| 806th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 USAFKC-97F Stratotanker refuelingB-47B Stratojet | |
| Active | 1952–1960 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Insignia | |
| 806th Air Division emblem[a][1] |  |
The806th Air Division is an inactiveUnited States Air Force organization. It was assigned toSecond Air Force ofStrategic Air Command atChennault Air Force Base, Louisiana. where it was inactivated on 15 June 1960.
Thedivision was activated to manage the twoStrategic Air Command medium bombardment wings at Chennault in 1952. Shortly after the division was activated, its mission changed from crew training to strategic bombardment, originally withBoeing B-29 Superfortresses, then withBoeing B-47 Stratojets. It was inactivated with one of its wings, which left Chennault as a single wing base.
The806th Air Division was activated in 1952 atLake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana when Strategic Air Command (SAC) departed from thewing base organization system and created air divisions as the headquarters on bases with two operational wings. Thedivision's components were the44th and68th Bombardment Wings,[2] and the newly activated 806th Air Base Group. Both its operational wings flew variants of theBoeing B-29 Superfortress.[1] Its 44th Wing served as an Operational Training Unit for B-29aircrews and maintenance personnel being assigned toFar East Air Forces until late August.[3]
The following year, the division'sbombardment units upgraded to theBoeing B-47 Stratojet and expanded to includeair refueling squadrons flyingBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighters. The98th Air Refueling Squadron moved to Lake Charles fromMacDill Air Force Base, Florida in November 1953 and was assigned to the division.[1][4] The squadron was inactivated a few days later and its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 68th wing's68th Air Refueling Squadron.[citation needed] The division monitored and coordinated the units' manning, equipping, and training for global strategic air warfare on a global scale. In fulfilling its mission, the division participated in numeroustactical exercises.[1]
The division's 44th Wing deployed as a unit to5th Air Division forward locations in Morocco,[3] while the 68th deployed to bases in the United Kingdom controlled by7th Air Division.[5] The division's tanker units deployed separately to locations including Canada.[6]
On 14 November 1958, Lake Charles Air Force Base was renamed Chennault Air Force Base in honor of GeneralClaire Lee Chennault, the founder of theFlying Tigers, who died in July of that year.[7]
The 806th was inactivated in June 1960[1] when the44th Bombardment Wing was inactivated[3] as a first step toward the planned closure of Chennault in 1962.[8] This left only a single wing at Chennault and the68th Bombardment Wing and its 68th Combat Support Group assumed host base responsibility as the sole remaining wing at Chennault.[9]
Wings
Groups
Squadrons
Other
Col Carlos J. Cochrane, 16 June 1952; Brig Gen Raymond L. Winn, 3 November 1952; Brig Gen Henry K. Mooney, 2 August 1954; Brig Gen John K. Hester, 1 August 1955; Col Jacob J. Brogger, 24 July 1957; Col Robert H. Strauss, 4 December 1958; Col William J. Cain Jr., 27 May – 15 June 1960[1]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
