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History of Glasgow AFB
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Glasgow Air Force Base was the former Glasgow Army Air Field (AAF) situated on 2,798 acres about 19 miles north on Route 24 from the town of Glasgow, Montana. Prior to DOD (Department of Defense) ownership, 605 acres of this land were used as a municipal airport and the rest was agricultural land. Glasgow AAF, also known as the Glasgow Satellite Airfield, was activated on 10 November 1942 as one of three satellite fields of Great Falls Army Air Base. There were four Bomber Squadrons within this group, one located at the Great Falls Army Air Base and one each at air fields at Lewistown, Glasgow and Cut Bank. The 96th Bombardment Squadron of the Second Bombardment Group arrived at Glasgow Army Air Field on 29 November 1942. Heavy bomber squadrons of the time usually consisted of 8 B-17s with 37 officers and 229 enlisted men. The field was used by B-17 bomber crews from the Second Air Force during the second phase of their training. Bombing and gunnery training was conducted at the airfield’s associated sites of the Glasgow Pattern Bombing Range and the Glasgow Pattern Gunnery Range and other sites were probably also used. The target-towing aircraft assigned to the Fort Peck Aerial Gunnery Range were also stationed at Glasgow. The last unit to complete training at Glasgow Satellite Field was the 614th Bombardment Squadron of the 401st Bombardment Group which left for England in October 1943. On 1 December 1944 a German POW camp was established at the site. On 15 July 1946 the Glasgow Army Air Field was classified surplus and it was subsequently transferred to the War Assets Administration on 18 November 1946. http://www.airfieldsdatabase.com/WW2/WW2.htm
The building of the Air Force Base began in 1955 and GAFB was activated in 1957 as a base for Air Defense Command (ADC) interceptors, the McDonnell F-101B Voodoo, of the 476th Fighter Group from 1957 to 1960 and the 13th Fighter Interceptor Squadron from 1959 to 1968. The original runway at GAFB was a single runway of 8900 feet.
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Glasgow AFB became a SAC (Strategic Air Command) base in 1960. The runway was lengthened to 13,500 feet in length to support the coming of Boeing B-52 bombers and Boeing KC-135 tankers. In February 1961, the 326th Bombardment Squadron, equipped with B-52C aircraft were transfered to Glasgow AFB from Fairchild AFB, Washington, as part of the 4141st Strategic Wing. In its first year, this became the top wing in the Fifteenth Air Force.
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The 4141st Strategic Wing was inactivated at Glasgow AFB on February 1, 1963 and its B-52C aircraft were transferred to the 322th Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Wing, which was trained for global bombardment and aerial refueling. The wing also received and converted to B-52D aircraft and its 907th Air Refueling Squadron received KC-135A aircraft. The 91st Wing Headquarters staff, tactical aircraft and 322th Bomb Squadron crews, and most support personnel served in the SAC B-52D Arc Light Force for combat in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0091mw.htm
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When Glasgow AFB closed, the 91st was taken off alert status and declared not tactically operational from May to June 1968. The wing was subsequently inactivated on June 25, 1968 and became the 91st Strategic Missile Wing, operating Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missiles at Minot AFB in North Dakota. http://www.minot.af.mil/
Today the facility is largely unused and is sometimes referred to as Glasgow Industrial Airport (FAA ID: 07MT) and is used as a test site by Boeing Aircraft Designs. The former on base housing areas are now the town of St. Marie, Montana. The 2000 U.S. Census measured the population of St. Marie at 183 in 59 families. When the Air Force Base was decommissioned, the housing was purchased and offered for sale to private individuals. The Boeing Company continues to own most of the former Glasgow AFB now known as the Boeing Glasgow Flight Test Facility. The facility supports Boeing Technology Services (BTS) customers and is maintained and operated by Montana Aviation Research Company (MARCO), a subsidiary of The Boeing Company. http://stmariecondoassn.tripod.com/
