1st Strategic Aerospace Division

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1st Strategic Aerospace Division
USAF - 1st Strategic Aerospace Division.png
1st Strategic Aerospace Division emblem
Active1943–31 October 1945; 1946–1948; 1954–1955; 1955–1956; 1957–1991
CountryUnited States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleCommand of Missile units
Part of Strategic Air Command
Garrison/HQ Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Engagements
  • World War II
European Campaign (1943–1945)
Decorations
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Lt Gen Gerald W. Johnson

The 1st Strategic Aerospace Division (1st STRAD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, being stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 September 1991.

Contents

The division directed and supervised heavy bombardment (1943–1945) and fighter (1944–1945) operations during World War II within the Eighth Air Force in the European Theater.

Replacing the Eighth Air Force in Okinawa in June 1946, the division directed fighter reconnaissance and bomber organizations, and provided air defense for the Ryukyu Islands, Japan until December 1948.

From 1954 to 1955, the division served as a holding unit at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, for personnel of Eighth Air Force, who moved to the base as part of a transfer of Eighth's headquarters from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.

Activated again under the Air Research and Development Command in April 1957, it was the first division level organization controlling intermediate range and intercontinental ballistic missiles. It became an operational component of Strategic Air Command (SAC) in January 1958 and began operational testing of missile systems, supporting missile launchings by SAC and other agencies, and training SAC missilemen. These missions continued until the final disbandment on 1 September 1991.

Lineage

Activated on 13 September 1943
Redesignated 1st Air Division on 19 December 1944
Inactivated on 31 October 1945
Inactivated on 1 December 1948
Activated on 1 July 1954
Inactivated on 1 April 1955
Activated on 15 April 1955
Inactivated on 20 May 1956
Activated on 15 April 1957
Redesignated Strategic Missile Center on 31 July 1990
Inactivated on 1 September 1991 [1]

Assignments

Stations

Components

Divisions

Wings

(World War II)
(United States Air Force)

Groups

Squadrons

Aircraft and missiles operated

From [note 2]

Aircraft
Missile systems

See also

Notes

  1. I was assigned to the 4315 CCTS at Vandenberg from April 1979 through July 1984 as Chief of Maintenance for the ICBM crew training simulators.[ citation needed ]
  2. 1 2 See' list in Air Force Historical Research Agency Factsheet, 1 Strategic Aerospace Division

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Factsheet 1 Strategic Aerospace Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 2 January 2008. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2014.

General references

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .