1.
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
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The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is a military aerial refueling aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype and it is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transport aircraft. The KC-135 was the US Air Forces first jet-powered refueling tanker, the KC-135 entered service with the United States Air Force in 1957, it is one of six military fixed-wing aircraft with over 50 years of continuous service with its original operator. The KC-135 is supplemented by the larger KC-10, studies have concluded that many of the aircraft could be flown until 2040, although maintenance costs have greatly increased. The aircraft will eventually be replaced by the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, like its sibling, the commercial Boeing 707 jet airliner, the KC-135 was derived from the Boeing 367-80 jet transport proof of concept demonstrator, which was commonly called the Dash-80. The KC-135 is similar in appearance to the 707, but has a fuselage and is shorter than the 707. The KC-135 predates the 707, and is quite different from the civilian airliner. Boeing gave the future KC-135 tanker the initial designation Model 717, in 1954 USAFs Strategic Air Command held a competition for a jet-powered aerial refueling tanker. Lockheeds tanker version of the proposed Lockheed L-193 airliner with rear fuselage-mounted engines was declared the winner in 1955, in the end, orders for the Lockheed tanker were dropped rather than supporting two tanker designs. Lockheed never produced its jet airliner, while Boeing would eventually dominate the market with a family of airliners based on the 707. In 1954, the Air Force placed an order for 29 KC-135As. The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, California, the last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965. These basic features make it resemble the commercial Boeing 707 and 720 aircraft. The USAF EC-135 Looking Glass was subsequently replaced in its role by the U. S. Navy E-6 Mercury aircraft, the KC-135Q variant was modified to carry JP-7 fuel necessary for the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, segregating the JP-7 from the KC-135s own fuel supply. The tanker also had special fuel systems for moving the different fuels between different tanks, the only external difference between a KC-135R and a KC-135T is the presence of a clear window on the underside of the empennage of the KC-135T where a remote controlled searchlight is mounted. It also has two ground refueling ports, located in rear wheel well so ground crews can fuel both the body tanks and wing tanks separately. Eight KC-135R aircraft are receiver-capable tankers, commonly referred to as KC-135R, All eight aircraft were with the 22d Air Refueling Wing at McConnell AFB, Kansas, in 1994. They are primarily used for extension and Special Operations missions
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
New Hampshire
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New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, New Hampshire is the 5th smallest by land area and the 9th least populous of the 50 United States. Concord is the capital, while Manchester is the largest city in the state and in northern New England, including Vermont. It has no sales tax, nor is personal income taxed at either the state or local level. The New Hampshire primary is the first primary in the U. S. presidential election cycle and its license plates carry the state motto, Live Free or Die. The states nickname, The Granite State, refers to its extensive granite formations, the state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire by Captain John Mason. New Hampshire is part of the New England region and it is bounded by Quebec, Canada, to the north and northwest, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Massachusetts to the south, and Vermont to the west. New Hampshires major regions are the Great North Woods, the White Mountains, the Lakes Region, the Seacoast, the Merrimack Valley, the Monadnock Region, and the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee area. New Hampshire has the shortest ocean coastline of any U. S. coastal state, New Hampshire was home to the rock formation called the Old Man of the Mountain, a face-like profile in Franconia Notch, until the formation disintegrated in May 2003. Major rivers include the 110-mile Merrimack River, which bisects the lower half of the state north–south and ends up in Newburyport and its tributaries include the Contoocook River, Pemigewasset River, and Winnipesaukee River. The 410-mile Connecticut River, which starts at New Hampshires Connecticut Lakes and flows south to Connecticut, only one town – Pittsburg – shares a land border with the state of Vermont. The northwesternmost headwaters of the Connecticut also define the Canada–U. S, the Piscataqua River and its several tributaries form the states only significant ocean port where they flow into the Atlantic at Portsmouth. The Salmon Falls River and the Piscataqua define the southern portion of the border with Maine, the U. S. Supreme Court dismissed the case in 2002, leaving ownership of the island with Maine. New Hampshire still claims sovereignty of the base, however, the largest of New Hampshires lakes is Lake Winnipesaukee, which covers 71 square miles in the east-central part of New Hampshire. Umbagog Lake along the Maine border, approximately 12.3 square miles, is a distant second, Squam Lake is the second largest lake entirely in New Hampshire. New Hampshire has the shortest ocean coastline of any state in the United States, Hampton Beach is a popular local summer destination. It is the state with the highest percentage of area in the country. New Hampshire is in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, much of the state, in particular the White Mountains, is covered by the conifers and northern hardwoods of the New England-Acadian forests
4.
Air National Guard
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When Air National Guard units are used under the jurisdiction of the state governor they are fulfilling their militia role. However, if federalized by order of the President of the United States and they are jointly administered by the states and the National Guard Bureau, a joint bureau of the Army and Air Force that oversees the National Guard of the United States. The ANG of the territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands have no aircraft assigned, ANG units typically operate under Title 32 USC. However, when operating under Title 10 USC all ANG units are operationally-gained by an active duty USAF major command. ANG units of the Combat Air Forces based in the Continental United States, conversely, CONUS-based ANG units in the Mobility Air Forces, plus the Puerto Rico ANGs airlift wing and the Virgin Islands ANGs civil engineering squadron are gained by the Air Mobility Command. The vast majority of ANG units fall under either ACC or AMC, established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U. S. S. When not in a status, the Air National Guard operates under their respective state. The exception to rule is the District of Columbia Air National Guard. Because both state Air National Guard and the Air National Guard of the United States relatively go hand-in-hand, Air National Guard of the United States units or members may be called up for federal active duty in times of Congressionally sanctioned war or national emergency. The United States Air National Guard has about 110,000 men and women in service, even traditional part-time air guardsmen, especially pilots, navigators/combat systems officers, air battle managers and enlisted aircrew, often serve 100 or more man-days annually. As such, the concept of Air National Guard service as representing only one weekend a month, the Georgia Air National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard previously flew the B-1B Lancer prior to converting to the E-8 Joint STARS and KC-135R Stratotanker, respectively. In addition, the 131st Fighter Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard transitioned from flying the F-15C/D Eagle at St and these proposals were eventually overruled and cancelled by the U. S. Congress. As state militia units, the units in the Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command and they are under the jurisdiction of the United States National Guard Bureau unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. Air National Guard units are trained and equipped by the United States Air Force, the state ANG units, depending on their mission, are operationally gained by a major command of the USAF if federalized. Air National Guard personnel are expected to adhere to the moral and physical standards as their full-time active duty Air Force. The same ranks and insignia of the U. S. Air Force are used by the Air National Guard, the Air National Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in a service members home state or equivalent. The creation of the regiments was caused by the perceived need to defend the Bay Colony against American Indians. This organization formed the basis of subsequent colonial and, post-independence, state and this distinction accounts for why there are no National Guard components in the U. S. Navy, U. S. Marine Corps or U. S. Coast Guard
5.
New Hampshire Air National Guard
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The New Hampshire Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of New Hampshire, United States of America. It is, along with the New Hampshire Army National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the New Hampshire Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of New Hampshire though the office of the New Hampshire Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States. The New Hampshire Air National Guard is headquartered in Portsmouth, under the Total Force concept, New Hampshire Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force. New Hampshire ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. The 64th Air Refueling Squadron is a part of the 22nd Operations Group, McConnell Air Force Base, the partnership was formed as part of the Active Associate concept where Active Duty Airmen are assigned to an Air National Guard unit. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The New Hampshire Air National Guard origins date to the formation of the 133d Fighter Squadron at Grenier Field, Manchester and it was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and its mission was the air defense of the state. On 25 June 1950, the New Hampshire Air National Guard was federalized and placed on active duty, the squadron was then attached to the Air Defense Command 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine, on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission. It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB and it was released from active duty and returned to the control of the State of New Hampshire on 1 November 1952. In 1960, the mission of the NH Air National Guard changed to air transport in time for their participation in the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and this is also when they received their present 157th designation. In the mid-1960s, the 157th moved to Pease Air Force Base, in 1974, the NH Air National Guard received its current mission as in-flight refuelers. Within hours of the September 11 attacks in 2001, the NH Air Guard began refueling the fighter jets patrolled the airspace over major U. S. cities. The 157th was later deployed overseas in support of the War on Terror, the NH National Guard responded to Operation Iraqi Freedom in what was the largest call up of New Hampshire troops since World War II. Over half of New Hampshires soldiers and airmen served overseas, conducting security and infantry missions, providing medical care, building schools. The 157th refueled planes further forward in the conflict than at any time in their history. After the September 11th,2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, also, New Hampshire ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, as well as other locations as directed. This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, 157th Air Refueling Wing History of the NH ANG
6.
Pease Air National Guard Base
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Pease Air National Guard Base is a New Hampshire Air National Guard base located at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease in New Hampshire. Pease AFB was closed pursuant to 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission action, with the 509 BW transferring to Whiteman AFB, Missouri. In 1983, investigations had shown soil and water contamination with degreasers and JP-4 jet fuel, as of 2015, after 25 years of the Pease Development Authority’s work, Pease International Tradeport has 275 businesses employing close to 10,000 civilian workers. The 157 ARW was a tenant activity at Pease AFB. As of 2011, the population is 380 full-time military personnel with a monthly surge of up to 950 when part-time military personnel are included. Pease Air National Guard Base is approximately 220 acres in size and it is 55 miles north of Boston and 3 miles south of Kittery, Maine. Pease Air Force Base started as the 300-acre Portsmouth Municipal Airport in the 1930s, with the onset of World War II, the U. S. Navy used it for its base location. The U. S. Air Force assumed control in 1951, purchase of additional land for expansion of the base started in 1952 and was completed in 1956. Ground breaking for the new SAC facilities took place in 1954, renamed Portsmouth Air Force Base, the installation formally opened on 30 June 1956. On 7 September 1957, it was renamed as Pease Air Force Base in honor of New Hampshire native Captain Harl Pease, Jr. USAAF and their mission was strategic warfare in the event of war. From 1956 until its closure in 1991, Pease Air Force Base maintained a force for long range bombardment. The 100th Bombardment Wing was converted in June 1966 to a reconnaissance wing and transferred to Davis-Monthan AFB. This left the 509th Bombardment Wing as the principal host wing for Pease AFB, from 1 April to 1 October 1968 and from 26 March to 20 September 1969, more than one-half of the wing was deployed in Southeast Asia. The 509th supported SAC combat and contingency operations in Southeast Asia with KC–135A aircraft and crews from 1966 to 1975, by 1 December 1969, the wing had transferred all its B-52D aircraft to other SAC units in preparation for transition to the General Dynamics FB-111A. The wing resumed flying training with the FB-111 in December 1970, during this time, the 509th won the SAC Bombing and Navigation Competition and the Fairchild Trophy in 1979,1981,1982, and 1983 and the Sanders Trophy for best air refueling unit in 1982. In 1966, the New Hampshire Air National Guard relocated the 157th Military Airlift Group from the deactivating Grenier AFB in nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, operating the C-97 Stratofreighter, the group transitioned to the C-124 Globemaster in 1968 and to the C-130 Hercules in 1971. The mission of the group was changed in 1975 when it was designated as the 157th Air Refueling Group, the 157th later transitioned to the KC-135E in 1984 and in 1993 transitioned to the KC-135R, the aircraft it currently flies. In August 2014, the Air Force announced that the 157 ARW would become the first Air National Guard unit to equip with the new Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft
7.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
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Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is the city in the county, but only the fourth-largest community. The first known European to explore and write about the area was Martin Pring in 1603, the Piscataqua River is a tidal estuary with a swift current, but forms a good natural harbor. The west bank of the harbor was settled by English colonists in 1630 and named Strawbery Banke, the village was fortified by Fort William and Mary. Strategically located for trade between upstream industries and mercantile interests abroad, the port prospered, fishing, lumber and shipbuilding were principal businesses of the region. Enslaved Africans were imported as laborers as early as 1645 and were integral to building the citys prosperity, Portsmouth was part of the Triangle Trade, which made significant profits from slavery. At the towns incorporation in 1653, it was named Portsmouth in honor of the colonys founder and he had been captain of the port of Portsmouth, England, in the county of Hampshire, for which New Hampshire is named. In 1774, in the lead-up to the Revolution, Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth warning that the British were coming, although the harbor was protected by Fort William and Mary, the rebel government moved the capital inland to Exeter, safe from the Royal Navy. The Navy bombarded Falmouth on October 18,1775, African Americans helped defend Portsmouth and New England during the war. Their petition was not answered then, but New Hampshire later ended slavery, Thomas Jeffersons 1807 embargo against trade with Britain withered New Englands trade with Canada, and a number of local fortunes were lost. Others were gained by men who acted as privateers during the War of 1812, in 1849, Portsmouth was incorporated as a city. Once one of the nations busiest ports and shipbuilding cities, Portsmouth expressed its wealth in fine architecture and it contains significant examples of Colonial, Georgian, and Federal style houses, a selection of which are now museums. Portsmouths heart contains stately brick Federalist stores and townhouses, built all-of-a-piece after devastating early 19th-century fires, the worst was in 1813 when 244 buildings burned. A fire district was created that required all new buildings within its boundaries to be built of brick with slate roofs, the city was also noted for the production of boldly wood-veneered Federalist furniture, particularly by the master cabinet maker Langley Boardman. The Industrial Revolution spurred economic growth in New Hampshire mill towns such as Dover, Keene, Laconia, Manchester, Nashua and Rochester and it shifted growth to the new mill towns. The port of Portsmouth declined, but the city survived through Victorian-era doldrums, in the 20th century, the city founded a Historic District Commission, which has worked to protect much of the citys irreplaceable architectural legacy. In 2008, Portsmouth was named one of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the compact and walkable downtown on the waterfront draws tourists and artists, who each summer throng the cafes, restaurants and shops around Market Square. Portsmouth annually celebrates the revitalization of its downtown with Market Square Day, Portsmouth shipbuilding history has had a long symbiotic relationship with Kittery, Maine, across the Piscataqua River
8.
