THE NEW HAMPSHIRE AIR NATIONAL GUARD
AT GRENIER FIELD
1947-1966
by
Tom Hildreth

ROOTS OF THE NHANG
    During World War II, the 529th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (FBS) operated in the China-India-Burma (CBI) theater of operations as one of three squadrons assigned to the 311th Fighter Group (FG). The unit flew the North American A-36, which was an early fighter-bomber version of the P-51 Mustang fighter. Operating from Nawadih, India from 17 September 1943, the 529th was reassigned to bases in China beginning 23 August 1944, and remained in that country until 14 December 1945. The squadron was inactivated on 6 January 1946, and on 24 May of that year was redesignated the 133d Fighter Squadron (FS) and allocated to the National Guard. The present-day New Hampshire Air National Guard is a descendant of the organization described above.

THE AIR GUARD STRUGGLES TO EXIST
    While the 529th was busy establishing its combat record in the CBI, select Army leaders were looking ahead, planning for a postwar Army. Among these military planners were a number of generals who felt a large active duty Army was the way to a secure future. This powerful group included some who were supporting the formation of an independent Air Force in the postwar period. National Guard leadership was excluded from these early meetings because the brass saw no role for the Guard in the postwar period. This point of view stood only as long as one overlooked recent history. During the First World War, the National Guard contributed 18 of 43 divisions of the American Expeditionary Force. In the Second World War, 8 of 14 American divisions deployed overseas by the end of 1942 were of National Guard origin. A longer look at history showed that American dependence on the citizen soldier was an established tradition, the cornerstone of a nation that did not favor a large standing Army.
    The internal power struggle of the generals continued throughout 1944. Early that year, Maj. Gen Ellard A. Walsh was president of the National Guard Association (NGAUS). Walsh, a Minnesota Guardsman, stressed in Washington that the National Guard's role of first-line combat reserve with dual state-federal status should be preserved. The Army quickly came to the understanding that the National Guard had considerable political support on Capitol Hill. By May of 1945, the National Guard Bureau (NGB) had assumed a position within the War Department that ensured a significant postwar role for the reserve force. On 9 February 1946 the NGB officially announced the Air Guard plan to the states and territories. On 30 June 1946, Colorado's 120th FS became the first of the postwar National Guard units to be federally recognized.

NASCENCE
    On 4 October 1946, the 133d Fighter Squadron was assigned to the New Hampshire National Guard. Brig. Gen. Charles F. Bowen, Adjutant General for the state was granted authority to recruit and organize 50 officers and 303 enlisted men for the 133d Fighter Squadron, which was to equip with the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Supporting units were the 133d Utility Flight, Det B 201st Air Service Group, and the 133d Weather Station. On the first evening drill, 13 officers and 14 enlisted men signed the 133d FS roster, while 2 officers and 22 enlisted men signed the roster of the 201st Air Service Group. On 14 April 1947, the growing organization received federal recognition.

The very first aircraft to arrive at Manchester included a group of North American T-6 Texans
such as this one photographed at Keene, NH by Paul. R. Trask. The state lettering on the
fuselage indicates that these markings may have been applied before the Air Force became an independent department of the US military.

    The arrival of the first New Hampshire National Guard P-47s took place at Grenier Field in Manchester on 28 May 1947. These Thunderbolts were flown in from the large Air Depot at Olmstead Field, Middletown, Pennsylvania by pilots from Dow Field in Bangor, Maine. Aircraft maintenance officer Capt. Stanley Drinkwater, tech supply officer 1Lt. John D. Woodward, and supply clerk Ernest Purcell were on temporary tours of duty (TDY) at Olmstead for training in supply procedures at this time. Eventually, 4 Douglas B-26 light bombers, 4 North American AT-6A Texan trainers, and 2 C-47A Skytrain transports arrived to equip the burgeoning establishment.
Lt. Col. Charles G.Y. Normand, a New Hampshire native and decorated fighter pilot took command of the 133d on 7 November 1947. Normand guided the 133d through many start-up problems shared by National Guard units everywhere at this time. Equipped with a large number of aircraft, parts for the fleet were hard to get, and paychecks were often late. Recruitment was a top priority, and most of the early members of the establishment were World War II veterans. The unit drill periods were scheduled for two Tuesdays per month, while flying missions took place on a more random basis as the pilots found time. The pay for an NCO was $2 per drill, while a full-time maintenance technician, hand-picked by the adjutant general earned about $50 per week.
                                                                                                                          

T-6D Texan 42-84772 of the 133d FS photographed by W.J. Balogh, Sr. in the late 1940s.   
   
