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91st Air Division (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 91st Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force
organization. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Forces, assigned to First Air Force
, being stationed at Newark Municipal Airport
, New Jersey
. It was inactivated on 24 June 1949.
During World War II
, the 91st Photographic Wing was the primary source of aerial photography and visual intelligence and mapping for Fifth Air Force
in the Southwest Pacific theater. Its assigned units flying unarmed over enemy territory, photographing Japanese airfields, harbors, beach defenses, and personnel areas in New Guinea
, the Bismarcks, Borneo
, and the southern Philippines
. They also reconnoitered target areas and enemy troop positions to provide intelligence for Air Force and Army units.
Liaison aircraft assigned to the wing rescued Allied fliers forced down in Pacific jungles, and evacuated wounded personnel from forward areas. Frequently fighters, assigned to subordinate units, attacked gun emplacements, bridges, supply dumps, and other installations in support of ground troops.
In 1945, as the war with Japan came to a close, the subordinate units flew photographic missions over Kyūshū
. After hostilities ceased, these flights continued, and the aerial photographs obtained helped to locate prisoner of war (POW) camps and in assessing damage done to the Japanese communications system. Inactivated in Japan during early 1946.
Activated as part of the Air Force Reserve at Newark Airport
, New Jersey
in late 1946 controlling tactical reconnaissance units. The organization was redesignated as an Air Division in April 1948 as part of the realignment of the United States Air Force command echelon structure. It was primarily an administrative organization. It inactivated in 1949.
The Strategic Air Command
assigned the designation 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing to its first global strategic reconnaissance and aerial mapping unit in 1948 as part of its policy of designating new units with ones having a World War II
combat history. However, there is no relationship or lineage between the units.
Squadrons
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 Continental Air Forces, assigned to First Air Force
First Air Force
The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, being stationed at Newark Municipal Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
, 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 24 June 1949.
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 91st Photographic Wing was the primary source of aerial photography and visual intelligence and mapping for Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
in the Southwest Pacific theater. Its assigned units flying unarmed over enemy territory, photographing Japanese airfields, harbors, beach defenses, and personnel areas in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the Bismarcks, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, and the southern Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. They also reconnoitered target areas and enemy troop positions to provide intelligence for Air Force and Army units.
Liaison aircraft assigned to the wing rescued Allied fliers forced down in Pacific jungles, and evacuated wounded personnel from forward areas. Frequently fighters, assigned to subordinate units, attacked gun emplacements, bridges, supply dumps, and other installations in support of ground troops.
In 1945, as the war with Japan came to a close, the subordinate units flew photographic missions over Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. After hostilities ceased, these flights continued, and the aerial photographs obtained helped to locate prisoner of war (POW) camps and in assessing damage done to the Japanese communications system. Inactivated in Japan during early 1946.
Activated as part of the Air Force Reserve at Newark Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
, 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...
in late 1946 controlling tactical reconnaissance units. The organization was redesignated as an Air Division in April 1948 as part of the realignment of the United States Air Force command echelon structure. It was primarily an administrative organization. It inactivated in 1949.
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...
assigned the designation 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing to its first global strategic reconnaissance and aerial mapping unit in 1948 as part of its policy of designating new units with ones having a 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...
combat history. However, there is no relationship or lineage between the units.
Lineage
- Established as 91 Photographic Wing, Reconnaissance on 9 October 1943
- Activated on 20 October 1943
- Redesignated 91 Reconnaissance Wing on 20 June 1945.
- Inactivated on 27 January 1946
- Activated in the Reserve on 20 December 1946
- Redesignated 91 Air Division, Reconnaissance on 16 April 1948
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949.
Assignments
- Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 20 October 1943 – 20 February 1944 - Army Service ForcesArmy Service ForcesThe Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces. They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"...
, 20 February – 30 March 1944 - Fifth Air ForceFifth Air ForceThe Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
, 30 March 1944 - Far East Air Forces (later, Pacific Air Command, U.S. Army), 8 August 1944 – 27 January 1946
- First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, 20 December 1946 – 27 January 1949.
Stations
- Will Rogers FieldWill Rogers World AirportWill Rogers World Airport , also known as Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is located in southwestern Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 6 miles from downtown and is the principal commercial airport of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area...
, 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...
, 20 October 1943 - Birmingham AAB, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, 9 November 1943 – 20 February 1944 - Nadzab AirfieldLae Nadzab AirportLae Nadzab Airport is a regional airport located in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is served by regional aircraft with domestic flight.-Airlines and destinations:-History:...
, New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, 30 March 1944 - Mokmer AirfieldFrans Kaisiepo Airport-History:Mokmer Airfield was part of a complex of airfields built on Biak Island by the Japanese , of which Mokmer was the main USAAF facility after the island was taken by the United States after fierce fighting in late May and June 1944....
, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, 10 August 1944 - Bayug AirfieldBayug AirfieldBayug Airfield is a World War II airfield located in the east of Burauen, Leyte, Philippines, and to the west of San Pablo Airfield, to the north of the Marabong River in the province of Leyte, Philippines. It was closed after the war.-History:...
, LeyteLeyteLeyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
, Philippines, 12 November 1944 - McGuire FieldMcGuire FieldFor the airport in the United States, see San José International AirportSan Jose Airport , formerly known as McGuire Field, is an airport serving the general area of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines. It is one of three airports in Occidental Mindoro, the others being Mamburao...
, MindoroMindoroMindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
, Philippines, 28 January 1945 - Clark FieldClark Air BaseClark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippines, 24 March 1945 - Okinawa, 30 July 1945
- HonshuHonshuis the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, Japan, 5 October 1945 – 27 January 1946 - Newark AAB (later, Municipal Airport)Newark Liberty International AirportNewark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew 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...
, 20 December 1946 – 27 June 1949.
Components
Groups- 6th Reconnaissance Group6th Reconnaissance GroupThe 6th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with Fifth Air Force, stationed at Irumagawa Air Base, Japan...
: 12 April 1944 – 10 November 1945 - 66 Reconnaissance66th Air Base WingThe 66th Air Base Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Electronic Systems Center, stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts...
: 27 December 1946 – 27 June 1949 - 71st Reconnaissance Group: 1 May 1944 – 10 November 1945
- 74th Reconnaissance Group74th Reconnaissance GroupThe 74th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Continental Air Forces, based at Stewart AFB, New York.-History:...
: 27 December 1946 – 27 June 1949.
Squadrons
- 17 Reconnaissance: attached c. 21 October – 10 November 1945
- 20 Reconnaissance: 10 November – 1 December 1945
- 25 Liaison: 15 April 1944 – 16 February 1945.
Aircraft
- B-25 MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
, 1944–1945; - B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
, 1944; - F-4 LightningP-38 LightningThe 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...
, 1944; - F-5 Lightning, 1944–1945;
- L-5 SentinelL-5 SentinelThe Stinson L-5 Sentinel was a World War II era liaison aircraft used by all branches of the U.S. military and by the British Royal Air Force. Along with the Stinson L-1 Vigilant, the L-5 was the only other American liaison aircraft of WWII that was purpose-built for military use and had no...
, 1944–1945; - UC-78 BobcatCessna AT-17-References:NotesBibliography* Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II . London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4....
, 1944–1945; - B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
, 1945; - C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, 1945.