Northrop T-38A Talon
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March_Field_Museum
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Beech C-45J Expediter_1
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Beech C-45J Expediter_2
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Bell AH-1F Cobra
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Bell P-59A Airacomet
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HISTORY OF THE
MARCH FIELD AIR MUSEUM
On December 19,
1979, Lt. General James P. Mullins, 15th Air Force Commander,
delivered an address at the dedication ceremony for the new
March Air Force Base Museum. |
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Bell UH-1F Iroquois Huey
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress_1
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress_2
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress_3
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Boeing B-29 Superfortress_1
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Boeing B-29 Superfortress_2
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The new museum was initially housed in the March
Air Force Base's 1930-vintage base theater located just north of the base's
parade ground. There, the museum's 2000 square foot main exhibit area was filled
with photographs depicting the history of the base from its founding in 1918.
Model airplanes and paintings were also original display items. An aircraft
park, to feature aircraft that once flew from March, was also established near
the main gate at Cactus and Graham. "It's important to capture the essence of
our past and to portray and illustrate the history of March Field." said Major
Brian Daly, the museum's first director.
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Boeing B-29 Superfortress_3
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Boeing B-47E Stratojet_1
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Boeing B-47E Stratojet_2
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Boeing B-47E Stratojet_3
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Boeing B-52D Stratofortress_1
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Boeing B-52D Stratofortress_2
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In 1980 three
important museum events occurred. One --- the March Field Museum
was officially recognized as an Air Force Facility in March
1980. Two --- the March Field Museum Foundation was established
in May 1980. Three --- in November 1980 the display area for
museum aircraft (featuring three aircraft) was open to the
public. The March Field Foundation is a non-profit organization
dedicated to support the museum with fund raising and volunteer
help. The Foundation operates a Gift Shop, holds golf
tournaments, annual Santa Maria Barbeque's and other events to
raise money. $400,000 was raised to build the current hangar
building.
During the
early years the March Field Museum grew by leaps and bounds, so
much so, that within a year the museum quickly doubled the
number of artifacts in its possession and filled the theater
building to capacity. So rapid was the growth that the museum
outgrew its original building and needed to be moved to new
quarters. |
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Boeing B-52D Stratofortress_3
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Boeing B-52D Stratofortress_4
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Boeing B-52D Stratofortress_5
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Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter_1
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Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter_2
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Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter_3
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On February 20, 1981, the March Field Museum
opened its doors to the public in another facility shown above (Building
420--the former commissary building). The building was 26,000 square feet and
allowed for two or three aircraft to be put indoors plus the relocation of the
collection and office space. Prior to 1993, most of the approximately 50
airplanes were located on a flightline parking ramp. |
Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter_4
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Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker_1
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Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker_2
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C-141
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Cessna A-37
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Cessna O-2B Super Skymaster
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Convair C-131D Samaritan
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Convair F-102A Delta Dagger_1
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Convair F-102A Delta Dagger_2
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The March Field
Museum remained in the commissary building until 1993 when the
museum moved to its current location on the west side of the
runway. The 26,880 square foot facility allowed for more and
better displays on aircraft and March Field history. The
aircraft are now parked at the new museum location and can be
seen from the freeway. Before 1996, the museum director's
office had been staffed by either civil service or military
personel under the Vice Wing Commander's office. In April 1996,
upon the realignment and downsizing of March Air Force Base,
the museum (all but the airplanes, which remain on loan to USAF)
was turned over from the USAF Museum at Wright Patterson AFB,
through the Joint Powers Commission, to the March Field Museum
Foundation, to be run as a private, non-profit institution.
Since that time, the P-38 National Association has added their
museum building to the grounds. On June 15, 2000, a dedication
ceremony for the new Dick Van Rennes Restoration Hangar was
held. The restoration hangar is located near the P-38 building.
Currently, the March Field Air Museum has
a 12,000 square foot "Hangar 2" under construction.
