7499th Support Group
Encyclopedia
The 7499th Support Group is an inactive United States Air Force
organization. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe
, being stationed at Weisbaden Air Base, West Germany
. It was inactivated on 30 June 1974. It's mission was resumed by the 7575th Operations Group, which operated from Rhein-Main Air Base
, West Germany from 1 July 1977 until its inactivation on 31 March 1991
and reported directly to Headquarters USAFE. The unit was initially formed as a squadron in 1948, first at Furstenfeldbruck AB, Germany. By 1955, with the pending inactivation of the Air Resupply And Communications Service
582d Air Resupply Group at RAF Molesworth
, England, the unit was expanded to a group level and moved to Wiesbaden AB.
departed Tulln Air Base near Vienna, Austria, on a scheduled courier run that would take it to Venice, Italy, then south to Rome
. These flights were routine, and this aircraft had three passengers besides the crew and cargo. As the C-47 flew toward Venice, it encountered heavy weather, including an undercast, and, unknown to its crew, blundered into Yugoslav
airspace for several minutes. Before long Yugoslav Yak-3 fighters came on the scene and shot the C-47 down. The pilot skillfully crash-landed and all the people aboard survived but were interned. This caused an immediate uproar from the US government, and stern statements were issued to Yugoslav Prime Minister Josip BrozTito about immediate release and access to the crash site. Talks were underway when, on 19 August, incredibly, almost the same exact event occurred again. Another C-47 courier aircraft was shot down by Yugoslav fighters in the same area. This time the crew was not so fortunate and all aboard perished.
Under threat of US cutoff of aid to Yugoslavia, Tito yielded, the interned Americans were released, and some compensation paid to the next-of-kin of the dead personnel. Relative calm ensued between the US and Yugoslavia, but a question lingered in the minds of officials in USAFE Headquarters at Wiesbaden AB, Germany. How did those Yugoslav fighters, twice, find those C-47s in bad weather and shoot them down?
USAFE acquired an RB-17 Flying Fortress from a photo-mapping unit, Detachment A of the 10th Reconnaissance Group at Fürth Airfield
, Germany. These aircraft were in Europe as part of Project Casey Jones, an attempt to photomap as much of the world as possible to create maps and charts for use in future contingencies, and installed Electronic Countermeasures equipment in it. The B-17 was flown carefully along the border near where the C-47s had been shot down, making sure it did not infringe Yugoslav airspace. By luck, on the very first mission, the Yugoslavs cooperated and turned on their radar and began tracking it. The equipment picked up the familiar signals from a German Würzburg radar
on about 560 MHz and took bearings, dozens of them, all of which cut at the same point. Where the bearings crossed there had been a German radar school during the war. Obviously the Yugoslavs had put into service one or more of the old German radars.
This mission was so successful that USAFE directed that further electronic "ferret" missions be flown along the border with the Soviet zones of Germany and Austria
, as well as over the Baltic Sea
, looking for Soviet radar stations. Over the next several years these aircraft detected a gradual Soviet radar buildup in their zones. During the Berlin Airlift 1948-49, the B-17s would fly occasional missions in the Berlin Air Corridor, using call signs making them appear as airlift C-54s (“Big Willie”). They flew only at night and did not land at Tempelhof airfield, declaring emergencies with “landing gear problems” and thus exiting to the west without Soviet observers seeing them.
Thus began the ELINT mission. Detachment A would go on to join a flight of the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron
(specializing in photo recon) on 26 March 1947 and move to Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
, Germany. Then came the Berlin Airlift, in June 1948. As part of the collection operation some C-47s and RB-26 Invaders
were acquired and modified with cameras. They occasionally flew as part of the airlift stream, diligently collecting photography. A few B-17 ELINT flights were also made in the Berlin Air Corridors, but only at night.
Most likely because of the Airlift and its accompanying sharp increase in tensions, USAFE decided to form the reconnaissance and ELINT units into a single squadron. The 7499th Air Force Squadron was activated at Fürstenfeldbruck on 1 November 1948.
s. As the Soviets modernised their units and increased their presence, it was vital to gain as much information on them as possible. For better management of this covert outfit as well as to bring it closer to the major USAFE photo and ELINT interpretation centres, the 7499th moved in August 1950 to Wiesbaden AB, within a few miles of USAFE Headquarters.
Beginning in 1950, the unit upgraded to C-54 Skymaster
s to do both photo reconnaissance and ELINT work, replacing the B-17s. The C-54 boasted better collection capability, and had the additional advantage of actually being a transport, thus attracting much less attention at Tempelhof. C-47s also replaced the RB-26s, the C-47s also being less visible to the Soviets than the Invader bomber overflying East Germany.