Live Free or Die
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Live Free or Die is the official motto of the U. S. state of New Hampshire, adopted by the state in 1945. The phrase comes from a toast written by General John Stark, New Hampshires most famous soldier of the American Revolutionary War, poor health forced Stark to decline an invitation to an anniversary reunion of the Battle of Bennington. Instead, he sent his toast by letter, Live free or die, Stark may not have been the original author of the phrase. Vivre Libre ou Mourir was a motto of the French Revolution. The motto was enacted at the time as the New Hampshire state emblem. In 1971, the New Hampshire state legislature mandated that the phrase appear on all license plates. In 1977, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Wooley v. Maynard,430 U. S.705 and that ruling came about because George Maynard, a Jehovahs Witness, covered up or die from his plate. By religious training and belief, I believe my government – Jehovahs Kingdom – offers everlasting life and it would be contrary to that belief to give up my life for the state, even if it meant living in bondage. Pursuant to these beliefs, the Maynards began early in 1974 to cover up the motto on their license plates, the fact that most individuals agree with the thrust of New Hampshires motto is not the test, most Americans also find the flag salute acceptable, Burger wrote. The Supreme Court concluded that the states interests paled in comparison to individuals free-expression rights, I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. A medal struck at Matthew Boultons Soho Mint, as tokens of exchange for the Paris firm of Monneron Freres, a mention of vivre libre ou mourir occurs in 1754 Memoires by Chalopin. During the Siege of Barcelona the Barcelona defenders and the Maulets used black flags with the motto Live free or die, now it is used as a symbol of Catalan independentism. It has been adopted as the Azores motto and is present in the autonomous regions Coat-of-Arms, Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος is the national motto of Greece and comes from the motto of the Greek War of Independence. Մահ կամ Ազատություն was the motto of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation during the movement for Armenias independence, – Independence or death, was the national motto of the Brazilian Empire. Ya istiklal ya ölüm - Independence or death, was the motto of the Turkish resistance during the Turkish National Movement, eala Frya Fresena – Rise up, Free Frisians, according to Tilemann Dothias Wiarda spoken at the Upstalsboom in Aurich in Later Middle Ages. Since the middle of the 19th century Frisian nationalists tend to answer it with Lewwer duad üs Slaav, liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, ou la mort – Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death was the early motto of the French Revolution. Later versions dropped ou la mort, the full motto is still displayed above the entrance of the Hotel de Ville in Troyes. Better to die than to be a coward and this is a motto in Nepal and is the motto of the British Army regiment the Royal Gurkha Rifles, which coincidentally used to have its UK base in the county of Hampshire
9.
United States Air Force
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The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947. It is the most recent branch of the U. S. military to be formed, the U. S. Air Force is a military service organized within the Department of the Air Force, one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The Air Force is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Air Force, who reports to the Secretary of Defense, the U. S. Air Force provides air support for surface forces and aids in the recovery of troops in the field. As of 2015, the service more than 5,137 military aircraft,406 ICBMs and 63 military satellites. It has a $161 billion budget with 313,242 active duty personnel,141,197 civilian employees,69,200 Air Force Reserve personnel, and 105,500 Air National Guard personnel. According to the National Security Act of 1947, which created the USAF and it shall be organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air operations. The stated mission of the USAF today is to fly, fight, and win in air, space and we will provide compelling air, space, and cyber capabilities for use by the combatant commanders. We will excel as stewards of all Air Force resources in service to the American people, while providing precise and reliable Global Vigilance, Reach and it should be emphasized that the core functions, by themselves, are not doctrinal constructs. The purpose of Nuclear Deterrence Operations is to operate, maintain, in the event deterrence fails, the US should be able to appropriately respond with nuclear options. Dissuading others from acquiring or proliferating WMD, and the means to deliver them, moreover, different deterrence strategies are required to deter various adversaries, whether they are a nation state, or non-state/transnational actor. Nuclear strike is the ability of forces to rapidly and accurately strike targets which the enemy holds dear in a devastating manner. Should deterrence fail, the President may authorize a precise, tailored response to terminate the conflict at the lowest possible level, post-conflict, regeneration of a credible nuclear deterrent capability will deter further aggression. Finally, the Air Force regularly exercises and evaluates all aspects of operations to ensure high levels of performance. Nuclear surety ensures the safety, security and effectiveness of nuclear operations, the Air Force, in conjunction with other entities within the Departments of Defense or Energy, achieves a high standard of protection through a stringent nuclear surety program. The Air Force continues to pursue safe, secure and effective nuclear weapons consistent with operational requirements, adversaries, allies, and the American people must be highly confident of the Air Forces ability to secure nuclear weapons from accidents, theft, loss, and accidental or unauthorized use. This day-to-day commitment to precise and reliable nuclear operations is the cornerstone of the credibility of the NDO mission, positive nuclear command, control, communications, effective nuclear weapons security, and robust combat support are essential to the overall NDO function. OCA is the method of countering air and missile threats, since it attempts to defeat the enemy closer to its source
10.
Air Mobility Command
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Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U. S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, the Commander of AMC is Gen Carlton D. Everhart II, with Lt Gen Wayne Schatz Jr as Vice Commander and CMSgt Shelina Frey as Command Chief Master Sergeant. Air Mobility Command was established on June 1,1992 and it was formed from elements of the inactivated Military Airlift Command and Strategic Air Command. AMC melded a worldwide system with a tanker force that had been freed from its strategic nuclear strike commitments by the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Air Mobility Commands mission is to provide global air mobility, the command also plays a crucial role in providing humanitarian support at home and around the world. Many special duty and operational aircraft and stateside aeromedical evacuation missions are also assigned to AMC. U. S. forces must be able to provide a rapid, tailored response with a capability to intervene against a foe, hit hard. Rapid global mobility lies at the heart of U. S. strategy in this environment, without the capability to project forces, there is no conventional deterrent. As the number of U. S. forces stationed overseas continue to decline, global interests remain, Air Mobility Command also has the mission of establishing bare air bases in contingencies. To accomplish this mission, AMC established two Contingency Response Wings, and operates the Eagle Flag exercise, in addition to its status as a MAJCOM of the Air Force, AMC is also the Air Force component command of the United States Transportation Command. It provides airlift, special missions, aerial refueling, and aeromedical evacuation for the United States armed forces]], AMC also operates VIP flights such as Air Force One, Air Force Two, and other Special Assignment Airlift Missions. Finally, AMC acts as the manager, on behalf of United States Transportation Command. Principal aircraft assets of the include, C-17 Globemaster III, C-5 Galaxy, C-130 Hercules, KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-10 Extender, C-40 Clipper, C-37 Gulfstream V. As of 2015, the command is preparing for the addition of the KC-46 Pegasus. Additional aircraft in support of high-profile VIP airlift include, VC-25, C-32, C-20 and these units train and exercise frequently and routinely provide augmentative operational support to AMCs active duty forces. Instead, they report to AMC via the National Guard Bureau, civil Reserve Air Fleet AMC has undergone considerable change since its establishment. Focusing on the mission of strategic air mobility, the command divested itself of infrastructure. The Air Rescue Service, intratheater aeromedical airlift forces based overseas, as a result of the Global War on Terrorism, on October 1,2003, AMC underwent a major restructuring, bringing a war fighting role to its numbered air force
11.
133d Air Refueling Squadron
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The 133d Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the New Hampshire Air National Guard 157th Air Refueling Wing located at Pease Air National Guard Base, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The 133d is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker, moved to India, via Australia, July–September 1943. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches, the 529th Fighter Squadron having its markings as black vertical bands painted on a yellow tail. The red nose was also a squadron marking, many planes of the squadron had a girls name on the nose but very few had any artwork. Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944, moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrills Marauders, also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma. Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force, escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemys communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51s from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945, returned to the US in December 1945. The wartime 529th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 133d Fighter Squadron and it was organized at Grenier Field, Manchester, New Hampshire, and was extended federal recognition on 4 April 1947 by the National Guard Bureau. The 134th was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group, the mission of the 133d Fighter Squadron was the air defense of New Hampshire. With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, the squadron was then attached to the Air Defense Command 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine, on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission. It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB and it was released from active duty and returned to the control of the State of New Hampshire on 1 November 1952. With the end of the Korean War, the aircraft were first upgraded to F-51H Mustangs then to the F-94 Starfire on 16 June 1954. With the 101st FIG consisting of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Air Guard units, New Hampshires planes flew much more than those of Maine and Vermont. They logged 675 hours and a total of 752 pilot hours, the mission of the 133d was to provide front line defense for the United States and to intercept aircraft not readily identifiable by radar or pre-filed flight plan. The radar detection station at North Truro Air Force Station, Massachusetts, was ready to make detection, within three minutes the 133d could be airborne and heading for a prospective rendezvous point. After identifying any intruders, the aircraft were supposed to radio back to North Truro for further instructions. From October 1954 until 30 June 1956 the 133d maintained a dawn to dusk runway alert, other squadrons assigned into the group were the 101st Headquarters, 101st Material Squadron, 101st Combat Support Squadron, and the 101st USAF Dispensary. By April 1958, the 101st counted nearly 700 officers and airmen and it was now re-equipped with 24 F-86L Sabre Interceptor jets, a dedicated swept-wing interceptor which was capable of being directed to intercept targets by Ground Control Interceptor radar stations
12.
64th Air Refueling Squadron
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The 64th Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force air-refueling squadron that is part of the 22d Air Refueling Wings 22d Operations Group at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas. Through the Air Forces Total Force Initiative, the 64th is operationally assigned to the 157th Air Refueling Wing at Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire, the 64th flew aerial transportation and evacuation in the South and Southwest Pacific from,7 August 1943-c. 14 August 1945 and between Japan and Korea from,19 May-31 December 1952, in 1957 the squadron moved on paper from Portland International Airport to Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, where is assumed the mission, personnel, and equipment of the 700th Troop Carrier Squadron. The squadron trained and provided services from, January 1953-March 1997, including airlift to Vietnam during the late 1960s. It participated in training exercises and airlift missions worldwide until inactivation on 31 March 1997. The 64th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at Pease Air National Guard Base and it is part of the Total Force Initiative and will work side by side with the 157th Air Refueling Wing, New Hampshire Air National Guard. This will be the first time that an active duty U. S. Air Force unit has returned to Pease since the active Air Force closed the base in 1991, Maurer, Maurer, ed. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II. Washington, DC, Office of Air Force History, see also www. thirsty13th. com, the official website of a sister squadron of the 64th TCS in 1943-1945. The Thirsty 13th site offers a book with information about the 64th Troop Carrier Squadron. AFHRA 64th Air Refueling Squadron History
13.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
14.
