The Seattle Fighter Wing was a United States Army Air Forces unit. The wing provided air defense of the Northwestern United States and trained fighter units and pilots. It was stationed at Seattle, Washington, where it was disbanded on 7 June 1944.
| Seattle Fighter Wing | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1942–1944 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army United States Air Force[note 1] |
| Role | Command and training of fighter units |
History
editAlong the Pacific coast, Western Defense Command established a "vital air defense zone", extending from the coast approximately 150 miles (240 km) inland and 200 miles (320 km) to sea.[1] To carry out this mission, Fourth Air Force organized regional air defense wings in August 1942.[2] [3] The Seattle Air Defense Wing was organized to provide air defense for the northwest Pacific coast and train fighter groups and pilots.[4] Its air defense responsibility was to provide protection primarily for the Boeing plants and military facilities in the northwest from Vancouver, British Columbia to Portland, Oregon.[citation needed] The wing consisted of fighter groups assigned to airfields in the northwest engaged in training and would, if necessary, provide a defensive unit in case of, presumably, a Japanese attack.
The Army Air Forces later found that standard military units like the wing, whose manning was based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were not well adapted to the training mission, even more so to the replacement mission. Accordingly, the Army Air Forces adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit, with similar flexible units established for headquarters.[5]
In this reorganization, the wing's headquarters squadron was replaced by the 412th AAF Base Unit (Fighter Wing) on 1 April 1944. Maurer writes that the wing itself was disbanded on 7 June 1944.[6] and the 412th was redescribed as the 412th AAF Base Unit (Air Defense Region). Other air force documents say that the June 1944 action was a redesignation to the Seattle ADR, 412 AAFBU.[7] In 1946, it became the 412th AAF Base Unit (Seattle Control Group).[8] On 1 January 1947, it became the 412th AAF Base Unit (Western Aircraft Warning and Control Group). It moved to McChord Field the following month. It was discontinued at McChord on 20 May 1947 and its personnel and assets used to form the 505th Aircraft Control and Warning Group.
Lineage
edit- Constituted as the Seattle Air Defense Wing on 6 August 1942
- Activated on 11 August 1942
- Redesignated the Seattle Fighter Wing c. 2 July 1943
- Disbanded on 7 June 1944[6] or redesignated Seattle Air Defence Region, 412th AAF Base Unit.[7]
Assignments
edit- IV Fighter Command, 11 August 1942
- Fourth Air Force, 31 March – 7 June 1944
Components
edit- 55th Fighter Group: 22 June 1942 – 23 August 1943
- 372d Fighter Group: 7 December 1943 – 29 March 1944
- 478th Fighter Group: 3 February – 31 March 1944[9]
Stations
edit- Seattle, Washington, 20 August 1942 – 7 June 1944
References
editNotes
edit- Explanatory notes
- ^ When the United States Air Force became a separate service in September 1947, all former Army Air Forces units, including disbanded units were transferred to its control.
- Citations
- ^ Goss, Air Defense, p. 296, map, p. 297
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 426-430; Goss, Air Defense, p. 296
- ^ White, p. 38
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 426-427
- ^ Goss, Organization & Responsibilities, p. 75
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 429-430
- ^ a b See "Abstract, History Seattle Fighter Wing, Jan-Jun 1944". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ^ But see "Abstract, History Seattle Control Group, Jul 1944-Mar 1945". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 10 February 2022., where this change is supposed to have taken place in July 1944.
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 429-430. (years only)
Bibliography
edit
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Goss, William A. (1955). "Tactical Demands, Chapter 8, Air Defense of the Western Hemisphere". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L (eds.). The Army Air Forces in World War II (PDF). Vol. I, Plans and Early Operations. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 48003657. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Goss, William A. (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F.; Cate, James L. (eds.). The Army Air Forces in World War II (PDF). Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 48003657. OCLC 704158. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- White, Jerry (August 1949). "Combat Crew and Unit Training in the AAF 1939-1945, USAF Historical Study No. 61" (PDF). Air Historical Office, United States Air Force. Retrieved 30 January 2022.