    The goal of creating a separate Air Force was realized on 18 September 1947 when the National Defense Act led to the organization of the United States Air Force (USAF). From this point on, the units at Grenier Field would be known as Air National Guard (ANG) organizations.The first Annual Training (AT) period consisted of a summer deployment to Dow Field in Bangor, Maine in 1948. The 133d FS and its supporting units joined with other units of the parent 101st FG, which included the 132d FS, Maine ANG and the 134 FS, Vermont ANG during this first training period. On 1 December 1948 the 101st FG was transferred from the First Air Force to the Continental Air Command (CONAC).

Below: Republic F-47 Thunderbolt at Grenier Field in the early
days of the New Hampshire ANG

Right: Two F-47 Thunderbolts of the 133d Fighter Squadron
repose on the ramp outside the main hangar. Runway
17-35 can be seen running left to right in the background

Left: Prior to the outbreak of the Korean War, the Air Guard was
rapidly modernizing, as shown in this 1949 photo of a Lockheed
F-80C Shooting Star. Photo courtesy 104FW MA ANG.

Left: Lockheed F-94B Starfire of the 133d FIS photographed by W.J. Balogh, Sr. This aircraft was a two-seater, with a pilot in front and radar operator in back. Never a stellar performer, it was capable of limited all-weather intercept operation.

    Two T-33 jet trainers arrived in 1953, along with two B-25 Mitchell bombers. On 12 December 1953, Gen. Bowen announced the 133d would transition to the two-place Lockheed F-94A/B Starfire jet interceptor. These aircraft were more complex than any of the previous types operated by the NHANG, and $1,750,000 in federal funding was earmarked for a permanent facility at Grenier Field for the 133d. Much of the activities of the unit to this point had been conducted from the World War II facilities that had been Grenier Army Airfield.

    The first Starfires arrived on 9 June 1954. With most ANG units, training for the back seat radar observer was accomplished by the TB-25K Mitchell bomber, which was modified with a nose radar identical to that of the Starfire. The trainee sat at a position inside the bomber equipped with a radar scope. Unlike later interceptor aircraft, the Starfire was not an automated platform. Ground radar stations would steer the aircraft to a position in the sky from which the aircraft's radar could pick up the target and the radar observer would work with the F-94 pilot to track and close in on the target for identification or shoot down. Lightly armed with four .50 cal. machine guns, the A/B Starfires were equipped with afterburning engines for quick climb and acceleration.
    The 133d FIS often worked with the Air Defense Command's 762d Aircraft Control & Warning (AC & W) Squadron at the N. Truro, Massachusetts radar site on Cape Cod. The 762d operated a Gap Filler Annex (GFA) site at Rye Air Force Station (AFS) beginning in 1951. This site is now known as Pt. Odiorne State Park. In addition to this, a GFA was planned for Moultonborough, New Hampshire, but was never built. According to retired NHANG personnel, the 654th AC & W squadron at NAS Brunswick, Maine also directed the Starfires of the 133d FIS.

Left: The Winston P. Wilson Trophy was awarded to the 133d FIS for runway alert duty performed at
Manchester from October, 1954 until June, 1956. During this period, the unit flew numerous interecept
missions in defense of the greater Manchester area. The Wilson trophy recognized the 133d as the
outstanding Air Guard jet fighter unit of the day. Wilson was one of the most important leaders in
Air Guard history. He joined the Arkansas National Guard as a mechanic in 1929, became a pilot and
was later sworn in as Chief of the National Guard Bureau in 1963. At a time of great Air Force reluctance,
Wilson insisted that the Air Guard be given a wartime mission for which it would equip and train, while
enhancing its professional image and earning equal stature with the active-duty Air Force.

Right: Governor Lane Dwinnel and Pilot James E. Cuddihee
appear to be reviewing the flight chart alongside a Lockheed
F-94A Starfire interceptor. Photo from 1957-1958 period

