The Alaska Defense Command (ADC) was a military formation of the United States Army. It was established on 4 February 1941, responsible for coordinating the defense of the Alaska Territory of the United States. The first commanding general of ADC was Brigadier General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. The Air Force, Alaska Defense Command, was replaced by the Alaskan Air Force which was activated on 15 January 1942.
Until 1 November 1943, Alaska Defense Command was under the jurisdiction of the Western Defense Command, headquartered at the Presidio of San Francisco. ADC was dissolved on 31 October 1943 and replaced by the Alaskan Department, still commanded by now Lieutenant General Buckner but now reporting directly back to the War Department in Washington, D.C.
The Alaskan Department became United States Army Alaska on 15 December 1947.
Organization
Organization of the command in 1941 (just before Pearl Harbor) was as follows:
A Company, 69th Quartermaster Battalion (Light Maintenance), Fort Greely (Detachment at Fort Richardson)
x7 Station Complements at each fort
Air Force, Alaska Defense Command, Elmendorf Field under lieutenant colonel E S Davis
Alaskan Air Warning Signals Company, Fort Richardson
408th Aviation Signal Company
430th Aviation Maintenance Signal Company
14th Aviation Service Signal Company (Split between each base)
802nd Aviation Engineer Battalion, Annette Island Landing Field
807th Aviation Engineer Company, Yakutat Air Base
10th Aviation Service Maintenance Company (Split between each base)
28th Composite Group
Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Elmendorf Field under Major N D Sillin
18th Fighter Squadron
73rd Medium Bomber Squadron
36th Heavy Bomber Squadron
Tow Target Flight
699th Aviation Composite Ordnance Maintenance Company (Elements at Ladd Field)
Air Corps Cold Weather Detachment, Ladd Field
Air Corps Cold Weather Headquarters Flight
Air Corps Heavy Bombardment Flight
Air Corps Medium Bombardment Flight
Air Corps Pursuit Flight
See also
Western Defense Command
Eastern Defense Command
Central Defense Command
Southern Defense Command
Caribbean Defense Command
References
Further reading
Conn, Stetson; Engelman, Rose C.; Fairchild, Byron (2000) [1964], Guarding the United States and its Outposts, United States Army in World War II, Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army, archived from the original on 25 December 2007, retrieved 31 January 2017