Cleared to land at Westoveryesterday.com!
This web site is dedicated to the thousands of men and women and their families assigned to
Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, since its opening more than 67 years ago
Full stops:
Counter
Aircraft gallery
See the mighty SAC
armada that once
thundered at Westove
r
Famous generals
Gen. Curtis E. LeMay
was assigned to
Westover as a
lieutenent colonel in
1941-42. Click on the
thumbnail of the Air
Force icon to see more
about his rise through
the ranks after  his stay
at Westover
Click on the thumbnail
to view one of
Westover's 8th Air Force
support aircraft, a C-54
Skymaster. According to
photographer Tom
Hildreth, this aircraft
was built in Chicago as
one of 380 C-54Ds. This
example, 42-72528,
shown in  1962 by the
DC Hangar, may have
been a VC-54D for VIP
duty. It had a white
radome and roof, as
well as window line.
Note the 8th AF emblem
on the tail.
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Westover was largest
Northeast air base
during Cold War
     Westover AFB was
among many large Air
Force bases that dotted
New England and New
York during the Cold War
era.  With 8th Air Force
headquarters, the 57th Air
Division, the 99th
Bombardment Wing, and
the 4050th Air Refueling
Wing all assigned at the
base, it was by far the
largest military base in
New England.
By 1960, there were as
many as eight major
military bases in the New
England region. Compare
that with today: Only one
active-duty base remains
-- Hanscom AFB, located
near Boston. It does not
have a flying mission.
Click
here to read more
about some of New
England's former military
bases.

TEN-HUT! >> Members
of the 8th
Reconnaissance
Technical Squadron
stand at attention for an
October 1955 photo in
front of the brand-new,
super-secret building.
Click on the photo to
see other shots of this
unique squadron, which
made history in
1962during the Cuban
Missile Crisis. The 8th
RTS was assigned to
Westover from 1955 to
1970.                                  
                                          
(photo courtesy of Dick
Miller, Recce Tecce at
Westover).
James Street Gate, circa 1964
Click on
this link to see other photos of Westover
Guard assigned to the 814th Air Police Squadron directs traffic
through gate. Click on Alan Hayes'  
excellent 814th site for more
This photo shows the Air Force Reserve mission at Westover -- just over a year after the reserve took over
operation of the base.  Click on the photo to see more of the reserve years at Westover.
SHAKE(Y)DOWN >> Thousands of visitors peek through a Douglas C-124A Globemaster at the Westover AFB
1959 Armed Forces Day. "Old Shakey" was assigned to Westover  in three different roles: With the Military Air
Transport Service from 1950 to 1955; as a weapons transport for
Stony Brook Air Force Station from 1957 to 1970,
and as the first
Air Force Reserve aircraft assigned to the base in 1966 with the 905th Military Airlift Group. SAC's
imprint is very evident in this photo: note the SAC "Milky Way" band around the C-124's rear fuselage, the B-47
Stratojet parked next to the Globemaster, and in the left corner the tails of some 99th Bomb Wing B-52s. (photo by
Stan Lukasiewicz)
TALL TAILS >> The towering tails of some of Westover's B-52 fleet loom in this 1964 photograph taken by retired
USAF Capt. Wilton Curtis. Note the KC-135s to the far left. Wilton took this photo during the base's 1964 Armed Forces
Day. This is looking from the nosedocks toward the flight line.
This is not an official
Westover web site. Please
click on
www.westover.afrc.af.mil
to view the official site of
Westover Air Reserve
Base. Thank you.
This is not an official
Westover web site. Please
click on
www.westover.afrc.af.mil
to view the official site of
Westover Air Reserve
Base. Thank you.
This is not an official
Westover web site. Please
click on
www.westover.afrc.af.mil to
view the official site of
Westover Air Reserve Base.  
This web site is not affiliated
with the United States Air
Force and as such does not
reflect the beliefs or values of
the USAF, just the
webmaster's opinions and
research!