Mather Air Force Base

Mather Air Force Base
Part of Air Training Command (ATC)
Located near Rancho Cordova, California
17 August 1998
Coordinates	38°33′14″N 121°17′51″W
Type	Air Force Base
Site information
Controlled by	United States Air Force
Site history
Built	1918
In use	1918-1993
Garrison information
Garrison	323d Flying Training Wing

Mather Air Force Base

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Location of Mather Air Force Base

For the civil use of this facility after 1993, see Sacramento Mather Airport

Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) is a closed United States Air Force Base located 12 miles southeast of Sacramento near Rancho Cordova, California on the south side of U.S. Route 50.

Mather AFB was closed on October 1, 1993 as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) and reopened in 1995 as Sacramento Mather Airport.

History

The United States Army Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, activated Mills Field on February 21, 1918 as a pilot training base that was surrounded by ranch land and vineyards. Mills Field was renamed Mather Field for Second Lieutenant Carl Spencer Mather, an Army Signal Corps pilot, who was killed in an air collision at Ellington Field, Texas in January 1918. He earned his pilot's license at the age of 16 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps on January 20, 1918. Five days later, he was killed during one of the first training classes for World War I pilots. The remainder of his class was restationed at Mills Field and requested that the facility be renamed in Mather's honor. On May 2, 1918, the name was changed to Mather Field, the precursor to Mather Air Force Base and today's Sacramento Mather Airport.

Major Commands to which assigned

• Army Air Service, Mar 1918-22 Jun 1922
• Army Air Corps, 2 Jul 1926-Nov 1932
• General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force, 1 Mar 1935

Redesignated: Air Force Combat Command, 20 Jun 1941

Redesignated: Air Corps Flying Training Command, 23 Jan 1942

Redesignated: AAF Flying Training Command, 15 Mar 1942

Redesignated: AAF Training Command, 31 Jul 1943

• Air Transport Command, 1 Oct 1944
• Army AIr Force Training Command, 20 Dec 1945

Redesignated: Air Training Command, 1 Jul 1946

Redesignated: Air Education and Training Command, 1 Jul-1 Oct 1993

Attached to: Strategic Air Command, 1 May 1958-30 Sep 1979

Fifteenth Air Force

14th Air Division, 1 May 1958-1 Jul 1965; 31 Mar 1970-30 Jun 1971; 1 Oct 1972-1 Oct 1982

18th Strategic Aerospace Division, 1 Jul 1965-2 Jul 1966

47th Air Division, 2 Jul 1966-31 Mar 1970

Second Air Force

47th Air Division, 30 Jun 1971-1 Oct 1972

Attached to: Air Combat Command, 1 Jun 1992-30 Sep 1993

Note: Airfield served only for aerial forest patrol, beginning 8 Jan 1919. Was placed on inactive status, 22 Jun 1922; field closed, 12 May 1923. Airfield reactivated 1 Apr 1930; inactive status, 1 Nov 1932. Designated a subpost of Presidio U.S. Army post, San Francisco, unk-13 May 1935; designated a subpost of Hamilton Field, 13 May 1935; designated a subpost of Stockton Field, 21 Feb 1941; established as a separate post and activated, 13 May 1941.

Major Units assigned

• 283d Aero Squadron, 30 Apr 1918

Redesignated: Squadron "C", Mather Field, 8 Jan 1919

• 91st Aero Squadron, 3 Nov 1919-24 Jan 1920; 3 Nov 1920-1 May 1921
• 9th Aero Squadron, 27 Apr 1920-29 Jun 1922
• 28th Squadron, 20 Sep 1921-28 Jun 1922
• 20th Pursuit Group, 15 Nov 1930-14 Oct 1932
• 77th Air Base Group, 26 Jul 1941-19 Jan 1943
• 86th Air Base Group, 1 Aug 1941-24 Nov 1941
• 87th Air Base Group, 1 Aug 1941-24 Nov 1941
• Air Corps Advanced Flying School

Redesignated: Army Air Corps Advanced Flying School

Redesignaged: Army Air Force Pilot School, Specialized Technical Education, 15 May 1941-2 Oct 1944.

