deployed at
Andersen AFB, Guam As
Strategic Air Command (SAC) began to equip with the
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, it was concerned that bases with large concentrations of the new jet bombers made attractive targets. SAC's response was to break up its B-52 wings and scatter their aircraft over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. In 1959,
Tactical Air Command (TAC) was in the process of withdrawing its fighters from Turner Air Force Base, which had been a SAC
fighter aircraft and
reconnaissance base until the spring of 1957. On 1 January 1959, SAC resumed control of Turner and activated the 822d Air Division and
4138th Strategic Wing to prepare Turner for the arrival of SAC
heavy bombers and
tankers. The
4134th Strategic Wing at
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and the
4241st Strategic Wing at
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, both of which had been organized a few months earlier, were also assigned to the division when it activated. Six months later, the
4137th Strategic Wing at
Robins Air Force Base, Georgia was organized and assigned to the 822d. However, the establishment of wings did not immediately disperse the bomber force. Although the
73d Bombardment Squadron moved to Seymour Johnson from
Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico five days after the division activated, it was not until summer that the wings at Turner and Eglin were able to activate their B-52
squadrons, and the
342d Bombardment Squadron did not move to Robins from
Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas until May 1960. By February 1960, all wings except for the 4137th were combat ready. The B-52 squadron moves were paper moves only, and each unit began to equip and train with the Stratofortress from scratch. It would be the end of December 1960 before all the division's squadrons were fully equipped. As their squadrons became combat ready, one third of each wing's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute
alert, fully fueled, armed and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half their aircraft in 1962. The division conducted long range bombardment training missions from activation through inactivation. The division conducted numerous staff assistance visits and monitored tactical exercises, including
Operation Chrome Dome, B-52 airborne alert operations. This posture was maintained until 21 November, when SAC returned to its normal airborne alert status and assumed DEFCON 3, but the 822d maintained an increased number of bombers and tankers on ground alert for another week. The division's three strategic wings were Major Command controlled (MAJCON) units that could not carry a permanent history or lineage. SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue them and activate Air Force controlled (AFCON) units to replace them without altering their missions. On 1 February 1963, the
39th Bombardment Wing replaced the 4135th at Eglin, the
68th Bombardment Wing replaced the 4241st at Seymour Johnson the
465th Bombardment Wing replaced the 4137th at Robins, and the
484th Bombardment Wing replaced the 4138th at Turner. Each of the new wings absorbed the personnel and aircraft of their predecessors. In June 1965, the 39th Bombardment Wing was inactivated and its bombers moved to
Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The division formed Detachment 1, 822d Air Division at Eglin to wind up SAC B-52 operations there. The division was inactivated in the fall of 1966 as Turner prepared for closure and its subordinate wings were reassigned to the
57th Air Division. The inactivation was originally planned for July 1967, but this was accelerated with the phase out of early model B-52s from the Air Force inventory. ==Lineage==