Chronology of the

4050^th Air Refueling Wing (AREFWG)

Westover AFB, Massachusetts

October 1955-April 1957

compiled by

Tom Hildreth

INTRODUCTION

01 Apr 55-The 4050^th AREFWG was activated at Westover AFB, MA. On that date control of the base was transferred from Military Air Transport Service (MATS) to the Strategic Air Command (SAC). The latter command’s plans called for a Westover-Dow Tanker Task Force. 4050^th AREFW at Westover and the 4060^th AREFWG at Dow AFB, Bangor, ME were to provide the flying elements of this task force.

The stated primary mission of the 4050^th was to “Organize and train a force capable of immediate and sustained air-to-air refueling operations in any part of the world...”

The 384^th Air Refueling Squadron (AREFS) was activated at Westover on 01 Apr 55 with initial personnel drawn from other refueling squadrons and school pipelines. The squadron would continue to work up to full personnel and equipment strength over the next several months. The twenty-two Boeing KC-97s that equipped the 384^th were assigned to the unit in a contiguous block, beginning with tail number 53-0218.   The 26^th AREFS was reassigned to the 4050^th AREFWG after having previously operated tankers in support of the 26^th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (SRW) at Lockbourne AFB, OH. This unit operated a mix of KC-97F and KC-97G tankers. 

KEY PERSONNEL

Wing CO                 Col. E.D. Reynolds

Wing Dep. CO        Col. Howard E. Jackson

Gp./Base CO           Col. Kenneth D. Thompson

26^th AREFS CO      Maj. Theodore J. Tanner

384^th AREFS CO    Maj. Frank R.Hodges

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

13 Sep 55-The 26^th AREFS was stationed at Thule AB, Greenland on 45-day Temporary Duty Assignment (TDY) with nine KC-97F and ten KC-97G tanker aircraft. . Thirty-six tire failures occurred due to Thule’s rubble-strewn runways and taxiways as a result of base construction projects.

Sep 55- The 384^th AREFS flew 9 out of 16 scheduled “Grainfield” missions with 360,000 lb fuel offloaded to aircraft of the 40^th, 98^th and 307^th Bomb Wings.

01 Oct 55-The 26^th AREFS scheduled to conduct first in a series of flights from Thule AB to North Pole.

04 Oct 55-The first B-52 refueling by 4050^th AREFWG took place. Three KC-97s departed at 1015 hrs but the lead tanker with Col. Reynolds aboard lost #3 engine during climb out. Lead tanker dumped fuel and flew to orbit area. Aircraft #2 took over as primary tanker. Bad weather and crew inexperience caused the refueling to extend to 17 hookups.

Oct 55 summary- The 384^th AREFS rated more than 75% combat ready and added to Wing Emergency War Plan. Squadron has 20 combat-ready crews and 22 aircraft. 51 training flights totaling 587 flying hours accomplished during month. Base evacuation plan published. Dependent personnel were to evacuate in two groups.  One group was to be sheltered in the small town of Montague, MA., and the other to shelter in the town of Orange, MA.

01 Nov 55-Ten 26^th AREFS KC-97s returned to Westover AFB from Thule AB.

02 Nov 55-Nine 26^th AREFS KC-97s returned to Westover from Thule AB.

04 Nov 55-Returning from Bolling AFB, Washington, DC. C-47 43-48276 made forced landing on the Connecticut River between Holyoke, MA and So. Hadley, MA about 2330 hours. Four of the eight people aboard swam to safety while four others perished in the river. Carburetor icing and subsequent engine failure was listed as the primary cause of the crash.

Nov 55 summary-“Grainfield” missions continued, 15 of 16 having been completed, 461,720 lb of fuel transferred.

“Show Boat” mission on 1^st and 2^nd of month represented the return of 26AREFS from Thule.

“Saddle Rock” mission commenced on 7 November with 15 strikes planned and executed with 640,700 lb fuel transferred to B-47s of 98^th BW, Lincoln AFB NE. “Saddle Rock” may have been conducted as part of the 98^th BW deployment to RAF Lakenheath, England, which took place between 11 Nov 55 and 29 Jan 56.

“Iron Man” was a support mission for the RB-47s of the 26^th SRW at Lockbourne AFB, OH. The mission lasted four days with 866,730 lb fuel offloaded to 21 receivers from tankers of both Westover squadrons. This mission was to use the Alfa refueling area at the Bagotville-Saguenay Beacon in Quebec. Each tanker was assigned to offload 45,000 lb of fuel at a base altitude of 15,000 ft. at 195 KIAS.