North American A-36 Apache
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A total of 500 A-36 dive bombers served in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Italy and the China-Burma-India theater during World War II before being withdrawn from operational use in 1944. Supplementing the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawks already in service, Mustang Is were first supplied to No.26 Squadron RAF, then rapidly deployed to 10 additional squadrons by June 1942. First used in combat over the Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942, a Mustang of No.414 Squadron downed one of the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, the first victory for a Mustang. Despite the limited performance of the Allison V-1710 engine, the RAF was enthusiastic about its new mount. Since appropriations were available for an aircraft, Echols specified modifications to the P-51 to turn it into a dive bomber. With orders on the books, North American Aviation began modifying the P-51 to accept the bomb shackles which had already tested in a long-range ferry program that the RAF had stipulated. Engineering studies totaling 40,000 hours and wind tunnel testing with a model were completed in June 1942. Due to the slightly inboard placement of the racks and unique installation of four cast aluminum dive brakes. The A-36A continued the use of nose-mounted.50 in machine guns along with wing armament of four.50 in caliber machine guns. The main air scoop inlet was redesigned to become a unit with a larger opening, replacing the earlier scoop which could be lowered into the airstream. In addition the A-36 carburetor air intake was fitted with a tropical air filter to stop sand. The USAAF later ordered 310 P-51As, which were essentially A-36s without the dive-brakes and nose mounted weapons, an Allison V-1710-811,200 hp was fitted and used the same radiator and air intake as the A-36A. The P-51A was still fitted with bomb racks although it was not intended to be used primarily as a fighter-bomber, the A-36A-1-NA Apache joined the 27th Fighter-Bomber Group composed of four squadrons based at Ras el Ma Airfield in French Morocco in April 1943 during the campaign in North Africa. On 6 June 1943, both of these A-36A units flew combat missions directed against the island of Pantelleria, the island fell to Allied attack and became the home base for the two A-36A groups during the Allied invasion of Sicily. The A-36A proved to be a potent weapon, it could be put into a dive at 12,000 ft with deployed dive brakes. Proper technique soon cured this anomaly and, subsequently, pilots achieved extremely consistent results, depending on the target and defenses, the bomb release took place between 2,000 ft and 4,000 ft, followed by an immediate sharp pull up. Capt. Charles E. Dills, 522d Fighter Squadron, 27th FBG, XIIth Air Force emphatically stated in an interview, I flew the A-36 for 39 of my 94 missions. They were never wired shut in Italy in combat and this wired shut story apparently came from the training group at Harding Field, Baton Rouge, LA
15.
North American P-51 Mustang
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The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by North American Aviation in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission, the Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license for the Royal Air Force. Rather than build an old design from another company, North American Aviation proposed the design, the prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940,102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October. The Mustang was originally designed to use the Allison V-1710 engine and it was first flown operationally by the RAF as a tactical-reconnaissance aircraft and fighter-bomber. The addition of the Rolls-Royce Merlin to the P-51B/C model transformed the Mustangs performance at altitudes above 15,000 ft, the P-51 was also used by Allied air forces in the North African, Mediterranean, Italian and Pacific theaters. During World War II, Mustang pilots claimed to have destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft, despite the advent of jet fighters, the Mustang remained in service with some air forces until the early 1980s. After the Korean War, Mustangs became popular civilian warbird and air racing aircraft, in April 1940 the British government established a purchasing commission in the United States, headed by Sir Henry Self. Self was given responsibility for Royal Air Force production and research and development, and also served with Sir Wilfrid Freeman. Self also sat on the British Air Council Sub-committee on Supply and one of his tasks was to organize the manufacturing and supply of American fighter aircraft for the RAF. At the time, the choice was limited, as no U. S. aircraft then in production or flying met European standards. The Curtiss-Wright plant was running at capacity, so P-40s were in short supply, North American Aviation was already supplying its Harvard trainer to the RAF, but was otherwise underutilized. NAA President Dutch Kindelberger approached Self to sell a new medium bomber, instead, Self asked if NAA could manufacture the Tomahawk under license from Curtiss. Kindelberger said NAA could have an aircraft with the same engine in the air sooner than establishing a production line for the P-40. In March 1940,320 aircraft were ordered by Sir Wilfred Freeman who had become the head of the Ministry of Aircraft Production. The NA-73X, which was designed by a led by lead engineer Edgar Schmued, followed the best conventional practice of the era. One was a wing designed using laminar flow airfoils which were developed co-operatively by North American Aviation and these airfoils generated very low drag at high speeds. The results of this test showed the superiority of the wing designed with the NAA/NACA 45–100 airfoils, the other feature was a new cooling arrangement that reduced the cooling drag. It was later discovered that, after lot of development, the assembly could take advantage of the Meredith Effect
16.
Vultee Vengeance
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The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was designated A-35, the A-31 remained in service with U. S. units until 1945, primarily in a target-tug role. In 1940, Vultee Aircraft started the design of a single engined dive-bomber, the V-72 was built with private funds and was intended for sale to foreign markets. The V-72 was a low-wing, single-engine monoplane with a closed cockpit, an air-cooled radial Wright Twin Cyclone GR-2600-A5B-5 engine rated at 1,600 hp powered the V-72. It was armed with both fixed forward-firing and flexible-mounted.30 in machine guns in the rear cockpit, the aircraft also carried up to 1,500 lb of bombs in an interior bomb bay and on external wing racks. The Vengeance was uniquely designed to dive vertically without lift from the wing pulling the aircraft off target, to this end, it had a 0° angle of incidence on the wing to better align the nose of the aircraft with the target during the dive. This resulted in the aircraft cruising in an attitude, giving a poor forward view for the pilot. It had an unusual, W-shaped wing planform and this resulted from an error in calculating its centre of gravity. Moving the wing back by sweeping the centre section was a simpler fix than re-designing the wing root and this gives the impression of an inverted gull wing when seen from an angle, when in fact the wing has a more conventional dihedral on the outer wing panels. France placed an order for 300 V-72s, with deliveries intended to start in October 1940, the first prototype V-72 flew from Vultees factory at Downey, California, on 30 March 1941. Additional aircraft were ordered for Britain in June 1941 under the Lend-Lease scheme, after the U. S. entered the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor, a number of V-72 and A-31 aircraft were repossessed for use by the Army Air Corps. It was fitted with a more powerful Wright Twin Cyclone R-2600-19 engine, when production of the Vengeance was completed in 1944, a total of 1,931 aircraft had been produced. The majority were produced at the Vultee plant in Nashville, Tennessee, indecision about which aircraft type should replace it in production at the Vultee plant led to several make-work contracts for Vengeance aircraft to prevent dispersion of the skilled workforce. This resulted in overproduction of what was considered an obsolete aircraft, to be effective, all these aircraft required an environment of local air superiority and fighter escort. Fighter escort and lack of opposition in the theatres in which it served, combined with its vertical dive capability. Early experience with the aircraft showed that there were problems with engine cooling, in service, the British managed to solve these problems, but Free French aircraft that did not have these problems remedied were declared uneconomical and unreliable to operate and were grounded. The aircraft was described as being stable in flight and in a dive, with elevator and rudder control. Forward visibility was considered due to the large radial engine
17.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
18.
Tenth Air Force
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The Tenth Air Force is a unit of the U. S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command. 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field, the command directs the activities of 14,000 Air Force Reservists and 950 civilians located at 30 military installations throughout the United States. In addition, Tenth Air Force units fly satellites for Air Force Space Command in support of the Department of Defense and NOAA. Tenth Air Force was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force created for operations in India, Burma and Indochina during World War II in the China Burma India Theater of operations. It was established at New Delhi, India on 12 February 1942, around a nucleus of air force personnel newly arrived from Java, the 10th Air Force is commanded by Maj Gen Richard W. Scobee. With approximately 60 full-time headquarters staff members, Tenth Air Force acts as the point for all matters pertaining to assigned Air Force Reserve units. Tenth Air Force is the only Numbered Air Force that touches every Major Command in USAF with the exception of the Air Force Material Command, the 610th Regional Support Group at NAS Fort Worth JRB is responsible for the management of twelve geographically separated units throughout the United States. Other organizations include combat air operations, medical, civil engineer, combat logistics, communications, security forces, aerial port, intelligence and aeromedical units. Reservists from 10th Air Force units are deployed to Air Expeditionary units in combat areas of Central. It had its headquarters at New Delhi, components of the air force moved to India over a three-month period from March to May 1942. The Tenth Air Force initially provided control of all USAAF combat operations in the China Burma India Theater under theater commander Lt. Gen. Joseph Stillwell. Units based in China were controlled by the China Air Task Force of the Tenth Air Force, created 4 July 1942 to replace the American Volunteer Group, and commanded by Brig. Gen. Claire Chennault. Units based in India were controlled by the India Air Task Force, created 8 October 1942, in March 1943 the China Air Task Force was dissolved and its components made part of the new Fourteenth Air Force, activated in China under Chennault. The Tenth operated in India and Burma as part of the Allied Eastern Air Command until it moved to China late in July 1945, the command was re-activated on 24 May 1946 at Brooks Field, Texas. It moved to Offutt AFB, Nebraska,1 July 1948, Fort Benjamin Harrison, the 56th Fighter Wing at Selfridge AFB, Michigan, joined Tenth Air Force on 1 December 1948, transferring in from SACs Fifteenth Air Force. Moved to Selfridge AFB, Michigan,16 January 1950 where for the decade it concentrated on air reserve training throughout the decade. On 1 July 1960, the Fifth Air Force Reserve Region was formed at Selfridge AFB, Tenth Air Force was reactivated on 20 January 1966, at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri as part of Air Defense Command with the inactivation of its organization of Air Defense Sectors. Its area of responsibility was the region of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River
19.
Vultee A-31 Vengeance
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The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was designated A-35, the A-31 remained in service with U. S. units until 1945, primarily in a target-tug role. In 1940, Vultee Aircraft started the design of a single engined dive-bomber, the V-72 was built with private funds and was intended for sale to foreign markets. The V-72 was a low-wing, single-engine monoplane with a closed cockpit, an air-cooled radial Wright Twin Cyclone GR-2600-A5B-5 engine rated at 1,600 hp powered the V-72. It was armed with both fixed forward-firing and flexible-mounted.30 in machine guns in the rear cockpit, the aircraft also carried up to 1,500 lb of bombs in an interior bomb bay and on external wing racks. The Vengeance was uniquely designed to dive vertically without lift from the wing pulling the aircraft off target, to this end, it had a 0° angle of incidence on the wing to better align the nose of the aircraft with the target during the dive. This resulted in the aircraft cruising in an attitude, giving a poor forward view for the pilot. It had an unusual, W-shaped wing planform and this resulted from an error in calculating its centre of gravity. Moving the wing back by sweeping the centre section was a simpler fix than re-designing the wing root and this gives the impression of an inverted gull wing when seen from an angle, when in fact the wing has a more conventional dihedral on the outer wing panels. France placed an order for 300 V-72s, with deliveries intended to start in October 1940, the first prototype V-72 flew from Vultees factory at Downey, California, on 30 March 1941. Additional aircraft were ordered for Britain in June 1941 under the Lend-Lease scheme, after the U. S. entered the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor, a number of V-72 and A-31 aircraft were repossessed for use by the Army Air Corps. It was fitted with a more powerful Wright Twin Cyclone R-2600-19 engine, when production of the Vengeance was completed in 1944, a total of 1,931 aircraft had been produced. The majority were produced at the Vultee plant in Nashville, Tennessee, indecision about which aircraft type should replace it in production at the Vultee plant led to several make-work contracts for Vengeance aircraft to prevent dispersion of the skilled workforce. This resulted in overproduction of what was considered an obsolete aircraft, to be effective, all these aircraft required an environment of local air superiority and fighter escort. Fighter escort and lack of opposition in the theatres in which it served, combined with its vertical dive capability. Early experience with the aircraft showed that there were problems with engine cooling, in service, the British managed to solve these problems, but Free French aircraft that did not have these problems remedied were declared uneconomical and unreliable to operate and were grounded. The aircraft was described as being stable in flight and in a dive, with elevator and rudder control. Forward visibility was considered due to the large radial engine
20.
