534th Air Defense Group

The group was activated as the 534th Air Service Group shortly after VE Day 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. It was designed to support a single combat group.[1] Its 960th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 784th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support.[1] The group provided support for one combat group in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. It returned to the United States for inactivation. It was disbanded in 1948.[2]

Lockheed F-94B Starfire[lower-alpha 2]

During the Cold War, the group was reconstituted and redesignated as the 534th Air Defense Group, and activated at Kinross Air Force Base in 1953[3] with responsibility for air defense of the North Central United States, but without an operational squadron until April, when the 438th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), flying Lockheed F-94B Starfires armed with 20 mm cannon.[4] was activated.[5] The 438th FIS upgraded to Mighty Mouse rocket armed Northrop F-89D Scorpions in December 1953.[4] The group replaced the 91st Air Base Squadron as USAF host base unit at Kinross. Assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.[6][7] The 534th was inactivated[3] and replaced by 507th Fighter Group (Air Defense), in 1955[8][9] as result of Air Defense Command'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.[10] The 534th was disbanded once again in 1984.[11]

• Unknown, 21 May 1945 – 17 October 1945 (Probably Air Service Command, Mediterranean Theater of Operations)
• 4706th Defense Wing (later 4706th Air Defense Wing), 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955[3]

• Italy, 21 May 1945 – 1945
• Pyote Army Air Field, Texas, 1945 – 17 October 1945
• Kinross Air Force Base, Michigan, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955[3]

• Northrop F-89D Scorpion, 1953-1955[4]
• Lockheed F-94B Starfighter, 1953[4]

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 23 November 2006. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
• 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.