March Air Reserve Base is currently home to the 452nd Air Mobility Wing (AMW) of the USAF Reserve. The flying squadrons of the 452 AMW are the 336th Air Refuelling Squadron (KC-135R Stratotanker) and the 729th Airlift Squadron (C-17A Globemaster III).
In addition to the 452 AMW, the airfield is also home to a detachment from the California ANG’s 144th Fighter Wing, equipped with the F-16C. These aircraft are housed in an alert facility close to the runway. The 144 FW is based at Fresno Air National Guard Base, but is tasked with air defence of the entire state of California. This tasking necessitates a detachment in the southern California region, with March ARB proving an ideal location.
In a sign of things to come, a previous tenant at March ARB, the 163 ARW traded in its KC-135R tankers in 2007 and became the 163rd Reconnaissance Wing. Although still nominally based at March ARB, the 163 RW now operates the MQ-1 Predator armed unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, with the aircraft being operated from a location close to Edwards AFB.
The history of the airfield dates back as far as February 1918, when the US Army established Alessandro Flying Training Field. This was renamed March Field shortly afterwards, in honour of Second Lieutenant Peyton March Jr, son of the Army chief of staff, who was killed in the crash of a Curtiss Jenny, near Fort Worth.
The primary role of the airfield was pilot training, and this continued for a time after the armistice was signed on 11 November 1918. However, flying training was cut down in the 1920s and by 1923 the airfield had closed.
This period of inactivity did not last for too long – in 1926, the army received funding for an increase in pilot training and the establishment of new units. March Field reopened in 1927, initially in its former role as a pilot training airfield. In 1931 however, March Field became an operational base, and during the inter-war period it was home to both fighter and bomber aircraft, under the auspices of the 7th Bombardment Group and the 17th Pursuit Group.
The attack on Pearl Harbour and the resulting entrance of the US into WWII brought a large increase in training, and March Field served as a base for many bombardment groups undergoing final training before being deployed to the Pacific theatre of operations.
At the end of WWII, March was assigned to the newly established Tactical Air Command (TAC), and units based there operated the P-80 Shooting Star and later the F-86 Sabre. These aircraft were later joined by the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, equipped with the FA-26 Invader and the FP-80 Shooting Star, equipped for the reconnaissance mission.
The period of allocation to TAC did not last long however, with March passing to Strategic Air Command in 1949. The 22nd Bombardment Wing was assigned to March, bringing their B-29 Superfortress bombers with them. The fighters, by then consolidated into the 1st Fighter Interceptor Wing left for Victorville, which later became known as George AFB.
After serving in the Korean War the 22 BW returned to March AFB and gained a squadron of new KC-97 tankers. These were followed shortly afterwards by the first B-47s which replaced the B-29 bombers. The KC-97s gave the B-47s global range and the 22 BW used this to deploy in strength to destinations including RAF Upper Heyford in England.
New equipment arrived in 1963 when the B-47s were replaced by the larger B-52 and the KC-97 by the much more modern KC-135 jet tanker. The 22 BW operated various models of the B-52 right up until the early 1980s, and aircraft and crews conducted combat deployments to Guam and Thailand during the Vietnam War.
The B-52D was retired in 1982, and with that the 22 BW became the 22nd Air Refuelling Wing, equipped with the new KC-10 Extender tanker. At the same time, the active duty USAF units on the airfield were joined by the 163rd Tactical Fighter Group of the California ANG, equipped with the F-4 Phantom. This squadron later became the 163rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, flying the RF-4C Phantom.
The end of the Cold War brought further changes. The disbandment of SAC meant that the 22 ARW passed to the newly formed Air Mobility Command. However, by 1996 March AFB had been handed over to the Air Force Reserve Command as March Air Reserve Base (ARB).
The new tenant unit was the 452nd Air Mobility Wing (AMW), operating the KC-135R and the C-141 Starlifter. In 2005 the C-141 was replaced by the C-17, with the 452 AMW being the first AFRC wing to operate the type as an independent unit, rather than being attached to an operational wing.
