34th Air Division

34th Air Division
Emblem of the 34th Air Division
Active	1951–1969
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Command and Control
Part of	Air Defense Command

34th Air Division ADC AOR 1966-1969

The 34th Air Division (34th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, being stationed at Custer Air Force Station, Michigan. It was inactivated on 31 December 1969.

History

Assigned to Air Defense Command (ADC) for most of its existence, from January 1951 – until 1960 the 34th administered, trained, operated and supported assigned units, and placed all available combat capable elements in a maximum state of readiness. Initially, its area of responsibility included Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Texas. Redesignated Albuquerque Air Defense Sector on 1 January 1960.

Reactivated on 1 April 1966, to perform Air Defense including all or part of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia assuming responsibility for the missions of the Detroit and parts of the Syracuse Air Defense Sectors.

Assumed additional designation of 34th NORAD Region after activation of the NORAD Combat Operations Center at Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado and reporting was transferred to NORAD from ADC at Ent AFB in April 1966. The division participated in numerous live and simulated exercises such as Fainting Echo, Apache Arrow, and Fainting Knife.

Inactivated in December 1969 as ADC phased down its interceptor mission as the chances of a Soviet bomber attack on the United States seemed remote, its mission being consolidated into North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Lineage

• Established as 34 Air Division (Defense) on 1 January 1951

Activated on 5 January 1951

Inactivated on 1 February 1952

• Organized on 1 February 1952

Inactivated on 1 January 1960

• Redesignated 34 Air Division, and activated, on 20 January 1966

Organized on 1 April 1966 as redesignation of Detroit Air Defense Sector

Inactivated on 31 December 1969

Assignments

• Western Air Defense Force, 5 January 1951 – 1 February 1952
• Central Air Defense Force, 16 February 1953 – 1 January 1960
• Air Defense Command, 20 January 1966
• First Air Force, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969.

Stations

• Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, 5 January 1951 – 1 January 1960
• Custer AFS, Michigan, 1 April 1966 – 31 December 1969

Components

Wing

• 1st Fighter Wing: 1 April 1966 – 1 December 1969

Selfridge AFB, Michigan

Group

• 343d Fighter Group: 15 September – 14 November 1969

Duluth Airport, Minnesota

Squadrons

• 15th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 20 April 1953 – 1 January 1960

Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona

• 35 Air Defense Missile (BOMARC) : 1 April 1966 – 15 September 1969

Niagara Falls Airport, New York

• 58th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 August 1959 – 1 January 1960

Walker AFB, New Mexico

• 62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 15 September – 14 November 1969

K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan

• 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 30 September 1968 – 30 November 1969

Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan

• 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 April 1966 – 30 September 1968

Duluth Airport. Minnesota

• 93d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron:

Attached 10 August 1951 – 1 February 1952; 1–5 February 1952

Assigned 6 February 1952 – 1 January 1960

Kirtland AFB, New Mexico

• 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 1 April 1966 – 30 September 1968

Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan

See also

• List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations
• Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons
• List of United States Air Force air divisions

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Winkler, David F. (1997), Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
• A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).
• Air Force Historical Research Agency: 34th Air Division