473d Fighter Group
Encyclopedia
The 473d Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division, stationed at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base
, Michigan
. It was inactivated on 30 September 1959.
During World War II
, the unit was primarily a replacement training group assigned to Fourth Air Force
which trained P-38 Lightning
pilots. Reactivated during the Cold War
by Air Defense Command, the group was tasked with air defense of upper Midwestern United States, 1959 (not equipped, 1956–1959)
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. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division, stationed at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base
K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base
K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned U.S. Air Force base in Marquette County, Michigan, south of the city of Marquette. The base, near the center of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, closed in 1995. The county airport, Sawyer International, now occupies a portion of the base and has scheduled...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It was inactivated on 30 September 1959.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the unit was primarily a replacement training group assigned to Fourth Air Force
Fourth Air Force
The Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....
which trained P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
pilots. Reactivated during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
by Air Defense Command, the group was tasked with air defense of upper Midwestern United States, 1959 (not equipped, 1956–1959)
Lineage
- Constituted as: 473d Fighter Group on 12 October 1943
- Activated on i November 1943
- Disbanded on 31 March 1944.
- Reconstituted and redesignated 473d Fighter Group (Air Defense), on 8 July 1955
- Activated on 8 April 1956
- Inactivated on 30 September 1959
Assignments
- IV Fighter CommandIV Fighter CommandThe IV Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fourth Air Force, based at Oakland Airport, California...
- Attached to: Los Angeles Fighter WingLos Angeles Fighter WingThe Los Angeles Air Defense Region is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fourth Air Force, stationed in San Francisco, California It was inactivated on 31 August 1945- History:...
, 1 November 1943-31 March 1944- 4706th Air Defense Wing4706th Air Defense WingThe 4706th Air Defense Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division, being stationed at Kincheloe Air Force Base, Michigan...
, 8 April 1956 - 30th Air Division, 1 April-1 October 1959
- 4706th Air Defense Wing
Components
- 62d Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 1 August-30 September 1959 (Attached)
- 451st Fighter Squadron: 1 December 1943-31 March 1944
- 482d Fighter Squadron: 1 November 1943-31 March 1944
- 483d Fighter Squadron: 1 November 1943-31 March 1944
- 484th Fighter (later Figher-Interceptor) Squadron484th Fighter-Interceptor SquadronThe 484th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 473d Fighter Group, stationed at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan. It was inactivated on 16 February 1959.-History:...
: 1943-1944, 8 June 1956-16 February 1959
Stations
- Grand Central Air TerminalGrand Central AirportGrand Central Airport is a small privately owned airfield which is open to public air traffic. It is located in Midrand, halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria in South Africa...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 1 November 1943 - Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 28-31 March 1944
- K. I. Sawyer Air Force BaseK. I. Sawyer Air Force BaseK. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is a decommissioned U.S. Air Force base in Marquette County, Michigan, south of the city of Marquette. The base, near the center of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, closed in 1995. The county airport, Sawyer International, now occupies a portion of the base and has scheduled...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 8 April 1956-1 October 1959