| 309th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1944–1946; 1947–1949 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Command of tactical aircraft |
| Engagements | Southwest Pacific Theater |
| Decorations | Philippine Presidential Unit Citation |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Paul Wurtsmith St Clair Streett Neel E. Kearby |
The309th Air Division is an inactiveUnited States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was withContinental Air Command, assigned toTwelfth Air Force atHensley Field, Texas. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
Thedivision was first activated in 1944 in New Guinea duringWorld War II as the309th Bombardment Wing. The wing acted as a task force headquarters controlling forward based units ofFifth Air Force in New Guinea and during theLiberation of the Philippines. Following the war, it moved to Japan and served as part of theoccupation forces until inactivating in March 1946. It was activated again nine months later in theAir Force Reserve.
Thedivision was first activated in February 1944 atLae Airfield, New Guinea as the309th Bombardment Wing and assigned toFifth Air Force.[1] Although called a bombardment wing, the 309th operated as a task force, commanding the forward elements of Fifth Air Force. The 309th replaced the provisional 2d Air Task Force, which was organized on 2 August 1943 to serve as the forward element of the Advanced Echelon of Fifth Air Force in theTsili Tsili area of New Guinea.[2] The wing's combat components includedbomber,fighter,reconnaissance andspecial operations groups and their supporting organizations.[1]
Thewing's bomber and fighter units attacked shipping, coastal installations, storage buildings, gun positions andairfields. When possible, Japanese troop concentrations were also attacked. Its tactical reconnaissance units flew numerous photographic missions.[1] In July, the wing moved forward to theSchouten Islands, initially occupyingKornasoren Airfield, which aviation engineers rebuilt as aheavy bomber base after its capture from the Japanese.[3] The 309th began operations supporting theLiberation of the Philippines in November.[1]
In late January 1945, American forces landing onLuzon seizedSan Marcelino Airfield, and the wing installed the348th Fighter Group and elements of the421st Night Fighter Squadron and3d Emergency Rescue Squadron there, moving itsheadquarters to the base on 8 February.[1][4] Starting in the spring of 1945, the wing's units concentrated on providing air support forXI Corps.[5] Operations included providing support toguerilla forces engaged behind Japanese lines.[6] The 309th remained in the Philippines for the rest of the war.[1]
Fifth Air Force began to engage in the bombing of Japanese bases onFormosa as the Philippine Campaign progressed to cut enemy supply lines from the north.[7] WingNorth American B-25 Mitchells struck these targets while its fighters escorted bombers on these missions.[6][8][9]
FollowingVJ Day, the 309th moved to Japan, where its personnel systematically destroyed Japanese military aircraft and equipment for which the United States had no use. it supported aircraft that staged throughChitose Airfield on their return to the United States. It also flew surveillance flights withNorth American P-51 Mustangs over northernHonshū andHokkaido. The wing was inactivated in Japan in late March 1946.[1]
The wing was reactivated as areserve unit underAir Defense Command (ADC) in January 1947 atHensley Field, Texas. It was assigned no groups until October, when the455th Bombardment Group at Hensley was assigned to the wing. At the end of March 1948, the446th Bombardment Group was activated atCarswell Air Force Base and assigned to the wing.[1][10] The groups were designated as very heavy units and were nominallyBoeing B-29 Superfortress units. However, there is no indication that the 455th Group was equipped with tactical aircraft.[11] The 446th Group was located at a regular Air Force base, which gave it access to aircraft stationed there.[10]
In 1948,Continental Air Command assumed responsibility from ADC for managingAir National Guard and reserve units.[12] When the regular Air Force implemented thewing base organization system, which placed operational and support units on a base under a single wing that same year, the 309th Wing, along with other reserve wings with combat groups on multiple bases, was renamed anair division.[1]
The 309th participated in routine reserve training and supervised the training of its assigned groups with the assistance of the 2596th Air Force Reserve Training Center until it was inactivated, in part due to PresidentTruman’s 1949 defense budget, which required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force.[13] With the inactivation of the division and the 455th Group, most of their personnel were transferred to the443d Troop Carrier Wing, which was simultaneously activated at Hensley.[1][14]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
_Streamer.png) | Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation | 8 February 1945 – 4 July 1945 | 309th Bombardment Wing[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | New Guinea | 1 February 1944 – 31 December 1944 | 309th Bombardment Wing[1] |
| Luzon | 15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945 | 309th Bombardment Wing[1] |
 | World War II Army of Occupation (Japan) | 3 September 1945 – 25 March 1946 | 309th Bombardment Wing[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Previously: Philippine Department Air Force (1941); Far East Air Force (1941-1942) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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