Dover AFB History The Beginning -- World War II Immediately after the United States entered World War II in 1941, the newly completed Dover Municipal Airfield was leased to the U.S. Army Air Corps and assigned to the Eastern Defense Command as a coastal patrol base. By Christmas of that year, the 112th Observation Squadron, a federalized Ohio National Guard unit, flew the first missions from the field. During the next 55 years, a variety of flying organizations would call Dover home. Eventually, the base became home for the only all C-5 equipped wing in Air Mobility Command and the largest, busiest airport facility on the U.S. east coast. Early in 1942, a construction program began extending the runway and making the airfield suitable for operation of heavy aircraft. In April, the 39th Bombardment Squadron equipped with B-25 "Mitchell" medium bombers, was stationed here to conduct anti-submarine patrols. In Feb 1943, the 39th Bombardment Squadron moved to Fort Dix Army Field, New Jersey and Dover closed to air traffic until completion of runway construction. The 7,000 foot runway and 29,000 square yards of paved apron would be completed in August 1943 when the airfield reopened. The Army Air Forces used Dover as a training base for hundreds of P-47 Thunderbolt fighter pilots. These pilots earned their wings under the watchful eyes of live combat instructors. In addition to fighter pilot training, the base became a site for the development of air launched rockets, manned by a special unit of the Air Technical Service Command. The weapons construction and experimentation played a decisive role in the final phase of World War II. After the war, Dover Army Airfield became a pre-separation processing center, until its inactivation. The field reactivated in 1951 and was assigned under the Air Defense Command. The 148th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Pennsylvania National Guard was assigned to Dover and a year later the 80th Air Base Squadron activated, maintained, and provided support services for the squadron and three other units. On 1 April 1952, the Military Air Transport Services (MATS) assumed command jurisdiction over Dover and the base began its important strategic airlift mission that it continues to this day. In a little more than a year, four support units of MATS Atlantic Division set up on the base and became the nucleus that formed the 1607th Air Transport Wing (ATW). The 1607 ATW activated on 1 January 1954 and took over host unit responsibility for Dover. MATS redesignated as Military Airlift Command (MAC) 1 January 1966. Simultaneously, the 436th Military Airlift Wing replaced the inactivated 1607 ATW as host wing for Dover Air Force Base. Over the next four decades, Team Dover, both active duty and reserve, provided strategic airlift in support of nearly every worldwide contingency including the Yom Kippur War in 73, the invasion of Grenada in 1983, Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM, and today's current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to contingency support Team Dover also participates in humanitarian operations. Theses include those close to home such as hurricane relief, ecological disasters and severe weather equipment airlift. Dover also supports the worldwide humanitarian mission as well. When needed, Dover aircrews provide personal evacuation services, and the transportation of life-saving supplies, and equipment. In all, Dover personnel have stepped on every continent and more than 65 countries on the Earth. Dover Air Force Base continues to shine in the eyes of military, local community leaders, and the general public. This fact was best exemplified when Dover Air Force Base won the 2008 United States Air Force Commander-in-Chief Installation Excellence award and earned runner-up accolades in the 2010 competition. . This award was presented annually, by high ranking senior Air Force officials, to the best base in the entire Air Force. This event also marked the first time that this award was captured by any Air Mobility Command installation. The future holds many challenges for Dover Air Force Base, but as its rich heritage has shown, Team Dover will be ready and able to lend powerful support to any situation that may lie ahead. Base Operating Units 112th Observation Squadron 20 December 1941 103d Regiment, Corps of Engineers (USA) 25 December 1941 45th Bomb Group May 1942 312th Air Base and Headquarter Squadron 31 August 1942 125th Base Unit (later Army Air Force Base Unit) 10 April 1944 320th AAF Base Unit 1 April 1946 4404th Standby Base Squadron 23 August 1948 (Various Ninth Air force operating units stationed on base during temporary inactive period.) 