During 1979, a museum was established within the perimeter of March AFB. Initially under the control of the USAF, the museum was transferred to a non-profit organisation in 1996. The collection of aircraft was originally stored on the airfield flight line, but moved to its current location on the west side of the airfield in 1993.
The museum is now home to over 70 aircraft, many of which have relevance to the history of the airfield, and to the wider history of the USAF in California. Several of the airframes on display relate to the period before and during WWII, although most are from the post-war era.
The WWII period is represented by several heavy bomber types, including the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-25 Mitchell. The museum also has a B-29 Superfortress in its collection, a type that was of course based at March during the 1940s.
Continuing the bomber theme, there are examples of the next Boeing bombers to enter service, the B-47 and the B-52. The B-47 is currently undergoing restoration, and I look forward to seeing it restored to the colour scheme it carried when assigned to the 22 BW at March AFB. The vital tanker operations of the same period are represented by examples of the KC-97L and KC-135A.
The museum also has a good collection of early jet fighters, with examples of various marks of F-86 and F-84 on display. Rarest aircraft from this early jet age is the Bell P-59A Airacomet. This aircraft is the only surviving A-model P-59, and spent time based at March Field in 1945. Although the aircraft had a brief service life, it paved the way for later designs such as the P-80 Shooting Star.
These early jet fighters were replaced by the more advanced “Century Series” of aircraft, starting with the F-100 Super Sabre. The museum has a good selection of aircraft from this period, including examples of the F-100, F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter and a pair of F-105 Thunderchiefs. Of these aircraft the F-100 and at least one of the F-105s saw active service during the Vietnam War.
In almost every US air museum, you will find an example of the F-4 Phantom – the March museum actually has three in their collection! Two of these aircraft are former California ANG aircraft which served at March AFB in the late 1980s and early 1990s – an F-4E and an RF-4C, both of which are displayed in the colour schemes they were retired in.
The third Phantom is from an earlier period, an F-4C which served with the 8th TFW “Wolfpack” during the Vietnam War. The aircraft has been restored to the colour scheme it wore whilst with the Wolfpack, and its restoration has been dedicated to a crew lost flying a similar aircraft in August 1966.
Representing the other side in the Vietnam War, the museum has a good collection of former Warsaw Pact aircraft, comprising MiG-15UTI, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21 and MiG-23. Most of these aircraft are former Czechoslovakian Air Force, and are parked in numerical order along the appropriately named “MiG Alley”.
One aircraft that undoubtedly has a colourful history is the museum’s Piasecki H-21B Workhorse helicopter. This aircraft saw service with the USAF between 1956 and 1963, venturing as far as Alaska. Declared surplus on retirement, its movements are somewhat unclear, until it was donated to the museum by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and Riverside Police in 1991. It came into their possession in 1985, apparently after being seized during a drugs raid!
Experience in fighting the Vietnam War led to the USAF requesting an aircraft suitable to perform a battlefield close air support role. Two companies (Northrop and Fairchild Republic) submitted designs, with the eventual winner being the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. The unsuccessful proposal was the Northrop YA-9A, of which two aircraft were produced. Both survive today, and both reside in California. The March museum has one of these aircraft, a rather anonymous looking machine when compared to the tough looking A-10, although apparently a capable aircraft. The YA-9A bears a resemblance to the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot, operated by the Warsaw Pact air forces in a similar close air support role.
California can claim to be the home of the SR-71 Blackbird, being the state where it was designed, built, tested and based. The museum is lucky enough to have an example of this wonderful aircraft, which still manages to look sleek and futuristic, despite having been out of service for over 10 years.
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2010-04-19 - Alastair McBean
Interesting to compare the exhibits with my visit in 1997. Few new paint jobs there.
Excellent article and museum.
2010-03-29 - Trevor Reoch
What a great report, yes the Museum is this good, we visited it on 22nd December 2009 and found it to be very interesting and really good for photography.
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