• 67th Sub-Depot, 12 Aug 1941-30 Apr 1944
• Army Air Force Navigation School, 27 May -5 Nov 1943
• 1505th AAF Base Unit, 15 Sep 1944-29 Dec 1945
• 1564th AAF Base Unit, 15 Sep 1944-29 Dec 1945
• Port of Aerial Embarkation, 4 Sep 1944-29 Dec 1945
• 2622d AAF Base Unit

Redesignated 2622d Air Force Base Unit, 20 Dec 1945-28 Aug 1948

• 417th AAF Base Unit, 1 Oct 1946-1 Mar 1947
• Army Air Force Bombardier School, Mather AAF Base

Redesignated: USAF Bombardier School

Redesignated: USAF Aircraft Observer's School

Redesignated: USAF Navigator School, 12 Feb 1946-1 Oct 1993

• 3535th Bombardier Training Wing

Redesignated: 3535th Observer Training Wing

Redesignated: 3535th Aircraft Observer Training Wing

Redesignated: 3535th Navigator Training Wing, 26 Aug 1948-1 May 1963

3535th Air Base Group, 26 Aug 1948-1 Apr 1973

• 8604th Bombardment Training Group, 27 Jun 1949-28 May 1951
• USAF Advanced Flying School (Multi-Engine), 1 Sep 1953-1 Aug 1958
• 4134th Strategic Wing, 1 May 1958-1 Feb 1963

Replaced by: 320th Bombardment Wing, 1 Feb 1963-30 Sep 1989

• 904th Air Refueling Squadron, 1 Mar 1959-1 Oct 1986
• 3d Aeromedical Evacuation Group, 2 Jul 1960-1 Jan 1967

* 323d Flying Training Wing, 1 Apr 1973-30 Sep 1993

• 940th Air Refueling Group, 1 Jan 1977-30 Sep 1993

Source for major commands and major units assigned:

Operational History

Mather AFB Control Tower, 1986.

Construction of some 50 buildings began March 15, 1918. The Field was occupied April 30, 1918. Its first commander was 1st Lieutenant Sam P. Burman, March 15, 1918. The first unit stationed there was the 283rd Aero Squadron. There were no concrete runways or aprons. These were added in the late 1930s. In the meantime aircraft flew from grass-covered fields. Training activities ceased on January 8, 1919. The Field was used by the aerial forestry patrol.

The Field was closed on May 12. 1923. Again on active status on April 1, 1930 but as a sub post of the Presidio U.S. Army Post, San Francisco; Hamilton Field and Stockton Field in that order during the 1930s. The Field was reestablished as a separate post and activated on May 13, 1941. The Field area was increased from 872 to 4,418 acres in June 1941.

Advanced training began June 7, 1941. Navigation school began August 2,1941. Major new construction was completed March 16, 1942. B-25s were assigned to the Field in 1943. Mather Field became a Port of Embarkation for the Pacific from 1944 to 1945.

Following World War I, the field was used intermittently to support small military units. During World War II, Mather Field was used for pilot and navigator training as well as observer and bombardier training. When the 509th Operations Group was transferring to Tinian (in the Marianas Island chain) for the atomic mission, the commanding general of Mather Field was told at gunpoint [1] that he was not allowed on board The Great Artiste which had landed there.

During the Cold War, Mather AFB became the sole aerial navigation school for the U.S. Air Force after its companion navigation schools at Harlingen Air Force Base, Texas and James Connally Air Force Base, Texas were closed and Ellington Air Force Base was converted into a joint Air National Guard Base, Coast Guard Air Station and NASA flight facility in the 1960s.

The 3535th Navigator Training Wing of the Air Training Command (ATC), was responsible for Bombardment Training beginning in 1946 and later transitioned to Undergraduate Navigator Training (UNT), Advanced Navigator Bombardier Training (NBT), Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) training and Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) training after the closure of the other Navigator training bases. Renamed the 3535th Flying Training Wing (3535 FTW), the wing initially flew the Convair T-29 for Air Force Navigator training until the early 1970s when it was replaced by the Boeing T-43A (Boeing 737-200) aircraft.

The 3535 FTW was redesignated as the 323d Flying Training Wing (323 FTW) on April 1, 1973. In 1976, following the decommissioning of Training Squadron TWENTY-NINE (VT-29) at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, the 323 FTW also commenced training of student Naval Flight Officers in the Advanced Maritime Navigation training pipeline. Navy students in this pipeline were destined to fly land-based naval aircraft such as the P-3 Orion, EP-3 Aries and the EC-130 and LC-130 Hercules aircraft. This resulted in UNT being redesignated as Interservice Undergraduate Navigator Training (IUNT). The Navy also activated Naval Air Training Unit (NAVAIRTU) Mather as a parent activity for U.S. Navy instructors, USN students and NATO/Allied naval aviation students assigned to the 323 FTW at Mather. The Marine Aerial Navigation School (MANS) also relocated to Mather in order to train enlisted USMC and USCG navigators for Marine Corps KC-130 and Coast Guard HC-130 aircraft. Cessna T-37 aircraft were also added to the IUNT curriculum in the late 1970s for those USAF students destined for high performance aircraft such as the F-4/RF-4, F-111/FB-111 and B-1.

