38th Combat Support Wing
Encyclopedia
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe)
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, being inactivated on 1 May 2007 at Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The mission of the 38 CSW was to enhance support to USAFE geographically separated units.
The Wing's origins date to 1948 as the 38th Bombardment Wing. It's operational group, the 38th Bombardment Group
38th Bombardment Group
The 38th Bombardment Group is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. It was most recently assigned as the operational component of the 38th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Laon-Couvron Air Base, France, where it was inactivated on 8 December 1957.During World War II the 38th Bomb Group...
, was one of the first U.S. Army Air Forces units to be deployed into the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
after Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
.
Cold War
The unit was established as 38th Bombardment Wing, Light on August 10, 1948 in Japan. It assisted in the air defense of Japan and participated in tactical exercises, August 1948— March 1949. It was inactivated in the Far East on April 1, 1949.The 38th Tactical Bombardment Wing (38th TBW) was reactivated as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe on January 1, 1953, being assigned to Laon-Couvron Air Base
Laon-Couvron Air Base
Laon-Couvron Air Base is a former French and United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Aisne département of France, less than one mile southeast of the village of Couvron and 6 miles northwest of Laon; on the southwest side of the Autoroute des Anglais 1 Mile east of the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Upon activation, the wing absorbed the assets of the Air National Guard 126th Bomb Wing, which was inactivated and returned to the control of the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
. The 38th's squadrons were designated the 71st, 405th, and 822nd Bomb Squadrons. The wing flew the Douglas B-26 Invader
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
until 1955.
In April 1955 the 38th Bomb Wing converted to the Martin B-57 "Canberra"
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
. The B-57 was a replacement for aging Douglas B-26 "Invader", and with their arrival, the B-26's were returned to CONUS. Because English Electric was unable to meet the USAF delivery schedule, the design was licensed to Martin for US manufacture. A total of 49 B-57B and 8 2-seat B-57C models were deployed to Laon.
The mission of the B-57 was to provide a nuclear deterrent for NATO and to deliver nuclear weapons against pre-selected targets, day or night. The aircraft at Laon were painted a gloss black. An acrobatic team was organized and named the Black Knights using five B-57's. The Black Knights performed at several air shows around Western Europe, including the 1957 Paris Air Show
Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show is the world's oldest and largest air show. Established in 1909, it is currently held every odd year at Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France...
. The Black Knights were the only tactical bomber show team in the world.
In 1958, General De Gaulle announced that all nuclear weapons and delivery aircraft had to be removed from French soil by July 1958. Since NATO strategy had evolved into "massive nuclear retaliation" this meant all tactical fighter and bombing wings had to depart France.
The 38th TBW was inactivated at Laon on June 18, 1958 and redesignated as the 38th Tactical Missile Wing at Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War...
West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, operating and maintaining first the TM-67A "Matador"
MGM-1 Matador
The Martin MGM-1 Matador was the first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile built by the United States. It was similar in concept to the German V-1, but the Matador included a radio link that allowed in-flight course corrections. This allowed accuracy to be maintained over greatly extended...
and later the TM-76A Mace cruise missiles. The wing was deactivated in September 1966.
Air Training Command
The 38th was reactivated as the 38th Flying Training Wing and replaced the 3640th Pilot Training Wing at Laredo Air Force BaseLaredo International Airport
-Air cargo operators & destinations :* ABX Air * FedEx Express * UPS Airlines -Accidents and incidents:...
, Texas, on August 1, 1972. Its operational squadrons were the 40th and 41st Pilot Training Squadrons. The wing performed pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
training until August 28, 1973 when Laredo AFB was inactivated.
The 38th Flying Training Wing was reassigned to Moody AFB, Georgia on December 1, 1973, replacing the 3550th Pilot Training Wing. The 38th performed pilot training until November 21, 1975. On December 1, 1975 the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing
347th Rescue Wing
The 347th Rescue Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command, stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. It was inactivated on 1 October 2006...
, a unit of Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
(TAC), relocated to Moody from Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base
Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base
Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force. It is located in northeast Thailand, located approximately 157 miles northeast of Bangkok and about 5 miles south of Nakhon Ratchasima , the second largest city in Thailand.During the Vietnam War, Korat RTAFB was the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and the mission of the base changed from pilot training under ATC to an active tactial fighter base under TAC.
The 38th FTW was inactivated on December 1, 1975.