The 7405th had been openly tasked with the courier mission to West Berlin
, meaning it was to conduct daily flights to and from Tempelhof Air Base carrying passengers and priority cargo. It was known as the "Berlin for Lunch Bunch". Under this cover the newer aircraft were to continue their collection using better sensors, including the first infrared imagery sensors. Its C-47s and RB-26s soldiered on into the late 1950s, and some C-54s until 1963. In 1959 the C-47s were supplanted by four Convair T-29s, navigator trainers converted for courier work and vertical photography, but another generation was about to arrive.
A new aircraft, a specially modified Boeing EC-97G Stratofreighter, made its appearance in 1953. This aircraft (serial 49-2952), covertly carrying a 240 inch focal length camera, was codenamed PIE FACE and was mostly used along the periphery of the satellite nations. This camera, with a 20-foot focal length, was developed by Boston University
and was installed initially in an RB-36. However, it was later decided that because an overflight though the corridor to Templehof by an RB-36 would probably be too provocative, it would be better if a transport aircraft was equipped with this huge camera. The work to remove the camera from the RB-36 and install it in the C-97 was conducted in a secure hanger at Convair
at Air Force Plant #4, Carswell AFB. The camera took 18 x 36 inch negatives exposed at 0.0025 seconds and could be positioned to take vertical or left or right oblique photographs through a large window which was hidden by covert doors.
When flown on an occasional West Berlin Air Corridor mission, even at the required altitudes of less than 10,000 ft, the camera would produce spectacular, high-resolution photography, very useful for technical analysis of equipment. This aircraft would provide valuable imagery right up until 1962, when it was finally retired to AMARC after some productive missions around Cuba
during the Cuban Missile Crisis
.
Two additional Boeing EC-97Gs that arrived in 1963 were ostensibly cargo carriers, but fitted with oblique cameras and, in one case, with ELINT gear. These aircraft were designed to gather high-quality technical data on the then-new Soviet SA-2 Guideline Surface-to-air missile
system, which by the mid-1960s had spread throughout the Warsaw Pact
countries, especially in East Germany, and was downing US aircraft over North Vietnam
. This platform was especially valuable for providing data enabling the US to design appropriate electronic countermeasures against the SA-2. The north and south West Berlin Air Corridor
s were unique places for this collection, since several Soviet SA-2 sites were located directly within corridor limits. When the SA-2 was superseded by more advanced missile systems, the aircraft was reconfigured to collect on them.
The 7406th Support Squadron was activated at Rhein-Main Air Base
, West Germany on 10 May 1955 and received its first aircraft (RB-50E Superfortress) in March 1956. The mission of the 7406th SS was airborne reconnaissance. The 7406th SS owned and maintained the aircraft and provided the flight crews. A separate USAF Security Service squadron provided the recon crew that manned the intelligence collection positions on the aircraft.
The RB-50s were replaced with specially configured C-130A-II Hercules recon aircraft in 1958. The first C-130A Hercules 56-0484 was assigned in March 1958. Other C-130A-II aircraft assigned to the 7406th SS included in order of assignment from July to October 1958: 56-0525, 56-0528, 56-0530, 56-0534, 56-0538,56-0541, 56-0535 and 56-0540.
Under the ‘Big Safari’ programme of intelligence collection, E-Systems (now Raytheon) in 1957 to convert ten C-130A aircraft for SIGINT duties under the ‘Sun Valley’ project. These C-130s replaced the RB-50Es which in turn were modified as RB-50Gs and transferred to the Pacific.
One of these C-130's (60-528) was shot down with the loss of a crew of seventeen (six 7406th flight crew members and eleven USAFSS recon flyers) over Soviet Armenia on Sept 2, 1958, becoming the first C-130 lost to hostile fire. Four Soviet MiG-17 pilots took turns firing on the unarmed C-130 when the American aircraft inadvertently penetrated Soviet airspace while on a recon mission along the Turkish
-Armenian border. C-130 60-528 had less than 200 flying hours when it was shot down.
The 7499th operated temporarily out of Macdill AFB, Florida in the 1960s. At first (Feb 1964) it was under the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), then in Feb 1966 the 4409th Support Squadron was set up. The mission area was the north coast of Cuba with a coordinated U-2 mission. At first 7406th flight crews, on TDY, trained TAC & 4409th flight crews. As more 7406th personel transferred to the 4409th the TDY training stopped.
C-130B-II Hercules aircraft that had previously been assigned at Yokota Air Base
, Japan from 1961-1971 were sent to the 7406th at Rhein-Main AB in 1971, replacing the C-130A-II models that were converted to original 'cargo' configuration and assigned to Air National Guard
units in CONUS.
