinate units trained in, and flew B-36 aircraft. These same units were later equipped with B-52 and KC-135 aircraft and trained in global strategic bombardment and air refueling operations. In early 1960, several of its assigned units evaluated various models of the B-58 aircraft, while at the same time operating a combat crew training school to train Strategic Air Command aircrews in the B-58 weapons system. Following evaluation of the B-58, these units utilized the aircraft in the strategic bombardment role. In January 1967, the division began deploying B-52 aircraft and aircrews to Southeast Asia for combat operations, continuing until 1973. In 1975, the 19th provided air refueling support for the evacuation of Vietnamese and Americans from South Vietnam. After 1975, the division insured its subordinate units were manned, trained, equipped, and operationally ready to conduct bombing and air refueling missions, and if necessary, to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Background of name

Mission

Operations

Lineage and honors

Established as 19 Composite Wing on 8 May 1929.Activated on 1 April 1931.Redesignated: 19 Wing on 14 July 1937; 19 Bombardment Wing on 19 October 1940.Inactivated on 25 October 1941.

Activated on 24 July 1942.Redesignated: IX Bomber Command on 17 November 1942; 9 Bombardment Division, Medium on 30 August 1944; 9 Air Division on 10 May 1945.Inactivated on 20 November 1945.

Activated in the Reserve on 20 December 1946.Redesignated 19 Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 31 December 1946.Redesignated 19 Air Division, Bombardment on 16 April 1948.Inactivated on 27 June 1949.

Redesignated 19 Air Division on 1 February 1951.Organized on 16 February 1951.Discontinued on 16 June 1952.

Activated on 16 June 1952.Inactivated on 30 September 1988.

Service streamers

This unit earned the following organizational service streamers:

World War II: European African Middle Eastern (EAME) Theater

Campaign streamers

This unit earned the following organizational campaign streamers:

none

Armed forces expeditionary streamers

none

Decorations

This unit earned the following unit decorations:

none

Awards

Emblem

Azure, surmounting a lightning flash gules, a globe argent with latitude and longitude lines dark blue and encircled with a planetary ring of the last strewn with stars of the third and fimbriated of the like all bandwise, in chief an olive branch fesswise or, all within a diminished border of the third. (Approved 11 March 1959)

Assignments

Second Corps Area, 1 April 1931;Panama Canal Department, c.25 January 1933–25 October 1941.

Ninth Air Force, 24 July 1942–20 November 1945 (attached III Fighter Command, 24 July 1942–c.28 September 1942).

Fourteenth Air Force, 20 December 1946; Ninth Air Force, 22 December 1948;Fourteenth Air Force, 1 February 1949–27 June 1949.

Eighth Air Force, 16 February 1951–16 June 1952.

Eighth Air Force, 16 June 1952;
Second Air Force, 1 July 1955;Eighth Air Force, 1 January 1975–30 September 1988.

Components

Wings:
* 2 Bombardment: 1 September 1964–1 July 1965; 2 July 1969–1 December 1982.
* 7 Bombardment: 16 February 1951–16 June 1952; 16 June 1952–13 June 1988 (detached 10 July 1955–13 September 1955).
* 11 Bombardment (later, 11 Strategic Aerospace; 11 Air Refueling): 16 February 1951–16 June 1952; 16 June 1952–13 December 1957 (detached 4 May 1955–2 July 1955); 2 July 1966–25 March 1969.
* 43 Bombardment: 15 March 1960–1 September 1964 (detached 19 August 1964–31 August 1964).
* 96 Strategic Aerospace (later, 96 Bombardment): 2 July 1966–1 July 1973.
* 97 Combat Bombardment (later, 97 Bombardment): 12 November 1943–c.11 October 1945; 2 July 1969–1 January 1970; 30 June 1971–1 July 1973.
* 98 Combat Bombardment (later, 98 Bombardment): c.6 November 1943–c.27 November 1945.
* 99 Combat Bombardment (later, 99 Bombardment): c.10 June 1944–c.5 September 1945.
* 305 Bombardment: 1 January 1961–1 September 1964.
* 308 Strategic Missile: 1 December 1982–18 August 1987.
* 340 Bombardment: attached c. 1 August 1964–31 August 1964, assigned 1 September 1964–2 October 1966.
* 351 Strategic Missile: 1 December 1982–13 June 1988.
* 381 Strategic Missile: 1 July 1973–8 August 1986.
* 384 Air Refueling (later, 384 Bombardment): 1 July 1973–13 June 1988.
* 461 Bombardment: 2 July 1966–25 March 1968.
* 494 Bombardment: 1 October 1965–2 April 1966.
* 4123 Strategic: 10 December 1957–1 March 1959.
* 4130 Strategic: 1 October 1958–1 July 1963.

Groups:
* 6 (Composite) (later, 6 Bombardment): 1 April 1931–25 October 1941.
* 9 Bombardment: 12 November 1940–30 October 1941.
* 12 Bombardment: c.12 November 1942–c.1 November 1943.
* 16 Pursuit: 1 December 1932–c.19 October 1940.
* 20 Pursuit: 1 April 1931–c.25 January 1933.
* 37 Pursuit: 1 February 1940–c.19 November 1940.
* 98 Bombardment: c.12 November 1942–c.13 September 1943.
* 321 Bombardment: 22 July 1942–c.28 September 1942.
* 340 Air Refueling: 2 July 1968–16 June 1988.
* 376 Bombardment: 12 November 1942–13 September 1943.
* 3958 Operational Evaluation and Training (B-58): 1 September 1959–15 March 1960.