In May,
1999, the Board of Managers approved changing the name of the
museum from "The March Field Museum" to "The March Field Air
Museum". |
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Convair F-102A Delta Dagger_3
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Douglas C-54Q Skymaster
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Douglas EA-1E Skyraider_1
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Douglas EA-2E Skyraider_2
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Douglas VC-47A Skytrain_1
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Douglas VC-47A Skytrain_2
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Douglas VC-47A Skytrain_3
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Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar
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Fairchild C-1231K Provider_1
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HISTORY OF MARCH
AIR FORCE BASE
The story of
March Field began at a time when the United States was rushing
to build up its military forces in anticipation of an entry into
World War I. News from the front in Europe had not been good as
it explained for those at home the horror and boundless human
misery associated with stalemated trench warfare. Several
European news sources reported significant German efforts at
this time to build a fleet of flying machines that could well
alter the nature of modern warfare and possibly carry the war to
the skies. In response, Congressional appropriations in early
1917 in the neighborhood of $640,000,000 attempted to back the
plans of General George O. Squier, the Army's chief signal
officer, to "put the Yankee punch into the war by building an
army in the air." At the same time the War Department announced
its intentions to build several new military installations.
Efforts by Mr. Frank Miller, then owner of the Mission Inn in
Riverside, Hiram Johnson and other California notables,
succeeded in gaining War Department approval to construct an
airfield at Alessandro Field located near Riverside, an airstrip
used by aviators from Rockwell Field on cross-country flights
from San Diego. A parade in Riverside on February 9, 1918, gave
notice than an army flying field would soon be coming to
Riverside. |
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Fairchild C-1231K Provider_2
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Firetruck
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Folland FO-141 Gnat_1
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Folland FO-141 Gnat_2
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General Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark_1
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General Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark_2
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General Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark_3
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General Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark_4
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Grumman HU-16E Albatross
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The Army wasted
no time in establishing a new airfield. Sergeant Charles E.
Garlick, who had landed at Alessandro Field in a "Jenny" in
November, 1917, was selected to lead the advance contingent of
four men to the new base from Rockwell Field. On February 26,
1918, Garlick and his crew and a group of mule skinners from
nearby Colton, known to be experts in clearing land as well as
for their colorful syntax, began the task of excavating the
building foundations at Alessandro. On March 20, 1918,
Alessandro Flying Training Field became March Field, named in
honor of Second Lieutenant Peyton C. March, Jr., son of the Army
Chief of Staff, who had been killed in a flying accident in
Texas the previous month. By late April, 1918, enough progress
had been made in the construction of the new field to allow the
arrival of the first troops. The commander of the 818 Aero
Squadron detachment, Captain William Carruthers, took over as
the field's first commander and for a time operated out of an
office in the Mission Inn. Within a record 60 days the grain
stubble-covered plain of Moreno Valley had been partially
transformed to include 12 hangers, six barracks equipped for 150
men each, mess halls, a machine shop, a post exchange, a
hospital, a supply depot, an aero repair building, bachelor
officer's quarters and a residence for the commanding officer.
On May 15 when the first JN-4D "Jenny" took off, March Field
seemed to have come into its own as a training installation. The
signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, did not halt
training at March Field initially but by 1921, the decision had
been made to phase down all activities at the new base in
accordance with sharply reduced military budgets. In April,
1923, March Field closed its doors with one sergeant left in
charge. |
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Grumman YF-14A Tomcat_1
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Grumman YF-14A Tomcat_2
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Grumman YF-14A Tomcat_3
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Grumman YF-14A Tomcat_4
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Lockheed C-141B Starlifter
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Lockheed D-21B Drone
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Lockheed F-104 Starfighter_1
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Lockheed F-104 Starfighter_2
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Lockheed F-104 Starfighter_3
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March Field
remained quiet for only a short time. In July, 1926, Congress
created the Army Air Corps and approved the Army's five-year
plan which called for an expansion in pilot training and the
activation of tactical units. Accordingly, funds were
appropriated for the reopening of March Field in March of 1927.
Colonel William C. Gardenhire, assigned to direct the
refurbishment of the base, had just directed his crews to
replace underpinnings of many of the previous buildings when he
received word the future construction would be in Spanish
Mission architectural design. In time, March Field would receive
permanent structures. The rehabilitation effort was nearly
complete in August, 1927, when Major Millard F. Harmon reported
in to take over the job of base commander and commandant of the
flying school. Classes began shortly after his arrival. In the
months ahead Air Force leaders such as Hoyt Vandenberg, Nathan
Twining, Thomas Power and Curtis LeMay completed their initial
flight training at March Field. The base, however, was about to
enter a new era. |
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Lockheed R50-5 (US Navy) Lodestar
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Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird_1
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Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird_2
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Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird_3
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Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird_4
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Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird_5
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Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird_6
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Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird_7
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Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star
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As March Field began to take on the appearance of
a permanent military installation, the base's basic mission changed. When
Randolph Field began to function as a training site in 1931, March Field became
an operational base. Before the end of the year, the 7th Bomb Group, commanded
by Major Carl A. Spaatz, brought its Condor B-2 and Keystone B-4 bombers to the
picturesque field. The activation of the 17th Pursuit Group and several
subordinate units along with the arrival of the 1st Bombardment Wing initiated a
period where March Field became associated with the Air Corp's heaviest aircraft
as well as an assortment of fighters.
