838th Air Division
Encyclopedia
The 838th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force
organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command
, assigned to Twelfth Air Force, being stationed at Forbes Air Force Base
, Kansas
. It was inactivated on December 24, 1969.
The unit was an intermediate command echelon of Tactical Air Command
. Activated but not manned or equipped in 1957, but reactivated in 1963. The 838 AD provided command and staff supervision for subordinate units, which performed worldwide tactical airlift and participated in tactical exercises and operations such as Desert Strike. Between 1964 and 1969, the units frequently deployed aircraft and personnel to Europe
, the Far East
, and the Canal Zone
with its subordinate units performing tactical airlift missions.
The command was inactivated in 1969 as a result of budget reductions, its units being consolidated directly into Twelfth Air Force.
Group
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...
organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, assigned to Twelfth Air Force, being stationed at Forbes Air Force Base
Forbes Air Force Base
Forbes Field, previously Forbes Air Force Base, is a joint-use civil-military airport operated by the Topeka Airport Authority located approximately south of Topeka, Kansas....
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. It was inactivated on December 24, 1969.
The unit was an intermediate command echelon of Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
. Activated but not manned or equipped in 1957, but reactivated in 1963. The 838 AD provided command and staff supervision for subordinate units, which performed worldwide tactical airlift and participated in tactical exercises and operations such as Desert Strike. Between 1964 and 1969, the units frequently deployed aircraft and personnel to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, and the Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
with its subordinate units performing tactical airlift missions.
The command was inactivated in 1969 as a result of budget reductions, its units being consolidated directly into Twelfth Air Force.
Lineage
- Established as 838 Air Division on August 30, 1957.
- Activated on September 25, 1957
- Inactivated on December 11, 1957
- Activated on June 13, 1963
- Organized on July 1, 1963
- Inactivated on December 24, 1969.
Assignments
- Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, September 25 – December 11, 1957 - Tactical Air CommandTactical Air CommandTactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, June 13, 1963 - Twelfth Air Force, July 1, 1963 – December 24, 1969.
Stations
- Ardmore AFB, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, September 25 – December 11, 1957 - Pope AFB, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, July 1, 1963 - Forbes AFB, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, November 9, 1964 – December 24, 1969.
Components
Wings- 313 Troop Carrier (later, 313 Tactical Airlift)313th Tactical Airlift WingThe 313th Tactical Airlift Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, assigned to the 834th Air Division, being stationed at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas...
(Forbes AFB)
- November 9, 1964 – December 24, 1969
- 463d Troop Carrier Wing (Ardmore AFB; Langley AFB)
- September 25 – December 11, 1957; October 1, 1963 – November 9, 1964.
- 464th Troop Carrier Wing (Pope AFB)
- July 1, 1963 – November 9, 1964
- 516 Troop Carrier (later, 516 Tactical Airlift)516th Aeronautical Systems WingThe 516th Aeronautical Systems Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.-Mission:...
(Dyess AFB)
- 516 Troop Carrier (later, 516 Tactical Airlift)
- November 9, 1964 – December 24, 1969.
Group
- 930 Tactical Airlift: May 13 – June 1, 1968.
Aircraft
- C-123 ProviderC-123 ProviderThe C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force...
, 1957, 1963–1964 - C-130 HerculesC-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
, 1957, 1963–1969 - C-7 Caribou, 1969.