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14th Air Division | |
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| Active | 1940–1942; 1942–1945; 1951–1991 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Insignia | |
| 14th Air Division emblem(approved 16 November 1962)[1] |  |
The14th Air Division is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was withFifteenth Air Force, stationed atBeale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.
The organization was initially activated inHawaii as the14th Pursuit Wing to contribute to the defense of theHawaiian Islands. Its designation was soon changed toHawaiian Interceptor Command. The Hawaiian Interceptor Command suffered heavy losses during theJapaneseattack on Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941), but airmen managed to shoot down several enemy aircraft.[1] A short time later, it was inactivated and its men and equipment became thecadre forVII Fighter Command.[citation needed]
The wing was reformed as the14th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the primaryConsolidated B-24 Liberator heavy strategic bombardment groups of theEighth Air Force's2d Bombardment Division inWorld War II. Its subordinate groups flew bombing missions againstGerman airfields, oil installations, and marshalling yards. Wing components supportedOperation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, in June 1944 by attacking strong points in the beachhead area and transportation targets behind the front lines. Later, in December 1944 – January 1945, the wing helped to check the German offensive during theBattle of the Bulge. In March 1945, subordinate units supportedOperation Lumberjack, the campaign to cross theRhine River.[1]
Reactivated in 1951, the14th Air Division was an intermediate command echelon ofStrategic Air Command. The command provided operational reconnaissance, maintained round the clock radar surveillance to detect sea launched ballistic missiles from the Pacific Ocean area, and provided for crisis management during periods of increased operational readiness. For a brief period, between 1962 and 1965, the division maintained aSM-68 Titan Iintercontinental ballistic missile complex, in addition to its assigned aircraft. The division also supervised all ofStrategic Air Command's initial combat crew training for theBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker,Boeing B-52G Stratofortress and B-52H,Lockheed U-2, andLockheed SR-71 aircraft.[1]
It was inactivated in 1991 as part of the military drawdown of the USAF after the end of theCold War.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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