Each flying squadron was assigned 22 KC-97 tankers. The in-commission rate was 85.6%. 

Total tanker aborts for the month was ten, with nine tanker aborts due to spark plug failures.

The wing Base Flight was assigned 27 aircraft. These included six TB-25, five C-45, four C-47, two

C-54, one C-97, and nine T-33 administrative aircraft. The Aircraft in-commission rate for this group was 70.8% with an accumulated flying time of 758:35 hrs. Number of maintenance personnel assigned to support Base Flight aircraft was 143.

03 Dec 55-Operation “Texas League” initiated. The 4050^th AREFWG supported B-47s of the 301^st and 376^th Bombardment Wings as they tested the air defense capabilities of the North American continent. Fuel offload for this operation for December was 956,000 lb.

On approach to runway 05 at Westover, 53-0250 of the 384^th AREFS was photographed low over Cooley Brook reservoir in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

05 Dec 55-Crew T-64 offloaded 32,000 lb of fuel to “Oatmeal Gold” in spite of the loss of one engine. Mission terminated due to descent into clouds. This did not count as a successful refueling by SAC standards, which required transfer of total scheduled offload. 

08 Dec 55-The 4050^th AREFWG promulgated Operations Plan 10A-55. The purpose of this plan was to initiate the evacuation and/or dispersal of aircraft, material and military personnel essential to carry out the EWP within one hour of receipt of alert notification. Stewart AFB, Newburgh, NY was designated as primary dispersal base. Griffis AFB, Rome, NY., was designated as the alternate dispersal base. The Connecticut ANG base at Bradley Field, Windsor Locks, CT was designated as the auxiliary pickup base, and Rentschler Field, E. Hartford, CT., was designated alternate auxiliary pickup base.

The Base Flight gained two C-45s and two T-33A aircraft, bringing total administrative aircraft assigned to 31. An accumulated flying time of 864:10 hrs was logged for base flight. The maintenance of these aircraft required the direct support of 140 people.

Dec 55 summary-Nine “Grainfield” missions were flown with 374,000 lb fuel offloaded to B-47s.

23 Jan 55-Lt. John D. Ritchie of Westover's 337^th FIS died when his F-86D crashed on takeoff.

NOTE: “5X” category is personnel who hold flight crew AFSCs but are not yet assigned to a designated crew, either non-combat ready (NCR) or combat ready (CR).

01 Feb 56-The Westover Base Commander accepted three of the proposed fifteen multi-purpose hangars (nose docks).

04 Feb 56-Operations Plan 102-56, Severe Weather Evacuation, was promulgated by HQ 4050^th AREFWG. Multi-engine aircraft refuge base was Smokey Hill AFB, KS., and jet aircraft were to take refuge at Burlington, VT.

Feb 56 summary-Wing in commission rate for tanker aircraft on hand: 87.3%. Administrative aircraft in commission rate was 67%.

06 Mar 56-Operation “Long Legs”, refueling support for RB-47s of the 90^th SRW from Forbes AFB, KS was flown. Snow and ice at Dow AFB, Bangor, ME caused the 4060^th AREFWG to cancel the first wave of support for the mission, and the task was delegated to the 4050^th AREFWG. Nine receivers took on 416,000 lb of fuel for an average off-load of 46,200 lb. 

20-21 Mar 56-Operation “Big Wind” was flown in support of B-47 bombers of the 301^st BW and the 376^th BW both from Barksdale AFB, LA. Seventy-one tanker sorties and three weather scouts flew as scheduled, with only two failed offloads, both due to receiver aborts. The scheduled rapid turn around of the tanker fleet led to the ground refueling portion of the mission being exercised in accordance with the Emergency War Plan. Important timing figures were obtained from this experience. A total of four R-4360 engine failures occurred during “Big Wind”, three during the climb period at rated power. A recent flight supplement required aircraft to climb 20 MPH faster than chart speed at a gross weight of 175,000 lb. It was noted that doing so with a mix of KC-97F and KC-97G aircraft was difficult. The 4050^th recommended the new procedure be discontinued pending further study.

Author's note: The KC-97G was an improvement over the KC-97F in that its in flight refueling (IFR) equipment and tank layout had been redesigned so that the aircraft could be converted to cargo configuration without removal or alteration of this equipment. In addition, the KC-97G was equipped with large 700 gal external fuel tanks. It is possible that these external fuel tanks, originally developed for the B-50D, increased the drag of the KC-97G to the point where it was difficult in the climb for the aircraft to match the performance of the clean KC-97F. The engines on both series were R-4360-59B radials, with no difference in horsepower.