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LTV A-7D Corsair II_1
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LTV A-7D Corsair II_2
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March_Field_Museum_1
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March_Field_Museum_2
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Lockheed F-104 Starfighter_4
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B-17 Flyingfortress
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Bell P-39Q Airacobra
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Consolidated PT-6A
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Fairchild PT-19B Cornell
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North American B-24 Librator
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OH-6A HO-6 Cayuse
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March_Field_Museum_4
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In the decade
before World War II, March Field took on much of its current
appearance. It also became more than a place hard to find on
aerial maps of Southern California. Lieutenant Colonel Henry H.
(Hap) Arnold, base commander from 1931 to 1936, changed this.
Through well-publicized maneuvers to Yosemite, Death Valley and
other sites in California, a visit by Governor James Rolph in
March 1932, numerous visits by Hollywood celebrities including
Bebe Daniels, Wallace Berry, Rochelle Hudson and others, and
visits by famous aviators including Amelia Earhart, March Field
gained prominence. Articles in Los Angeles newspapers kept March
Field in the news and brought to it considerable public
attention. The completion of the first phase of permanent
buildings in 1934 added to the scenic quality of the base. This
was also a period of outstanding achievements in test flights
and other contributions to the new science of aviation. Dusty
March Field had come a long way in one decade.
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March_Field_Museum_6
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March_Field_Museum_7
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March_Field_Museum_Line04
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The attack on
Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 quickly brought March Field
back into the business of training air crews. Throughout the war
many soon-to-be-famous bombardment groups performed their final
training at March before embarking for duty in the Pacific.
During this period the base doubled in area and at the zenith of
the war effort supported approximately 75,000 troops. At the
same time, the government procured a similar-sized tract west of
the San Diego highway that bordered the base and established
Camp Haan as an anti-aircraft artillery training facility. It
supported 85,000 troops at the height of its activity. For a
time, March Field remained a bust place indeed. In 1946, Camp
Haan became a part of March's real estate holding when
operations at the base returned to a more normal setting.
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Martin EB-57B Canberra
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McDonnell Douglas F-4E_Phantom
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McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle_1
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McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle_2
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McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle_3
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McDonnell Douglas RF-4C_Phantom_1
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McDonnell Douglas RF-4C_Phantom_2
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McDonnell F-101B Voodoo_1
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McDonnell F-101B Voodoo_2
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After the war,
March reverted to its operational role and became a Tactical Air
Command base. The main unit, the famed 1st Fighter Wing, brought
the first jet aircraft, the F-80, to the base. This deviation
from the traditional bombardment training and operations
functions did not long endure. In 1949, March became a part of
the relatively new Strategic Air Command. Headquarters Fifteenth
Air Force along with the 33d Communications Squadron moved to
March from Colorado Springs in the same year. Also in 1949, the
22d Bombardment Wing moved from Smoky Hill Air Force Base,
Kansas to March. Thereafter, these three units remained as
dominant features of base activities. |
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McDonnell F-101B Voodoo_3
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McDonnell F-101B Voodoo_4
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McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II_1
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McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II_2
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McDonnell-Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk_1
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McDonnell-Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk_2
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Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-17 Fresco
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Mikoyan Gurevich MIG-19 Farmer
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Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21F-13 Fishbed C
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Mikoyan Gurevich MIG-23BN Flogger H
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North American CT-39A Sabreliner
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North American F-86H Sabre
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From 1949 to 1953, the B-29 Superfortresses
dominated the flightline at March Air Force Base. For four months, July to
October, the 22d saw action over Korea and in this brief period, contributed to
the elimination of all strategic enemy targets. Involvement in the Korean
Conflict had no sooner ended when the wing converted from the huge
propeller-driven B-29s to the sleek B-47 jet bombers and their supporting
tankers, the KC-97s. The KC-97s belonging to the 17th and 22d Air Refueling
Squadrons represented an amazing jump in technology. Planes and crews from March
began breaking altitude and distance records. The new refueling planes
introduced a significant advance in operational range. Overall operational
capability could now be measured in global terms. This had been demonstrated
earlier when General Archie Old, the Fifteenth Air Force commander, had led a
flight of three B-52s in a non-stop around-the-world flight termed "Power
Flight" in just 45 hours and 19 minutes. Ceremonies upon their arrival at March
on January 18, 1957, emphasized the global reach of the Strategic Air Command.
