The 327th Air Division is an inactive air division of the United States Air Force (USAF). It was assigned to Thirteenth Air Force throughout its existence. It was last stationed at Taipei Air Station in Gongguan, TaipeiTaiwan, where it was inactivated on 7 January 1976.
The division was first active on Guam from 1957 to 1960. At Guam it was responsible for the air defense of the Mariana Islands.
From 1966 to 1976, it was the administrative headquarters for all USAF units on Taiwan and supported other governmental agencies on the island. It also coordinated with the Republic of China Air Force for the air defense of Taiwan. The division, from 1966 through 1973, controlled an airlift wing that provided support for the Vietnam War. The division was inactivated following the visit of President Richard Nixon to China and the subsequent gradually withdrawal of US military forces from Taiwan.
The origins of the division's reactivation on Taiwan lie with Air Task Force 13 (Provisional). Air task forces had been active on Taiwan as early as 1955, under the command of then-Brigadier GeneralBenjamin O. Davis, Jr. General Davis was the vice commander of Thirteenth Air Force, and had the additional duty as commander of Air Task Force 13 when it was activated. The task force formed the air component of the United States Taiwan Defense Command.[6][7]
On 8 February 1966, the division replaced the task force at Taipei Air Station, Taiwan and assumed responsibility for Air Force units on Taiwan. The largest unit assigned to the division was the 314th Troop Carrier Wing, which had moved to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taichung (commonly called "CCK") in January 1966 to augment airlift in the Pacific as part of the buildup of forces associated with the Vietnam War. Initially, the wing was attached to the division administratively, remaining under the operational control of the 315th Air Division like other Lockheed C-130 Hercules units in the Pacific, but in November 1968 it was assigned to the 327th Division. The 314th provided airlift throughout the Pacific, particularly combat airlift in Southeast Asia.[8]
The 327th Air Division provided logistics, administrative and service support for military and United States government agencies on Taiwan. In addition, it coordinated air defense operations and plans with the Republic of China Air Force to integrate combined forces into the overall Pacific Command. In fulfilling its mission, the 327th participated in numerous military exercises.[1]
As airlift operations at CCK began to wind down, the 374th Wing and its flying squadrons moved to Clark Air Base
in November 1973[10] and it was replaced as the CCK support unit by the 6217th Combat Support Group.[11] The group was later renamed the 6217th Tactical Group to reflect its mission of controlling deployed fighter units at CCK.[12] In May 1975, F-4 fighter units withdrew from CCK Air Base to Kadena Air Base. In June 1975, preparations began to close CCK and the group was replaced by the 6217th Air Base Squadron, which managed the disposition of Air Force assets as the base shut down.[13]
Although no official announcement had been made connecting these changes with the revised China policy of the United States, these reductions reflected that soon after the Shanghai Communiqué was issued in 1972, steps began to reduce the United States military presence in Taiwan with the ultimate objective of withdrawing all personnel and closing all bases.[14] The division was inactivated on 7 January 1976.[1]
Lineage
Constituted as the 327th Air Division on 22 June 1957
^Approved 9 December 1958. Description: per paleargent and azure, two lightning flashes saltirewise crossed at the upper ends or, surmounting a palm frond in base vert, in chief a lightning flash fesswise of the third [color mentioned] all overall and within a diminished border of the first [color mentioned].
^Aircraft in foreground is North American F-86D-50-NA Sabre, serial 52-9989. This airplane was transferred to the Japanese Air Self Defense Force and is on display at Yamanashi. Baugher, Joe (15 July 2023). "1952 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
^Aircraft in the foreground is McDonnell F-4C-23-MC Phantom II, serial 64-0750 of the 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Taichung, Taiwan on 2 October 1973. This aircraft was sent to the Aberdeen Proving Ground for use as a target in November 1986. Baugher, Joe (15 July 2023). "1964 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
^Sherwood, Terry. "History of the US Air Force in Taiwan". Taipei Air Station Public Affairs. Retrieved 5 April 2016. (online version edited to include images which overlay portions of the text.)
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