| Westover Milestones |
This photo, taken in December 1956, shows the first B-52 arriving at Westover. Besides its
historical significance, the photographer obviously got close! This looks to me like Colonel
Wells put the big bird down on Runway 5, judging from the terrain behind the bomber. Click
on other thumbnails to the right that show Colonel Wells taxiing the B-52 to its parking spot,
and climbing out of the bomber through the crew hatch.
(Holyoke Transcript-Telegram clipping above and Boeing Magazine photos below provided
by Stan Lukasiewicz)
historical significance, the photographer obviously got close! This looks to me like Colonel
Wells put the big bird down on Runway 5, judging from the terrain behind the bomber. Click
on other thumbnails to the right that show Colonel Wells taxiing the B-52 to its parking spot,
and climbing out of the bomber through the crew hatch.
(Holyoke Transcript-Telegram clipping above and Boeing Magazine photos below provided
by Stan Lukasiewicz)
This mid-1955 Yankee
Flyer reported the
news as seen above in
the photo!
Flyer reported the
news as seen above in
the photo!
Westover made history
again in 1973 when two
tactical airlifters converged
to comprise the 439th
Tactical Airlift Wing, which
took over as host unit of the
base in April 1974. It was
also the only wing in the Air
Force Reserve to fly two
different aircraft out of the
same base.
Photo provided by the late
Betty O'Connell, Westover
public affairs officer in the
1970s
again in 1973 when two
tactical airlifters converged
to comprise the 439th
Tactical Airlift Wing, which
took over as host unit of the
base in April 1974. It was
also the only wing in the Air
Force Reserve to fly two
different aircraft out of the
same base.
Photo provided by the late
Betty O'Connell, Westover
public affairs officer in the
1970s
A C--119 Flying
Boxcar taxies out
from the parking
ramp, circa early
'70s. Note the Air
National Guard
emblem on the tail.
Photo by David Henry
Boxcar taxies out
from the parking
ramp, circa early
'70s. Note the Air
National Guard
emblem on the tail.
Photo by David Henry
This 1959 Holyoke Transcript-Telegram photo shows movie star Jimmy Stewart during filming of "Cowboy 57," a documentary on the
life of a SAC alert crew. Mr. Stewart reportedly chose Westover because of its prominence in SAC and because of New England's harsh
winter weather. Below, another Transcript Telegram shot shows Mr. Stewart talking with Col. O.F. Lassiter, commander of the 99th
Bombardment Wing, and screenwriter Beirne Lay.
(Clippings provided by Stan Lukasiewicz)
life of a SAC alert crew. Mr. Stewart reportedly chose Westover because of its prominence in SAC and because of New England's harsh
winter weather. Below, another Transcript Telegram shot shows Mr. Stewart talking with Col. O.F. Lassiter, commander of the 99th
Bombardment Wing, and screenwriter Beirne Lay.
(Clippings provided by Stan Lukasiewicz)
June 1955 Yankee Flyer
From the April 1978 MAC Flyer -- contributed by Hassell Frye
| Westover Timeline Click on links to read more 1955 April 1 The Strategic Air Command (SAC) takes control of Westover AFB from the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). The 4050th Air Refueling Wing (ARW) would be host unit. Eventually, its 26th and 384th Air Refueling Squadrons would be assigned 20 KC-97 tankers each. Aug. 18 The 337th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS), an Air Defense Command (ADC) tenant unit at Westover flying the F-86 Sabre, is activated. Oct. 18 The 324th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS), another ADC tenant, flying the F-86 Sabre, is activated. 1956 Sept. 4 The 57th Air Division is activated. The air division, headed by a brigadier general, is the next level of the chain of command below 8th Air Force. Another major SAC operation begins on the same date as the 99th Bombardment Wing (BMW) is activated. It takes over host unit responsibilities from the 4050th ARW. Dec. 4 Ushering in a new aviation era for Westover, the first B-52C Stratofortress arrives at the base, flown in by Col. Selmon D. Wells, 99th BMW commander. 1957 Jan. 1 The 24th Aviation Depot Squadron is activated. The squadron is responsible for the maintenance and storage of nuclear weapons, stored at Stony Brook Air Force Station, adjacent to the base. Spring The 337th FIS switches from the F-86D to the F-86L Sabre. July The last of 45 B-52 bombers arrive to join the 99th BMW at Westover. The aircraft include 35 C-models and D models. Aug. 22 The 99th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) is activated. It would receive 20 KC-135 Stratotankers by the end of the year. The 99th and 42nd ARS, Loring AFB, Me., would be SAC’s first units to receive the new tanker jet. Nov. 11-12 Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, flies a KC-135 tanker from Westover to Buenos Aires, Argentina for a non-stop flight. 