Grenier Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
- For the civil use of this facility and airport information, see Manchester-Boston Regional AirportManchester-Boston Regional AirportManchester-Boston Regional Airport , commonly referred to simply as "Manchester Airport," is a public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire on the county line of Hillsborough and Rockingham counties...
Grenier Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
base located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
on the county line of Hillsborough
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 380,841 people, 144,455 households, and 98,807 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 149,961 housing units at an average density of 171 per square mile...
and Rockingham
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...
counties. After its closure in 1966, it was reused as Manchester-Boston Regional Airport
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport , commonly referred to simply as "Manchester Airport," is a public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire on the county line of Hillsborough and Rockingham counties...
.
Origins
The Manchester airport was founded in June 1927, when the city's Board of Mayor and Aldermen put $15,000 towards the project. By October, a board of aviationAviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
had been founded and ground was broken at an 84 acres (339,936.2 m²) site near Pine Island Pond. It took only a month for two 1800 feet (548.6 m) runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s to be constructed. After the formation of Northeast Airways
Northeast Airlines
Northeast Airlines was an American airline based in Boston, Massachusetts. They began as Boston-Maine Airways, which was founded as a Pan Am contract carrier on July 20, 1931, by the Boston and Maine Railroad and Maine Central Railroad offering service from Boston to Bangor via Portland...
at the site in 1933, the first passenger terminal was built.
World War II
New Boston Air Force StationNew Boston Air Force Station
New Boston Air Force Station is a United States Air Force facility located in Hillsborough County in south central New Hampshire.It occupies more than 2,800 acres in three towns: New Boston, Amherst, and Mont Vernon. It was established in 1942 as a practice area for bombers and fighter planes from...
was established in 1940 at Manchester Airport in the build-up of the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
prior to World War II. Grenier AAF's initial mission after the Pearl Harbor Attack was to support the squadrons of the First Air Force I Bomber Command
XX Bomber Command
The XX Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on July 16, 1945.- History:...
and later Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was a direct reporting agency of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Its mission was to deal with the German Navy U-boat threat.-Lineage:...
with a mission to patrol the Atlantic coast, locate and attack German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s. During the war, bombers and fighters practiced over the area now known as New Boston Air Force Station
New Boston Air Force Station
New Boston Air Force Station is a United States Air Force facility located in Hillsborough County in south central New Hampshire.It occupies more than 2,800 acres in three towns: New Boston, Amherst, and Mont Vernon. It was established in 1942 as a practice area for bombers and fighter planes from...
12 miles (19.3 km) west in the town of New Boston
New Boston, New Hampshire
New Boston is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,321 at the 2010 census. New Boston is home to the annual Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair and the Molly Stark Cannon.-History:...
.
On February 22, 1942, the base was dedicated as Grenier Army Airfield to honor 2nd Lt Jean Donat Grenier, born in Manchester on November 24, 1909, and killed on February 16, 1934, in the crash of Curtiss A-12 Shrike
A-12 Shrike
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng, eds. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1....
33-244 in bad weather at Oakley, Utah
Oakley, Utah
Oakley is a city in Summit County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 948 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Oakley is located at ....
, while flying an advance air mail route between Salt Lake City and Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
.
In addition to the antisubmarine mission (which was transferred to the Navy in August 1943), Grenier became a First Air Force group training station, which provided group organizational training prior to the units' deployment to overseas combat theaters. Training P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
units, the following groups trained at Grenier:
- 52d Fighter Group, June 1942
- 359th Fighter Group359th Fighter GroupThe 359th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 10 November 1945....
, April–July 1943 - 356th Fighter Group356th Fighter GroupThe 356th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 10 November 1945....
, July–August 1943 - 58th Fighter Group, September–October 1943
With the reassignment of the 58th Fighter Group, the 1377th Army Air Forces Base Unit became the primary host unit at Grenier. Its mission changed from group training to replacement pilot training. P-39 Aircobras and P-40 Warhawks were used for this RTU mission, with the graduates being deployed overseas to combat groups after graduating.
In addition to the replacement training mission, on 1 January 1944 Grenier became the headquarters of the North Atlantic Division of Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
(ATC). It's 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. Its new operational mission was to operate scheduled aircraft service between Grenier and bases of the ATC North Atlantic Division; primarily C-54 Skymaster
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
s and C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
s.
On 1 July 1946 Grenier was phased down as part of the general demobilization of the armed forces. The 110th Army Air Force Base Unit became the host organization. It was placed on standby status on 30 October 1946.
Strategic Air Command
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
, Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
. The wing was the first SAC unit assigned to New England.