The 7406th SS continued flying reconnaissance missions from Rhein-Main in the C-130B models until June 30th 1973 when the squadron's sister Security Service flying squadron moved to Hellenikon Air Base
, Athens, Greece. as Det #1, 7499th Support Group. The 7406th had two hotels in Glifada with two to a room. This was just south of Athens and Hellenikon and across the road from a beautiful beach. Uniforms were not permitted off base. The 7406th SS operations remained at Rhein-Main but flew its operational missions out of Hellenikon from 1 July 1973 until its last C-130B-II mission was flown on June 13, 1974. The unit was flying only Mediterranean missions by this time. The 7406th SS was deactivated on 30 June 1974. After deactivation of the 7406th Squadron the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (SAC) at Offutt AFB, Nebraska took over the missions with Boeing RC-135 aircraft.
On Sept 2, 1997, the National Security Agency
(NSA) dedicated at National Vigilance Park, Fort Meade, Maryland an Aerial Reconnaissance Memorial consisting of a refurbished C-130A tail number 57-0453 that has been restored to look identical to C-130A 60-528 when it was shot down. The Aerial Reconnaissance Memorial honors all SILENT WARRIORS (all military airborne recon crews) who paid the ultimate price while defending their country.
In late 1955 the squadron received ten highly modified RB-57A-1 Canberra reconnaissance aircraft with higher-thrust engines and capable of carrying P-2s, K-17s, K-37s, K-38s, or T-17s cameras in the bomb bay which could be interchanged according to the aircraft's mission. The intended mission of "Project Heart Throb" included day and night, high and low, and visual and photographic reconnaissance. The RB-57A was totally unarmed. It was painted with a high gloss black paint which was intended to minimize detection by searchlights. The crew was two--one pilot and one photo-navigator. The 7407th flew between 16 and 20 sorties before it was closed down. These sorties were flown over Czechoslovakia
, Hungary
and Yugoslavia
between Sep 1955 and Aug 1956 and were usually fairly shallow penetrations. Many sorties were tracked by MiG 15s or MiG-17s, but these aircraft lacked sufficient performance to pose a significant threat to the high-flying RB-57As. It is possible that one of these planes was shot down by a surface to air missile during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, after which Hearthrob operations ended. Four RB-57s were deployed to the 6021st Reconnaissance Squadron
at Yokota Air Base
, Japan in early November 1956.
Two other B-57s, designated RB-57A-2 were modified with a bulbous nose containing AN/APS-60 mapping radar and a SIGINT direction finder system in 1957 under project SARTAC. It is known that they carried a high-capacity data tape recorder in the bombbay to store intelligence data obtained during sorties, and they were also equipped with doppler navigation radar. The aircraft and their missions were very secret and little information about them was ever released.
The service of the RB-57As was brief, as in 1957, midair-refuelling capable RB-57D Canberras were deployed in 1957 to the 7407th CSS to support USAFE operations. All RB-57D operations were under heavy security and very little information ever leaked out about their early operations. They presumably carried out reconnaissance missions along the East German border and over the Baltic Sea
. Since the missions were carried out under an atmosphere of high secrecy, RB-57s returning from missions over the Baltic were often intercepted by RAF Hawker Hunters just to make sure that they were not Soviet aircraft.
This squadron had a Detachment 1 organized at Bitburg Air Base
, West Germany using three RF-100A Super Sabre reconnaissance aircraft (53-1551, 53-1554, 53-1554) known as "Slick Chicks". In May 1955, after successful competition of flight tests, the aircraft were sent to the 7407th Support Squadron.
The over-flight operations these aircraft conducted are still classified, however, one details of one particular flight in 1956 have leaked out. On this sortie the pilot of 53-1551 took off from a base in Turkey
to photograph a rocket base deep inside the Soviet Union
. The RF-100A was quickly picked up by Soviet radar and, as the target was at the extreme range of the aircraft, the pilot had no option but to fly a virtually straight track. As a consequence the Soviets soon determined the intended target. Throughout the mission, the pilot was faced with the unnerving spectacle of a never-ending stream of Soviet interceptor fighters attempting to bring down the RF-100A by firing a variety of machine-guns, cannons and missiles at the aircraft.
To compound the pilots problems, his heavy fuel load and four drop tanks allowed only very limited evasive manoeuvring. Thanks to poor Soviet gunnery, inadequate planning by the Soviet Fighter Controllers and a fair slice of luck, the pilot reached the target and took the required photographs. However, his problems were far from over, as the target was at the extreme limits of the aircraft’s range and no other airfields were available, he had no choice but to reverse course and retrace his route. The pilot made it back to Turkey, but with virtually empty tanks having kept the aircraft in continuous afterburner for over half an hour as he shot past some extremely agitated Russians – as the RF-100A was officially limited to just a few minutes of afterburner, this effectively destroyed the entire aft fuselage.