27 Mar 56-Base Commander at Westover accepted a 61.5-acre site at the Wachusett Reservoir in Boylston, MA to be leased for 25 years as a Globecom Center.

Mar 56 summary-The 4050th wing performed 82 hookups for the month with a total fuel offload of 3,925,580 lb.

Apr 56-Commander, 26^th AREFS Maj. Theodore J. Tanner was promoted to Lt. Col. and assigned position of Inspector, 4050^th AREFWG. Lt. Col. Robert E. Copley took command of 26^th AREFS. Commander, 384^th AREFS Maj. Frank R. Hodges assumed the responsibilities of Wing Director of Maintenance. Lt. Col. William E. Yeates took command of the 384^th AREFS.

27 Apr 56-Twenty-two KC-97s of the 384^th AREFS departed Westover for 60-day TDY to Harmon AFB, Newfoundland on operation “Daylight”. Mission was to accomplish arctic and cold weather indoctrination and training. Upon landing at Harmon, all aircraft were EWP configured. Average turn around time was 1 hr. 44 min. In support of the refueling squadron’s tankers, the 384^th Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS) was required to supply eight built-up R-4360 power packs and two “raw” R-4360 engines. These resources and other bulky cargo were to be transported on large C-124 Globemaster transport aircraft.

Apr 56 summary-Twenty three sorties were flown from Westover AFB in support of operation “Devilfish”. Fuel offload totaled 1,052,830 lb with an average offload of 50,134 lb.

01 Jun 56-Det 1, 99^th Bomb Wing activated at Westover AFB. This establishment had previously operated B-36 bombers from Fairchild AFB, WA., and would equip with the B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber at Westover AFB.

20-26 July 56-The 4050^th wing participated in “Corn Belt”, part of a national readiness test called operation “Alert-1956”. Each AREFS squadron at Westover supported the latter operation by providing one KC-97, each with HF/UHF radio capability to perform airborne control duties in orbit over Kingston, NY. Each aircraft would be assigned two radio operators, one controller officer, and one radio technician. Westover was net Control station (NCS) for net C, and operated as “Comparison Control” on UHF 384.6 Mc primary. Backup was HF 9.040 Mc primary and 6.500 Mc secondary. Westover’s SAC Control Room operated as “Esquire Control” on UHF 311.0 Mc.

The 26^th AREFS put 52-2767 on display at what appears to be the May, 1956 Armed Forces Day open house.  Tom Hildreth collection, original photographer unknown.

25 July 56-Aircraft mishap-KC-97G 53-0232 aborted takeoff due to low torque indication on #4 engine. The engine looked good on a subsequent run up, and takeoff was accomplished. One hour and 13 min. after takeoff, while in cell orbit over Prattsville, NY an explosion was felt throughout the aircraft. Visual inspection revealed a hole in the wing flap aft #2 engine. The landing gear was extended and the inboard tire was found to have blown. The mission was aborted and upon landing at Westover the left outboard tire blew. All crewmembers evacuated safely. The board found that excessive braking during the takeoff abort (the pilot did not use reverse props) caused a tire fire that led to the explosion.

July 56 summary-The 4050^th AREFWG was involved in several operations during the month. “Devilfish”, an excercise that involved Lincoln Labs, required 20 sorties and a fuel offload total of 774,000 lb. “Harmony House” was an 8^th AF operation lasting 7 days. Refueling sorties performed totaled 145, with a monthly fuel offload of 2,338,350 lb. “Electronic aircraft rendezvous” equipment was used on 97 of the sorties. There were 3 weather aborts, and 24 aircraft malfunction aborts.

Aug 56 summary-For the first time, the 4050^th successfully completed all refueling hookups. 100% of the required fuel was delivered to 100% of the receivers that showed up. The 4050^th AREFWG continued its involvement in operation “Devil Fish”, with 21 sorties flown with a total of 699,560 lb fuel offloaded with an average per receiver of 33,450 lb. Operation “Mobile Baker” was a refueling mission in support of Tactical Air Command (TAC) fighter aircraft. Although the 4050th tankers expended 23 flying hours, the fighters cancelled due to weather two days in a row.