Squadrons:
* 11 Air Refueling: 25 March 1969–2 July 1969; 30 June 1971–1 July 1977.
* 3958 Operational Evaluation and Training (B-58): 11 August 1958–1 September 1959.
* 4007 Combat Crew Training: 2 June 1968–2 July 1968.
* 4017 Training (B-36 Transition): 17 December 1951–1 January 1954.

Stations

Mitchel Field (later, Mitchel Air Force Base), New York, 1 April 1931–19 January 1933;Albrook Field, Canal Zone, 25 January 1933–25 October 1941.

MacDill Field (later, MacDill Air Force Base), Florida, 24 July 1942–28 September 1942;Cairo, Egypt, 11 November 1942;Ismailia, Egypt, 12 November 1942;Bengasi, Libya, 15 February 1943–1 October 1943;Marks Hall, England, 6 November 1943;Chartres, France, 18 September 1944;Reims, France, October 1944;Namur, Belgium, April–20 November 1945.

Birmingham AAB, (later, Municipal Airport), Alabama, 20 December 1946–27 June 1949.

Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, 16 February 1951–16 June 1952.

Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, 16 June 1952–30 September 1988.

Aircraft / Missiles / Space vehicles

Airco DH-4, 1931;
Boeing P-12, 1931–1939;P-16, 1932;
P-26 Peashooter, 1934–1940;
Martin B-10, 1936–1939;
P-36 Hawk, 1936–1940;PB-2, 1936–1937;
Seversky P-35, 1938–1939;
B-18 Bolo, 1939–1941;
C-40 Electra, 1939–1940;
YP-43 Lancer, 1939–1940;
P-40 Warhawk, 1940.

B-17 Flying Fortress, 1941–1943, 1945;
B-24 Liberator, 1942–1943;
B-25 Mitchell, 1942–1943;
B-26 Marauder, 1942–1945;
A-20 Havoc, 1943–1945;
A-26 Invader, 1944–1945.

B-29 Superfortress, 1947–1949.

B-36 Peacemaker, 1951–1952.

B-36 Peacemaker, 1952–1957;
B/TB-58 Hustler, 1960–1964;
TF-102 Delta Dagger, 1960–1962;
YRB-58 Hustler, 1960;
B-52 Stratofortress, 1963–1988;
KC-135 Stratotanker, 1963–1988;
Titan II (LGM-25C), 1973–1987;
Minuteman II (LGM-30F), 1982–1988.

Commanders

Unknown, 1 April 1931–1933;Lieutenant Colonel William C. McChord, 1933;Brigadier General George H. Brett, c. June 1936;Brigadier General Herbert A. Dargue, c. September 1938;Brigadier General Douglas B. Netherwood, 30 October 1940;Brigadier General Edwin B. Lyon, 4 August 1941–25 October 1941.

Unknown, 24 July 1942–11 November 1942;Brigadier General Patrick W. Timberlake, 12 November 1942;Brigadier General Uzal G. Ent, c.18 March 1943;Major General Samuel E. Anderson, 16 October 1943;Brigadier General Richard C. Sanders, 24 May 1945;Colonel Reginald F. C. Vance, 12 August 1945–November 1945.

Unknown, 20 December 1946–27 June 1949.

Major General Clarence S. Irvine, 16 February 1951;Brigadier General Joe W. Kelly, 10 April 1952–16 June 1952.

Brigadier General Joe W. Kelly, 16 June 1952;Brigadier General John D. Ryan, 4 August 1953;Brigadier General Nils O. Ohman, 17 September 1956;Brigadier General Howard W. Moore, 1 September 1961;Brigadier General William W. Wilcox, 1 July 1965;Brigadier General James H. Thompson, 24 April 1967;Brigadier General George H. McKee, 15 July 1968;Brigadier General A. W. Holderness Jr., by March 1970;Brigadier General Ray B. Sitton, 27 May 1971;Major General James R. Allen, 25 January 1972;Brigadier General John W. Burkhart, 1 August 1972;Colonel Thomas P. Conlin, 1 April 1973;Brigadier General Thomas F. Rew, 23 April 1973;Brigadier General Thomas P. Conlin, 21 January 1974;Brigadier General Richard A. Burpee, 17 January 1977;Brigadier General Lyman E. Buzard, 1 July 1979;Brigadier General Harley A. Hughes, 25 September 1981;Brigadier General Rudolph F. Wacker, 18 August 1982;Brigadier General Loring R. Astorino, 1 May 1984;Brigadier General Robert M. Alexander, 15 July 1986;Colonel William O. West III, June 1988;Colonel Julio A. Echegaray, August–30 September 1988.

ee also

* Second Air Force
* Eighth Air Force
* Ninth Air Force

References

External links

* [http://www.au.af.mil/au/afhra/rso/airdivision_pages/0019ad.asp Air Force Historical Research Agency: 19th Air Division]