    The NHANG was destined to operate the F-86L Sabrejets for a very short period of time, only about two years. It is easy to question the proficiency level attained in this short time span. In fact, in "Granite Wings", the official history of the NHANG, the section "Summer Camp, 1958" seems to raise more questions than it answers. It is known that for "live fire" missions with the F-86L, all units had to operate from bases in either Florida, or the southwest USA. This is because the armament of the aircraft was the "Mighty Mouse" air rocket, and there was no range in the northeast suitable for use of this weapon. Still, the report states that of the 119 missions flown during the summer camp at Otis AFB, MA five were gunnery missions. Further, NH Governor Lane Dwinell visited the Guardsmen during the 1958 summer camp at Otis, and it is reported that he, "....was fitted out with a flight suit and took a ride in a Sabrejet fighter." It has since been determined that Governor Dwinell flew in a T-33A trainer, as all F-86 Sabrejets were single-seat aircraft. The author feels it is possible the 119 gunnery missions were flown in T-33 trainers armed with .50 cal machine guns.
    Short though the F-86L Sabrejet's operational service with the NHANG may have been, this situation was not unusual. There were 29 ANG F-86D/L squadrons in 1959, with the majority of these units transitioning to other aircraft types by 1963. Newer, more capable interceptors were entering service with USAF, at a time when the perceived threat from Russian nuclear bombers was beginning to decrease. By 1960, air defense of the continental United States was in the early stages of a long decline. Only once, more than forty years later, on 9/11/2001, would the country come to regret this trend.

Right: In this Bob Raiche photo at Manchester we see an F-86L Sabre rolling out
on landing with braking chute deployed. This was standard practice for these
fighters, heavily-laden with radar and data-link equipment operating from relatively short runways.

Boeing C-97A 53-0312 of the 133d ATS NHANG photographed by the author at Bradley Field, CT in 1964.

FEDERALIZATION AGAIN
    On 1 October 1961, in response to the Berlin Crisis, the 157 ATG and subordinate units were federalized
and ordered to active duty. Most of the establishment's 675 Guardsmen would perform duties at Grenier Field during the crisis, but the aircraft and aircrew members would fly all over the world. Units of the Turkish Army were airlifted to Korea, supplies were flown to West Berlin, and communications equipment was delivered to Southeast Asia. On 31 August 1962, the 157th was returned to state control.
 

GLOBAL AIRLIFT AFTER THE BERLIN CRISIS
    In 1963 the 157th ATG participated in the first all-National Guard deployment of troops to Alaska. Later, an all-National Guard airlift to Europe took place. In 1964 a NHANG crew became the first Air Guard team to fly nonstop from Japan to Hawaii. Shortly after landing in Honolulu, Lt. Col. William J. Hamilton and crew became the first Guard members to participate in a mid-Pacific search and rescue mission. In April 1965, Hamilton would replace Col. Smith as 157th ATG commander. Col. Smith was promoted to Chief of Staff for Air, NHANG. Between November 26th and December 1st 1965, three NHANG C-97s, manned by volunteer crews, participated in Operation Christmas Star in support of American troops in Vietnam. In all, 23,000 lb. of cargo, which was entirely collected in the Granite State was sent to Saigon and Da Nang. Following this, support missions to Southeast Asia would become more routine for ANG crews.
In January 1966, the 157th Air Transport Group was renamed the 157th Military Airlift Group (MAG) and attached to the 21st Air Force at McGuire AFB, NJ.

RELOCATION TO PEASE AFB
    As part of mandated military downsizing, the Air Force was in the process of streamlining. At Grenier Field, the Reserves 902d Troop Carrier Group with C-119 Flying Boxcars on the east side of the airport (where Wiggins Aviation is today) was inactivated. The 157th was transferred with personnel and equipment east to Pease AFB, New Hampshire. The final drill weekend in Manchester was January 15/16, 1966. It was not lost on many unit members that much of the Manchester facility has been refurbished in 1958. Nevertheless, morale remained high during this relocation. The move was completed, and the mission would continue. The personnel and Stratofreighters of the 157th began operating out of the north side of Pease AFB in February 1966.

THE END

NOTES
    Four books were the primary sources of information in the article above:
Charles J. Gross, The Air National Guard and the American Military Tradition, 1995, ISBN 0-16-048302-6
Lt. Col. Philip W. Sheridan and 157 ARW Staff, Granite Wings, A History of the New Hampshire Air National Guard, 1947-1998
Rene J. Francillon, The United States Air National Guard1993, ISBN 1-880588-03-X
Bill Green, The First Line1994, ISBN 0-9639657-0-0

    The author welcomes contact with persons who have photos of NHANG aircraft and facilities from the time period covered in this article. In particular, photos of 133d F-47 Thunderbolt, C-47 Skytrain, B-25, B-26, C-45, C-47 and T-33A would be most appreciated. (No calls please).

Tom Hildreth
72 Mountain View Street
Chester, Vermont 05143-9497
hildrethtom@hotmail.com