History Sondrestrom Air Base

1 history

1.1 names
1.2 base operating units
1.3 major commands assigned
1.4 founding , construction
1.5 operations

history
names

established on 20 october 1941 , named bluie west 8 (bw-8); codenamed bodkin in communications.


renamed: sondrestromfjord army air base, 1945
renamed: sondrestromfjord air base, 25 october 1947
renamed: sondrestrom air base, 10 january 1952

base operating units

417th base hq & air base squadron, 26 september 1942
1385th army air force base unit, 1 october 1945
1004th air base squadron (redesignated: 1234th air base squadron, 1 october 1948), 1 june 1948
greenland base command, 21 june 1949 – 9 october 1950
6621st air base squadron, 20 july 1951
6621st air base group, 25 september 1955
4084th air base group, 1 april 1957
4684th air base group, 1 july 1960—1 june 1992
1015th air base squadron, subordinate unit 1012th air base group @ thule, unit designation @ least october 89 closing in september 92
2004th airways & air communications squadron(aacs)(mats)

major commands assigned

first united states army, 15 january 1941
eastern defense command (u.s. army), 12 december 1942
air transport command, 1 january 1946
military air transport service, 1 april 1948
northeast air command, 1–9 october 1950; 20 july 1951
strategic air command, 1 april 1957
air defense (redesignated: aerospace defense) command, 15 january 1968
strategic air command, 1 december 1979 – 30 june 1983
air force space command 1 july 1983 september 92 closing

founding , construction

following fall of denmark germany in world war ii, responsibility security of greenland passed american military under terms of 9 april 1941 treaty defected danish ambassador in washington. military leaders responded building several bases in greenland, largest of bluie west 1 in narsarsuaq in southern greenland , bluie west 8 along kangerlussuaq fjord.

the site of bw-8 had been contemplated airfield, , professor william hobbs of university of michigan had operated meteorological station there in 1927-28. station named mount evans, while supporting base camp @ site of present seaport named camp lloyd. 1,500 foot long dirt airstrip 8 miles east prepared expected aircraft of atlantic flyers bert hassell , parker cramer. they, however, ran out of fuel , walked remaining distance sondrestrom. location @ bottom of sondrestromfjord far coast 1 can on land in greenland, , though climate severe, more favorable aviation coast. approaches clear, although runway has slope.

during august 1940, u.s. coast guard cutter duane supported aerial survey commanded army captain julius k. lacey. lacey s curtiss soc-4, numerous photographs obtained of promising runway alignments in area. 6 11 may 1941, south greenland survey expedition led lt. cdr. william e. sinton further examined area uscgc northland, carried same soc-4 aerial surveys. charts , plans drawn in expectation of major construction expedition fall. expedition charted seaplane operating sites @ monroe bay (tatsip ata) , angujartorfik downfjords sondrestrom.

bluie west-8 founded on 7 october 1941 31-man expedition commanded captain (later colonel) bernt balchen of united states army air forces (usaaf). major sealift followed. airport ready operation in spring of 1942. road of ten miles length connected airfield site port location (camp lloyd) farther down fjord. seasonal access ships during late summer , autumn, during days fjord ice broken longer period.

to identify , guide approach bw-8, auxiliary station placed @ cruncher island, known simiutak, @ entrance sondrestromfjord. station, operational 4 september 1942, provided meteorological reports, radio communications, radio beacon , lights air , sea traffic. known bw-9.

operations

bw-8 intended link in northern air ferry route known u.s. planners crimson route, transpired few aircraft ferried europe through it. instead, base earned keep alternate field, radio , weather reporting station, , departure point search-and-rescue operations elsewhere in greenland. during 2 years colonel balchen in command, led numerous expeditions throughout island, in rescue operations downed aircrew.

as reliever greenland command headquarters base in narsarsuaq, bluie west one, bw-8 late 1942 assisted small fields @ bluie east 2 in east greenland, , teague field on west coast midways between bw-8 , bw-1.

the danish government briefly controlled base in 1950, following renewed base treaty (also resulting in construction of thule air base), united states reopened bw-8 under name of sondrestrom air base on 27 april 1951. sondrestrom ab became instrumental in airlift build thule ab, although had little function of own, , had permanently stationed aircraft. however, base served support air refueling tankers, , trans-atlantic ferry flights short-ranged jet fighters continued transit in post-war period.

when distant warning line constructed in late 1950s , 1960s, sondrestrom ab received new lease on life. assisted in building of 4 radar stations spanning greenland (dye-1 through 4).

passenger airplane @ sondrestrom air base in august 1974

in mid-1950s, scandinavian airlines system (sas) began using base refueling station on new polar route between scandinavia , united states. use fell off in 1960s airliners gained greater range. however, in 1970s boeing 707 airliners operated dan-air between united kingdom , vancouver stopped refuel. base became hub of greenland air traffic , destination regular air service , copenhagen. united states air force continued use base occasional traffic, , in particular yearly resupply of dye stations. center seasonal scientific activity.

following fall of soviet union , abandonment of dye stations in 1991, usefulness of base diminished. last air force personnel left base on 30 september 1992. became kangerlussuaq airport, still main hub greenland air travel.