Myanmar
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Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in South East Asia bordered by Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand. About one third of Myanmars total perimeter of 5,876 km, forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1,930 km along the Bay of Bengal, the countrys 2014 census revealed a much lower population than expected, with 51 million people recorded. Myanmar is 676,578 square kilometres in size and its capital city is Naypyidaw and its largest city and former capital city is Yangon. Early civilizations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma, the Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by the Taungoo Dynasty, the country was for a period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia. The early 19th century Konbaung Dynasty ruled over an area included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur. The British invaded Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the became a British colony. Myanmar became an independent nation in 1948, initially as a nation and then, following a coup détat in 1962. For most of its independent years, the country has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife, during this time, the United Nations and several other organisations have reported consistent and systematic human rights violations in the country. In 2011, the junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election. While former military leaders still wield enormous power in the country, there is, however, continuing criticism of the governments treatment of the Muslim Rohingya minority and its poor response to the religious clashes. In the landmark 2015 election, Aung San Suu Kyis party won a majority in both houses, Myanmar is a country rich in jade and gems, oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. In 2013, its GDP stood at US$56.7 billion, the income gap in Myanmar is among the widest in the world, as a large proportion of the economy is controlled by supporters of the former military government. As of 2016, according to the Human Development Index, Myanmar had a level of human development. The renaming remains a contested issue, many political and ethnic opposition groups and countries continue to use Burma because they do not recognise the legitimacy of the ruling military government or its authority to rename the country. The countrys official name is the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Countries that do not officially recognise that name use the long form Union of Burma instead, in English, the country is popularly known as either Burma or Myanmar /ˈmjɑːnˌmɑːr/. Both these names are derived from the name of the majority Burmese Bamar ethnic group, Myanmar is considered to be the literary form of the name of the group, while Burma is derived from Bamar, the colloquial form of the groups name
21.
Yangon
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Yangon is a former capital of Myanmar and the capital of Yangon Region. Although Yangons infrastructure is undeveloped compared to that of major cities in southeast Asia. Yangon is a combination of the two words yan and koun, which enemies and run out of, respectively. It is also translated as End of Strife, Rangoon most likely comes from the British imitation of the pronunciation of Yangon in the Arakanese language, which is. Yangon was founded as Dagon in the early 11th century by the Mon, Dagon was a small fishing village centred about the Shwedagon Pagoda. In 1755, King Alaungpaya conquered Dagon, renamed it Yangon, the British captured Yangon during the First Anglo-Burmese War, but returned it to Burmese administration after the war. The city was destroyed by a fire in 1841, the British seized Yangon and all of Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852, and subsequently transformed Yangon into the commercial and political hub of British Burma. Yangon is also the place where the British sent Bahadur Shah II, Yangon became the capital of all British Burma after the British had captured Upper Burma in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885. By the 1890s Yangons increasing population and commerce gave birth to prosperous residential suburbs to the north of Royal Lake, the British also established hospitals including Rangoon General Hospital and colleges including Rangoon University. Colonial Yangon, with its spacious parks and lakes and mix of modern buildings, by the early 20th century, Yangon had public services and infrastructure on par with London. Before World War II, about 55% of Yangons population of 500,000 was Indian or South Asian, karens, the Chinese, the Anglo-Burmese and others made up the rest. After World War I, Yangon became the epicentre of Burmese independence movement, three nationwide strikes against the British Empire in 1920,1936 and 1938 all began in Yangon. Yangon was under Japanese occupation, and incurred heavy damage during World War II, the city was retaken by the Allies in May 1945. Yangon became the capital of Union of Burma on 4 January 1948 when the country regained independence from the British Empire, soon after Burmas independence in 1948, many colonial names of streets and parks were changed to more nationalistic Burmese names. In 1989, the current military junta changed the citys English name to Yangon, since independence, Yangon has expanded outwards. Successive governments have built satellite towns such as Thaketa, North Okkalapa and South Okkalapa in the 1950s to Hlaingthaya, Shwepyitha, today, Greater Yangon encompasses an area covering nearly 600 square kilometres. During Ne Wins isolationist rule, Yangons infrastructure deteriorated through poor maintenance, in the 1990s, the current military governments more open market policies attracted domestic and foreign investment, bringing a modicum of modernity to the citys infrastructure. Some inner city residents were relocated to new satellite towns
22.
Myitkyina
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Myitkyina is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar, located 1,480 kilometers from Yangon, and 785 kilometers from Mandalay. In Burmese it means near the big river, and Myitkyina is on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River and it is the northernmost river port and railway terminus in Myanmar. The city is served by Myitkyina Airport, Myitkyina has been an important trading town between China and Burma since ancient times. American Baptist missionary George J. Geis and his wife arrived in Myitkyina in the late 1890s, japanese forces captured the town and nearby airbase during World War II in 1942. The town was important not only because of its rail and water links to the rest of Burma. Myitkyina is business center of Kachin State, resources are jade, gold, teak and forestry products and agriculture products. Due to short term contract of jade, gold mines, teak, as per government data, almost US$2 billion in jade were exported yearly in 2010,2011. Now, due to fighting between Kachin KIA rebels and government army, all business are going down, most of Kachin State business trades are done in Myitkyina. It has two big markets. S. and Asia, notably Kachin Theological College-Nawng Nang and it is also home to a branch of the I. L. B. C. Chain of schools, an institution in the Myanmar sector of private schools. Technological University, Myitkyina Computer University, Myitkyina Myitkyina University Myitkyina Education College Myitkyina Airport is the airport serving the city. It connects to the cities of Putao and Mandalay, the Mandalay to Myitkyina railway has been used for 100 years. It takes almost 24 hours because of old and bad railway tracks and this railway is major transportation for all kind of goods. The Myitkyi Moegaung Tanai to Putao city road was constructed under British rule, now, the road is very bad condition, Due to Kachin Rebel KIA, there is a good road from Myitkyina to Laiza to go to China. Another developing road is from Bamo to Myitkyina, as the capital of the state, it has government offices, and a greater population than other cities in the state. The city has a population of approximately 150,000, with a mix of Kachin, Shan, Bamar peoples and some Chinese, fragrant rice produced near Myitkyina, called khat cho, is considered the best in Myanmar. The Kachin language is the language among the Kachin, but Burmese is the national language. Foreigners are now free to visit Myitkyina without prior government permission, major religions are Theravada Buddhism and Christianity
23.
Bhamo
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Bhamo is a city of Kachin State in the northernmost part of Myanmar, located 186 km south from the capital city of the state of Kachin. It is on the Ayeyarwady River and it lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China. The population consists of Chinese and Shan, with Kachin peoples in the hills around the town and it is the administrative center of Bhamo District and Bhamo Township. Bhamo was an important trading post with the Chinese Empire up to the nineteenth century, VOC records identified these copper coins as an important source of profit, and also mention the presence of a Customs Office in Bhamo to regulate the border trade. From 1869 to 1879, it was the seat of British colonial Assistant political agent, subordinate to the Resident with the king of and in Ava. As of 1935, the town was situated at the highest navigable point of the river, Bhamo was once called Sampanago, the capital of the now-extinct Shan predecessor kingdom of Wanmaw. The ruins of the old city walls, dating from the fifth Century, are found some 5 km from the modern town, a once weekly Myanma Airways flight is available, as are three times a week river ferries. It is the terminus of river ferries from Mandalay, there is no river ferry between Bhamo and state capital Myitkyina. The land route between Bhamo and Mu Se District, is in poor condition, Bhamo is one of the official border trading towns between China and Myanmar. The town is home to Bhamo Degree College. And other chance been studied Engineering subject from Technological University, computer, Bhamo has a humid subtropical climate. Temperatures are very warm throughout the year, although the months are milder. There is a dry season and a summer wet season. Banmaw Airport This article incorporates text from The Modern World Encyclopædia, Illustrated and this may be out of date or biased to the timeframe of that reference. WorldStatesmen - Burma/Myanmar 17th Century Burma and the Dutch East Indies Company 1634-1680, by Wil O. Dijk, NIAS Press
24.
The Hump
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Flying over the Himalayas was extremely dangerous and made more difficult by a lack of reliable charts, an absence of radio navigation aids, and a dearth of information about the weather. The task was given to the AAFs Tenth Air Force. The operation began in April 1942, after the Japanese blocked the Burma Road, and continued daily to August 1945, final operations were flown in November 1945 to return personnel from China. The India-China airlift delivered approximately 650,000 tons of materiel to China at great cost in men, the Japanese invasion of French Indochina closed all sea and rail access routes for supplying China with materiel except through Turkestan in the Soviet Union. That access ended following the signing of the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in April 1941, the rapid success of Japanese military operations in Southeast Asia threatened this lifeline, prompting discussion of an air cargo service route from India as early as January 1942. Chiangs foreign minister, T. V. Soong, estimated that 12,000 tons of materiel could be delivered monthly by air from India if 100 C-47 Skytrain-type transports were committed to an airlift. The original scheme envisioned the Allies holding northern Burma and using Myitkyina as a terminal to send supplies by barge downriver to Bhamo. However, on 8 May 1942 the Japanese seized Myitkyina and this, coupled with the loss of Rangoon, to maintain the uninterrupted supply to China, U. S. and other allied leaders agreed to organize a continual aerial resupply effort directly between Assam and Kunming. Tenth Air Force was hampered by a constant diversion of men and aircraft to Egypt and its Air Service Command was still en route by ship from the United States, forcing it to get aircraft and personnel for the India-China Ferry from any available source. Ten former Pan American World Airways DC-3s and flight crews were sent from the ferry route to outfit the new operation. Armys Services of Supply, commanded in the CBI by Maj. Gen. Raymond A. Wheeler, the airlift was the final leg of a journey of 12,000 mi from Los Angeles to China often taking four months. Col. Robert L. Scott, a pursuit pilot awaiting an assignment in China, was assigned as his operations officer and a month later as executive officer. Haynes was a choice to be the airlifts first commander. However, at the time the India-China Ferry was conceived, the ABC Ferry Command was not prepared to plan, control and its formal organization was minimal, it had no units of its own, and its few aircraft were committed to establishing air transport routes. By June, however, the ABC Ferry Command had begun a greatly expanded wartime restructuring, the first mission over the hump took place on 8 April 1942. Flying from the Royal Air Force airfield at Dinjan, Lt. Col. William D, old used a pair of the former Pan Am DC-3s to ferry 8,000 U. S. gallons of aviation fuel intended to resupply the Doolittle Raiders. The collapse of Allied resistance in northern Burma in May 1942 meant further diversion of the already minuscule air effort, only two-thirds of the aircraft were serviceable at any time. Dinjan was within range of Japanese fighters now based at Myitkyina, forcing all-night maintenance operations, the official history of the Army Air Forces states, The Brahmaputra valley floor lies 90 feet above sea level at Chabua
25.
Merrill's Marauders
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The unit became famous for its deep-penetration missions behind Japanese lines, often engaging Japanese forces superior in number. In the Quebec Conference of August 1943, Allied leaders decided to form a U. S. deep penetration unit that would attack Japanese troops in Burma. The new U. S. force was inspired by. A call for volunteers attracted around 3,000 men, General Douglas MacArthur was also directed to transfer 274 Army combat-experienced volunteers from the Southwest Pacific Command, veterans of the New Guinea and Bougainville campaigns. A few Pacific veteran volunteers came from stockades where volunteering earned them their freedom and they were sprinkled throughout the unit and called The Dead End Kids after the Hollywood film series featuring juvenile delinquents. The unit was designated as 5307th Composite Unit with the code name Galahad. The men were first sent to India arriving in Bombay on 31 October 1943 to train, here they were reinforced with Air Corps and Signal Corps personnel, as well as an animal transport company with mules and experienced muledrivers. The 5307th was originally destined to train in long-range penetration tactics under the direction of Brigadier Charles Orde Wingate, at Deolali,200 km outside Bombay, the troops endured both physical conditioning and close-order drill, before entraining for Deogarh, Madhya Pradesh. The unit was to have 700 animals that included 360 mules, there were to be as many more but the ship that was carrying them was torpedoed in the Arabian Sea. They were replaced by 360 Australian Waler horses that had originally been with the 112th Cavalry in New Caledonia who were deemed unfit for jungle warfare and they had traveled to India where they served with the Chinese Army before being assigned to the 5307th. From the end of November 1943 to the end of January 1944, special emphasis was placed on jungle lane marksmanship at pop-up and moving targets using small arms. In December the 5307th conducted a maneuver in coordination with Chindit forces. General Joseph Stilwell was determined that the only U. S. combat troops available in the theater would not serve under British command, Stilwell appointed brigadier general Frank Merrill to command them, leading American war correspondents to dub the unit Merrill’s Marauders. In early 1944, the Marauders were organized as infantry assault unit, with mule transport for their 60 mm mortars, bazookas, ammunition, communications gear. Without heavy weapons support, the unit would have to rely on flexibility, while compact, the K ration not only had fewer calories but less bulk, and included some components so unappetizing as to be thrown away by many users. On the advice of British General Orde Wingate, the force was divided into two self-contained combat teams per battalion, in February 1944, in an offensive designed to disrupt Japanese offensive operations, three battalions in six combat teams marched into Burma. On 24 February, the force began a 1000-mile march over the Patkai region of the Himalayas, a total of 2,750 Marauders entered Burma, the remaining 247 men remained in India as headquarters and support personnel. While in Burma, the Marauders were usually outnumbered by Japanese troops from the 18th division, near Walawbum, a town believed by General Stilwells NCAC staff to be lightly held, the 3rd Battalion killed some 400–500 enemy soldiers
26.