04 Sep 56-Westover changed from single-wing to two-wing concept. The 57^th Air Division controlled both the 4050^th AREFWG and the 99BW. Many of the existing 4050^th sub-units, such as those under the 4050^th Air Base Group fell under the 814^th numerical designation. Units remaining under the 4050^th AREFWG were the 4050^th Headquarters Squadron Section (HSS), 26^th AREFS, 384 AREFS, 4050^th Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS), 4050^th Periodic Maintenance Squadron (PMS), and the 4050^th Armament and Electronics Squadron (A&ES).

04 Sep 56-Ten KC-97s of the 26^th AREFS departed for Thule AFB, Greenland on operation “Hide Out”.

05 Sep 56-Final ten KC-97s of the 26^th AREFS departed for Thule AFB, Greenland on operation “Hide Out”.

10 Sep 56-Col. George W.R. Zethren assumed command of the 4050^th AREFWG. Col. Zethren would go on to assume command of the 57^th Air Division on 28 June 1958.

13 Sep 56-The 4050th AFREWG participated in Operation “Strong Heart”, which involved tanker support of 340^th BW. This was to be accomplished in three waves, but last wave of tankers was recalled. Fuel offload was 465,000 lb for each of the preceding waves.

The 384^th squadron insignia was located just forward of the crew door on the front left side of the aircraft. TSgt. Powell, the crew chief, was undoubtedly mindful of the stenciled exhortation, “Lets get it off on time.”

20 Sep 56-Operation “Mobile Baker” support of fighter recon aircraft deploying to UK. Total of 31,900 lb fuel offloaded to five fighters.

30 Sep 56-The 4050th participated in Operation “Silver Cloud”, and provided tanker support of 26^th SRW. This mission consisted of two waves of ten KC-97s each this date, one wave of 5 KC-97s the following day.

Sep 56 summary- Maintenance difficulties were centered on preflight Magnaflux inspection of KC-97 propellers. The machine used in this process could not legally be used inside the hangar, and it lacked sufficient waterproof connectors to be used outside in the colder weather. A portion of the Magnaflux work had previously been accomplished at Griffis AFB, NY. Westover-based units transferred a total of 1,663,300 lb of fuel.

Oct 56-SAC publication “Combat Crew” contained article by Boeing’s Brooke S. Harper related to a number of accidents that resulted from propeller failure with engine separation from Boeing KC-97 and civilian model 377 aircraft. According to Harper, “Many flight restrictions..... have been imposed on the airplanes until replacement propellers can be obtained.” Article stated that from onset of vibration crews could have as much as 40 seconds to diagnose problem, or as little as a few seconds. Recommended action recently published on KC-97 flight handbooks was “....reducing power and RPM to a minimum immediately, on all four engines; in fact, make like a glider if altitude permits.”  It goes on to state that ...”If the vibration ceases, each engine should be cautiously advanced in RPM and power until the vibration returns, in which case the faulty propeller should be feathered immediately.” It is worth noting that on many missions of the 4050^th KC-97s, the cruise altitudes were often as low as 10,000 ft. In a different article on the same issue of “Combat Crew”, the 25 July story of 53-0232 with hot brakes was outlined. A less fortunate outcome was told of a KC-97 with a similar problem that departed Goose Bay Labrador. There was an explosion in the right wing inboard of the #3 engine nacelle of this tanker. The right wing then departed from the aircraft which crashed in an uninhabited wooded area with the loss of all six crewmembers. Subsequent investigation concluded that during taxiing and takeoff overheated brakes led to a tire igniting with the fire weakening the wing structure. There was no evidence of a tire explosion. It was stated that a forthcoming fix would establish a wheel well overheat warning system, but as an interim measure, SAC crews, upon suspicion of overheated brakes, were to deplane a crewman who would place his bare hand on a designated part of the brake assembly. If the crewman could keep his hand in place, the brakes were not considered to be overheated.

Oct 56-summary-Operation “Devil Fish”, “Silver Cloud”, and back-up for 4060^th AREFWG for “Lucky Boy”. Monthly fuel offload total was 1,983,680 lb. Seven Propellers were changed during the month, and three propellers were exchanged from one aircraft to another.

15 Nov 56-Operations Plan 40-57 initiated. Thule Task Force was established. With the 26^th AREFS at Thule AB, The 96th AREFS from Altus AFB, OK was deployed to Westover to assist.

Nov 56-summary-Eleven propeller changes were made during the month, along with three engine changes. Hamilton Standard model 34660 propellers were installed on KC-97 53-0231 for a six-month service test. Two engines were built-up, and 56 tires were built-up.

