page_title: 823d Air Division
section_title: Conversion to the B-52
hierarchical_section_title: 823d Air Division / History / Conversion to the B-52
caption_attribution_description: English: 911 Air Refueling Squadron Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker 58-0029
context_page_description: The 823d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command's Second Air Force at McCoy Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1971.
  The division was first activated in June 1956 at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida to command the two Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings stationed there when the 19th Bombardment Wing moved to Homestead to join the 379th Bombardment Wing. Each wing deployed to Morocco in 1957, and continued to maintain a portion of their aircraft on alert in Morocco in Operation Reflex as long as they flew the B-47.
  In 1961, after the 379th Wing at Homestead inactivated and the 19th Wing had begun its conversions to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the wing became a multibase division, assuming command of the 2d, 306th and 321st Bombardment Wings at bases in Florida and Georgia. By 1963, these wings had either converted to the B-52 or been reassigned. Other wings stationed in Georgia, North Carolina and Puerto Rico and flying the B-52 were assigned to the division before it was inactivated.
context_section_description: In October 1960, the 379th wing began to transfer its aircraft to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for storage in preparation for a move on paper to Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan and reassignment to another division. Although the 823d was originally scheduled to inactivate with only a single wing left at Homestead, by the time the 379th's move occurred in January 1961 the division instead began preparations for a new role as the command element for dispersed bombardment wings, which would include four bombardment wings at four locations by the end of 1961. The 306th Bombardment Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida and 321st Bombardment Wing at McCoy Air Force Base, Florida were assigned to the wing in early February and the 2d Bombardment Wing at Hunter Air Force Base, Georgia became the division's fourth wing in April.
  Changes in the division strength for the next few years were brought on as its wings converted from the B-47 to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.  The first Stratofortress unit assigned to the division was the 4047th Strategic Wing at McCoy Air Force Base, which was organized on 1 July 1961 as part of SAC's plan to disperse its B-52 heavy bombers 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 September 1961 the 347th Bombardment Squadron, consisting of 15 Stratofortresses, moved to McCoy from Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts. The 321st Wing at McCoy had already become non-operational in May, and was inactivated on 25 October 1961. The 19th Wing inactivated one of its squadrons and dispersed two others.   Toward the end of 1961, the 19th began to convert its remaining bombardment squadron to the B-52 and its refueling squadron to the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, completing the transition in early 1962.
  As they became combat ready, one third of the division's B-52 and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker 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 the division's aircraft in 1962.
  The last B-47 wings assigned to the division were terminated on 1 April 1963.  At Hunter Air Force Base, the 2d Bombardment Wing had been disposing of its Stratojets, preparing to transfer the base to Military Air Transport Service and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs of the 63d Troop Carrier Wing before moving as a paper unit to Barksdale Air Force Base. Once the base transfer was completed, the wing moved and was reassigned. At MacDill, the 306th Wing was programmed for inactivation once its B-47s were gone.  Instead, it deployed them to join the remaining Stratojets of the 2d Wing at Hunter in October 1962, then moved on paper to replace the 4047th Wing at McCoy.
  On 1 October 1962, shortly before the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the 72d Bombardment Wing, another B-52 wing located at Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico was assigned to the division.
caption: 911th Air Refueling Squadron KC-135A[note 3]
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