The 503d Air Defense Group is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 25th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Portland International Airport, Oregon. It was inactivated on 18 August 1955.

The group was originally activated as a support group at the end of World War II and provided logistics and administrative support for the 86th Fighter Group in Germany until 1946, when the group returned to the United States, where it supported the 56th Fighter Group. It was discontinued when the USAF reorganized its combat and support units on its bases into a single wing.

The group was activated once again in 1953, when ADC established it as the headquarters for two dispersed fighter-interceptor squadrons and the medical, aircraft maintenance, and administrative squadrons supporting them. It was replaced in 1955 when ADC transferred its mission, equipment, and personnel to the 337th Fighter Group in a project that replaced air defense groups commanding fighter squadrons with fighter groups with distinguished records during World War II.

History World War II The group was activated as the 503d Air Service Group toward the end of World War II, shortly after V-E Day in a reorganization of Army Air Forces (AAF) 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.Coleman, p. 208 Its 921st Air Engineering Squadron provided maintenance that was beyond the capability of the combat group, its 745th Air Materiel Squadron handled all supply matters, and its Headquarters & Base Services Squadron provided other support. it supported the 86th Fighter Group, as part of the occupation forces in Germany until 1946. The group returned to the US and supported the 56th Fighter Group at Selfridge Field, Michigan In October 1946, the group deployed a detachment to Ladd Field, Alaska for arctic training. In 1947 the group and its squadrons were inactivated and replaced by the 56th Airdrome Group, 56th Maintenance & Supply Group, and 56th Station Medical Group as the Air Force began a service test of the Wing/Base organization,Ravenstein, p. 10 which was adopted to unify control at air bases.Goss, p. 75 The 503d Group was disbanded in 1948.Department of the Air Force Letter, 322 (AFOOR 887e), 8 October 1948, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units

Cold War During the Cold War The group was reconstituted, redesignated as the 503d Air Defense Group, and activated at Portland International Airport on 18 February 1953,Cornett & Johnson, p. 81 with the mission to train and maintain interceptor squadrons in state of readiness in order to defend Northwest United States. The 357th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was already stationed at Portland and Flying North American F-86 SabresCornett & Johnson, p.127 was assigned as the operational component of the group.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 445 The group replaced the 89th Air Base Squadron as host organization for active duty USAF units at Portland. It was assigned three squadrons to perform its support responsibilities.Cornett & Johnson p. 146

Two days later, the 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flying Lockheed F-94 Starfire aircraft equipped with airborne intercept radar and armed with 20 mm cannons,Cornett & Johnson, p. 130 was activated as the group's permanent operational squadron.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p.599 In May 1953, the 357th Squadron was transferred to French Morocco and was reassigned. In 1954, the 497th converted to Northrop F-89 Scorpion aircraft armed with Mighty Mouse rockets. The group was inactivated and replaced by the 337th Fighter Group (Defense) in 1955Maurer, Combat Units, p. 215 as part of ADC's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.Buss, Sturm, Volan, Denys & McMullen, p.6 The group was disbanded once again in 1984,Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 Sep 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units but reconstituted in 1985.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 Jul 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations as a base support organization. It has not been active since.

Lineage Constituted as 503d Air Service Group on 16 December 1944 Activated on 6 June 1945 Inactivated on 15 August 1947 Disbanded on 8 October 1948 Reconstituted and redesignated 503d Air Defense Group on 21 January 1953 Activated on 16 February 1953 Inactivated on 18 August 1955 Disbanded on 27 September 1984 Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated 503d Combat Support Group

Assignments Ninth Air Force, 6 June 1945 IX Air Force Service Command, 25 October 1945 XII Tactical Air Command, 15 December 1945 64th Fighter Wing, 15 February 1946 – March 1946see Strategic Air Command March 1946 – June 1946 Fifteenth Air Force June 1946 – 15 August 1947 4704th Air Defense Wing, 16 February 1953 – 8 October 1954 25th Air Division, 8 October 1954 – 18 August 1955

Components 357th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 25 May 1953 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 503d Air Base Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 503d Materiel Squadron, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 503d Medical Squadron (later 503d USAF Infirmary),See 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955 745th Air Materiel Squadron, 6 June 1945 – 15 August 1947 (not manned 15 Feb 1946-unknown) 921st Air Engineering Squadron, 6 June 1945 – 15 August 1947 (not manned 14 February 1946 – Apr 1946)

Stations Gross Gerau, Germany, 6 June 1945 AAF Station Schweinfurt (R-35),Station number in Johnson, p. 36. Germany, Sep 1945 Bolling Field, District of Columbia, Feb 1946Mueller, p. 44 Selfridge Field, Michigan, April 1946 – 15 August 1947 Portland International Airport, Oregon, 1 February 1952 – 18 August 1955

Aircraft North American F-86F Sabre, 1953 Northrop F-89D Scorpion, 1954–1955 Lockheed F-94A Starfire, 1953–1954 Lockheed F-94B Starfire, 1953

Commanders Unknown, 6 June 1945 – 11 June 1945 Lt Col. Michael J. King, 11 June 1945 – unknown Lt Col. Hugh A. Griffith, ca. 22 May 1946 – 1946 Lt Col. John A. Carey, 1946 – unknown Col. Frank W. Seifert, December 1946 – 14 January 1947 Lt Col. John W. Gaff, Jr. 14 January 1947 – 1947 Unknown, 16 February 1953 – 18 August 1955

Service streamer Service Streamer Campaign Dates NotesWorld War II Army of Occupation (Germany)9 May 1945 – February 1946 503d Air Service Group

See also Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons List of F-86 Sabre units F-89 Scorpion units of the United States Air Force F-94 Starfire units of the United States Air Force

References Notes Explanatory notes

Citations

Bibliography

Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1956

Further reading Grant, C.L., (1961) The Development of Continental Air Defense to 1 September 1954, USAF Historical Study No. 126