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End of the wing
editHere's the content of the Abstract of The Seattle Fighter Wing History from January to June 1944:
- INCLUDES REPORT ON AIRCRAFT WARNING SERVICE IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. COL JOHN C. CROSTHWAITE ASSUMED COMMAND FROM LT COL WILBUR STRATTON 22 FEB 44. ON 1 APR 44, WING INACTIVATED AND REPLACED BY 412 ARMY AIR FORCES BASE UNIT (FIGHTER WING), ALTHOUGH DESIGNATION SEATTLE FIGHTER WING WAS RETAINED. LT COL JOHN O. ZAHN ASSUMED COMMAND FROM COL CROSTHWAITE 1 APR 44. MAJ NORMAN S. ARCHIBALD ASSUMED TEMPORARY COMMAND UNTIL COL CLARENCE T. EDWINSON ASSUMED COMMAND 4 APR 44. MAJ ARCHIBALD ASSUMED COMMAND AGAIN 27 APR 44. LT COL RICHARD E. CARLGREN ASSUMED COMMAND OF WING 1 MAY 44. WING REDESIGNATED SEATTLE AIR DEFENSE REGION, 412 ARMY AIR FORCES BASE UNIT IN JUN 44.
Here's the content of the Abstract of The Seattle Control Group History from July 1944 to March 1945:
- REORGANIZED. HAD RESPONSIBILITY TO TRAIN FOR CONTROL OF NAVY FIGHTER AIRCRAFT, DEVELOPMENT OF EMERGENCY RESCUE PROGRAM. MENTION IS MADE OF JAPANESE FREE BALLOONS. CODE NAME "PAPER" WAS ASSIGNED FOR ALL REFERENCES TO JAPANESE FREE BALLOONS OR RELATED SUBJECTS. SUMMARY HISTORY, DATED FEB 45, DISCUSSES EVOLUTION OF SEATTLE CONTROL GROUP FROM 1939 TO FEB 45. ACCORDING TO SUMMARY, GROUP WAS DERIVED FROM AIR WARNING SERVICE, 1939; SEATTLE REGION, SECOND INTERCEPTOR COMMAND, JUN 41; SEATTLE FIGHTER WING, FOURTH FIGHTER COMMAND, FEB 42; SEATTLE FIGHTER WING, 412 ARMY AIR FORCES BASE UNIT, APR 44; SEATTLE CONTROL GROUP, 412 ARMY AIR FORCES BASE UNIT, JUL 44. PRIMARY MISSION ULTIMATELY BECAME AIR-SEA RESCUE TRAINING.
The first abstract is not inconsistent with Maurer, but recounts the following actions: It states that on 1 April 1944 the "wing" inactivated. What actually inactivated (or disbanded) was the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Seattle Fighter Wing. Similar actions were widespread in 1944. Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Fourth Air Force was disbanded the same day and replaced by the 400th AAF Base Unit (Headquarters, Fourth Air Force). These actions, however did not impact the establishments (the wing and the air force), but reflected a change to the organization of their headquarters. The wing itself was disbanded on 7 June 1944 as Maurer states. This is consistent with the 412th AAF Base Unit being described as an air defense region in June. The redescription of the base unit in June confirms Maurer.
The same day the wing HHS disbanded, the 412th AAF Base Unit (Fighter Wing) was organized to replace the inactivated HHS. (This action permitted 4th AF to man the unit as desired). The "designation" Seattle Fighter Wing was retained (that is, the wing itself was not inactivated). As Maurer indicated the wing was not disbanded unit June 1944, which is consistent with the redescription of the 412th AAF Base Unit as the Seattle Air Defense Region in "Jun 1944." The use of the organizational term "redescribed" was short-lived. It referred only to changes in the parenthetical description of AAF and AF Base Units. The unit was not redesignated, because it retained its designation as the 412th AAF Base Unit. It is not surprising that the author of an abstract or a unit historian might not be aware of this technical difference and refer to redescriptions as redesignations.
The second abstract talks about how the control group was "derived" from various organizations that were functionally related, but different. By the time the 412th AAF Base Unit was described as a control group, its functions were more aligned with the former Aircraft Warning Service than the Fighter Wing. The Abstracts are inconsistent on further changes to the 412th AAF Base Unit's description, both as to time and as to designation, but that does not impact the wing.