15 Dec 56-Redeployment of 26^th AREFS from Thule AB to Westover AFB began.

FATAL CRASH

22 Jan 57-All crewmen were lost when a KC-97G of the 384^th AREFS flew into the ground approximately 28 miles northeast of Griffis AFB, NY.

Jan 57-summary-Operation “Power Flite” involved backup support for refueling five 15^th AF B-52s.  The 4050^th flew two of three weather scout aircraft to refueling area, and had 22 tankers with engines running and ready to go when the primary tanker force was found to be adequate. The “Apology” refueling area just north of the Gaspe area of Quebec was the primary, while “Foghorn” refueling area near Moosehead Lake, ME was secondary. Personnel of the 4050^th FMS changed 7 R-4360 engines and 24 propellers during the month. Five R-4360s and 20 nose tires were built-up.

21-22 Feb 57-The 4050^th AREFWG flew two waves in support of operation “High Noon”, a simulated combat mission involving the RB-47s of the 90^th SRW from Forbes AFB, KS. A total of 864,000 lb of fuel was offloaded with an average of 37,600 lb per bomber. Wave one consisted of 15 tankers and three KC-97 weather scouts. Wave two consisted of 12 tankers and 2 weather scouts.  Monthly wing fuel offload total was 5,611,200 lb.

Feb 57-summary-The 4050^th AREFWG flew nine sorties in support Lincoln Lab’s operation “Devil Fish” with a total offload of 349,00 lb.

53-0220 descends toward the runway at the end of another 384^th mission.  A routine but lengthy debrief is sure to follow.

6-8 March 57-The 4050^th AREFWG flew 22 tankers and 5 KC-97 weather scouts in support of “Goal Post”, a simulated combat mission of the 55^th SRW at Forbes AFB, KS. One refueling was not completed when tanker “Crony Orange 58” experienced a propeller overspeed after offloading 22,200 lb of JP-4. The problem was corrected but the receiver declined further fuel, as the bomber had enough fuel aboard to complete the mission.

14 Mar 57-The 4050^th AREFWG was assigned backup duties for operation “Giant Killer.” During the event, this excercise was completed by the primary refueling units, the 380^th AREFS from Plattsburgh AFB, NY., and the 42^nd AREFS from Loring AFB, ME.  

27 Mar 57-Twx message from HQ SAC indicated 508^th AREFS was to be reassigned from 31^st SFW to 4050^th AREFW. No evidence can be found to indicate this transfer ever took place. It should be noted that when the 4050^th AREFWG activated on 01 Apr 55, it was reported that the 91^st AREFS was slated to become part of the wing, but this never took place either.

Mar 57-Summary-The 4050^th once again participated in operation “Devil Fish.”  The wing flew 29 of the planned 61 sorties, the remainder being cancelled by Lincoln Labs a not uncommon occurrence. Operation “Goal Post” was another refueling backup mission, this time for operation “Giant Killer.”  Total fuel transferred by the wing for the month was 8,770,000 lb with an average offload of 27,500 lb.  The wing was unable to claim 8 hookups due to failures related to frequency drifting in the APN 12-76 electronic rendezvous equipment. Although the refuelings were then conducted using APN-69 rendezvous equipment, they were ruled ineligible for mission completion credit. 

SERIAL NUMBERS OF WESTOVER-BASED AIRCRAFT    OCTOBER 1955-APRIL 1957

THE END

The preceding chronology is a quick read of the first 18 months of a busy military establishment. As a four-digit wing, it was intended that the 4050th be a temporary organization. The 26^th AREFS transferred to Plattsburgh AFB, NY on 7 August 1957, where it remained until 15 Sep 1964. On 1 January 1963, after nearly eight years of operation, the wing was inactivated at Westover AFB. The 384^th AREFS went on to become one of the Air Force’s last KC-97 squadrons, and inactivated at Westover on 25 June 1966. About eight years later, the 384^th was activated at McConnell AFB, KS., where it operates tanker aircraft today as part of Air Mobility Command’s (AMC) 22^nd Air Refueling Wing.

Compiled from AFHRA microfilm reels PO332 and PO333, December 2004

All photos © Tom Hildreth.  The images accompanying this work are smaller than in the printed version. This was done to discourage internet theft of the photos. The author welcomes email contact with persons who may have information or photographic material on the 4050^th AREWFG, the 26^th or 384^th AREFS, and the Boeing KC-97 aircraft these organizations operated. hildrethtom@hotmail.com