In 1960, the first Reserve unit was assigned to March, flying C-119s. The end of
the 1960s saw March Air Force Base preparing to exchange its B-47s and KC-97s
for updated bombers and tankers. Increasing international tensions in Europe and
elsewhere by September 16, 1963, brought March its first B-52B bomber, "The City
of Riverside." Soon 15 more of the giant bombers appeared on the flightline
along with new KC-135 jet "Stratotankers." March's first KC-135, "The Mission
Bell" arrived on October 4, 1963. For the next twenty years this venerable team
would dominate the skies over what had come to be called the Inland Empire as
the 22d Bombardment Wing played a feature role in the Strategic Air Command's
mission. |
North American F-86L Sabre
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North American F-100C Super Sabre_1
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North American F-100C Super Sabre_2
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Northrop F-89J Scorpion
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Northrop YA-9A_1
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Northrop YA-9A_2
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During this period both tankers and bombers stood
alert at March as part of America's nuclear deterrent force. The might of
March's bombers and tankers, however, were soon to be used in quite another
scenario. During the conflict in Southeast Asia, the 22d Bombardment Wing
deployed its planes several times and March crews learned well the meaning
behind such names as Young Tiger, Rolling Thunder, Arc Light and Linebacker II.
In these troubled years the base served as a logistical springboard for supplies
and equipment en route to the Pacific. Near the end of the conflict, March
operated as one of the reception centers for returning prisoners of war. |
Piasecki H-21B Workhorse
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PZL Mielec An-2 Colt_2
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PZL Mielec An-2 Colt_3
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Following the
end of hostilities in Southeast Asia, the 22d returned to its
duties as an integral part of the Strategic Air Command. For the
next eighteen years until 1982, March effectively supported
America's defensive posture. The occurred through several
post-Vietnam adjustments. One of these brought the retirement of
the wing's last B-52 on November 9, 1982. This event signaled
yet another era for March Air Force Base and for the 22d. The
22d Bombardment Wing , so long a key ingredient in March's long
history, would become an air refueling wing with the new KC-10
tanker. The new tankers, able to accomplish considerably more
than the KC-135s, promised a new tomorrow for the Strategic Air
Command. Within months after the first KC-10 arrived at March on
August 11, 1982, crews quickly realized the ability of the new
aircraft to carry cargo and passengers as well as impressive
fuel loads over long distances. Air refueling for March Air
Force Base had entered a new age. The California Air National
Guard also arrived in 1982, bringing with them the F-4C's.
Beginning in
the early 1980s the KC-10 became the vehicle carrying March Air
Force Base into a new technological epoch. The large KC-10s with
their versatility and their dependability again gave the base a
featured part in America's efforts to retain a strong and
flexible military air arm. The utter importance of the KC-10s in
conventional operations became a particularly apparent during
Desert Shield and Desert Storm where their outstanding service
contributed measurably to the success of American forces in the
defense of Saudi Arabia and the liberation of Kuwait.
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Republic F-84C Thunderjet
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Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
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Republic F-105B Thunderchief_1
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In 1993, March
Air Force Base was selected for realignment. In August 1993, the
445th Airlift Wing transferred to March from Norton AFB, Calif.
On January 3, 1994, the 22d Air Refueling Wing was transferred
to McConnell AFB, Kansas, and the 722d Air Refueling Wing stood
up at March. As part of the Air Force's realignment and
transition, March's two Reserve units, the 445th Airlift Wing
and the 452d Air refueling Wing were deactivated and their
personnel and equipment joined under the 452d Air Mobility Wing
on April 1, 1994. On April 1, 1996, March officially became
March Air Reserve Base.
From the dusty
stubble that once was Alessandro Flying Strip to today, March,
for over 70 years, has been a key element in the advance of
aviation and in the growth of the modern Air Force. As the Air
Force restructures and prepares for new challenges, March seems
destined to remain as an important base for the air operations
of tomorrow.
Info source :
March Field Museum
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Republic F-105B Thunderchief_2
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Republic F-105B Thunderchief_3
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Republic F-105B Thunderchief_4
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Zero
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