On April 1, 1958, the Strategic Air Command's (SAC) 4134th Strategic Wing composed of the 72d Bombardment Squadron and 904th Aerial Refueling Squadron was assigned to Mather AFB. The Strategic Wings were formed in the late 1950s as part of SAC's plan to disperse its heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. All of the "Strat" Wings had one squadron of B-52s containing 15 aircraft. Half of the planes were maintained on fifteen minute alert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat. The remaining planes were used for training in bombardment missions and air refueling operations. Most of the "Strat Wings" also had a squadron of KC-135 tankers. The Strategic Wing designation was phased out in early 1963. In most cases, the aircraft and crews remained at the same base, but the wing (and its bomb squadron) were given new designations. The 4134th Strategic Wing was deactivated on February 1, 1963.

The 320th Bombardment Wing (320 BW) was assigned to Mather AFB on February 1, 1963. The 320th BW included the 441st Bombardment Squadron and 904th Aerial Refueling Squadron. The 441 BS flew the B-52G and the 904 ARS flew the KC-135A. The 320 BW and the 441 BS were inactivated on September 30, 1989.

Concurrently operating at Mather as a tenant command from 1963 to 1989 was the Strategic Air Command's 320th Bombardment Wing (320 BW). Replacing SAC's 4134th Strategic Wing at Mather, the 320th initially operated B-52F aircraft acquired from the 4134th before converting to the B-52G Stratofortress and KC-135A Stratotanker. In addition to SAC nuclear alert, the 320 BW also conducted conventional operations, to include maritime missions in support of the U.S. Navy with aerial mines or AGM-84 Harpoon missiles. The 320 BW was inactivated on September 30, 1989.

The 940th Air Refueling Group (940 ARG), an Air Force Reserve unit, moved to Mather AFB in 1977, shortly after it transitioned to the KC-135A. Operationally-gained by SAC, the unit upgraded to the KC-135E in 1986. With SAC's inactivation in 1992, the unit was then operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC) and redesignated the 940th Air Refueling Wing (940 ARW) in 1993. Following the closure of Mather AFB, the 940 ARW temporarily relocated to McClellan AFB from 1993 until that installation's closure in 1998. It then relocated to its current station of Beale AFB.

The 323 FTW continued training USAF Navigators, Naval Flight Officers, NATO/Allied students, as well as conducting advanced training for newly-winged USAF Navigators as Radar Navigator/Bombadiers, EWOs and WSOs until it was inactivated on September 30, 1993. Concurrent with the wing's inactivation, all USAF Navigator and Naval Flight Officer Maritime Navigation pipeline training was moved to Randolph AFB, Texas and consolidated under the 12th Flying Training Wing, which up until that time had primary responsibility for training and certifying instructor pilots.

On October 1, 1993, Mather AFB was decommissioned as an active Air Force Base under the Base Realignment and Closure Act. At the time of closure, the base encompassed 5,845 acres (24 km²), including 129 acres (522,000 m²) of easements. Most of the base was ruled surplus to the needs of the federal government and has been transferred or leased to various entities, primarily the County of Sacramento.

In 1995, the airport was officially reopened as a Sacramento Mather Airport, a 2,675 acre (11 km²) cargo airport. Another 1,432 (5.8 km²) acres became the Mather Regional Park. Other areas of the former Air Force Base have been developed for housing and a business park. The former USAF Hospital was converted into the Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Federal Aviation Administration’s Northern California Terminal Radar Control TRACON facility is also located at Mather.

The U.S. military has identified frozen remains found atop a California glacier as those of a World War II era airman named Ernest G. Munn, who vanished on November 18 1942 on a training flight from Mather Field, the Department of Defense said March 10, 2008. He was 23 at the time.[2]

See also

• California World War II Army Airfields

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Strategic Air Command

External links

• Air Force Navigator Observer Association
• USAF Navigator History