Ground Launched Cruise Missiles
In April 1985, the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, was activated at Wueschheim AB, West Germany. The wing was assigned to tactical missile operations, equipped with Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles (GLCM) to counter Soviet intermediate-range ballistic missiles from 1986–1990.The GLCMs (and their strategic cousins, the Pershing IIs) had a destabilizing effect on the Soviet Union, as NATO's ability to stand firm and carry out the deployments in the face of nerve-wracking Soviet threats convinced the Kremlin that NATO could not be intimidated.
It was this realization that led to the opening of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) talks and an INF treaty that eventually removed an entire class of nuclear arms from the superpower arsenals—a major step in the weakening and ultimate dissolution of the Soviet Union itself.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. Signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on December 8, 1987, it was ratified by the United States Senate on May 27, 1988 and...
with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
which went into effect on June 1, 1988 and led to inactivation of the wing on August 22, 1990.
Modern era
The 38th went on to serve as the 38th Engineering Installation Wing wing from November 8, 1994 – February 3, 2000 at Tinker AFB, OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, to provide the Air Force with centralized management of worldwide engineering and installation (E&I) resources. The wing reorganized the Command and Control Systems Center and became the Communications Systems Center (CSC). CSC leaders created a new structure, which accommodated a more effective business-management approach to satisfying the communications-computer software requirements of our Air Force and DoD customers
The 38 EIW was inactivated in February 2000 and downgraded to a group level. The transfer of responsibilities were assigned solely to the 38th Engineering Installation Group (38 EIG) located at Tinker.
The 38th Combat Support Wing was activated at Ramstein AB, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 2004 to enhance support to the over 70 USAFE geographically separated units (GSUs) and units across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. But a review found the wing actually created an extra layer of bureaucracy and isolated units would be better served without it. Also studies showed that larger, neighboring bases could offer better support for airmen scattered across the continent.
The 38th CSW was inactivated on September 30, 2007.
Lineage
- Established as 38th Bombardment Wing, Light on August 10, 1948
- Activated on August 18, 1948
- Inactivated on April 1, 1949
- Activated on January 1, 1953
- Redesignated: 38th Bombardment Wing, Tactical on October 1, 1955
- Redesignated: 38th Tactical Missile Wing on June 18, 1958
- Organized on 18 June 1958, assuming personnel and equipment of 701st Tactical Missile Wing
- Discontinued, and inactivated, on September 25, 1966
- Redesignated 38th Flying Training Wing on March 22, 1972
- Activated on August 1, 1972
- Inactivated on September 30, 1973
- Activated on December 1, 1973
- Inactivated on December 1, 1975
- Redesignated 38th Tactical Missile Wing on December 4, 1984
- Activated on April 1, 1985
- Inactivated on August 22, 1990
- Redesignated 38th Engineering Installation Wing on November 1, 1994
- Activated on November 8, 1994
- Inactivated on February 3, 2000
- Redesignated 38th Combat Support Wing on April 19, 2004
- Activated on May 25, 2004
- Inactivated on May 1, 2007
Assignments
- 315th Air Division315th Air DivisionThe 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
, August 10, 1948 – April 1, 1949 - Twelfth Air Force, January 1, 1953
- United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in EuropeThe United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
, January 1, 1958 - Seventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service...
, November 15, 1959 – September 25, 1966 - Air Training CommandAir Training CommandAir Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
, August 1, 1972 – September 30, 1973; December 1, 1973 – December 1, 1975 - Seventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service...
, April 1, 1985 – August 22, 1990 - Electronic Systems Center, November 8, 1994 – February 3, 2000
- Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, May 25, 2004 - United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in EuropeThe United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
, November 1, 2005 - Air Command Europe, November 18, 2005
- Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe)Third Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, December 1, 2006 – September 11, 2007
Components
Groups- 38th Bombardment Group38th Bombardment GroupThe 38th Bombardment Group is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. It was most recently assigned as the operational component of the 38th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Laon-Couvron Air Base, France, where it was inactivated on 8 December 1957.During World War II the 38th Bomb Group...
, August 18, 1948 – April 1, 1949; January 1, 1953 – December 8, 1957 - 585th Tactical Missile Group585th Tactical Missile GroupThe 585th Tactical Missile Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing and stationed at Bitburg Air Base, West Germany...
, June 18, 1958 – September 25, 1962 (Bitburg Air BaseBitburg Air BaseBitburg Airport is a commercial airport serving Bitburg, a city in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. It is located 2 miles southeast of Bitburg, 20 miles north of Trier, and 135 miles west of Wiesbaden....
, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
) - 586th Tactical Missile Group, June 18, 1958 – September 25, 1962 (Hahn Air BaseHahn Air BaseHahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War...
, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
) - 587th Tactical Missile Group587th Tactical Missile GroupThe 587th Tactical Missile Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing and stationed at Sembach Air Base, West Germany...
, June 18, 1958 – September 25, 1962 (Sembach Air Base, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
)
Squadrons
- 38th Tactical Missile Maintenance Squadron: 1 April 1985-22 August 1990 (80 missiles)
- 70th Flying Training Squadron70th Flying Training SquadronThe 70th Flying Training Squadron is Reserve unit of the United States Air Force based at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado....
: August 1, 1972 – September 30, 1973; December 1, 1973 – December 1, 1975 - 71st Bombardment (later Tactical Missile, Flying Training) Squadron71st Flying Training SquadronThe 71st Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 485th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Florennes Air Base, Belgium. It was inactivated on 30 September 1989.-History:...
: August 18, 1948 – April 1, 1949; January 1, 1953 – June 18, 1958; September 25, 1962 – October 1, 1965; August 1, 1972 – September 30, 1973; December 1, 1973 – December 1, 1975 - 89th Bombardment (later Tactical Missile) Squadron89th Tactical Missile SquadronThe 89th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Wueschheim Air Station, West Germany. It was inactivated on 22 August 1990.-History:...
:August 18, 1948 – April 1, 1949; September 25, 1962 – September 25, 1966; 1 April 1985-22 August 1990 - 405th Bombardment (Later Tactical Missile) Squadron405th Tactical Missile SquadronThe 405th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
: August 18, 1948 – April 1, 1949; January 1, 1953 – June 18, 1958; September 25, 1962 – September 25, 1966 - 822d Bombardment (Later Tactical Missile) Squadron822d Tactical Missile SquadronThe 822d Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
: January 1, 1953 – June 18, 1958; September 25, 1962 – September 25, 1966 - 823d Bombardment (Later Tactical Missile) Squadron823d Tactical Missile SquadronThe 823d Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 38th Tactical Missile Wing, based at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
: September 25, 1962 – September 25, 1966 - 887th Tactical Missile Squadron887th Tactical Missile SquadronThe 887th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing and stationed at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 25 September 1966.-History:...
: September 25, 1962 – September 25, 1966
Stations
- Itami Airfield, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1948–1949) - Laon-Couvron Air BaseLaon-Couvron Air BaseLaon-Couvron Air Base is a former French and United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Aisne département of France, less than one mile southeast of the village of Couvron and 6 miles northwest of Laon; on the southwest side of the Autoroute des Anglais 1 Mile east of the...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1953–1958) - Hahn Air BaseHahn Air BaseHahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1958–1959) - Sembach Air Base, Germany (1959–1966)
- Laredo Air Force BaseLaredo Air Force BaseLaredo Air Force Base is an inactivated United States Air Force near Laredo, Texas. First activated in 1942 as Laredo Army Airfield, the facility instructed recruits in aerial gunnery during World War II, then as a United States Air Force base in the 1950s and 1960s, performed Undergraduate Pilot...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(1972–1973) - Moody Air Force BaseMoody Air Force BaseMoody Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation located in Lowndes County and Lanier County, about northeast of Valdosta, Georgia, United States.Moody Air Force Base is home to the 23d Wing...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
(1973–1975) - Wueschheim Air Station, West Germany (1985–1990)
- BGM-109G Missile site located at: Site VI "Heroin" (Below) 9.7 miles (15.6 km) NE of Hahn AB
- Tinker Air Force BaseTinker Air Force BaseTinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...
, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
(1994–2000) - Ramstein Air BaseRamstein Air BaseRamstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
, Germany (2004–2007)
- Tinker Air Force Base
Dispersed TM-61 Matador/TM-76 Mace missile locations
Between 1958-1966, the 38th TMW maintained eight separate launch facilities.
- Site I "Chargirl" - 2.6 miles (4.2 km) SSW of Sembach AB (822d TMS/587th TMG) 49°28′16"N 007°50′56"E
- Closed 1966. Redeveloped into into a training facility of the local Kaiserslautern soccer club. The launch pads have been completely overbuilt with soccer fields
- Site II "Invent" - 3 miles (4.8 km) SSE of Sembach AB (823d TMS/587th TMG) 49°28′06"N 007°53′53"E
- Closed 1966, Abandoned state, buildings in various states of deterioration, missile shelters removed, concrete pads remain.
