4081st Strategic Wing
Encyclopedia
The 4081st Strategic Wing (4081st SW) is an inactive United States Air Force
unit, being inactivated on 25 June 1966.
The 4081st SW was a non-flying ground service support element for the for the Strategic Air Command
Eighth Air Force
, 45th Air Division
, based at Ernest Harmon AFB, Newfoundland and Labrador
, Canada
. It was established on 1 April 1957 and inactivated on 25 June 1966. When activated, the wing assumed the resources (Manpower, Equipment, Weapons, & Facilities) of the 6605th Air Base Wing, which had originally been established on 1 June 1954. Throughout its existence it was in provisional status, controlled by Strategic Air Command
. Eighth Air Force
provided intermediate command and control from its establishment until 1 January 1959; the 45th Air Division
from then until its inactivation, being assigned to Harmon AFB.
USAF personnel had been assigned to facility since 1941, was operated as a refueling stop on the North Atlantic transport route, later as a fighter-interceptor base assigned to Northeast Air Command
. SAC assumed control of base in 1957 and established the 4081st Strategic Wing when facility was upgraded to become a B-52 Stratofortress
support and dispersal base to make it more difficult for the Soviet Union
to knock out the entire B-52 fleet with a surprise first strike. The base supported transient aircraft, with no permanent aircraft assigned. The wing was inactivated in 1966 with the close down of Harmon AFB and the subsequent return of the facility to the Royal Canadian Air Force
.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit, being inactivated on 25 June 1966.
The 4081st SW was a non-flying ground service support element for the for the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, 45th Air Division
45th Air Division
The 45th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force, stationed at Pease AFB, New Hampshire. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.-History:...
, based at Ernest Harmon AFB, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was established on 1 April 1957 and inactivated on 25 June 1966. When activated, the wing assumed the resources (Manpower, Equipment, Weapons, & Facilities) of the 6605th Air Base Wing, which had originally been established on 1 June 1954. Throughout its existence it was in provisional status, controlled by Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
. Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
provided intermediate command and control from its establishment until 1 January 1959; the 45th Air Division
45th Air Division
The 45th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force, stationed at Pease AFB, New Hampshire. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.-History:...
from then until its inactivation, being assigned to Harmon AFB.
USAF personnel had been assigned to facility since 1941, was operated as a refueling stop on the North Atlantic transport route, later as a fighter-interceptor base assigned to Northeast Air Command
Northeast Air Command
The Northeast Air Command was a short-lived organization in the United States Air Force tasked with the operation and defense of air bases in Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland. It was formed in 1950 from the facilities of the United States established during World War II in Northeast Canada,...
. SAC assumed control of base in 1957 and established the 4081st Strategic Wing when facility was upgraded to become a B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
support and dispersal base to make it more difficult for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to knock out the entire B-52 fleet with a surprise first strike. The base supported transient aircraft, with no permanent aircraft assigned. The wing was inactivated in 1966 with the close down of Harmon AFB and the subsequent return of the facility to the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
.