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When the base closed in 1968, 16,000 people left the Glasgow area. From an area population of over 20,000 when the AFB was open by 1980 the population of the Glasgow area fell to 4,500 and today the population of Glasgow is about 3500 to 4000. Glasgow AFB was briefly reactivated as a SAC dispersal base from 1971 to 1976, and was also used as an Army Safeguard ABM depot supporting construction of a second ABM complex northwest of Malmstrom AFB, Montana which was not completed. When Glasgow AFB ceased all USAF activities in 1976, it was so isolated and without business advantages that it sat idle for years until the Boeing Company started using the field for testing aircraft. http://www.boeing.com/ http://www.airfields-freeman.com/MT/Airfields_MT_E.html http://airforcehistoryindex.org/data/000/452/344.xml http://airforcehistoryindex.org/data/000/900/080.xml http://airforcehistoryindex.org/data/001/020/821.xml
For all the military history trivia experts here is the complete list of units that were at Glasgow:
Air Defense Command, February 8, 1957 – April 1, 1960 (Remained as tenant unit until June 30, 1968)
Central Air Defense Force, July 2, 1959
29th Air Division (Defense), April 1, 1960
Minot Air Defense Sector, January 1, 1961 – June 30, 1968
Strategic Air Command, April 1, 1960 – June 30, 1968; September 30, 1971 – September 30, 1976
Fifteenth Air Force 810th Strategic Aerospace Division, July 1, 1962 – July 1, 1963; July 1, 1966 – June 30, 1968
18th Strategic Aerospace Division, July 1, 1963 – September 1, 1964
821st Strategic Aerospace Division, February 15, 1962 – July 1, 1962; September 1, 1964 – July 1, 1966
476th Fighter Group (Defense), February 8, 1957 - June 30, 1968 Not equipped, February 8, 1957 - July 2, 1959
13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, July 2, 1959 - June 30, 1968 (F-101B)
4141st Strategic Wing, September 1, 1958 - February 1, 1963. Not equipped, September 1, 1958 – February 1, 1961
326th Bombardment Squadron, February 1, 1961 – February 1, 1963 (B-52C)
91st Bombardment Wing November 18, 1962 – June 30, 1968
322d Bombardment Squadron, February 1, 1963 – June 25, 1968 (B-52C/D) Detached to Advanced Echelon, 3d Air Division: September 11, 1966 – March 31, 1967; February 16 – April 30, 1968 (Deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam for Arc Light Missions) Not Operational: May 1 – June 25, 1968
907th Air Refueling Squadron, July 1, 1963 – June 25, 1968 (KC-135A) Detached to Advanced Echelon, 3d Air Division: September 11, 1966 – March 31, 1967; February 5 – April 16, 1968 (Deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam) Not Operational: May 1 – June 25, 1968
4300th Air Base Squadron, November 17, 1971 – September 30, 1976; Detached from Fairchild AFB, Washington for dispersed B-52/KC-135
Operations Note: All aircraft deployed to Fairchild AFB, Washington April 1 – June 30, 1964 due to runway repairs. Now you can stump your Dad after supper!
Before I finish today, here is the Independence Day Holidays look at the Butte, Montana area: on 3 July in Butte it is the Freedom Fest in the Park and Fireworks (723-3177). In Virginia City that day they are having a Moonlight Steam Engine Ride (843-5247). The Ennis Rodeo is 3 and 4 July (682-4700). An Old Fashioned 4th of July is in Nevada City, Montana from the 3rd to the 5th (843-5247).
On 4 July there are Fireworks in Townsend (266-4101), Augusta (562-3344), Lima (276-3521), and Virginia City (843-5512). Townsend has a Fly In Brunch on the 4th (266-5400) and on the 4th Ennis has a Parade (682-4388) and the Freedom Fest Parade is on Harrison Avenue in Butte (723-3177).
Gregan Wortmann
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