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The 3rd Air Division was activated at Andersen
AFB, Guam on 18 Jun 1954, gaining most of its resources from the former Far East
Air Forces (FEAF) Bomber Command (Provisional). Andersen AFB passed from FEAF to
SAC control on 1 Apr 1955. In its first decade at Guam, the 3rd Air
Division had few permanent components, but exercised operational control over
numerous deployed tactical components since all SAC operations in the region
came under its jurisdiction. The division also supported the air refueling needs
of all United States (U.S.) military agencies operating in or transiting the
region. In mid-1958 the deployment of entire SAC wings to Guam was replaced by
an "Air Mail" alert program, whereby several B-47 wings in the U.S.
maintained a specific number of B-47s and KC-97s at Andersen AFB to meet both
routine and alert requirements. In Apr 1964 the division switched from "Air
Mail" B-47/KC-97 to "Reflex" B-52/KC-135 alert forces at Andersen
AFB, again with aircraft and crews furnished in deployed status from U.S. based
SAC wings.
Beginning in 1965 the 3rd Air Division became
heavily involved in Arc Light and Young Tiger operations, the former involving
B-52s equipped for conventional iron bomb operations and the latter involving
KC-135 air refueling operations in the Far East and SEA. Strategic Air Command
wings in the U.S. furnished the aircrews and aircraft for these operations.
During 1965 the Arc Light task force at Andersen AFB operated unofficially as
the "4133rd Bombardment Wing, Provisional" (an unapproved
designation applied to cover the people and planes in the area) .On 1 Feb 1966
HQ SAC activated the 4133rd Bombardment Wing, Provisional, to control
Arc Light resources. In Jun 1966 the division gained the 4258th
Strategic Wing, activated in Thailand to control SAC operations there. The
capture of the United States Ship (USS) Pueblo (a United States Navy
intelligence gathering vessel) on 23 Jan 1968 saw three SAC wings (the 22nd
, 70th and 91st BMWs) deployed as units to meet the crisis.
All three subsequently furnished resources for use in Arc Light operations.
The first elements of 3rd Air Division to enter
combat in SEA were the tanker forces under Young Tiger. The 4252nd
Strategic Wing at Kadena established a forward operating location at Don Muang
Airport, Thailand, on 2 Mar 1965. On 18 Jun 1965, Arc Light B-52s, based at
Andersen AFB, struck suspected Viet Cong targets in South Vietnam; commencing
the first SAC combat missions. B-52s began striking targets in North Vietnam on
11 Apr 1966; the initial attack against the Mu Gia Pass marked the largest
single bomber raid since World War II. By late 1969, most Arc Light operations
staged from U-Tapao, Thailand, while others were mounted from Kadena and
Andersen. Andersen AFB remained the primary base for deployed forces from the
U.S., however, and aircraft and crews were sent from Guam to Kadena and U-Tapao
for combat missions. On 1 Apr 1970 the 3rd Air Division's resources
passed to Eighth Air Force, which moved to Andersen AFB from the U.S. without
personnel or equipment, and the division was inactivated.
Effective 1 Jan 1975, Eighth Air Force moved without
personnel or equipment to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, where it absorbed resources
of Second Air Force. Simultaneously, 3rd Air Division activated at
Andersen AFB and absorbed resources left by Eighth Air Force. The division
gained the 43rd Strategic Wing at Andersen AFB, the 376th
Strategic Wing at Kadena AB, and the 307th Strategic Wing at U-Tapao
Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), and was charged with controlling all SAC
operations in the Western Pacific, Far East, and Southeast Asia. The division
additionally assumed responsibility for air refueling support of all U.S.
military forces in these areas
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