575th Air Defense Group

The 575th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4708th Air Defense Wing at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, where it was inactivated in August 1955. The group was originally activated as the 575th Air Service Group, a support unit for the 4th Fighter Group after the 4th returned to the United States at the end of World War II and performed that mission until it was inactivated in 1947.

575th Air Defense Group
F-86D Sabre of the group's 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron[lower-alpha 1]
Active1946–1947; 1953–1955
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
TypeFighter interceptor
RoleAir defense

The group was activated once again in 1952 as the 575th Air Base Group to replace the support elements of the inactivating 56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing. A year later Air Defense Command established it as an operational headquarters for fighter-interceptor squadrons as well. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the 1st Fighter Group in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.

History

Strategic Air Command

The group was activated in 1946 as the 575th Air Service Group to support the 4th Fighter Group[1] at Selfridge Field, Michigan. Its 1044th Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the fighter group, its 1054th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support.[2] The group moved to Andrews Field, Maryland, where it was inactivated in August 1947 and its personnel and equipment were transferred to the 4th Airdrome Group, which assumed its mission under the experimental Wing/Base reorganization.[3] It was disbanded in October 1948.[4]

Air Defense Command
F-51D of the 172d FIS[lower-alpha 2]

The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 575th Air Base Group, and activated at Selfridge in 1952[5] in a major reorganization of Air Defense Command (ADC) responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage.[6] It replaced the 56th Air Base Group as the USAF host unit for Selfridge. The group was assigned seven squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.[7][8][9][10][11] It also maintained aircraft stationed at Selfridge.[12]

F-94B of the 61st FIS[lower-alpha 3]

The group was redesignated as the 575th Air Defense Group in 1953[5] and assumed responsibility for air defense of the upper Great Lakes area. It was assigned the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), flying single seat North American F-86 Sabre aircraft,[13] the 61st FIS, flying two-seat Lockheed F-94 Starfire aircraft, armed with 20mm cannon,[14] and the 431st FIS, flying World War II era North American F-51 Mustang aircraft[15] from the 4708th Defense Wing as its operational elements.[16][17][18] The three squadrons were already stationed at Selfridge.[16][17][18] In May 1953, the 431st FIS converted to Sabres[15] and the following month moved to Libya and was assigned away from the group.[18] Meanwhile, in April 1953, the 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying a newer radar equipped and Mighty Mouse rocket armed model of the F-86 aircraft[19] was activated as a fourth operational squadron.[20] In July the 56th FIS upgraded to newer radar equipped "Sabres,"[14] so that when the 61st FIS moved to Newfoundland and was transferred out of the group in August,[17] all squadrons of the 575th were flying the same aircraft, the F-86D, for the first time. In September, the group's medical squadron responsibility expanded when the nearby Percy Jones Army Hospital closed.[21]

The group was inactivated[5] and replaced by 1st Fighter Group (Air Defense) in 1955[22] as part 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.[23] It was disbanded again in 1984.[24]

Lineage
  • Constituted as the 575th Air Service Group
Activated c. 5 September 1946
Inactivated on 15 August 1947
Disbanded on 8 October 1948[4]
  • Reconstituted and redesignated 575th Air Base Group on 1 January 1952
Activated on 1 February 1952[5]
  • Redesignated as 575th Air Defense Group on 16 February 1953[5]
Inactivated on 18 August 1955[5]
Disbanded on 27 September 1984[24]

Assignments

Stations
  • Selfridge Field, Michigan, 5 September 1946
  • Andrews Field, Maryland, 26 March 1947 – 15 August 1947
  • Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 7 February 1952 – 18 August 1955[5]

Components

Aircraft
  • North American F-51D Mustang, 1953[15]
  • North American F-86D Sabre, 1953–55[14][19]
  • North American F-86F Sabre, 1953[13]
  • Lockheed F-94B Starfighter, 1953[14]

See also

References

Notes
Explanatory Notes
  1. Aircraft is North American F-86D-40-NA Sabre, serial 52-3730. This plane was assigned to the Colorado Air National Guard in 1960, then savaged at the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposal Center. Baugher, Joe (7 April 2023). "1952 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  2. On 1 November 1952 the 172d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was returned to the control of the Michigan Air National Guard. Its F-51s were transferred to the newly-activated 431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which continued to fly them until converting to Sabres in May 1953
  3. Aircraft is Lockheed F-94B-1-LO Starfire, serial 50-0888. Later assigned to the New York Air National Guard. Transferred to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposal Center on 20 March 1958, salvaged on 26 March 1958. Baugher, Joe (7 April 2023). "1950 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
Citations
  1. See Robertson, Patsy (22 August 2011). "Factsheet 4 Operations Group (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  2. Coleman, p. 208
  3. See Mueller, p. 9
  4. Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOOR 887e), 8 October 1948, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units
  5. Cornett & Johnson, pp. 84–85
  6. Grant, p. 33
  7. Cornett & Johnson, p. 134
  8. Cornett & Johnson, p. 152
  9. See Abstract, History of 575th Food Service Squadron, Feb–Mar 1952 (accessed 17 June 2012)
  10. See Abstract, History of 575th Motor Vehicle Squadron, Apr–Jun 1952 (accessed 17 June 2012)
  11. See Abstract, History of 575th Supply Squadron, Feb–Jun 1952 (accessed 17 June 2012)
  12. Cornett & Johnson pp.142
  13. Cornett & Johnson, p.116
  14. Cornett & Johnson, p.117
  15. Cornett & Johnson, p.128
  16. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 227
  17. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 237
  18. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 532–533
  19. Cornett & Johnson, p.114
  20. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p.73
  21. Abstract, History of 575th Medical Squadron, Jul–Dec 1953 (accessed 17 June 2012)
  22. Maurer, Combat Units, p. 23
  23. Buss, Sturm, Volan, & McMullen, p.6
  24. Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 September 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units
  25. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 73
  26. Endicott, Judy G. (16 June 2010). "Factsheet 56 Training Squadron (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  27. Robertson, Patsy (22 May 2009). "Factsheet 61 Fighter Squadron (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  28. See Abstract, History of 575th USAF Hospitsl, Jan–Jun 1954 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 17 June 2012)

Bibliography

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

Further reading
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