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| 314th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1944–1952; 1955–1986 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Command of tactical air forces |
| Motto | Destructio ab Alto (Latin for 'Destruction from Above') |
| Engagements | Pacific Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 314th Air Division emblem[b][1] |  |
| 314th Bombardment Wing emblem[c][2] |  |
The314th Air Division is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was withPacific Air Forces atOsan Air Base, South Korea, where it was inactivated in September 1986.
The unit was first organized during World War II as the314th Bombardment Wing, which was part of theTwentieth Air Force of theUnited States Army Air Forces. The 314th engaged in bombing operations against Japan usingBoeing B-29 Superfortresses.
The 314th Bombardment Wing was activated in July 1944 atPeterson Field, Colorado[1] as a command organization for fourBoeing B-29 Superfortress bombardment groups. The unit trained in Colorado while subordinate groups were trained in Kansas by theSecond Air Force.
When training was completed the 314th moved to Guam in the Mariana Islands of the Central Pacific Area in January 1945 The 314th was the fourth B-29 wing assigned toXXI Bomber Command,Twentieth Air Force. Its mission was the strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands and the destruction of its war-making capability. In the Marianas, the Wing commanded the19th,29th39th and330th Bombardment Groups.[1] The 19th and 29th arrived in January; the 39th and 330th in February.
Its groups flew "shakedown" missions against Japanese targets onMoen Island,Truk, and other points in theCarolines andMarianas. The 19th began combat missions over Japan on 25 February 1945 with a firebombing mission over Northeast Tokyo; the 29th with a firebombing mission over central Tokyo on 9 March. The 39th's first mission was an attack of the Hodagaya Chemical Works in Koriyama on 15 April; the 330th hitting the same three days earlier on 12 April. The Division continued attacking urban areas until the end of the war in August 1945; its subordinate units conducted raids against strategic objectives, bombing aircraft factories; chemical plants; oil refineries; and other targets in Japan. The wing flew its last combat missions on 14 August when hostilities ended. Afterwards, the wing's B 29s carried relief supplies to Allied prisoner of war camps in Japan andManchuria.
The 330th Bomb Group was relieved from assignment on 21 November, its personnel and equipment returning to the United States; the 39th in December. The other groups returned in May 1946. The Wing then moved toJohnson Army Air Base, Japan in mid-May 1946 to become part of theFifth Air Force Occupation forces.
With the postwar consolidation of units, the organization was redesignated314th Composite Wing in 1946, having both groups and squadrons of varying missions assigned to the wing. For approximately two years (1946–1948) the 314th served as one of Fifth Air Force's major components. "It maintained intensive training schedules, participated in training exercises and took part in the post-hostilities program of mapping Japan."[1]
Activated atNagoya AB, Japan, on 1 December 1950 as the314th Air Division, the organization immediately assumed the missions of the air defense of Japan, logistical support for Fifth Air Force during theKorean War, and airfield construction in Japan. Units under the Division's direct jurisdiction during the Korean War were the following:
On 1 March 1952 the 314th Air Division stood down,[1] as part of a Far East Air Force reorganization. Its units were reassigned to other organizations.
Reactivated in March 1955 atOsan Air Base, South Korea, the 314th Air Division was the primary command organization in South Korea for the next 30 years. "The division maintained assigned and attached forces at a high degree of combat readiness during theCold War. In fulfilling its mission, the division supported numerous military exercises in the region, such as Commando Bearcat, Commando Jade, and Commando Night."[1]
The Division was inactivated in 1986[1] and was replaced by the reactivatedSeventh Air Force, which assumed all of its assigned assets.
314th Air Division
Table of Distribution314th Air Division
Wings
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Squadrons
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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