As far as it can be established, none of the "Slick Chicks" were lost over unfriendly territory. In June 1958 the Detachment was inactivated and the two remaining RF-100A’s were transferred to the 3131st Maintenance Group at Châteauroux-Déols AB, France and eventually were sent to Taiwan
.
Intelligence gathering sorties by the RB-57D's continued until 1964 when wing fatigue problems caused type to be withdrawn from service. In late 1963, the first two Martin RB-57F Canberra
s went for operational trials with the 7407th CSS They carried out a series of high-altitude reconnaissance flights along the East German border and over the Baltic Sea
. In February 1964, following these trials, they were transferred to the 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. Eventually two RB-57Fs were assigned to the 7407th CSS in 1964.
On 14 December 1965, one of the RB-57Fs (63-13287) operating out of Rhein-Main AB was lost during a mission over the Black Sea
. What actually happened is still uncertain. There were reports that the aircraft had been shot down by a Soviet S-75 Dvina
Surface-to-air missile
, but at the time, the official statement by the USAF was that the aircraft crew had probably perished from an oxygen system failure, since it took over an hour for the aircraft to spiral down from altitude and fall into the Black Sea. Although seven or eight days were spent searching for the wreckage, only small bits and pieces of it were ever found. However, there were also reports that the two crewmembers were captured alive by the Soviets, with their ultimate fate being uncertain.
Stress cracks began appearing in the wing spars and ribs of the RB-57Fs in the early 1970s and the activities of the RB-57Fs were restricted. The last of the RB-57Fs were retired in early 1974 and 7407th squadron was inactivated 30 June 1974.
, but beginning in the late 1960s Strategic Air Command
Boeing RC-135s assumed a greater share of the peripheral strategic reconnaissance mission and on 30 June 1974 the 7499th Group and 7406th and 7407th squadrons were inactivated. The 7405th Support Squadron was re designated as the 7405th Operations Squadron and continued its mission.
However, the West Berlin Air Corridor
missions were unique and no RC-135s would be flying to West Berlin
. So the 7405th Support Squadron and its "Berlin for Lunch Bunch" C-130s continued this unique task, the squadron being directly assigned to HQ USAFE.
In late December 1975, the 7405th flew its last EC-97G mission from Wiesbaden Air Base when the USAF turned the base over to the United States Army
and moved its operations to Rhein-Main AB. There, re-designated as the 7405th Operations Squadron, it acquired three heavily-modified C-130E Hercules, airlifters in name only. By this time, technology improvements were such that each aircraft could carry a variety of sensors with advanced capabilities. Thus, if one sensor type detected a new and unusual activity, the aircrew could almost instantly bring other sensors to bear on it. This ability provided lucrative intelligence time and time again.
On 1 July 1977, the squadron was assigned to the newly organized 7575th Operations Group at Rhein-Main AB. Along with the 7575th OG, the 7580th Operations Squadron was activated on 1 July 1977 at Rhein-Main AB. The 7580th OS was a non-flying squadron staffed with C-130 Electronic Warfare Officers (EWOs) and aircraft maintenance personnel.
In 1977, when the 7575th Operations Group was formed at Rhein-Main AB, HQ USAFE realigned the 7th Special Operations Squadron
under its control, until March 1983, when the 7th SOS transferred from USAFE to Military Airlift Command
(MAC). The 7th SOS operated four MC-130E Combat Talon Is (64-0523, 64-0555, 64-0561 and 64-0566). Although even today very little is known about this special unit, the mere fact that the USAF information service always answers 'no comment' to any questions about its role is sufficient to allow the tentative conclusion that clandestine operations are involved, with the squadron performing undisclosed missions under the direction of the DCS Operations of HQ USAFE.
The 7th SOS's MC-130Es were been spotted in every corner of Europe. These sightings were perhaps connected with NATO marine unit exercises with which the 7th SOS is also involved. One of the most bizarre sightings dates from January 1976 when a traveller from West Berlin
saw a low-flying C-130 over the Transitstrasse, the transit route, near Magdeburg
in the German Democratic Republic
. Flying at an estimated fifty meters over the motorway, the Hercules disappeared northwards at great speed. It was certainly an MC-130E from the 7th SOS but what it was doing in the DDR is not so certain. Granted it was flying perfectly legally in the air corridor at the time of the sighting, the fact that it was a black MC-130E from the 7th SOS does make one a trifle suspicious.