Under the 66th FW was the 82d Fighter Group, equipped with P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s (D/H Models), with a mission for training pilots in Very Long Range All Weather Fighters (P-61 Black Widow
P-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
s, later F-82 Twin Mustang
F-82 Twin Mustang
The North American F-82 Twin Mustang was the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter in World War II; however, the war ended well before the first...
s). The unit comprised the 95th
95th Fighter Squadron
The 95th Fighter Squadron was part of the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. It conducted advanced fighter training for the F-15 Eagle aircraft.-History:...
, 96th and 97th Fighter Squadron. Most officers that were assigned were rated pilots that had recently returned to military life. Many had World War II combat experience. Many officers and enlisted men arrived at Grenier from the 62d Fighter Squadron
62d Fighter Squadron
The 62d Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training.-Mission:...
, a unit that had just returned from a winter test in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. In November 1948 2Lt. Brent Scowcroft
Brent Scowcroft
Brent Scowcroft, KBE was the United States National Security Advisor under Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush and a Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force. He also served as Military Assistant to President Richard Nixon and as Deputy Assistant to the President for National...
joined the 95th Fighter Squadron
With the establishment of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in September 1947, the airfield was redesignated as Grenier Air Force Base on 13 January 1948. Due to budget reductions, the 82d FG was relieved of its responsibilities to the 15th Air Force on 22 August 1949 and was assigned to the First Air Force until 2 October 1949, at which time it was inactivated, and Grenier AFB was again placed in a standby status.
Air Defense Command
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 ForceEastern Air Defense Force
The Eastern Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.-History:...
(EADF). In May, ADC transferred the Federalized Maine Air National Guard
Maine Air National Guard
The Maine Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Maine. It is, along with the Maine Army National Guard, an element of the Maine National Guard...
101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing to Grenier from Dow AFB, Maine. The 101st Air Base Group took over base hosting responsibilities. The 133d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron operated F-47D Thunderbolts from the airfield.
The 101st FIG remained at the base only a brief time, being moved to Larson AFB, Washington, and transferred to the Western Air Defense Force
Western Air Defense Force
The Western Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on July 1, 1960.- History :...
(WADF) on 2 August 1951. With the 101st's departure, the 4681st Air Base Squadron (4707th Defense Wing) took over base hosting responsibilities. The 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the 133d FIS, which remained until 14 January 1953 when it moved to Langley AFB, Virginia.
In the fall of 1951, ADC begin using Grenier as an administrative training station for organizing new federalized Air National Guard Aircraft Control and Warning (Radar) squadrons and preparing them for operational duty. These units were then sent to Northeast Air Command
Northeast Air Command
The Northeast Air Command was a short-lived organization in the United States Air Force tasked with the operation and defense of air bases in Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland. It was formed in 1950 from the facilities of the United States established during World War II in Northeast Canada,...
(NEAC) in northern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, or to new Pinetree Line
Pinetree Line
The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by NORAD , over half were manned by United States Air Force...
stations. New ADC active-duty units were also formed at the base:
- 614th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, activated 1 July 1952-24 December 1953 (not fully organized and inactivated)
- 700th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, activated 1 December 1953; reassigned to Willow Run AFS, Michigan on 1 April 1954
- 912th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron912th Aircraft Control and Warning SquadronThe 912th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Ramore Air Station, Ontario, Canada...
, activated 10 March 1952; reassigned to Ramore AS, Ontario on 21 December 1952 - 913th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron913th Aircraft Control and Warning SquadronThe 913th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Sault Sainte Marie Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Pagwa Air Station, Ontario, Canada...
, activated 10 March 1952; reassigned to Pagwa AS, Ontario on 20 December 1952 - 914th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron914th Aircraft Control and Warning SquadronThe 914th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Duluth Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Armstrong Air Station, Ontario, Canada...
, activated 10 March 1952; reassigned to Armstrong AS, Ontario on 21 December 1952 - 915th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron915th Aircraft Control and Warning SquadronThe 915th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Duluth Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Sioux Lookout Air Station, Ontario, Canada...
, activated 10 March 1952; reassigned to Sioux Lookout AS, Ontario on 5 December 1952 - 916th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron916th Aircraft Control and Warning SquadronThe 916th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Grand Forks Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Beausejour Air Station, Manitoba, Canada...
, activated 12 February 1952; reassigned to Beausejour AS, Manitoba on 1 December 1952 - 921st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, activated 26 May 1953; reassigned to NEAC, Saint Anthony AS, Labrador, 1 October 1953.
- 922d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, activated 26 May 1953; reassigned to NEAC, Cartwright AS, Labrador, 1 October 1953.
- 923d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, activated 13 June 1953; reassigned to NEAC, Hopedale AS, Labrador, 1 October 1953.
- 924th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, activated 13 June 1953; reassigned to NEAC, Saglek AS, Labrador, 1 October 1953.
- 926th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron926th Aircraft Control and Warning SquadronThe 926th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Goose Air Defense Sector, Air Defense Command, stationed at Frobisher Bay Air Base, Northwest Territories, Canada...
