1961-1975c *44TH COMBAT SUPPORT GROUP* ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE LETTERHEAD+MAP!

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Item: 335591849488

Condition:UsedUsed
Seller Notes:“Crisp and clear print. Scuff marks and stains. Several creases. Please refer to scans for items … Read moreabout the seller notes“Crisp and clear print. Scuff marks and stains. Several creases. Please refer to scans for items description.” Read Lessabout the seller notes
Type:Letterhead
Force:Air Force
Theme:Militaria
Country/Region of Manufacture:United States

eBay 1961-1975 circa. ***VIETNAM WAR ERA*** ~DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE~ HEADQUARTERS 44TH SUPPORT GROUP (SAC) ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, SOUTH DAKOTA, 57706 … LETTERHEAD WITH {{INTRICATELY-DETAILED}} BASE MAP OF ELLSWORTH AFB ON BACK … FROM: CHARLES G, SIMPSON, COLONEL, USAF COMMANDER … “DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE LOGO! (Approximate dimensions: 8 1/2″ x 11”). _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Ellsworth Air Force Base Near Rapid City, South Dakota in United States of America A Rockwell B-1B Lancer taking off from Ellsworth AFB Ellsworth AFB Location Show map of North AmericaShow map of the United StatesShow map of South DakotaShow all Coordinates 44°08′47″N 103°04′29″W Type US Air Force base Site information Owner Department of Defense Operator US Air Force Controlled by Air Force Global Strike Command Condition Operational Website [link removed by eBay] Site history Built 1941 (as Rapid City Army Air Base) In use 1941 – present Garrison information Garrison 28th Bomb Wing Airfield information Identifiers IATA: RCA, ICAO: KRCA, FAA LID: RCA, WMO: 726625 Elevation 998.5 metres (3,276 ft) AMSL Runways Direction Length and surface 13/31 4,113.8 metres (13,497 ft) concrete Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: RCA, ICAO: KRCA, FAA LID: RCA) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Strike Command’s Eighth Air Force, the 28 BW is one of the USAF’s two B-1B Lancer wings, along with the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas. In 2023, the 28th Bomb Wing is commanded by Colonel Derek Oakley;[2] its command chief master sergeant was Chief Master Sergeant Adam Vizi.[3] Ellsworth has a population of about 8,000 military members, family members and civilian employees. Rapid City itself has a population of 78,824. There are about 3,800 military retirees in western South Dakota.[citation needed] For decades, Ellsworth’s main entrance included a symbolic B-52 Stratofortress, a gift from the citizens of Rapid City.[citation needed] This entrance has recently been replaced. An expansion of a bomber training area encompassing the Northern Plains known as the Powder River Training Complex began in 2008.[citation needed] History Ellsworth AFB was established in 1941 as Rapid City Army Air Base (AAB). It was later renamed for Brigadier GeneralRichard E. Ellsworth (1911–1953), a 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing commander killed when his RB-36 Peacemaker aircraft crashed near Burgoyens Cove, Newfoundland, during a training flight. World War II On 2 January 1942 during World War II, the United States War Departmentestablished Rapid City Army Air Base to train B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber units to fight the Axis in Europe. The control tower opened on 30 September 1942; runways, quarters, offices, and facilities were complete on 1 October 1942, and five hangars were completed in late 1942. The airfield had three concrete runways, 7050×300 (N/S), 7000×300 (E/W), and 7872×300 (NW/SE). Rapid City AAF was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Training Wing, II Bomber Command. The 88th Bombardment Group was reassigned to the new base in October 1942 to be the base’s Operational Training Unit. In March 1944, the 225th Army Air Force Base Unit switched from training entire units to training individual replacement personnel to send to units deployed overseas. The field’s instructors taught thousands of pilots, navigators, radio operators and gunners from nine heavy bombardment groups and numerous smaller units. On 15 July 1945, the 225th AAFBU was inactivated and Rapid City AAB was placed on standby status as the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) began to demobilize. Postwar era, 1945–1947 Rapid City AAB was reactivated on 11 October 1945 and was assigned to Continental Air Forces. It was designated a permanent facility by the USAAF. The base briefly trained weather reconnaissance and combat squadrons using P-61 Black Widow, P-38 Lightning, P-51 Mustang, and B-25 Mitchell aircraft. From September 1946 to March 1947, the airfield was shut down for major improvements to accommodate the B-29 Superfortress. An extension to the runway was completed in spring 1948. 