The 4706th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued
United States Air Force (USAF) organization. Its last assignment was with the
37th Air Division of
Air Defense Command (ADC) at
O'Hare International Airport (IAP), Illinois where it was discontinued in 1956. It was established in 1952 at O'Hare as the 4706th Defense Wing in a general reorganization of
Air Defense Command (ADC), which replaced
wings responsible for a base with wings responsible for a geographical area. It assumed control of several
Fighter Interceptor squadrons that had been assigned to the
142d Fighter-Interceptor Wing, an
Air National Guard wing mobilized for the
Korean War and the
56th Fighter-Interceptor Group. In early 1953 it also was assigned six
radar squadrons in the Midwest and its dispersed fighter
squadrons combined with colocated air base squadrons into air defense groups. The wing was redesignated as an air defense wing in 1954. It was discontinued in 1956 and most of its units transferred to the
58th Air Division.
History
The 4706th Defense Wing was organized at the beginning of 1952 at O'Hare IAP[1] in a major reorganization of ADC responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage.[2] The
wing assumed the operational
squadrons and
air defense mission of the inactivating
142d Fighter-Interceptor Wing (FIW), an Oregon
Air National Guard (ANG) wing, which had been federalized and moved to O'Hare in 1951 in the expansion of the USAF for the
Korean War.[3] The wing also received the regular USAF
62d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS). flying
F-86 Sabre aircraft, at O'Hare from the inactivating
56th Fighter-Interceptor Group at
Selfridge AFB, Michigan and the
97th FIS at
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, which had been attached to the 142nd FIW.[4][5] The wing also assumed command of ANG units stationed elsewhere in this reorganization, the
113th FIS, flying F-51H Mustangs, at
Scott AFB, Illinois,[6] and the
166th FIS, at
Lockbourne AFB, Ohio, flying
F-84 Thunderjet aircraft.[7] Thus, the wing's
fightersquadrons defended Illinois, Indiana, southern Wisconsin, western Michigan and western Ohio. Air Base Squadrons were also activated and assigned to the wing to provide support for USAF units stationed at
bases where ADC was the host command.
In February 1953 another ADC reorganization activated Air Defense Groups at ADC bases with dispersed fighter squadrons. These
groups assumed direct command of the fighter squadrons at their stations, in addition to support squadrons to assist in their role as USAF host organizations at the bases. The
501st Air Defense Group (Air Def Gp), activated at O'Hare IAP, the
520th Air Defense Group, at
Truax Field and the
534th Air Defense Group at Kinross AFB (later
Kincheloe AFB), Michigan.[10] Although the
527th Air Defense Group, activated at Oscoda AFB, it was assigned to another wing.[10] Another result of the February 1953 reorganization was that the wing assumed the aircraft detection, control and warning mission, with six squadrons in four states being assigned to the wing.[11][12][13]
In 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units that had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[14] As a result of Project Arrow, the 501st Air Def Gp was replaced by the
56th Fighter Group (Air Defense), the 520th Air Def Gp was replaced by the
327th Fighter Group (Air Defense), and the 534th Air Def Gp was replaced by the
507th Fighter Group (Air Defense).[5][15] Because Project Arrow called for fighter squadrons to be assigned to their traditional group headquarters, the 97th FIS was moved to Delaware and its personnel and equipment reassigned to the
56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.[16] In early October, the
319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying
F-94 Starfire aircraft[17] was assigned to the wing in anticipation of its return to the United States as the Korean war was ending.[11][18][19]
The 56th FIS and 319th FIS and three of the radar squadrons transferred from the wing to the
58th Air Division in March 1956[13][18] The wing was discontinued a few months later and its units assigned to other ADC organizations.[1]
Lineage
Designated as the 4706th Defense Wing and organized on 1 February 1952
Redesignated as 4706th Air Defense Wing on 1 September 1954[1]
^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), p. 6
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)
Redmond, Kent C.; Smith, Thomas M. (2000). From Whirlwind to MITRE: The R&D Story of The SAGE Air Defense Computer. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
ISBN978-0-262-18201-0.