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36th Air Division (United States)

History

The 36th Air Division was activated to solve the organizational and jurisdictional problems caused by placing two combat wings on one installation. The division first flew B-29s and B-50s for bombardment operations, but by late 1954 it was completely equipped with B-47 jets. Conversion from KB-29s to KC-97s for refueling began in the summer of 1952 and ended in 1954. The division constantly flew training missions, engaged in simulated combat operations, and participated in joint exercises with the Air Defense Command. Until 1960, it continued its task of manning, training, and equipping the assigned bombardment wings with B-47s so that they would be ready for aerial warfare on a global scale. It was reassigned to First Air Force (Air Defense Command), April 1966–September 1969. The division administered, trained, and placed all available combat capable forces, including surveillance and control elements, in a maximum state of readiness for air defense missions, and participated in numerous exercises.

Background of name

Mission

Operations

Lineage and honors

Established as 36 Air Division, and organized, on 4 September 1951. Discontinued on 16 June 1952.

Activated on 16 June 1952. Discontinued on 15 March 1960.

Organized on 1 April 1966. Inactivated on 30 September 1969.

Service streamers

This unit earned the following organizational service streamers:

none

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

On a shield azure, fimbriated argent, a hand in armor, couped at the wrist or, trimmed argent, grasping two lightning bolts argent, between a bomb pointed downward, gules, fimbriated argent in the dexter chief, and a compass rose, center gules, points argent, in sinister base. (Approved 12 February 1952)

Assignments

Fifteenth Air Force, 4 September 1951–16 June 1952.

Fifteenth Air Force, 16 June 1952–15 March 1960.

Air Defense Command, 20 January 1966 (assigned for activation); First Air Force, 1 April 1966–30 September 1969.

Components

Wings:

43 Bombardment: 4 September 1951–6 June 1952; 16 June 1952–15 March 1960 (detached c.10 March 1953–5 June 1953, 5 September 1954–10 December 1954, and 1 July 1957–1 October 1957).
303 Bombardment: 4 September 1951–16 June 1952; 16 Jun 1952–15 Mar 1960 (detached 5 October 1952–6 November 1952, 4 March 1954–5 June 1954, 4 July 1956–4 October 1956, and 5 April 1958–4 July 1958).

Squadrons:

27 Fighter Interceptor: 1 April 1966–15 September 1969.
75 Fighter Interceptor: 1 April 1966–30 June 1968.

Stations

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 4 September 1951–16 June 1952.

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 16 June 1952–15 March 1960.

Topsham Air Force Station, Maine, 1 April 1966–30 September 1969.

    Topsham Air Force Station [TAFS], home of a SAGE Direction Center, was located on the outskirts of Topsham, Maine, a small community just across the Androscoggin River from Brunswick [Cumberland County]. The facility was manned by approximately 600 USAF/RCAF personnel of all ranks. While the USAF ADC commander was an American officer, the station also had a NORAD function; the NORAD commander being a RCAF officer. At various times, it was known as Headquarters, Bangor Air Defense Sector and [later] Headquarters, 36th Air Division. The station itself had its own command structure as a support facility separate from the ADC/NORAD command structure. Long-time station commander and WW II fighter pilot Lt Col Jesse Jory, as of 2007, was alive and well and living in Florida.

    The SAGE computer, when operating in its normal geographic mode, received radar input from USAF radar sites located at Charleston, Bucks Harbor, and Caswell, all in Maine, as well as from RCAF radar sites. However, the air station was NOT located within the geographic area of the sector itself, being located a few miles southwest of the point at which the sector boundary intersected the Maine coast northeast of Brunswick.

    The unit controlled fighter aircraft based at Dow Air Force Base, Bangor, Maine, Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, Maine, and RCAf Base Chatham, Ontario, Canada. Dow Air Force Base, now Bangor International Airport, operated both Maine Air National Guard and USAF fighter interceptor aircraft. In the 1963 - 1966 time frame, the aircraft in use were the F-89J [ANG], the F-101B, CF-101B, and the F-106. When the Maine Air National Guard terminated its use of the F-89J [supposedly being the last unit to fly this aircraft], it converted to the F-102, though it probably never did achieve combat readiness on this type before further converting to the F-101B. For a time, the Topsham SAGE facility also had responsibility for controlling BOMARC

interceptor missiles from launch complexes in both Canada and the United States.

Aircraft / Missiles / Space vehicles

B-29 Superfortress, 1951–1952; KB-29 Superfortress, 1951–1952; B-50 Superfortress, 1951–1952.

B-29 Superfortress, 1952–1953; KB-29 Superfortress, 1952–1953; B-50 Superfortress, 1952–1954; B-47 Stratojet, 1953–1960; KC-97 Stratotanker, 1953–1960.

F-101 Voodoo, 1966–1968; F-106 Delta Dart, 1966–1969.

Commanders

Brigadier General William P. Fisher, 4 September 1951–16 June 1952.

Brigadier General William P. Fisher, 16 June 1952; Brigadier General John S. Hardy, 6 September 1952; Brigadier General Niles O. Ohman, 6 November 1953; Brigadier General James V. Edmundson, 1 February 1955; Brigadier General Delman E. Wilson, 7 February 1957; Colonel William C. Bacon, 9 March 1960–15 March 1960.