148th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 16 February 1951 80th Air Base Squadron 1 February 1952 1607th Air Base Group 1 August 1953 1607th Air Transport Wing 1 June 1954 436th Air Base Group 8 November 1966 436th Support Group 1 December 1991 436th Mission Support Group 1 December 2001 Base Commanders Major Lester H. Barnhill 20 December 1941 Major Bent April 1942 Col George A. MacHenry May 1942 Major Homer B. Heacock 20 September 1942 Lt Col Albert A. Price 21 August 1943 Major Francis C. Doring 16 September 1943 Lt Col Robert E. Kirtley 29 January 1944 Lt Col Edwin M. Dixon 30 March 1944 Colonel Harold J. Rau 5 February 1945 Colonel Kenneth R. Powell 3 February 1946 Colonel Harold J. Rau 10 August 1946 Lt Col Emil Sluga 3 September 1946 Lt Col Jerome I. Steeves 18 September 1946 Major William R. Dugan 10 June 1947 Major Roydon L. Reichley 1 May 1948 Lt Col David M. Singer 25 April 1949 Major Russell G. Ogan 16 February 1951 Lt Col Robert V. McHale 17 October 1951 Unknown 1 February - 31 March 1952 Colonel Paul A, Zartman 1 May 1952 Colonel Alfred H. Dehle 1 January 1954 Colonel Paul A, Zartman 5 March 1954 Colonel Alfred H. Dehle 23 June 1954 Colonel Francis C. Gideon 27 July 1954 Colonel Nicholas S. deTolly 1 January 1956 Colonel Marvin Sledge 1 December 1956 Colonel Wayne M. Beumeler 21 February 1958 Colonel John L. Parker 3 July 1958 Colonel Jackson R. Burns 19 January 1960 Colonel Robert H. Stuart 1 March 1960 Colonel Lloyd R. Humphreys 1 July 1962 Colonel James J. Hayes 1 February 1967 Colonel Charles E. Clague, Jr. 1 June 1971 Colonel Daniel J. McVicar 5 September 1972 Colonel Jerri C. Wells 1 June 1975 Colonel Harold H. Hester 1 July 1975 Colonel Kenneth W. Durham 1 October 1976 Colonel Charles F. Renner 8 August 1977 Colonel Vincent J. McDonald 1 April 1979 Colonel Paul A. Harvey 22 March 1980 Colonel Robert J. Svoboda 10 August 1981 Colonel Leland F. Small 6 April 1982 Colonel Richard M. Murphy 31 May 1984 Colonel Richard B. Harper, Jr. 15 August 1985 Colonel Dennis L. Primoli 15 July 1988 Colonel Doyle E. Brady 6 February 1990 Colonel Gary D. Dills 18 June 1993 Colonel Walter I, Jones 23 June 1995 Colonel Maria I. Cribbs 15 July 1996 Colonel Charles F. Schreck 7 July 1998 Colonel Joseph M. Drobezko 26 June 2000 Colonel Gregory W. Coker 23 April 2002 Colonel Charles P. Smiley 1 August 2002 Colonel Robert J. King 27 May 2004 Colonel Vic Sowers 14 July 2006 Colonel Christopher T. Emmert 15 August 2008 Colonel Joan H. Garbutt 16 July 2010 Aircraft stationed on DAFB ATTACK A-24 1942-1944 13th Tow Target Sqdn (TTS) A-25 1942-1945 13 TTS/125th Base Unit (BU) A-26 1944-1946 4146 BU (rocket test operation) A-29 1944-1946 13 TTS/125 BU RA-25 1944-1945 13 TTS BOMBER B-17 1944-1946 4146 BU/125 TTS/125 BU B-24 1944-1946 4146 BU/125 TTS/125 BU B-25 1942-46 & 1954 45th Bomb Group (BG); 45th Bomb Squadron 3rd Anti-Sub Squadron; 46th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron B-26 1944-1945 13 TTS/125 BU B-34 1944-1946 13 TTS/125 BU CARGO C-5 1971-Present 436th Military Airlift Wing (MAW); 436th Airlift Wing (AW) C-17 2008-Present 436th Airlift Wing (AW) C-45 1944-1946, 1952-1959 125 BU; 1607th Air Base Group (ABG) 1607 Air Transport Wing (Heavy) (ATW) C-46 1955-1957 1607 ABG C-47 1944-1946; 1949-1961 4146 BU; 1607 ABG C-54 1953-1957 1607 ABG C-60 1944-1946 4146 BU KC-97G 1960-1965 11th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) C-119 1957 912th Military Airlift Wing, (MAW) Air Force Reserves (AFRES) C-124 1954-1969 1607 ATW; 436 MAW C-133 1957-1971 1607 ATW; 436 MAW C-141 1965-1973 436 MAW FIGHTER F-51 1951&1954 148 FIS; 46th FIS F-80 1946 4146 BU (rocket testing) F-84D 1951 148 FIS F-86A 1950-1951 336 FIS F-89,D,H,J 1953-1959 95 FIS; 98 FIS F-94,B,C 1952-1958 148 FIS; 46th Fighter Squadron (FS) F-101B 1959-1963 98 FIS F-106 1963-1971 95 FIS HELICOPTER CH-3C 1967 1042d Test Squadron (TS) H-43B 1959-1962 Detachment 48, Eastern Air Rescue Service (EARS) DRONES PQ-8 1944-1946 4146 BU (Target Drone) PQ-14 1944-1946 4146 BU (Target Drone) MISCELLANEOUS L-1 1944-1946 4146 BU (rocket testing) L-5 1944-1946 4146 BU (rocket testing) O-47 1941-1942 112th Observation Squadron (OBS) (Ohio National Guard) Federalized SA-16 1952 Unknown ARS PURSUIT P-38 1944-1946 4146 BU P-40 1944-1946 4146 BU P-47 1944-1946 83 FG; 448 FS; 532 FS; 534 FS; 125 BU P-51 1944-1946 4146 BU P-61 1944-1946 4146 BU P-63 1944-1946 4146 BU TRAINER AT-7 1949-1951 Unknown AT-11 1952 46 FIS AT-23 1944-1945 13 TTS; 125 BU BT-13 1944-1946 83 FG; 448 FS; 532 FS; 534 FS; 125 BU VT-29A 1968-1975 1607 ATW T-28 1955 Unknown T-33 1951-1966 46 FIS; 148 FIS; 95 FIS T-34 1962-1964 Base Aero Club