28th Bombardment Wing, 1948–1958 Rapid City Air Force Base B-36 hangar. A B-36 bears the SAC tail code Triangle-S of the 28th Bomb Wing. SAC eliminated tail codes in 1953. When operations resumed in 1947, its primary unit was the new 28th Bombardment Wing (28 BMW) flying the B-29. The installation changed names a few more times during its early years. In January 1948, Air Force Chief of Staff general Carl A. Spaatz renamed it Weaver Air Force Base in honor of brigadier general Walter R. Weaver, one of the pioneers in the development of the United States Air Force as an independent service. In June of that year, in response to overwhelming public appeals, Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Symington returned the base name to its previous name of Rapid City AFB. More runway improvements were completed in July 1949, allowing the 28 BMW to switch from B-29s to the huge B-36 Peacemaker. In April 1950, the Air Staff reassigned the base from 15th Air Force to 8th Air Force. In March 1953, an RB-36 crashed in Newfoundland while returning from a routine exercise in Europe, killing all 23 aboard, including brigadier general Richard E. Ellsworth, commander of the 28th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. On 13 June 1953, president Dwight D. Eisenhowervisited the base to re-dedicate it in memory of Ellsworth. The base was subsequently renamed Ellsworth AFB, and unlike the previous local controversy in 1948, there was no community objection to the name change. On August 27, 1954, another RB-36H crashed into a hill while performing a landing, following a routine training mission. 24 of the 27 crewmembers were killed in the initial crash, and the remaining 3 were critically injured;[4] 2 later died from their injuries, leaving only one survivor. At a total death toll of 26, this crash remains the deadliest in B-36 history,[5] surpassing the record set by the crash in Newfoundland the previous year.[6] An investigation revealed multiple factors contributed to the crash. A previous lightning storm had damaged the warning lights on the hillside and they had not been fixed. Additionally, both the plane’s altometer and the ground radar had been incorrectly calibrated, causing both pilot and ground control to misinterpret the distance nd angle at which the aircraft was approaching.[5] Headquarters Strategic Air Command (SAC) reassigned the 28 BMW from 8th Air Force back to 15th Air Force in October 1955. About one year later, SAC set plans in motion to replace the 28th’s B-36s with the new all-jet B-52 Stratofortress. The last B-36 left Ellsworth on 29 May 1957 and the first B-52 arrived sixteen days later. In 1958, all base units came under the command of the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division, headquartered at Ellsworth. Air Defense Command, 1953–1962 Air Defense Command (ADC) activated the 740th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Rapid City AFB on 1 February 1953 under the ADC 31st Air Division. The site was located on the base, and was given designation M-97. The site was part of the ADC’s planned deployment of 44 mobile radar stations across the United States to support the permanent air defense radar network established during the Cold War. The squadron was reassigned to the 29th Air Division on 16 February 1953, and Rapid City AFB was re-designated Ellsworth AFB. The 740th AC&W Squadron began operations in 1955 with AN/MPS-7 search radar, and initially the station functioned as a ground-controlled interception (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron’s role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit’s radar scopes. An AN/MPS-14 height-finder radar was added in 1956. In 1959 an AN/FPS-20A search radar replaced the AN/MPS-7 set. The squadron was reassigned to the Minot Air Defense Sector on 1 January 1961. Air Defense Command deactivated the Ellsworth radar site on 15 August 1962 and the 740th was discontinued. After M-97 closed, coverage was assumed by Sundance AFS, Wyoming (TM-201/Z-201).[7][8] Nike missiles, 1957–1962 Nike missile air defense sites around Ellsworth To provide air defense of the base, the United States Army established the Ellsworth AFB Defense Area in 1957 and constructed Nike-Ajax surface-to-air missilesites. Sites were located near Ellsworth AFB: E-01 was north 44°12′09″N 103°05′50″W, E-20 was east-northeast 44°09′02″N 103°00′10″W, E-40 was south-southeast 44°06′14″N 103°05′54″W, and E-70 was west-southwest 44°09′12″N 103°12′59″W. Headquarters facilities were located at Ellsworth. In 1958, batteries E-20, E-40, and E-70 were removed from service and E-01 was converted to fire Nike Hercules missiles. This battery remained in service until 1961 as part of the reduction of the air defenses in the United States against aircraft. An Army Air-Defense Command Post (AADCP) was established at Ellsworth in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions. The site was equipped with the AN/GSG-5(V) BIRDIE solid-state computer system. The AADCP was integrated with the Air Defense Command general surveillance radar facilities. The AADCP ceased all operations when the ADC radar site shut down in 1962. After the Army closed their facilities, the military housing at the Nike Integrated Fire Control sites was transferred to control of Ellsworth, and was used as USAF military family housing until about 1990. 