, activated 13 June 1953; reassigned to NEAC, Frobisher Bay AB, Northwest Territory. 1 October 1953.
Military Air Transport Service
Military Air Transport ServiceMilitary Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
(MATS) assumed jurisdiction of Grenier AFB in July 1953, and the 1610th Air Transport Group (ATG) was activated at the base. The mission of the 1610th ATG was support of U.S. military operations under Northeast Air Command in the Arctic region. Destinations such as Argentia
Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador
Argentia is a community on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on a flat headland located along the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula on Placentia Bay...
in Newfoundland, Sondrestrom and Thule
Qaanaaq
Qaanaaq is the main town in the northern part of the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is one of the northernmost towns in the world. The inhabitants of Qaanaaq speak the West Greenlandic language and many also speak Inuktun. The town has a population of 626 as of 2010...
in Greenland, Goose Bay in Labrador, and Keflavík
Keflavík
Keflavík is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. In 2009 its population was of 8,169.In 1995 it merged with Njarðvík and Hafnir to form a municipality called Reykjanesbær with a population of 13,971 .- History :...
in Iceland were logistically supported by the C-54 Skymaster
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
transports of the wing.
Just a few years earlier, Air Defense Command activated many Aircraft Control and Warning (ACW) squadrons at Grenier AFB. Personnel from these radar and communication units in the far north. These radar outposts were needed to provide warning of airborne Soviet nuclear attack. Grenier AFB had a long-standing connection to U.S. Air Force Arctic operations going back to World War II, when the Air Transport Command's North Atlantic Wing directed the ferrying of thousands of bombers and fighters across the Atlantic Ocean through many of these same northern bases. However, the 1610th ATG was in existence for only a short time, due to funding shortages and the phaseout of the C-54 in the MATS inventory. The mission of the wing was turned over to the Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command
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.-Lineage:...
(ConAC) Air Force Reserve 81st Troop Carrier Squadron (TCS) at Grenier AFB on 22 August 1955.
Continental Air Command
The 81st Troop Carrier Squadron was activated at Grenier AFB. This unit operated Curtiss C-46 CommandoC-46 Commando
The Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
transports and was assigned to the 436th Troop Carrier Wing at Naval Air Station New York (Floyd Bennet Field), Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York. Grenier AFB was assigned to First Air Force
First Air Force
The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, Continental Air Command on 1 November 1955.
The 2235th Air Reserve Flying Center was activated at Grenier to oversee control of the airbase and its tenant units. In preparation for a busy 1956 Air Force Reserve summer encampment period at Grenier AFB, 24 barracks were renovated and furnished. In 1957, Grenier AFB was selected as a major training facility in the equipping of Air Force reserve organizations with more modern aircraft, principally the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
. A transition school for this type aircraft was established at Grenier, and many reserve units from the northeast would rotate their personnel and equipment through this school during the latter half of the year. On 28 February 1957, the first of 18 Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar medium transports arrived to equip the 81st TCS.
On 25 March 1958, a reorganization of reserve forces resulted in resources of 1st Air Force, CONAC, which included Grenier AFB, to be assigned to 14th Air Force at Robins AFB, Georgia. On 1 October, the 2235th Air Base Squadron took command of Grenier AFB. This coincided with the introduction of the Air Reserve Technician (ART) program throughout AFR. The ART program enabled a staff of civil service employees to operate AFR units during the week who would become training cadre for reservists during monthly Unit Training Assemblies (UTA). The 2235th ARFC was inactivated in March 1959. With this, the C-119 aircraft on base were officially turned over to the 732d Troop Carrier Squadron, although the 732nd TCS still was supported by 2235th Air Base Group. On 15 July 1960, the 732nd TCS reassigned directly to CONAC due to inactivation of 14th Air Force. Later, on 26 December, the 2235th ABG was inactivated. The 732d TCS took over as manager of all Grenier Field units, including those supported off-base.
In 1962, Tactical Air Command took over from Military Air Transport Service control of the 732d Troop Carrier Squadron. On 11 February 1963 in a command-wide reorganization, the 902nd Troop Carrier Group (TCG) was activated at Grenier AFB. The 732nd TCS became a subordinate unit to that group, and most of the other units at Grenier that supported the 732nd TCS were assigned to the 902nd TCG.
15 Jan 1966-Det 6, 2200 Air Base Wing (ABW) activated by CONAC to perform caretaker functions at Grenier AFB. The airfield control tower was to be operated by AFCS until 1 Jul 1966. Department of Defense proposed to move 6594th Instrument Squadron to vacated NH ANG buildings. On 25 Jan 1966, Special Order G-128 was issued by CONAC, officially inactivating the 902nd TCG as of that date.
On 30 January 1966, the Air Force removed its remaining forces and closed Grenier AFB.
See also
- New Hampshire World War II Army AirfieldsNew Hampshire World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in New Hampshire for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....