The 7405th's corridor/Control Zone collection missions, with their pivot at Tempelhof Central Airport
, continued through the 1980s. Then came the 1989 collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the fall of the Berlin Wall
; the 1990 German reunification
, and the phase-out of Soviet armed forces from Eastern Europe. The 7405th helped monitor this until shortly before Germany was reunified. On 27 September 1990, the last C-130 collection mission was flown; then, on 3 October, the Berlin Air Corridors and Control Zone officially disappeared. From 1946 to 1990 the "Berlin for Lunch Bunch" had flown over 10,000 missions to West Berlin. Now it had flown its last, Germany and the city of Berlin were again unified, and the 7405th Operations Squadron faded into military aviation and intelligence history. It's mission was completed.
The 7405th Operations Squadron was inactivated on 1 January 1991; the 7575th Operations Group and 7580th Operations Squadron were inactivated on 31 March 1991.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
organization. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
, being stationed at Weisbaden Air Base, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. It was inactivated on 30 June 1974. It's mission was resumed by the 7575th Operations Group, which operated from Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
, West Germany from 1 July 1977 until its inactivation on 31 March 1991
History
The 7499th participated in overt and covert reconnaissance throughout the European theater during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and reported directly to Headquarters USAFE. The unit was initially formed as a squadron in 1948, first at Furstenfeldbruck AB, Germany. By 1955, with the pending inactivation of the Air Resupply And Communications Service
Air Resupply And Communications Service
The Air Resupply And Communications Service is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.- Mission :The mission of ARCS was:...
582d Air Resupply Group at RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth
RAF Molesworth is a Royal Air Force station located near Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom with a history dating back to 1917.Its runway and flight line facilities were closed in 1973 and demolished to support ground-launched cruise missile operations in the early 1980s...
, England, the unit was expanded to a group level and moved to Wiesbaden AB.
Origins
The unit's origins begin on 9 August 1946, when a Army Air Forces C-47 SkytrainC-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
departed Tulln Air Base near Vienna, Austria, on a scheduled courier run that would take it to Venice, Italy, then south to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. These flights were routine, and this aircraft had three passengers besides the crew and cargo. As the C-47 flew toward Venice, it encountered heavy weather, including an undercast, and, unknown to its crew, blundered into Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
airspace for several minutes. Before long Yugoslav Yak-3 fighters came on the scene and shot the C-47 down. The pilot skillfully crash-landed and all the people aboard survived but were interned. This caused an immediate uproar from the US government, and stern statements were issued to Yugoslav Prime Minister Josip BrozTito about immediate release and access to the crash site. Talks were underway when, on 19 August, incredibly, almost the same exact event occurred again. Another C-47 courier aircraft was shot down by Yugoslav fighters in the same area. This time the crew was not so fortunate and all aboard perished.
Under threat of US cutoff of aid to Yugoslavia, Tito yielded, the interned Americans were released, and some compensation paid to the next-of-kin of the dead personnel. Relative calm ensued between the US and Yugoslavia, but a question lingered in the minds of officials in USAFE Headquarters at Wiesbaden AB, Germany. How did those Yugoslav fighters, twice, find those C-47s in bad weather and shoot them down?
USAFE acquired an RB-17 Flying Fortress from a photo-mapping unit, Detachment A of the 10th Reconnaissance Group at Fürth Airfield
Fürth Airfield
Fürth Airfield is a former military airfield located in Germany about 2 miles north-northeast of Fürth ; approximately 200 miles south-southwest of Berlin.The airffield was used during World War II by the German Luftwaffe as a combat airfield...
, Germany. These aircraft were in Europe as part of Project Casey Jones, an attempt to photomap as much of the world as possible to create maps and charts for use in future contingencies, and installed Electronic Countermeasures equipment in it. The B-17 was flown carefully along the border near where the C-47s had been shot down, making sure it did not infringe Yugoslav airspace. By luck, on the very first mission, the Yugoslavs cooperated and turned on their radar and began tracking it. The equipment picked up the familiar signals from a German Würzburg radar
Würzburg radar
The Würzburg radar was the primary ground-based gun laying radar for both the Luftwaffe and the German Army during World War II. Initial development took place before the war, entering service in 1940. Eventually over 4,000 Würzburgs of various models were produced...
on about 560 MHz and took bearings, dozens of them, all of which cut at the same point. Where the bearings crossed there had been a German radar school during the war. Obviously the Yugoslavs had put into service one or more of the old German radars.