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron 4th ACCS EC-135G Airborne Launch Control Center at Ellsworth AFB, SD From 1 April 1970 to 30 September 1992, the 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (ACCS), part of the 28th BMW, provided airborne command post responsibilities with specially modified Boeing EC-135 airborne command post aircraft for Strategic Air Command. The 4th ACCS was the workhorse of Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) operations. Three dedicated Airborne Launch Control Centers(ALCC) (pronounced “Al-see”), designated ALCC No. 1, ALCC No. 2, and ALCC No. 3 were on ground alert around-the-clock providing ALCS coverage for five of the six Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Wings. These dedicated ALCCs were mostly EC-135A aircraft but sometimes were EC-135C or EC-135G aircraft, depending on availability. ALCC No. 1 was on ground alert at Ellsworth and during a wartime scenario, its role would have been to take off and orbit between the Minuteman Wings at Ellsworth AFB and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, providing ALCS assistance if needed. ALCCs No. 2 and No. 3 were routinely on forward deployed ground alert at Minot AFB, North Dakota. During a wartime scenario, ALCC No. 3’s role would have been to take off and orbit between the Minuteman ICBM Wings at Minot AFB and Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, providing ALCS assistance if needed. ALCC No. 2’s dedicated role was to take off and orbit near the Minuteman ICBM Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, providing ALCS assistance if needed. The 4th ACCS also maintained an EC-135C or EC-135G on ground alert at Ellsworth as the West Auxiliary Airborne Command Post (WESTAUXCP), which was a backup to SAC’s Looking GlassAirborne National Command Post (ABNCP), as well as a radio relay link between the Looking Glass and ALCCs when airborne. Although equipped with ALCS, the WESTAUXCP did not have a dedicated Minuteman ICBM wing to provide ALCS assistance to.[9][10] B-1B Lancer, 1987–present In 1986, the base and the 28 BMW made extensive preparations to phase out the B-52 fleet and become the second home for the advanced B-1B Lancer bomber. Contractors completed new unaccompanied enlisted dormitories in March, a new security police squadron headquarters in October, and gave Ellsworth’s 13,497-foot (4,114 m) runway a much-needed facelift. In addition, they completed new aircraft maintenance facilities for the complex new aircraft. The last of the 28 BMW’s B-52Hs left in early 1986 and in January 1987, the wing received the first of 35 B-1B bombers. The 12th Air Division moved to Ellsworth on 15 July 1988. This organization was responsible for training B-1B, B-52, and KC-135 Stratotanker aircrews at Ellsworth and other SAC bases in the region. Headquarters SAC activated a third wing, the 99th Strategic Weapons Wing, at Ellsworth on 10 August 1989. This wing assumed primary responsibility for B-1B advanced aircrew training. 44th Strategic Missile Wing HGM-25A Titan I Missile, 1960–1965 In October 1960, Ellsworth entered the “Space Age,” with the activation of the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, initially assigned to the 28 BMW. For more than a year this squadron prepared for the emplacement of HGM-25A Titan I intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which finally arrived in 1962, shortly after the activation of the 44th Strategic Missile Wing (44 SMW) in January. Headquarters SAC named the 44th SMW ‘host wing’ at Ellsworth. The Titan I Missile retired in 1965. LGM-30 Minuteman Missile, 1962–1994 Ellsworth AFB Main Gate with a B-52D on static display in the background, c.1988 In July 1962, SAC activated the 66th Missile Squadron, the first of three such units slated to operate 150 LGM-30B Minuteman I ICBMs under the 44th Strategic Missile Wing (SMW). The 67th Missile Squadron joined the 44th in August, followed by the 68th Missile Squadron in September 1962. The older Titan I’s were inactivated in March 1965. On 1 June 1971, SAC inactivated the 821st Strategic Aerospace Division and by October of that year, an upgraded LGM-30F Minuteman II also replaced the Minuteman I missiles. Ellsworth soon became known as one of “The Showplaces of SAC” along with Minot AFB and Grand Forks AFB as it continued to fight the Cold War by maintaining two legs of America’s strategic triad: strategic bombardment and ICBMs. It carried out these missions for more than 15 years with relatively little change. The 1980s brought many new challenges. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ We strive to find rare and unusual vintage pieces to match up with your special collection. Returns are readily accepted if the item(s) is the same as described. Item(s) must be in the exact condition as delivered. Buyer pays return shipping. Items $30.00 or more will be shipped with tracking. Items $200.00 or more will be shipped with insurance. Combined shipping discount for multiple purchases (Please wait for us to send invoice for 2 or more items). Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. 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