1958 June 2 The headquarters for the North Atlantic Communications Region is relocated from Pepperell AFB, Newfoundland to Westover. The Notch, a completely self-sustaining command post for 8th Air Force, is completed. It is built 400 feet inside Mount Holyoke in Hadley, Mass. June 27 A 99th ARS KC-135A, tail number 56-3599, crashes shortly after takeoff from Westover AFB. All 15 people aboard the aircraft are killed. They include Brig. Gen. D.W. Saunders, 57th Air Division commander, and Lt. Col. George Broutsas, 99th ARS commander. The tanker was part of a four-ship takeoff for a transatlantic record-breaking attempt to London. June 27-29 Maj. Burl Davenport, 99th ARS, breaks a record for a transatlantic flight. Major Davenport flew the lead KC-135 in what was originally four tankers taking off from Westover (see above). Sept. 24 Capt. William H. Howell, 99th ARS, captures a world weightlifting record flying a Westover KC-135A Stratotanker, airlifting a 78,089- pound payload more than one mile into the air. 1961 Jan. 9 The 347th Bombardment Squadron – one of three B-52 flying units of the 99th BMW – is reassigned to McCoy AFB, Fla., leaving the 346th and 348th Bombardment Squadrons. 1962 Feb. 1 The 76th FIS, another ADC tenant unit, is activated at the base. Its unit members fly the F-102 Delta Dagger. April SAC establishes a auxiliary airborne command post at Westover. This was a Boeing EC-135 packed with communications equipment similar to the Looking Glass aircraft. The EC-135 was assigned to the 99th Air Refueling Squadron. October Westover goes to its highest state of alert along with the entire Air Force as the Cuban Missile Crisis grips the nation in tension for two weeks. Nov. 9 The 4050th Air Refueling Wing is redesignated the 499th Air Refueling Wing. SAC’s tanker “super wing” includes five squadrons of KC-97 and KC-135 tankers. Two of the squadrons, the 99th and 384th Air Refueling Squadrons, are at Westover, while others are assigned to Otis AFB, Mass., and Dover AFB, Del. 1963 Jan. 24 A Westover B-52C crashes into Elephant Mountain near Greenville, Me., during a low-level mission. Two members of the 99th BMW survive in below-zero temperatures before being rescued. The other four crewmembers are killed. October President John F. Kennedy lands at Westover in Air Force One en route to a visit to a Pioneer Valley location. Just weeks later, Kennedy would be assassinated in Dallas. 1965 Nov. 10 The last KC-97 tanker leaves Westover for the boneyard at Davis- Monthan AFB, Ariz. 1966 April 1 The Air Force Reserve’s 905th Military Airlift Group, flying C-124C Globemaster II transports, moves to Westover from Bradley International Airport, Conn. This would be the first Air Force Reserve unit assigned to the base. 1969 The 57th Air Division is inactivated. 1970 March 31 Eighth Air Force headquarters concludes operations, ending almost 15 years at Westover. Its people and resources relocate to Andersen AFB, Guam, to direct Air Force operations in the Vietnam War. The 8th Reconnaissance Technical Squadron, known as the “Recces,” departs the base. The top-secret SAC unit was most well-known for its role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, when unit members took part in processing the film that would show that the Soviet Union was building missile bases in Cuba. 1972 Sept. 15 The 4713th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron, with its EB-57 Canberras, begins operations at Westover. The squadron’s mission is to simulate Soviet bombers attacking the U.S. 1973 April 24 Secretary of Defense Elliott Richardson announces sweeping cuts in the Air Force across the nation. Secretary Richardson announces that all active-duty forces will leave the base except for Air Force Reserve activities. July 12 The 590th Air Force Band performs its farewell concert. The band was among the first active-duty Air Force units to leave the base following the Air Force’s announcement of the partial closure of Westover. The band left on Aug. 24 for McGuire AFB, N.J. Sept. 30 SAC flying units at Westover are deactivated. They are the 346th and 348th Bombardment Squadrons, and the 99th Air Refueling Squadron. The KC-135s with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron are relocated to Plattsburgh AFB, N.Y., and Pease AFB, N.H. 1974 May 19 Westover becomes the nation’s first Air Force Reserve base. The SAC caretaker unit, the 4040th Air Base Group, remains at the base until Sept. 30, 1976 to oversee the last elements of the transition from an active-duty base to reserve. 1975 Spring: The last of the alert KC-135s,pulling duty at the former alert facility, departs the base, headed to Loring AFB. Me. Sources: The United States Air Force Reference Series, “Active Air Force Bases within the United States,” Robert Mueller, USAF Historical Research Center, 1989. Frank Faulkner, Westover “Man, Base and Mission.” SAC Chronology The Yankee Flyer, Westover AFB, June 27, 1958 News Release, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs), April 17, 1973 |
This Westover aircrew was honored in
the May 1959 issue of SAC Combat Crew
magazine.
(courtesy of Stan Lukasiewicz)
the May 1959 issue of SAC Combat Crew
magazine.
(courtesy of Stan Lukasiewicz)
KC-135A #58-0019 lines up for landing on Runway 5, Sept. 2, 1962. This aircraft was later modified to an EC-135A and assigned
to the Looking Glass missions out of Westover. (photo by Tom Hildreth)
to the Looking Glass missions out of Westover. (photo by Tom Hildreth)
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