This mission was so successful that USAFE directed that further electronic "ferret" missions be flown along the border with the Soviet zones of Germany and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, as well as over the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, looking for Soviet radar stations. Over the next several years these aircraft detected a gradual Soviet radar buildup in their zones. During the Berlin Airlift 1948-49, the B-17s would fly occasional missions in the Berlin Air Corridor, using call signs making them appear as airlift C-54s (“Big Willie”). They flew only at night and did not land at Tempelhof airfield, declaring emergencies with “landing gear problems” and thus exiting to the west without Soviet observers seeing them.
Thus began the ELINT mission. Detachment A would go on to join a flight of the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron
45th Reconnaissance Squadron
The 45th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 55th Operations Group and stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.-Overview:...
(specializing in photo recon) on 26 March 1947 and move to Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base is a German Air Force airfield located near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany....
, Germany. Then came the Berlin Airlift, in June 1948. As part of the collection operation some C-47s and RB-26 Invaders
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
were acquired and modified with cameras. They occasionally flew as part of the airlift stream, diligently collecting photography. A few B-17 ELINT flights were also made in the Berlin Air Corridors, but only at night.
Most likely because of the Airlift and its accompanying sharp increase in tensions, USAFE decided to form the reconnaissance and ELINT units into a single squadron. The 7499th Air Force Squadron was activated at Fürstenfeldbruck on 1 November 1948.
7499th Support Squadron
From Fürstenfeldbruck, the 7499th continued to fly frequent missions in the West Berlin Air CorridorWest Berlin Air Corridor
During the Cold War era , the West Berlin Air Corridors comprised three regulated airways for civil and military air traffic of the Western Allies between West Berlin and West Germany passing over the former East Germany's territory. The corridors were under control of the all-Allied Berlin Air...
s. As the Soviets modernised their units and increased their presence, it was vital to gain as much information on them as possible. For better management of this covert outfit as well as to bring it closer to the major USAFE photo and ELINT interpretation centres, the 7499th moved in August 1950 to Wiesbaden AB, within a few miles of USAFE Headquarters.
Beginning in 1950, the unit upgraded to C-54 Skymaster
C-54 Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
s to do both photo reconnaissance and ELINT work, replacing the B-17s. The C-54 boasted better collection capability, and had the additional advantage of actually being a transport, thus attracting much less attention at Tempelhof. C-47s also replaced the RB-26s, the C-47s also being less visible to the Soviets than the Invader bomber overflying East Germany.
7499th Support Group
In 1955, in response to increasing collection requirements and the pending inactivation of the MATS intelligence units, USAFE upgraded its reconnaissance effort, creating the 7499th Support Group at Wiesbaden with three squadrons.7405th Support Squadron
The former 7499th Squadron became the 7405th Support Squadron, remaining at Wiesbaden as the only unit to conduct corridor collection.The 7405th had been openly tasked with the courier mission to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, meaning it was to conduct daily flights to and from Tempelhof Air Base carrying passengers and priority cargo. It was known as the "Berlin for Lunch Bunch". Under this cover the newer aircraft were to continue their collection using better sensors, including the first infrared imagery sensors. Its C-47s and RB-26s soldiered on into the late 1950s, and some C-54s until 1963. In 1959 the C-47s were supplanted by four Convair T-29s, navigator trainers converted for courier work and vertical photography, but another generation was about to arrive.
A new aircraft, a specially modified Boeing EC-97G Stratofreighter, made its appearance in 1953. This aircraft (serial 49-2952), covertly carrying a 240 inch focal length camera, was codenamed PIE FACE and was mostly used along the periphery of the satellite nations. This camera, with a 20-foot focal length, was developed by Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and was installed initially in an RB-36. However, it was later decided that because an overflight though the corridor to Templehof by an RB-36 would probably be too provocative, it would be better if a transport aircraft was equipped with this huge camera. The work to remove the camera from the RB-36 and install it in the C-97 was conducted in a secure hanger at Convair
Convair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
at Air Force Plant #4, Carswell AFB. The camera took 18 x 36 inch negatives exposed at 0.0025 seconds and could be positioned to take vertical or left or right oblique photographs through a large window which was hidden by covert doors.
When flown on an occasional West Berlin Air Corridor mission, even at the required altitudes of less than 10,000 ft, the camera would produce spectacular, high-resolution photography, very useful for technical analysis of equipment. This aircraft would provide valuable imagery right up until 1962, when it was finally retired to AMARC after some productive missions around Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
.