China
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China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
27.
Fourteenth Air Force
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The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command. It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, established on 5 March 1943 at Kunming, China,14 AF was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force deployed to the Pacific Theater of World War II. It engaged in primarily in China. After World War II Fourteenth Air Force subsequently served Air Defense Command, Continental Air Command,14 AF is commanded by Lt Gen John W. Raymond. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sgt, in 1993, Fourteenth Air Force became part of Air Force Space Command responsible for performing space operations. The overall mission is control and exploit space for global and theater operations, in 1997,14 AF established the Space Operations Center at Vandenberg AFB in California for the 24-hour command and control of all space operations resources. In 2002,14 AF became the Air Force space operational component of United States Strategic Command, in 2005,14 AF officially opened up its newly renovated operations center. The new command and control capabilities of the Joint Space Operations Center ensured unity of effort for all space capabilities supporting joint military operations around the globe, Bissell was General Henry H. ‘Hap’ Arnolds choice to command the USAAFs proposed combat organization in China. As early as 30 December 1941, the U. S, War Department in Washington, D. C. had authorized the induction of the Flying Tigers into the U. S. Army Air Forces. Chennault was opposed to inducting the Flying Tigers into the Army, Stilwell and Bissell made it clear to both Chennault and Chiang that unless the AVG became part of the U. S. Army Air Force, its supplies would be cut off. Chennault agreed to return to duty but he made it clear to Stilwell that his men would have to speak for themselves. Chiang Kai-shek finally agreed to induction of the AVG into the USAAF, with the situation in Burma rapidly deteriorating, Stilwell and Bissell wanted the AVG dissolved by 30 April 1942. Chennault, wanting to keep the Flying Tigers going as long as possible, proposed the group disband on 4 July, Chennault was recalled to active duty in the USAAF on 15 April 1942. He was promoted eight days later, on 23 April, from colonel to brigadier general, Chennault was told that he would have to be satisfied to command a China Air Task Force of fighters and bombers as part of the Tenth Air Force. Its mission was to defend the supply operation over the Himalayan mountains between India and China — nicknamed the Hump — and to provide air support for Chinese ground forces. Bissell had been promoted to brigadier general with one days seniority to Chennault in order to command all American air units in China as Stillwells Air Commander, friction developed when Chennault and the Chinese government were disturbed by the possibility that Chennault would no longer control combat operations in China. The CATF had 51 fighters in July 1942,31 81A-1 and P-40B Tomahawks, both fighters were good medium-altitude day fighters, with their best performance between 15,000 and 18,000 feet, and they were excellent ground-strafing aircraft. Chennault also had seven B-25C Mitchell medium bombers, out of an original 12 sent from India, the AVG was disbanded on 4 July 1942, simultaneous with the activation of the 23rd FG
28.
Republic of China Air Force
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The Republic of China Air Force is the aviation branch of the Taiwanese military. The ROCAFs primary mission is the defense of the airspace over, as of 2006, all medium and long range SAM units were transferred from ROC Armys Missile Command to ROCAF, while ROCAFs airbase security units were transferred to ROC Army Military Police. Missile Command is now directly under Defense Ministrys GHQ control, on 21 September 2011, it was announced that the US had agreed to a US$5 billion upgrade to the F-16s. In 2012 Rob Nabors wrote that the United States was considering the sale of aircraft to the ROC. Like most of the branches of the ROC armed forces, much of the ROCAFs structure. Like the USAF, the ROCAF used to have a wing → group → squadron structure, Air Force GHQ is subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of National Defense and the President. Internal Units, Personnel, Combat Readiness and Training, Logistics, Planning, Communications, Electronics & Information, General Affairs, Comptroller,1 TK-1/2 Air Defense Missile battalion, 951st Brigade, 611st battalion with 6 companies/batteries. 1 Patriot PAC-2+ GEM/PAC-3 Air Defense/Anti-Ballistic Missile battalion, with 3 mixed companies/batteries that are all upgrading to PAC-3 standard, at least 2 AAA Air Defense Artillery battalions, with 40mm/L60 and 12. 7mm AAA guns. In this period, various airplanes were purchased and deployed by warlords in their struggle for power until nominal Chinese reunification in 1928. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the ROCAF participated in attacks on Japanese warships on the eastern front, Chinese Boeing P-26/281 fighters engaged Japanese Mitsubishi A5M fighters in what is among the worlds first aerial dogfighting between all-metal monoplane fighter aircraft. A unique mission in April 1938 saw two Chinese B-10 bombers fly a mission over Japan, but dropping only propaganda leaflets over the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Saga. It was a war of attrition for the Chinese pilots, as many of their most experienced ace fighter pilots, such as Lieutenant Liu Tsui-Kang and Colonel Kao Chih-Hang were lost early in the war. In the latter-half of the Sino-Japanese War, part of World War II, throughout the war, the ROCAF was involved in attacks on Japanese air and ground forces in the Chinese theatre. ROCAF General HQ was established in June 1946, the ROCAF reportedly enjoyed a 31,1 kill ratio against the PLA. GHQ was evacuated to Taiwan along with the rest of the ROC Government in April 1949 following the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, the ROCAF assisted in halting the PLA advance at the Battle of Kuningtou on Kinmen the same year. The ROCAF regularly patrolled the Taiwan Straits and fought engagements with its Communist counterpart. The ROCAF received second hand equipment from the US at that time, such as the F-86 Sabrejets, F-100, during the Cold War, the ROCAF was involved in combat air patrols over the Taiwan Strait and engaged the PLAAF and PLAN-AF on several occasions. The ROCAF was also the testbed of American technology at this time, the first successful kill scored by an air-to-air missile was accomplished by an ROCAF F-86 Sabrejet with then experimental AIM-9 Sidewinder
29.
134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 134th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Vermont Air National Guard 158th Fighter Wing located at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont. The 134th is equipped with the Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon and it was constituted in the National Guard in 1921 as the 134th Squadron and assigned to the III Corps. Placed on the deferred list on 2 July 1923 and transferred to the Organized Reserve as a Deferred National Guard unit, concurrently re-designated as the 553rd Observation Squadron and assigned to the 328th Observation Group. Withdrawn from allotment to the National Guard and the Third Corps Area on 17 September 1927, moved to India, via Australia, July–September 1943. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches, the 530th Fighter Squadron having its diagonal bands sloping from top right to bottom left. The red nose was also a squadron marking, many planes of the squadron had a girls name on the nose but very few had any artwork. Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944, moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrills Marauders, also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma. Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force, escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemys communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51s from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945, returned to the U. S. in December 1945. The wartime 530th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 134th Fighter Squadron and it was organized at the Burlington International Airport, Vermont, and was extended federal recognition on 14 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau. The 134th was the fifth Air National Guard unit to be formed, the organizers of the squadron were MG Murdock Campbell, the Adjutant General, Col Albert Cate, Air Advisor, and LtCol William M. Bowden became the first commander of the newly formed unit. The 134th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, the 67th Fighter Wing was the first ANG command and control organization in New England. On 4 April 1947, it was transferred to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group, in 1950, the Thunderbolts were replaced by F-51H Mustangs. The mission of the 134th Fighter Squadron was the air defense of Vermont, with the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular militarys complete lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized - placed on active duty. The 134th was federalized on 10 February 1951 and assigned to the federalized Maine ANG 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, when federalized, it was composed of F-51 aircraft and later assigned F-86D aircraft. Its mission was expanded to include the air defense of New England, the squadron was then attached to the Air Defense Command 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission. It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB and it was released from active duty and returned to control of State of Vermont on 1 November 1952. Burlington Airport became a facility as the United States Air Force Ethan Allen Air Force Base was established at the airport on 16 February 1953
30.
101st Fighter-Interceptor Group
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The 101st Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the Maine Air National Guard, stationed at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Bangor, Maine. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. afhra. af. mil/. Cornett, Lloyd H, Johnson, Mildred W, a Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization,1946 -1980. Peterson AFB, CO, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, mcLaren, David, Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star, A Photo Chronicle, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. First Edition, ISBN0887409075 Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. 134th Fighter Squadron lineage and history 158th Fighter Wing History Cornett, Lloyd H. and Johnson, a Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 –1980, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson AFB, CO. 101st Air Refueling Wing website
31.
Vermont Air National Guard
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The Vermont Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Vermont, United States of America. It is, along with the Vermont Army National Guard, an element of the Vermont National Guard, the 158th Fighter Wing is its sole unit. It is under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Vermont through the office of the Vermont Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States, the Vermont Air National Guard is headquartered at Burlington Air National Guard Base. Under the Total Force concept, Vermont Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force, Vermont ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The Vermont Air National Guard origins date to the formation of the 134th Fighter Squadron at Burlington International Airport and it was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts. and its mission was the air defense of the state. It was assigned directly to the Vermont Air National Guard until the Massachusetts ANG 67th Fighter Wing, was federally recognized on 15 October 1946. The 67th Fighter Wing was the first ANG command and control organization in New England, on 4 April 1947, it was transferred to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group. Its mission was expanded to include the air defense of New England, the squadron was then attached to the Air Defense Command 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission. It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB and it was released from active duty and returned to control of State of Vermont on 1 November 1952. On 1 May 1956 the 134th was authorized to expand to a level, and the 158th Fighter Group was established by the National Guard Bureau. Circa 1992, in line with an Air Force-wide redesignation, the wing became simply the 158th Fighter Wing, from 1989 to 1997 the wing had aircraft on 5-minute alert, seven days a week,24 hours a day. After the September 11th,2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, also, Vermont ANG units have been deployed overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as other locations as directed. The 158th currently flies the F-16 Falcon, which are nearing the end of their service lives. Burlington Air Guard Station is expected to receive 18 F-35As, replacing the 18 F-16 fighting Falcons currently assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, the F-35A is expected to arrive in 2020. Vermont State Guard Vermont Wing Civil Air Patrol This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http, //www. afhra. af. mil/
32.
National Guard Bureau
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It was created by the Militia Act of 1903. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, elevated the National Guard to a joint function of the Department of Defense. This act also elevated the Chief of the National Guard Bureau from Lieutenant General to General with the appointment of General Craig R. McKinley, the National Guard Bureau holds a unique status as both a staff and operation agency. United States Secretary of War Elihu Root militated for reform of the guard, in annual reports of 1901 of 1903. The Militia Act of 1792 was obsolete, the resulting Militia Act of 1903 became law. It gave federal status to the militia and required the militia of the States to conform to Regular Army organization. It dramatically increased funding of the militia, between 1903 and 1916, the federal government spent $53 million on the Guard, more than the total of the previous hundred years. The 1903 act authorized the creation of a section responsible for National Guard affairs. The Division remained a part of the Office of the Secretary of War until July 25,1910 when the Chief was directed to report directly to the Army Chief of Staff. The Division continued to perform under the jurisdiction of the Chief of Staff until the passage of the National Defense Act of June 3,1916. Then the Division of Militia Affairs became the Militia Bureau of the War Department, the National Defense Act of 1916 is the most important piece of legislation in the history of the National Guard. It transformed the militia from individual state forces into a Reserve Component of the U. S. Army—and made the term National Guard mandatory. The act stated that all units would have to be recognized. It increased the number of training days to 15, increased the number of yearly drills to 48. The 1916 act transformed the Division of Militia Affairs into a separate Militia Bureau, increasing its autonomy, eight new civilian positions were authorized, something which the various Chiefs had been requesting for years, the number of military assigned to the Bureau had grown to 13. The National Defense Act also authorized the President to assign two National Guard officers to duty with the Militia Bureau, the inclusion of National Guard officers in the Militia Bureau was an important step towards creating a centralized planning organization for the National Guard headed by its own officers. The first National Guard officer assigned to the Bureau was Major Louis C. Wilson of Texas in 1916, thus the National Guard Bureau was charged with the responsibility of maintaining high standards in the National Guard. Prior to 1910 the Chief of the Militia Bureau was a Regular Army officer and this situation changed on June 4,1920, when Congress passed an amendment to the National Defense Act of 1916
33.
