The 568th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States 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...

 organization. Its last assignment was with the 4709th Air Defense Wing, being stationed at McGuire Air Force Base

McGuire Air Force Base

JB MDL McGuire is a United States Air Force base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the USAF Air Mobility Command...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. It was inactivated on 8 Jul 1954

History

Activated as part of a reorganization of Army Air Forces support groups in which the AAF replaced Service Groups that included personnel from other branches of the Army and supported two combat groups with Air Service Groups including only Air Corps units. Designed to support a single combat group.Provided support for one combat group in the Pacific Theater. It was disbanded in 1948.

Redesignated as an air base group, reconstituted, and activated at McGuire AFB in 1952. It replaced the 52nd Air Base Group as host unit for McGuire. Assigned seven squadrons to perform its support responsibilities. Also maintained aircraft stationed at McGuire. Redesignated as an air defense group in 1953 and assumed respnsibility for air defense of Northeast United States. Assigned the 2d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying F-94 "Starfire' aircraft from the 4709th Defense Wing as its operational elements. The 2nd FIS and 5th FIS were already stationed at McGuire. The same month that it transferred to the 568th the 2nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, briefly traded its F-94s for F-84 "Thunderjet " Aircraft. Both the 2d FIS and the 5th FIS converted to F-86 "Sabres" in July 1953 In 1954, McGuire transferred from Air Defense Command to Military Air Transport Service

Military Air Transport Service

The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...

. The support components of the 568th Air Defense Group were replaced by elements of the 1611th Air Transport Wing

1611th Air Transport Wing

The 1611th Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey...

  Its operational flying squadrons were assigned back to the 4709th Air Defense Wing. Disbanded once again in 1984.

Lineage

• Established as 568th Air Service Group on or about 5 June 1945

Inactivated on or about 31 May 1946

Disbanded on 8 October 1948

• Reconstituted and redesignated as 568th Air Base Group on 1 January 1952

Activated on 1 February 1952

• Redesignated as 568th Air Defense Group on 16 Feb 1953

Inactivated on 8 Jul 1954

Disbanded on 27 September 1984

Assignments

• Twentieth Air Force
  Twentieth Air Force
  The Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
  
  , 1945 - 1946
• 4709th Air Defense Wing, 1 February 1952 – 8 July 1954

Components

• 2d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 8 July 1954
• 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 8 July 1954
• 568th Air Police Squadron, 1 February 1952 - 8 July 1954
• 568th Food Service Squadron, 1 February 1952 - 8 July 1954
• 568th Field Maintenance Squadron, 1 February 1952 - 8 July 1954
• 568th Installations Squadron, 1 February 1952 - 8 July 1954
• 568th Medical Squadron (later 568th USAF Dispensary, 568th USAF Hospital), 1 February 1952 - 8 July 1954
• 568th Motor Vehicle Squadron, 1 February 1952 - 8 July 1954
• 568th Operations Squadron, 1 February 1952 - 8 July 1954
• 568th Supply Squadron, 1 February 1952 - 8 July 1954
• 1031st Air Engineering Squadron, 1945 - 1946
• 1032nd Air Materiel Squadron, 1945 - 1946

Stations

• Guam
  Guam
  Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
  
  , Mariana Islands
  Mariana Islands
  The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
  
  , 1945 - 1946
• McGuire AFB, New Jersey, 1 Feb 1952 – 8 Jul 1954

Operations

Supported one combat group in the Pacific Theater. 1945-1946

Acted as USAF host organization for McGuire AFB. 1952-1954
Trained and maintained tactical flying units in state of readiness in order to defend the Northeast United States. 1953-1954

External links