Two additional Boeing EC-97Gs that arrived in 1963 were ostensibly cargo carriers, but fitted with oblique cameras and, in one case, with ELINT gear. These aircraft were designed to gather high-quality technical data on the then-new Soviet SA-2 Guideline Surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
system, which by the mid-1960s had spread throughout the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
countries, especially in East Germany, and was downing US aircraft over North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. This platform was especially valuable for providing data enabling the US to design appropriate electronic countermeasures against the SA-2. The north and south West Berlin Air Corridor
West Berlin Air Corridor
During the Cold War era , the West Berlin Air Corridors comprised three regulated airways for civil and military air traffic of the Western Allies between West Berlin and West Germany passing over the former East Germany's territory. The corridors were under control of the all-Allied Berlin Air...
s were unique places for this collection, since several Soviet SA-2 sites were located directly within corridor limits. When the SA-2 was superseded by more advanced missile systems, the aircraft was reconfigured to collect on them.
7406th Support Squadron
Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
, West Germany on 10 May 1955 and received its first aircraft (RB-50E Superfortress) in March 1956. The mission of the 7406th SS was airborne reconnaissance. The 7406th SS owned and maintained the aircraft and provided the flight crews. A separate USAF Security Service squadron provided the recon crew that manned the intelligence collection positions on the aircraft.
The RB-50s were replaced with specially configured C-130A-II Hercules recon aircraft in 1958. The first C-130A Hercules 56-0484 was assigned in March 1958. Other C-130A-II aircraft assigned to the 7406th SS included in order of assignment from July to October 1958: 56-0525, 56-0528, 56-0530, 56-0534, 56-0538,56-0541, 56-0535 and 56-0540.
Under the ‘Big Safari’ programme of intelligence collection, E-Systems (now Raytheon) in 1957 to convert ten C-130A aircraft for SIGINT duties under the ‘Sun Valley’ project. These C-130s replaced the RB-50Es which in turn were modified as RB-50Gs and transferred to the Pacific.
One of these C-130's (60-528) was shot down with the loss of a crew of seventeen (six 7406th flight crew members and eleven USAFSS recon flyers) over Soviet Armenia on Sept 2, 1958, becoming the first C-130 lost to hostile fire. Four Soviet MiG-17 pilots took turns firing on the unarmed C-130 when the American aircraft inadvertently penetrated Soviet airspace while on a recon mission along the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
-Armenian border. C-130 60-528 had less than 200 flying hours when it was shot down.
The 7499th operated temporarily out of Macdill AFB, Florida in the 1960s. At first (Feb 1964) it was under the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), then in Feb 1966 the 4409th Support Squadron was set up. The mission area was the north coast of Cuba with a coordinated U-2 mission. At first 7406th flight crews, on TDY, trained TAC & 4409th flight crews. As more 7406th personel transferred to the 4409th the TDY training stopped.
C-130B-II Hercules aircraft that had previously been assigned at Yokota Air Base
Yokota Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the city of Fussa, one of 26 cities in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo.The base houses 14,000 personnel. The base occupies a total area of and has a runway...
, Japan from 1961-1971 were sent to the 7406th at Rhein-Main AB in 1971, replacing the C-130A-II models that were converted to original 'cargo' configuration and assigned to Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
units in CONUS.
The 7406th SS continued flying reconnaissance missions from Rhein-Main in the C-130B models until June 30th 1973 when the squadron's sister Security Service flying squadron moved to Hellenikon Air Base
Hellenikon Air Base
Hellenikon Air Base was a former United States Air Force base located in Athens, Greece. After its closure, it was redeveloped into Ellinikon International Airport.-History:...
, Athens, Greece. as Det #1, 7499th Support Group. The 7406th had two hotels in Glifada with two to a room. This was just south of Athens and Hellenikon and across the road from a beautiful beach. Uniforms were not permitted off base. The 7406th SS operations remained at Rhein-Main but flew its operational missions out of Hellenikon from 1 July 1973 until its last C-130B-II mission was flown on June 13, 1974. The unit was flying only Mediterranean missions by this time. The 7406th SS was deactivated on 30 June 1974. After deactivation of the 7406th Squadron the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (SAC) at Offutt AFB, Nebraska took over the missions with Boeing RC-135 aircraft.
On Sept 2, 1997, the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
(NSA) dedicated at National Vigilance Park, Fort Meade, Maryland an Aerial Reconnaissance Memorial consisting of a refurbished C-130A tail number 57-0453 that has been restored to look identical to C-130A 60-528 when it was shot down. The Aerial Reconnaissance Memorial honors all SILENT WARRIORS (all military airborne recon crews) who paid the ultimate price while defending their country.
