The organization was initially activated in
Hawaii as the 14th Pursuit Wing to contribute to the defense of the
Hawaiian Islands. Its designation was soon changed to Hawaiian Interceptor Command. The Hawaiian Interceptor Command suffered heavy losses during the
Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941), but airmen managed to shoot down several enemy aircraft.[1] A short time later, it was inactivated and its men and equipment became the
cadre for
VII Fighter Command.[citation needed]
The wing was reformed as the 14th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the primary
Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy strategic bombardment groups of the
Eighth Air Force's
2d Bombardment Division in
World War II. Its subordinate groups flew bombing missions against
German airfields, oil installations, and marshalling yards. Wing components supported
Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, in June 1944 by attacking strong points in the beachhead area and transportation targets behind the front lines. Later, in December 1944 – January 1945, the wing helped to check the German offensive during the
Battle of the Bulge. In March 1945, subordinate units supported
Operation Lumberjack, the campaign to cross the
Rhine River.[1]
Cold War
Reactivated in 1951, the 14th Air Division was an intermediate command echelon of
Strategic Air Command. The command provided operational reconnaissance, maintained round the clock radar surveillance to detect sea launched ballistic missiles from the Pacific Ocean area, and provided for crisis management during periods of increased operational readiness. For a brief period, between 1962 and 1965, the division maintained a
SM-68 Titan Iintercontinental ballistic missile complex, in addition to its assigned aircraft. The division also supervised all of
Strategic Air Command's initial combat crew training for the
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker,
Boeing B-52G Stratofortress and B-52H,
Lockheed U-2, and
Lockheed SR-71 aircraft.[1]
It was inactivated in 1991 as part of the military drawdown of the USAF after the end of the
Cold War.
Lineage
Established as the 14th Pursuit Wing on 19 October 1940
Activated on 1 November 1940
Inactivated on 23 January 1942
Redesignated 14th Bombardment Wing on 23 August 1942
Activated on 1 October 1942
Redesignated: 14th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 1 February 1943
Redesignated: 14th Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 7 August 1944
Redesignated: 14th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 15 June 1945
Inactivated on 7 November 1945
Redesignated 14th Air Division on 1 February 1951
Organized on 10 February 1951
Discontinued on 16 June 1952
Activated on 16 June 1952
Redesignated: 14th Strategic Aerospace Division on 1 March 1962