Maine Air National Guard
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The Maine Air National Guard is the air force militia of the State of Maine, United States of America. It is, along with the Maine Army National Guard, an element of the Maine National Guard, as state militia units, the units in the Maine Air National Guard are not in the normal United States Air Force chain of command. They are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Maine through the office of the Maine Adjutant General unless they are federalized by order of the President of the United States, the Maine Air National Guard is headquartered at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Bangor. Under the Total Force concept, Maine Air National Guard units are considered to be Air Reserve Components of the United States Air Force, Maine ANG units are trained and equipped by the Air Force and are operationally gained by a Major Command of the USAF if federalized. State missions include disaster relief in times of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, search and rescue, protection of public services. The 265th responds to contingency requirements with individual packages, combinations of packages or communications systems and these unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The Maine Air National Guard origins date to the formation of the 132d Fighter Squadron at Dow Army Airfield, Bangor and it was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and its mission was the air defense of the state. The 132d was placed under the organization of the 67th Fighter Wing with headquarters at Logan Airport, Boston, the Maine 101st Fighter Group was federally recognized on 4 April 1947 with station at Camp Keyes, Augusta, Maine. Additional units of the 101st FG were organized and federally recognized and these units were, 132d Weather Station 201st Air Service Group 201st Air Service Group, Det. A In December 1948 the command was transferred to the Continental Air Command, two years later the 101st FG was reorganized into a Wing-Base in order to standardize the Guard units with their active duty counterparts. This provided for additional supporting medical, service, transportation and base operating elements, the 101st Fighter Group was federalized and ordered to active service on 10 February 1951 as a result of the Korean War, being assigned to the Eastern Air Defense Force, Air Defense Command. ADC changed the status of the 101st from a Group to a Wing, the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group was assigned to the new Wing as a subordinate unit. Support elements of the wing were the 101st Air Base Group, 101st Maintenance and Supply Group, the 132d, 133d and 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons remained assigned to the 101st FIG. The mission of the 101st FIW was the air defense of New England, the 4711th assumed its mission and its operational squadrons all being transferred to the 4711th DW. The Maine State ANG Headquarters, Camp Keyes, Augusta was organized, on 15 April 1956 the 101st FG was put on duty in New Hampshire until December 1960, when it was reassigned and reactivated in the State of Maine. The first nurses were assigned to the Maine Air National Guard in June 1956, four years later the responsibility for training and inspection of the ANG was transferred from the Continental Air Command to the Air Defense Command. In September 1967 the number of aircraft was reduced from 25 to 18, in April 1976, the first KC-135A Stratotankers were assigned to the unit and the gaining command was changed from Air Defense Command to Strategic Air Command. In August 1990 selected Maine ANG units were mobilized in support of the Operation Desert Storm, two years later the gaining command changed from SAC to the Air Mobility Command
34.
101st Air Defense Wing
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The 101st Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the Maine Air National Guard, stationed at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Bangor, Maine. If activated to service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command. afhra. af. mil/. Cornett, Lloyd H, Johnson, Mildred W, a Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization,1946 -1980. Peterson AFB, CO, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, mcLaren, David, Lockheed P-80/F-80 Shooting Star, A Photo Chronicle, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. First Edition, ISBN0887409075 Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. 134th Fighter Squadron lineage and history 158th Fighter Wing History Cornett, Lloyd H. and Johnson, a Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 –1980, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson AFB, CO. 101st Air Refueling Wing website
35.
Grenier Air Force Base
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After its closure in 1966, it was reopened as Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. The Manchester airport was founded in June 1927, when the citys Board of Mayor, by October, a board of aviation had been founded and ground was broken at an 84-acre site near Pine Island Pond. It took only a month for two 1, 800-foot runways to be constructed, after the formation of Northeast Airways at the site in 1933, the first passenger terminal was built. New Boston Air Force Station was established in 1940 at Manchester Airport in the build-up of the United States Army Air Corps prior to World War II. During the war, bombers and fighters practiced over the now known as New Boston Air Force Station 12 miles west in the town of New Boston. Its mission changed from training to replacement pilot training. P-39 Airacobras and P-40 Warhawks were used for this RTU mission, in addition to the replacement training mission, on 1 January 1944 Grenier became the headquarters of the North Atlantic Division of Air Transport Command. Its primary mission was the ferrying of aircraft from the United States to Great Britain, using airfields at Presque Isle, and Dow, Maine, ATC ferried thousands of combat and non-combat aircraft through airfields in Newfoundland and Labrador though Greenland and Iceland to Scotland. Long-range transports could also fly directly across the Atlantic to England or via the Azores Islands, the Air Weather Service established a detachment at Grenier which provided long-range weather reconnaissance over the North Atlantic convoy shipping lanes. At the end of the war, jurisdiction of Grenier was transferred from First Air Force to ATC on 18 August 1945 and its new operational mission was to operate scheduled aircraft service between Grenier and bases of the ATC North Atlantic Division, primarily C-54 Skymasters and C-47 Skytrains. On 1 July 1946 Grenier was phased down as part of the demobilization of the armed forces. The 110th Army Air Force Base Unit became the host organization and it was placed on standby status on 30 October 1946. In April 1947, The 112th AAF Base Unit was activated at Grenier, with the 66th Combat Fighter Wing activated under Fifteenth Air Force, the wing was the first SAC unit assigned to New England. Under the 66th FW was the 82d Fighter Group, equipped with P-51 Mustangs, the unit comprised the 95th, 96th and 97th Fighter Squadron. Most officers that were assigned were rated pilots that had returned to military life. Many had World War II combat experience, many officers and enlisted men arrived at Grenier from the 62d Fighter Squadron, a unit that had just returned from a winter test in Alaska. Brent Scowcroft joined the 95th Fighter Squadron With the establishment of the United States Air Force in September 1947, the airfield was redesignated as Grenier Air Force Base on 13 January 1948. Air Defense Command assumed jurisdiction of the base in January 1951 and activated the 4657th Training Group as the host unit, assigning the base to the 32d Air Division, Eastern Air Defense Force
36.
Augusta, Maine
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Augusta is the capital of the U. S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County. The citys population was 19,136 at the 2010 census, making it the third-smallest state capital, located on the Kennebec River at the head of tide, Augusta is home to the University of Maine at Augusta. Augusta is also the city in the Augusta-Waterville, ME Micropolitan Statistical Area. The area was first explored by the ill-fated Popham Colony in September 1607 and it was first inhabited by English settlers from the Plymouth Colony in 1629 as a trading post on the Kennebec River. The settlement was known by its Indian name—Cushnoc, meaning head of tide, fur trading was at first profitable, but with Indian uprisings and declining revenues, the Plymouth Colony sold the Kennebec Patent in 1661. Cushnoc would remain unoccupied for the next 75 years and this area was inhabited by the Canibas Indians. During the 17th century they were on terms with the English settlers in the region. A hotbed of Abenaki hostility toward British settlements was located further up the Kennebec at Norridgewock, in 1722, the tribe and its allies attacked Fort Richmond and destroyed Brunswick. In response, Norridgewock was sacked in 1724 during Dummers War, in 1754, a blockhouse named Fort Western, was built at Cushnoc on the eastern bank. It was intended as a depot for Fort Halifax upriver. In 1775, Benedict Arnold and his 1,100 troops would use Fort Western as an area before continuing their journey up the Kennebec to the Battle of Quebec. Cushnoc was incorporated as part of Hallowell in 1771, known as the Fort, it was set off and incorporated by the Massachusetts General Court in February 1797 as Harrington. In August, however, the changed to Augusta after Augusta Dearborn. In 1799, it became county seat for newly created Kennebec County, Maine became a state in 1820 and Augusta was designated its capital in 1827. The Maine State Legislature continued meeting in Portland, however, until completion in 1832 of the new Maine State House designed by Charles Bulfinch, Augusta was chartered as a city in 1849. After being named the capital and the introduction of new industry. In 1840 and 1850, the city ranked among the 100 largest urban populations, the next decade, however, the city was quickly bypassed by rapidly growing metropolises in the Midwest. Excellent soil provided for agriculture, and water power from streams provided for industry, in 1837, a dam was built across the Kennebec where the falls drop 15 feet at the head of tide
37.
67th Fighter Wing
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The 67th Fighter Wing was a unit of the United States Air Force for four years, between 1946 and 1950. It was located at Logan Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts and it is unrelated to the modern 67th Network Warfare Wing. The 6th Air Defense Wing was organized as a command and control organization for Eighth Air Force, deployed to England in July 1943 and initially was used to organize air defense units. After the war, the 67th Fighter Wing was activated at Logan Airport in Boston, the National Guard Bureau began a major expansion of its air units. The 67th Fighter Wing was assigned to Air Defense Command, the wing was Extended federal recognition and activated on 15 October 1946. At the end of October 1950, the Air National Guard converted to the wing-base Hobson Plan organization, as a result, the wing was withdrawn from the Massachusetts ANG and was inactivated on 31 October 1950. 26 August 1943 RAF Troston, England, c.25 October –21 November 1945. afhra. af. mil/
38.
Continental Air Command
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Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary augmentation to the regular Air Force while it rebuilt itself under wartime conditions, later, during the 1950s, it was a training force for reservists with no prior military service. ConAC provided peacetime airlift missions for the Air Force and it was mobilized twice in 1961 and 1962 by president Kennedy for the Berlin and Cuban Missile Crisis. Lastly, it was used by president Lyndon B. Johnson for airlift operations into the Dominican Republic and it was inactivated in 1968 and replaced by Headquarters, Air Force Reserve. After the end of World War II, the Truman Administration was determined to bring the Federal budget back into balance, an enormous deficit had built up, so expenditure was cut, resulting in relatively little money for the new United States Air Force to modernize its forces. Planning for reserve forces took place, in any event. Their single firm conviction about the nature of the program was that it must provide opportunities for pilots to fly. This was fundamentally different from the National Guard concept, the National Guard is the designated state militia by the Constitution of the United States. Although the Air National Guard fulfills state and some federal needs, in the first place, not every person in the United States with an obligation or desire for military service wants to serve in a state militia. Second, the prescribed nature and organization of the National Guard does not provide for service as individuals. As the Army Air Forces demobilized in 1945 and 1946, inactivated unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State Air National Guard bureaus, as individual units were organized, they began obtaining federal recognition, and the state Air National Guard units were established. The Army Air Forces Air Reserve program was approved by the War Department in July 1946, Army Air Forces Base Units were organized by Air Defense Command at each training location. They were located at both Army Airfields and civil airports where the Air Force retained partial jurisdiction after turning over the facility to the community after the end of World War II. The reservists were to report to a unit located in their area. The base unit furnished the personnel to operate the detachment and provided base services. ADC programmed to have AT-6 Texans, AT-11 Kansans and P-51 Mustangs available for pilots to fly four hours per month to train and maintain proficiency. ADC intended to activate forty base units operational by 1 July, by the end of 1946, the command had organized Air Reserve training detachments at seventy bases and airfields. On 21 February 1947, Headquarters Army Air Forces informed ADC to eliminate twenty-nine reserve training detachments as quickly as possible, the Air Force Reserve was affected by fundamental legislation pertaining to the parent Air Force
39.
