503rd Air Defense Group

The group was activated as the 503d Air Service Group toward the end of World War II, shortly after V-E Day[1] in a reorganization of Army Air Forces (AAF) support groups in which the AAF replaced service groups that included personnel from other branches of the Army and supported two combat groups with air service groups including only Air Corps units, designed to support a single combat group.[2] Its 921st Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 745th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support.[2] it supported the 86th Fighter Group,[3] as part of the occupation forces in Germany until 1946. The group returned to the US and supported the 56th Fighter Group[4] at Selfridge Field, Michigan[5] In October 1946, the group deployed a detachment to Ladd Field, Alaska for arctic training.[6][7] In 1947 the group and its squadrons were inactivated and replaced by the 56th Airdrome Group, 56th Maintenance & Supply Group, and 56th Station Medical Group as the Air Force began a service test of the Wing/Base organization,[8] which was adopted to unify control at air bases.[9] The 503d Group was disbanded in 1948.[10]

During the Cold War The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 503d Air Defense Group, and activated at Portland International Airport on 18 February 1953,[11] with the mission to train and maintain interceptor squadrons in state of readiness in order to defend Northwest United States. The 357th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was already stationed at Portland and Flying North American F-86 Sabres[12] was assigned as the operational component of the group.[13] The group replaced the 89th Air Base Squadron as host organization for active duty USAF units at Portland. It was assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.[14]

USAF F-89D Scorpion firing missiles[lower-alpha 2]

Two days later, the 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying Lockheed F-94 Starfire aircraft equipped with airborne intercept radar and armed with 20 mm cannons,[15] was activated as the group's permanent operational squadron.[16] In May 1953, the 357th Squadron was transferred to French Morocco and was reassigned.[13] In 1954, the 497th converted to Northrop F-89 Scorpion aircraft armed with Mighty Mouse rockets.[15] The group was inactivated[11] and replaced by the 337th Fighter Group (Defense) in 1955[17] as part of ADC's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[18] The group was disbanded once again in 1984,[19] but reconstituted in 1985.[20] as a base support organization. It has not been active since.

• Ninth Air Force, 6 June 1945
• IX Air Force Service Command, 25 October 1945[21]
• XII Tactical Air Command, 15 December 1945[22]
• 64th Fighter Wing, 15 February 1946 – March 1946[23]
• Strategic Air Command March 1946 – June 1946
• Fifteenth Air Force June 1946 – 15 August 1947
• 4704th Air Defense Wing, 16 February 1953 – 8 October 1954[11]
• 25th Air Division, 8 October 1954 – 18 August 1955[11]

• 357th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 25 May 1953[24]
• 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 February 1953 – 18 August 1955[25]
• 503d Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955
• 503d Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955[14]
• 503d Medical Squadron (later 503d USAF Infirmary),[26] 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955
• 745th Air Materiel Squadron, 6 June 1945 – 15 August 1947 (not manned 15 Feb 1946-unknown)[27]
• 921st Air Engineering Squadron, 6 June 1945 – 15 August 1947 (not manned 14 February 1946 – Apr 1946)[28]

• Gross Gerau, Germany, 6 June 1945[1]
• AAF Station Schweinfurt (R-35),[29] Germany, Sep 1945[30]
• Bolling Field, District of Columbia, Feb 1946[31]
• Selfridge Field, Michigan, April 1946 – 15 August 1947[5]
• Portland International Airport, Oregon, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955[11]

• North American F-86F Sabre, 1953[13]
• Northrop F-89D Scorpion, 1954–1955[15]
• Lockheed F-94A Starfire, 1953–1954[15]
• Lockheed F-94B Starfire, 1953[15]

• Unknown, 6 June 1945 – 11 June 1945
• Lt Col. Michael J. King, 11 June 1945 – unknown[1]
• Lt Col. Hugh A. Griffith, ca. 22 May 1946 – 1946[5]
• Lt Col. John A. Carey, 1946 – unknown[7][32]
• Col. Frank W. Seifert, December 1946 – 14 January 1947[33]
• Lt Col. John W. Gaff, Jr. 14 January 1947 – 1947[33]
• Unknown, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Explanatory notes

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1956
• Coleman, John M (1950). The Development of Tactical Services in the Army Air Forces. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
• Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946 – 1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
• 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: Men & Planes. Vol. VI. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 79007244. OCLC 704158.
• Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
• 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.

Further reading

• Grant, C.L., (1961) The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126
• Leonard, Barry (2009). History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense: (1945–1955) (PDF). Vol. I. Fort McNair, DC: Center for Military History. ISBN 978-1-4379-2131-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.