Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 January 1970 – 30 June 1971; 1 July 1974 – 30 June 1976; 1 July 1977 – 30 June 1979; 1 July 1982 – 30 June 1983; 1 July 1984 – 30 June 1986; 1 July 1986 – 30 June 1988.
The division directed and supervised heavy bombardment (1943–1945) and fighter (1944–1945) operations during
World War II within the
Eighth Air Force in the European Theater.
Replacing the Eighth Air Force in
Okinawa in June 1946, the division directed fighter reconnaissance and bomber organizations, and provided air defense for the
Ryukyu Islands, Japan until December 1948.
From 1954 to 1955, the division served as a holding unit at
Westover Air Force Base,
Massachusetts, for personnel of Eighth Air Force, who moved to the base as part of a transfer of Eighth's headquarters from
Carswell Air Force Base, Texas.
Activated again under the
Air Research and Development Command in April 1957, it was the first division level organization controlling intermediate range and intercontinental ballistic missiles. It became an operational component of
Strategic Air Command (SAC) in January 1958 and began operational testing of missile systems, supporting missile launchings by SAC and other agencies, and training SAC missilemen. These missions continued until the final disbandment on 1 September 1991.
Lineage
Established as the 1st Bombardment Division on 30 August 1943
Activated on 13 September 1943
Redesignated 1st Air Division on 19 December 1944
Inactivated on 31 October 1945
Activated on 7 June 1946
Inactivated on 1 December 1948
Activated on 1 July 1954
Inactivated on 1 April 1955
Redesignated 1st Air Division (Meteorological Survey) on 12 April 1955
Activated on 15 April 1955
Inactivated on 20 May 1956
Redesignated 1st Missile Division on 18 March 1957
Activated on 15 April 1957
Redesignated 1st Strategic Aerospace Division on 21 July 1961
Redesignated Strategic Missile Center on 31 July 1990
Others, including 6 Troop Carrier: attached 10 Jun 1946-c. Apr 1947. 25 Liaison: 30 Mar-15 Sep 1947. 36 Bombardment: 21 Nov 1943-27 Feb 1944 (detached 4 Dec 1943-27 Feb 1944); 1 Jan-12 Aug 1945; 1 Sep-Oct 1945. 392 Missile Training: attached 6 Apr-30 Jun 1959, assigned 1 Jul 1959-18 Oct 1961; assigned 20 Dec 1961-1 Feb 1963. 394 Missile Training (later, 394 Strategic Missile; 394 ICBM Test Maintenance): attached 6 Apr-15 Dec 1958; assigned 1 Jul 1960-18 Oct 1961; assigned 20 Dec 1961-1 Sep 1991. 395 Missile Training (later 395 Strategic Missile): attached 6 Apr-30 Jun 1959, assigned 1 Jul 1959-18 Oct 1961; assigned 20 Dec 1961-31 Dec 1969. 406 Bombardment: c. 11 Nov 1943-26 Feb 1944 (detached 4 Dec 1943-21 Feb 1944); 30 Dec 1944-5 Aug 1945. 576 Strategic Missile: attached 6 Apr-30 Jun 1959, assigned 1 Jul 1959-18 Oct 1961; assigned 20 Dec 1961-2 Apr 1966. 6652 Bombardment: 13 Jul-25 Aug 1945; 1 Sep-12 Oct 1945. 857 Bombardment: attached 10 Mar-c. Aug 1945. [3]
Bishop, Cliff T. Fortresses of the Big Triangle First: A History of the Aircraft Assigned to the First Bombardment Wing and the First Bombardment Division of the Eighth Air Force for August 1942-31 March 1944. Bishop's Stortford, UK: East Anglia Books, 1986.
ISBN1-869987-00-4.
Bowman, Martin W. Airfields of 1st Air Division (USAAF): Cambridgeshire * Northamptonshire * Bedfordshire. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Books, 2007.
ISBN1-84415-453-X.
Mackay, Ron. First in the Field: The 1st Air Division over Europe in WWII. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2007.
ISBN0-7643-2588-4.
USAF. History and Lineage: 1st Strategic Aerospace Division, 1st Bombardment Division, 1st Air Division, 1st Missile Division. Santa Barbara County, California: Vandenberg Air Force Base, 1981.