- Site III "Hacksaw" - 12.5 miles (20.1 km) ENE of Sembach AB (887th TMS/587th TMG) 49°33′27"N 008°08′05"E
- 1975 - 1978 The site was set up and used by Det B, 502nd Army Security Agency (ASA) Bn for the Guardrail I, II, and IIa Integrated Processing Facility (IPF) site. The unit was redesignated as the 330th Electronic Warfare Aviation Company (Forward) (330th EW Avn Co (FWD)), and resubordinated to the 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation) in 1978.
- 1979 - 1985 The site was upgraded to the Guardrail V (GRV) IPF, and in the fall of 1985 the unit moved to Echterdingen Army Airfield (Stuttgart International Airport). The site was subsequently used by various and sundry communications units on deployment before being closed and turned over to German government.
- Site IV "Veronica" - 7 miles (11.3 km) ENE of Hahn AB (89th TMS/586th TMG) 49°59′58"N 007°23′58"E
- Closed since 1967. Missile shelters torn down, in very dilapidated state, appears to be used as a storage yard.
- Site V "Pot Fuse" - 7 miles (11.3 km) ESE of Hahn AB (405th TMS/586th TMG) 49°54′48"N 007°24′46"E
- Abandoned since 1961. Shelters torn down, site very obscured by trees and other vegetation in thick woodland area.
- Site VI "Heroin" - 9.7 miles (15.6 km) NE of Hahn AB (405th TMS/586th TMG) 50°02′37"N 007°25′32"E
- After 405th TMS left this site was transferred to US Army and converted into a Nike-Hercules Air Defense missile site; operational 1970-1979. The area was transferred back to USAF in 1982 and was converted again; this time into a Cruise missile Ground Alert Maintenance Area, being re-designated Wueschheim Air Station. The 38th Tactical Missile Wing was re-activated and became operational at the station with its BGM-109G Gryphon cruise missiles in 1985 and was deactivated 1991 after the signing of the INF treaty. (See Wueschheim Air Station for recent photos)
- Site VII "B" Pad - 3.5 miles (5.6 km) NW of Bitburg AB (1st/71st TMS/585th TMG) 49°59′05"N 006°28′50"E
- Underground concrete launch facility, closed 1960. largely overgrown abandoned condition.
- Site VIII "C" Pad - 4.5 miles (7.2 km) SSW of Bitburg AB (1st/71st TMS/585th TMG) 49°53′21"N 006°33′30"E
- Underground concrete launch facility. After closure the site was transferred to the Bundesheer and converted into a Patriot AD missile site; closed 2001 now abandoned and overgrown with vegetation.
- Missile Support Area - 2.6 miles (4.2 km) SSW of Bitburg AB 49°58′11"N 006°28′27"E
Aircraft and missiles
- A/B-26 InvaderA-26 InvaderThe Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
(1948–1949, 1953–1955)
- aircraft was redesignated B-26 after June 1948
- B-57 CanberraEnglish Electric CanberraThe English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
(1955–1958) - MGM-1 MatadorMGM-1 MatadorThe Martin MGM-1 Matador was the first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile built by the United States. It was similar in concept to the German V-1, but the Matador included a radio link that allowed in-flight course corrections. This allowed accuracy to be maintained over greatly extended...
(1958–1966) - T-37Cessna T-37The Cessna T-37 Tweet is a small, economical twin-engine jet trainer-attack type aircraft which flew for decades as a primary trainer for the United States Air Force and in the air forces of several other nations...
(1972–1975) - T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
(1972–1975) - MGM-1 MatadorMGM-1 MatadorThe Martin MGM-1 Matador was the first operational surface-to-surface cruise missile built by the United States. It was similar in concept to the German V-1, but the Matador included a radio link that allowed in-flight course corrections. This allowed accuracy to be maintained over greatly extended...
(1958–1962) - MGM-13 MaceMGM-13 Mace-See also:-External links:* * * * * * *...
(1960–1966) - BGM-109G GryphonGround Launched Cruise MissileThe Ground Launched Cruise Missile, or GLCM, was a ground-launched cruise missile developed by the United States Air Force in the last decade of the Cold War.-Overview:...
(1986–1990)
- B-57 Canberra
See also
- List of BGM-109G GLCM Units