132d Fighter Squadron
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The 132d Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the Maine Air National Guard 101st Air Refueling Wing located at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Bangor, Maine. The 132d is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker, moved to India, via Australia, July–September 1943. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches, the 528th Fighter Squadron having its markings as black reverse diagonal bands painted on a yellow tail. The red nose was also a squadron marking, many planes of the squadron had a girls name on the nose but very few had any artwork. Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944, moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrills Marauders, also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma. Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force, escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemys communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51s from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945, returned to the US in December 1945. The wartime 528th Fighter Squadron was redesignated as the 132d Fighter Squadron and it was organized at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine, and was extended federal recognition on 4 February 1947. The 132d was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned to the Massachusetts ANG 67th Fighter Wing. It was later assigned to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group on 4 April 1947 after the Maine ANG group was recognized and activated. The 132d replaced their F-47 Thunderbolts with jet Lockheed F-80C Shooting Stars in the summer of 1948, with the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular militarys lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was called active duty. The 132d was federalized on 10 February 1951 and redesignated as the 132d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron as was its parent, the group remained assigned to the group, however it was attached first to the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, then to the 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing. On 6 February 1952, the 132d was transferred to the 4711th Defense Wing, with the end of its federalization period, the squadrons mission, personnel, and F-80C jets were transferred to the active-duty 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 November 1952. The squadron was released from duty and returned to the control of the State of Maine. Upon its return to Maine control, the 132d was re-equipped with F-51H Mustang prop-interceptors, however in 1954 the squadron would return to jet interceptors, the F-94A Starfire. The ADC radar detection stations at Brunswick, Bucks Harbor, Caswell, Charleston and Topsham were ready to make detection, within three minutes the 13sd could be airborne and heading for a prospective rendezvous point. After identifying any intruders, the aircraft were supposed to radio back to the Ground Control Interceptor station for further instructions. Beginning in 1955, the squadron stood 24/7/365 runway alert at Dow AFB ready to respond to not readily identifiable by radar or pre-filed flight plans
40.
Dow Army Airfield
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Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base. Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U. S. Army just before World War II and renamed Godfrey Army Airfield and later Dow Army Airfield. It became Dow Air Force Base in 1947, when the new U. S. Air Force took over many Army air assets. In 1968, the base was sold to the city of Bangor, Maine, Godfrey Field opened in 1927 as a commercial airport. Northeast Airlines began commercial operations there in 1931, just before World War II, the United States Army Air Corps took over the base, renamed it Godfrey Army Airfield, and placed it under the 8th Service Group, Air Service Command. Godfrey AAF prepared and maintained the Lend-Lease aircraft that would be flown by AAC Ferrying Command to RCAF Stations in Newfoundland for eventual transport to Britain, during this time, Milford Auxiliary Airfield was opened nearby at the Bangor Precision Bombing Range. On 28 February 1942, Dow Army Airfield was transferred to Air Service Command because of its proximity to the Air Transport Command North Atlantic air ferry route to the United Kingdom, on 5 March 1944, Dow AAF was transferred to Air Transport Commands North Atlantic Wing. In 1944, more than 8,400 aircraft passed though Dow, after the end of the European war in May 1945, many aircraft returned to the United States via Dow. The base was drawn down during the demobilization in late 1945, one of the first USAAF groups assigned to Air Defense Command, the unit was responsible for the air defense of the northeastern United States. In July 1947, the deployed to Muroc AFB, California. First operational production USAF F-84Bs arrived at Dow AFB on 7 November, throughout the winter of 1947–48, the 14th Fighter Wing lost three F-84s at Dow. Investigators found that the aircraft performed better in the cold Maine climate than during testing in the California desert, on 25 August 1948, Dow Air Force Base was assigned to one of ADCs first Air Divisions, the 26th Air Division. That year, Deblois Bombing Range was opened nearby and the old Milford Air Force Auxiliary Airfield became part of an Air Force survival school a few years later, in July 1949, the 14th Fighter Wing sent sixteen F-84Bs to celebrate New York Citys new Idlewild Airport. The group was inactivated on 2 October 1949 due to budget cuts, in the early 1950s, Dow AFB was expanded and rebuilt. A long jet runway was laid parallel to the wartime NW/SE main runway. The older facilities were abandoned and ultimately were torn down, today, they are a wooded area on the southwest side of the airport. Dow AFB was activated on 1 January 1951, the 4009th Air Base Squadron supported the facility and supervise the remaining construction. During the Korean War, the Maine Air National Guard was brought into service at the base
41.
Bangor, Maine
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Bangor is a city along the Penobscot River in the U. S. state of Maine. The city proper has a population of 33,039, while the Bangor metropolitan area has a population of 153,746, Bangor is known as the Queen City of Maine. Modern Bangor was established by European Americans in the mid-1800s, based on the lumber, with their wealth, the lumber barons built elaborate Greek Revival and Victorian mansions and the 31 feet high statue of Paul Bunyan. Today, Bangors economy is based on services and retail, healthcare, founded as Condeskeag Plantation, Bangor was incorporated as a New England town in 1791, after the end of the American Revolutionary War. There are more than 20 communities worldwide named Bangor, of which 15 are in the United States and named after Bangor, the final syllable is pronounced gor, not ger. Bangor has a port of entry at Bangor International Airport, also home to the Bangor Air National Guard Base, Historically Bangor was an important stopover on the great circle air route between the East Coast of the United States and Europe. Bangors Police Department also has a popular Facebook page, which uses humor and advice in an attempt to better public police relations, Bangor has a humid continental climate, with cold, snowy winters, and warm summers. The Penobscot have inhabited the area around present-day Bangor for at least 11,000 years and they practiced some agriculture, but less than peoples in southern New England where the climate is milder, and subsisted on what they could hunt and gather. Contact with Europeans was not uncommon during the 1500s because the fur trade was lucrative, the site was visited by Portuguese explorer Estêvão Gomes in 1524 and by Samuel de Champlain in 1605. In 1769 Jacob Buswell founded a settlement at the site, by 1772, there were 12 families, along with a sawmill, store, and school, and in 1787 the population was 567. In September 1787 a petition, signed by 19 residents, was sent to the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requesting that this area be named Sunbury. On the back of it was written, To the care of Dr. Cony and this petition was rejected before 6 October 1788, as the town referred to itself as Penobscot River, west side. In 1779, the rebel Penobscot Expedition fled up the Penobscot River, the ships remained there until the late 1950s, when construction of the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge disturbed the site. Six cannons were removed from the riverbed, five of which are on display throughout the region and he left the name for the town blank so he could obtain tentative approval. He chose the name of a popular hymn known to be a favorite of Governor John Hancock, the incorporation was received on 25 February 1791 and was signed by John Hancock. During the War of 1812, Bangor and Hampden were looted by the British, Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820, when it voted to secede from the state and was admitted to the Union under the Missouri Compromise as the 23rd state. Bangor was near the lands disputed during the Aroostook War, a dispute with Britain in 1838–39. The passion of the Aroostook War signaled the increasing role lumbering and logging were playing in the Maine economy, particularly in the central, Bangor arose as a lumbering boom-town in the 1830s, and a potential demographic and political rival to Portland, Maine
42.
133d Fighter Squadron
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The 133d Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the New Hampshire Air National Guard 157th Air Refueling Wing located at Pease Air National Guard Base, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The 133d is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker, moved to India, via Australia, July–September 1943. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches, the 529th Fighter Squadron having its markings as black vertical bands painted on a yellow tail. The red nose was also a squadron marking, many planes of the squadron had a girls name on the nose but very few had any artwork. Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944, moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrills Marauders, also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma. Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force, escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemys communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51s from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945, returned to the US in December 1945. The wartime 529th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 133d Fighter Squadron and it was organized at Grenier Field, Manchester, New Hampshire, and was extended federal recognition on 4 April 1947 by the National Guard Bureau. The 134th was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group, the mission of the 133d Fighter Squadron was the air defense of New Hampshire. With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, the squadron was then attached to the Air Defense Command 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine, on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission. It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB and it was released from active duty and returned to the control of the State of New Hampshire on 1 November 1952. With the end of the Korean War, the aircraft were first upgraded to F-51H Mustangs then to the F-94 Starfire on 16 June 1954. With the 101st FIG consisting of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Air Guard units, New Hampshires planes flew much more than those of Maine and Vermont. They logged 675 hours and a total of 752 pilot hours, the mission of the 133d was to provide front line defense for the United States and to intercept aircraft not readily identifiable by radar or pre-filed flight plan. The radar detection station at North Truro Air Force Station, Massachusetts, was ready to make detection, within three minutes the 133d could be airborne and heading for a prospective rendezvous point. After identifying any intruders, the aircraft were supposed to radio back to North Truro for further instructions. From October 1954 until 30 June 1956 the 133d maintained a dawn to dusk runway alert, other squadrons assigned into the group were the 101st Headquarters, 101st Material Squadron, 101st Combat Support Squadron, and the 101st USAF Dispensary. By April 1958, the 101st counted nearly 700 officers and airmen and it was now re-equipped with 24 F-86L Sabre Interceptor jets, a dedicated swept-wing interceptor which was capable of being directed to intercept targets by Ground Control Interceptor radar stations
43.
Manchester, New Hampshire
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It is located in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which divides the city into eastern and western sections. Manchester is near the end of the Northeast megalopolis. It was first named by the merchant and inventor Samuel Blodget, blodgets vision was to create a great industrial center similar to that of the original Manchester in England, which was the worlds first industrialized city. Manchester often appears favorably in lists ranking the affordability and livability of American cities, in 2009, CNNMoney. com rated Manchester 13th in a list of the 100 best cities in which to live and launch a business in the United States. In addition, Kiplinger voted Manchester the second most tax-friendly city in the United States, second only to Anchorage, also in 2009, Forbes magazine ranked the Manchester region first on its list of Americas 100 Cheapest Places to Live. According to the Equality of Opportunity Project, released in 2013, pennacook Indians called it Namaoskeag, meaning good fishing place—a reference to the Amoskeag Falls in the Merrimack River. In 1722, John Goffe III settled beside Cohas Brook, later building a dam and it was granted by Massachusetts in 1727 as Tyngstown to veterans of Queen Annes War who served in 1703 under Captain William Tyng. But at New Hampshires 1741 separation from Massachusetts, the grant was ruled invalid and substituted with Wilton, Maine, Derryfield remains a neighborhood in contemporary Manchester, along its easternmost area adjacent to Massabesic Lake. In 1807, Samuel Blodget opened a canal and lock system to allow vessels passage around the falls and he envisioned here a great industrial center, the Manchester of America, like the Industrial Revolutions Manchester in England, the first industrialized city in the world. In 1809, Benjamin Prichard and others built a spinning mill operated by water power on the western bank of the Merrimack. Following Blodgetts suggestion, Derryfield was renamed Manchester in 1810, the year the mill was incorporated as the Amoskeag Cotton & Woolen Manufacturing Company. It would be purchased in 1825 by entrepreneurs from Massachusetts, expanded to 3 mills in 1826, on the eastern bank, Amoskeag engineers and architects planned a model company town, founded in 1838 with Elm Street as its main thoroughfare. Incorporated as a city in 1846, Manchester would become home to the largest cotton mill in the world—Mill No,11, stretching 900 feet long by 103 feet wide, and containing 4,000 looms. Other products made in the community included shoes, cigars, the Amoskeag foundry made rifles, sewing machines, textile machinery, fire engines, and locomotives in a division called the Amoskeag Locomotive Works. The rapid growth of the mills demanded a large influx of workers, resulting in a flood of immigrants, many current residents descend from these workers. The Amoskeag Manufacturing Company went out of business in 1935, although its red brick mills have been renovated for other uses, indeed, the mill towns 19th-century affluence left behind some of the finest Victorian commercial, municipal, and residential architecture in the state. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 35.0 square miles, of which 33.1 square miles is land and 1.9 square miles is water. Manchester is drained by the Merrimack River, the Piscataquog River, Massabesic Lake is on the eastern border
44.
