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4708th Defense Wing

4708th Air Defense Wing Airdefensecommand-logo.jpg
13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron North American F-86D-35-NA Sabre 51-8437.jpg
F-86D of the 4708th Air Defense Wing's 13th FIS
Active 1952-1956
Country  United States
Branch  United States Air Force
Type Fighter Interceptor and Radar
Role Air Defense
Size Wing
Part of Air Defense Command
Garrison/HQ Selfridge Air Force Base

The 4708th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Selfridge Air Force Base (AFB), Michigan, where it was discontinued in 1956. It was established in 1952 at Selfridge as the 4708th Defense Wing in a general reorganization of Air Defense Command (ADC), which replaced wings responsible for a base with wings responsible for a geographical area. It assumed control of several fighter Interceptor squadrons that had been assigned to the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, some of which were Air National Guard squadrons mobilized for the Korean War.

In early 1953 it also was assigned nine radar squadrons in the Midwest. Several of these radar squadrons were located in Canada as part of the Mid-Canada Line. At the same time its dispersed fighter squadrons combined with colocated air base squadrons into air defense groups. The wing was redesignated as an air defense wing in 1954. It was discontinued in and its units transferred to the 30th Air Division in 1956.

The wing was organized as the 4708th Defense Wing the beginning of February 1952 at Selfridge AFB, Michigan as part of a major reorganization of ADC responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage. It assumed operational control and the air defense mission of fighter squadrons formerly assigned to the inactivating 56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing (FIW). The 61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), flying Lockheed F-94 Starfire aircraft, and the 172d FIS, flying World War II era North American F-51 Mustang aircraft were located at Selfridge, while the 63d FIS, flying F-86 Sabre aircraft, was located at Oscoda AFB. The 136th FIS at Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, flying World War II era Republic F-47 Thunderbolt aircraft was also transferred to the wing from the 101st FIW, and the 71st FIS at Greater Pittsburgh Airport, another F-86 unit, was transferred from the 1st FIW. The support elements of the 56th FIW's 56th Air Base Group and 56th Maintenance & Supply Group were replaced at Selfridge by the wing's 575th Air Base Group, and air base squadrons were activated at each of the dispersed locations assigned to the wing to support the fighter squadrons at those stations. The wing's mission was to train and maintain tactical units in a state of readiness to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft attempting to penetrate the air defense system in the Great Lakes area.


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