134th Fighter Squadron
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The 134th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Vermont Air National Guard 158th Fighter Wing located at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont. The 134th is equipped with the Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon and it was constituted in the National Guard in 1921 as the 134th Squadron and assigned to the III Corps. Placed on the deferred list on 2 July 1923 and transferred to the Organized Reserve as a Deferred National Guard unit, concurrently re-designated as the 553rd Observation Squadron and assigned to the 328th Observation Group. Withdrawn from allotment to the National Guard and the Third Corps Area on 17 September 1927, moved to India, via Australia, July–September 1943. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches, the 530th Fighter Squadron having its diagonal bands sloping from top right to bottom left. The red nose was also a squadron marking, many planes of the squadron had a girls name on the nose but very few had any artwork. Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944, moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrills Marauders, also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma. Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force, escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemys communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51s from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945, returned to the U. S. in December 1945. The wartime 530th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 134th Fighter Squadron and it was organized at the Burlington International Airport, Vermont, and was extended federal recognition on 14 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau. The 134th was the fifth Air National Guard unit to be formed, the organizers of the squadron were MG Murdock Campbell, the Adjutant General, Col Albert Cate, Air Advisor, and LtCol William M. Bowden became the first commander of the newly formed unit. The 134th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, the 67th Fighter Wing was the first ANG command and control organization in New England. On 4 April 1947, it was transferred to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group, in 1950, the Thunderbolts were replaced by F-51H Mustangs. The mission of the 134th Fighter Squadron was the air defense of Vermont, with the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular militarys complete lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized - placed on active duty. The 134th was federalized on 10 February 1951 and assigned to the federalized Maine ANG 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, when federalized, it was composed of F-51 aircraft and later assigned F-86D aircraft. Its mission was expanded to include the air defense of New England, the squadron was then attached to the Air Defense Command 23d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission. It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB and it was released from active duty and returned to control of State of Vermont on 1 November 1952. Burlington Airport became a facility as the United States Air Force Ethan Allen Air Force Base was established at the airport on 16 February 1953
45.
Burlington International Airport
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Burlington International Airport is a joint-use civil-military airport in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. It is owned by the city of Burlington, Vermont, the airport is located in South Burlington, three nautical miles east of the central business district of Burlington. As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 640,790 passenger boardings in calendar year 2010 and this airport is included in the FAAs National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport. The airport serves as the base of the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, on Saturday, August 14,1920, the first aircraft landed at what became the Burlington Municipal Airport. It had been a 72 acres cornfield, Airport developers took a lease on the land for one year for $100. On May 22,1934, at the airport, Amelia Earhart was presented with the keys to the city of Burlington. With the onset of the Second World War, the United States government created a Defense Zone extending inland 150 miles from the coastline, where private aircraft were restricted from operating. Due to increased demand, the Burlington Municipal Airport was noted as being the busiest airport in the world on both August 14,1942 and February 11,1943, with 662 and 793 landings respectively, in 1970, Mohawk Airlines introduced the first jet service to the airport. On May 11,1971 Burlington voters approved a $1.25 Million bond for a new 40 and this terminal opened October 7,1973. From 2000 to 2008, the experienced a increase in growth. Since 2000, $24 million in renovations and expansion has been invested at Burlington, the airport set a local record in July 2008 when 79,154 passengers flew from Burlington, the first time the figure has crossed 70,000. BTV enplaned over 759,000 people in 2008, a 7. 3% increase from 2007, Burlington International Airport serves its metropolitan area, which contained over 206,000 residents as of 2006 U. S. Census estimates. Due to the small size of the market, airlines mostly fly regional airliners on their Burlington routes. JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines notably fly some of the daily flights using mainline aircraft. Atlanta, Georgia is the farthest destination served by any airline out of BTV, in 2008, Big Sky Airlines stopped flying the Boston route. The airport has used natural resources such as marble and granite, in 2009, the airport had fifteen gates serving seven airlines. On February 3,2010, it was announced that AirTran Airways would not be returning to Burlington, AirTran planned on resuming service in the spring of 2010, but due to various reasons not specified they did not. AirTran service lasted for 8 months in 2009, allegiant Air ended service from BTV in March of 2017
46.
Burlington, Vermont
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Burlington is the most populous city in the U. S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located 45 miles south of the Canada–United States border and 94 miles south of Montreal and its population was 42,452 according to a 2015 U. S. census estimate. Burlington is the least populous city in the U. S. to be the most populous within a state, a regional college town, the municipality is home to the University of Vermont and Champlain College, a small private college. Vermonts largest hospital, the UVM Medical Center, is located within the city limits, in 2015, Burlington became the first city in the U. S. to run completely on renewable energy. Two theories have been put forward regarding the origin of Burlingtons name, the first is that it was named after Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and the second is that the name honors the politically prominent and wealthy Burling family of New York. While no Burling family members are listed as grantees of the town, one of the New Hampshire grants, the land that was developed as Burlington was awarded by New Hampshire colonial governor Benning Wentworth on June 7,1763 to Samuel Willis and 63 others. In the summer of 1775, settlers began clearing land and built two or three log huts, but the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War delayed permanent settlement until after its conclusion, in 1783, Stephen Lawrence arrived with his family. The town was organized in 1785, the War of 1812 was unpopular in Vermont and New England, which had numerous trading ties with Canada. Neither Vermont nor other New England states provided militia units or financial support, Vermont voters supported the Federalist Party, which opposed the war. At one point during the war, the U. S. had 5,000 troops stationed in Burlington, outnumbering residents, about 500 soldiers died of disease, which was always a problem due to poor sanitation in army camps. Some soldiers were quartered in the building at the University of Vermont. In a skirmish on August 2,1813, British forces from Canada shelled Burlington and this is described as either a bold stroke by the British with an ineffectual response from the Americans, or a weak sally by the British, which was rightfully ignored by the Americans. The cannonade lasted about 10 minutes and caused no casualties, the American troops involved were commanded by Naval Lieutenant Thomas Macdonough, later hero of the Battle of Lake Champlain. Wharves allowed steamboats to connect freight and passengers with the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, Burlington became a bustling lumbering and manufacturing center and was incorporated as a city in 1865. Its Victorian era prosperity left behind fine architecture, including buildings by Ammi B. Young, H. H. Richardson, and McKim, Mead & White, in 1870, the waterfront was extended by construction of the Pine Street Barge Canal. This became polluted over the years and was a focus for cleanup in 2009 under the U. S. Environmental Protection Agencys Superfund program, in 1978, the ice cream enterprise Ben & Jerrys was founded in Burlington in a renovated gas station. It became a brand, with retail outlets in numerous cities
47.
F-47D Thunderbolt
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The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II era fighter aircraft produced by the United States between 1941–1945. Its primary armament was eight. 50-caliber machine guns and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack role it could carry five-inch rockets or a load of 2,500 pounds. When fully loaded the P-47 weighed up to eight tons making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war. The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine which was used by two U. S. Navy fighters, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair. The Thunderbolt was effective as a short-to-medium range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air combat, the P-47 was one of the main United States Army Air Forces fighters of World War II, and served with Allied air forces including France, Britain, and Russia. Mexican and Brazilian squadrons fighting alongside the U. S. were equipped with the P-47, the armored cockpit was relatively roomy and comfortable, offering good visibility. A modern-day U. S. ground-attack aircraft, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, both had fled from their homeland to escape the Bolsheviks. In 1939, Republic Aviation designed the AP-4 demonstrator powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engine with a belly-mounted turbocharger. While the resulting Republic P-43 Lancer was in limited production, Republic had been working on an improved P-44 Rocket with a powerful engine. The latter was an aircraft powered by the Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V-12 engine. The United States Army Air Corps backed the project and gave it the designation XP-47, as the war in Europe escalated in spring 1940, Republic and the USAAC concluded that the XP-44 and the XP-47 were inferior to the Luftwaffe fighters. Republic unsuccessfully attempted to improve the design, proposing the XP-47A, kartveli then designed a much larger fighter, which was offered to the USAAC in June 1940. The Air Corps ordered a prototype in September, to be designated the XP-47B, the XP-47A, which had little in common with the new design, was abandoned. The XP-47B was of construction with elliptical wings, with a straight leading edge that was slightly swept back. The air-conditioned cockpit was roomy and the seat was comfortable—like a lounge chair. Main and auxiliary self-sealing fuel tanks were placed under the cockpit, the cowling admitted cooling air for the engine, left and right oil coolers, and the turbosupercharger intercooler system. At full power, the pipes glowed red at their forward ends, the complicated turbosupercharger system with its ductwork gave the XP-47B a deep fuselage, and the wings had to be mounted in a relatively high position. This was problematic since long-legged main landing gear struts were needed to provide clearance for the enormous propeller
48.
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
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The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of the process, production models were flying. Designed with straight wings, the type saw combat in Korea with the United States Air Force as the F-80. The F-94 Starfire, an all-weather interceptor on the same airframe, the closely related T-33 Shooting Star trainer would remain in service with the U. S. Air Force and Navy well into the 1980s, with the last NT-33 variant not retired until April 1997. Many still serve in a role in foreign air arms or are in private hands. The XP-80 had a conventional airframe, with a slim low wing. Other early jets generally had two engines because of their power, these being mounted in external nacelles for easier maintenance. With the advent of more powerful British jet engines, fuselage mounting was more effective, Lockheeds team, consisting of 28 engineers, was led by the legendary Clarence L. Kelly Johnson. This teaming was a product of Lockheeds Skunk Works, which surfaced again in the next decade to produce a line of high-performance aircraft beginning with the F-104. With the Germans and British clearly far ahead in development, Lockheed was pressed to develop a jet in as short a time as possible. Kelly Johnson submitted a proposal in mid-June and promised that the prototype would be ready for testing in 180 days. The Skunk Works team, beginning 26 June 1943, produced the airframe in 143 days, the first prototype was nicknamed Lulu-Belle. Powered by the replacement Halford H1 taken from the prototype de Havilland Vampire jet fighter, it first flew on 8 January 1944, the donated British jet program data had no doubt proved invaluable. The second prototype, designated XP-80A, was designed for the larger General Electric I-40 engine, 44-83021 was nicknamed the Gray Ghost after its pearl gray paint scheme, while 83022, left unpainted for comparison of flight characteristics, became known as the Silver Ghost. The XP-80As first test flight was unimpressive, but most of the problems with the design were soon addressed and corrected in the test program. Initial opinions of the XP-80A were not positive, with Lockheed Chief Engineering Test Pilot Milo Burcham commenting that an aircraft he very much enjoyed had now become a dog. The XP-80As were primarily testbeds for larger, more engines and air intake design. The P-80 testing program proved very dangerous, Burcham was killed on 20 October 1944 while flying the third YP-80A produced, 44-83025
49.
Lockheed F-94 Starfire
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The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was a first-generation jet aircraft of the United States Air Force. It was developed from the twin-seat Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star in the late 1940s as an all-weather, the aircraft reached operational service in May 1950 with Air Defense Command, replacing the piston-engined North American F-82 Twin Mustang in the all-weather interceptor role. The F-94 was the first operational USAF fighter equipped with an afterburner and was the first jet-powered all-weather fighter to combat during the Korean War in January 1953. It had a brief operational life, being replaced in the mid-1950s by the Northrop F-89 Scorpion. The last aircraft left active-duty service in 1958 and Air National Guard service in 1959, the F-94 was derived from the TF-80C which was a two-seat trainer version of the F-80 Shooting Star. A lengthened nose area with guns, radar and automatic control system was added. Since the conversion seemed so simple, a contract was awarded to Lockheed in early 1949, the early test YF-94s used 75% of the parts used in the earlier F-80 and T-33As. The fire control system was the Hughes E-1, which incorporated an AN/APG-33 radar and this short-range radar system was useful only in the terminal phases of the interception. Most of the operation would be directed using ground-controlled interception, as was the case with the aircraft it replaced. The combination reduced the fuel capacity. The F-94 was to be the first US production jet with an afterburner, the J33-A-33 had standard thrust of 4,000 pounds-force, and with water injection this was increased to 5,400 pounds-force and with afterburning a maximum of 6,000 pounds-force thrust. The YF-94As afterburner had many teething problems with its igniter and the stabilization system. The initial production model was the F-94A, which entered service in May 1950. Its armament was four 0.50 in M3 Browning machine guns mounted in the fuselage with the muzzles exiting just behind the radome, two 165 US Gallon drop tanks, as carried by the F-80 and T-33, could be carried beneath the wingtips. Alternatively, these could be replaced by 1,000 lb bombs, the F-94A was in operational service for only a brief time as it was originally built, and was not received well by its aircrews. Primarily, this was due to the unreliability of its J33 engine, the aircraft was judged as unstable and hard to maneuver at high altitude by its pilots. The pilot and radar operator found that the cockpit was too narrow for them to be able to get in and out of the aircraft quickly during alerts, the clearance for the ejection seats was too small, resulting in several tragic accidents during emergency ejections. The subsequent F-94B, which entered service in January 1951, was virtually identical to the F-94A
United States
New Hampshire
Air National Guard
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