7407th Support Squadron
The 7407th Support Squadron performed airborne photo surveillance. They used RB-57A, then RB-57D, and finally RB-57F Canberra aircraft at Rhein-Main AB.In late 1955 the squadron received ten highly modified RB-57A-1 Canberra reconnaissance aircraft with higher-thrust engines and capable of carrying P-2s, K-17s, K-37s, K-38s, or T-17s cameras in the bomb bay which could be interchanged according to the aircraft's mission. The intended mission of "Project Heart Throb" included day and night, high and low, and visual and photographic reconnaissance. The RB-57A was totally unarmed. It was painted with a high gloss black paint which was intended to minimize detection by searchlights. The crew was two--one pilot and one photo-navigator. The 7407th flew between 16 and 20 sorties before it was closed down. These sorties were flown over Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
between Sep 1955 and Aug 1956 and were usually fairly shallow penetrations. Many sorties were tracked by MiG 15s or MiG-17s, but these aircraft lacked sufficient performance to pose a significant threat to the high-flying RB-57As. It is possible that one of these planes was shot down by a surface to air missile during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, after which Hearthrob operations ended. Four RB-57s were deployed to the 6021st Reconnaissance Squadron
6021st Reconnaissance Squadron
The 6021st Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated on 8 December 1957.-History:...
at Yokota Air Base
Yokota Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the city of Fussa, one of 26 cities in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo.The base houses 14,000 personnel. The base occupies a total area of and has a runway...
, Japan in early November 1956.
Two other B-57s, designated RB-57A-2 were modified with a bulbous nose containing AN/APS-60 mapping radar and a SIGINT direction finder system in 1957 under project SARTAC. It is known that they carried a high-capacity data tape recorder in the bombbay to store intelligence data obtained during sorties, and they were also equipped with doppler navigation radar. The aircraft and their missions were very secret and little information about them was ever released.
The service of the RB-57As was brief, as in 1957, midair-refuelling capable RB-57D Canberras were deployed in 1957 to the 7407th CSS to support USAFE operations. All RB-57D operations were under heavy security and very little information ever leaked out about their early operations. They presumably carried out reconnaissance missions along the East German border and over the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. Since the missions were carried out under an atmosphere of high secrecy, RB-57s returning from missions over the Baltic were often intercepted by RAF Hawker Hunters just to make sure that they were not Soviet aircraft.
This squadron had a Detachment 1 organized at Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg Airport is a commercial airport serving Bitburg, a city in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany. It is located 2 miles southeast of Bitburg, 20 miles north of Trier, and 135 miles west of Wiesbaden....
, West Germany using three RF-100A Super Sabre reconnaissance aircraft (53-1551, 53-1554, 53-1554) known as "Slick Chicks". In May 1955, after successful competition of flight tests, the aircraft were sent to the 7407th Support Squadron.
The over-flight operations these aircraft conducted are still classified, however, one details of one particular flight in 1956 have leaked out. On this sortie the pilot of 53-1551 took off from a base in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to photograph a rocket base deep inside the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The RF-100A was quickly picked up by Soviet radar and, as the target was at the extreme range of the aircraft, the pilot had no option but to fly a virtually straight track. As a consequence the Soviets soon determined the intended target. Throughout the mission, the pilot was faced with the unnerving spectacle of a never-ending stream of Soviet interceptor fighters attempting to bring down the RF-100A by firing a variety of machine-guns, cannons and missiles at the aircraft.
To compound the pilots problems, his heavy fuel load and four drop tanks allowed only very limited evasive manoeuvring. Thanks to poor Soviet gunnery, inadequate planning by the Soviet Fighter Controllers and a fair slice of luck, the pilot reached the target and took the required photographs. However, his problems were far from over, as the target was at the extreme limits of the aircraft’s range and no other airfields were available, he had no choice but to reverse course and retrace his route. The pilot made it back to Turkey, but with virtually empty tanks having kept the aircraft in continuous afterburner for over half an hour as he shot past some extremely agitated Russians – as the RF-100A was officially limited to just a few minutes of afterburner, this effectively destroyed the entire aft fuselage.
As far as it can be established, none of the "Slick Chicks" were lost over unfriendly territory. In June 1958 the Detachment was inactivated and the two remaining RF-100A’s were transferred to the 3131st Maintenance Group at Châteauroux-Déols AB, France and eventually were sent to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Intelligence gathering sorties by the RB-57D's continued until 1964 when wing fatigue problems caused type to be withdrawn from service. In late 1963, the first two Martin RB-57F Canberra
Martin RB-57F Canberra
The Martin RB-57F Canberra was a highly specialized strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by General Dynamics in the 1960s from the B-57 Canberra tactical bomber...
s went for operational trials with the 7407th CSS They carried out a series of high-altitude reconnaissance flights along the East German border and over the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. In February 1964, following these trials, they were transferred to the 58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. Eventually two RB-57Fs were assigned to the 7407th CSS in 1964.
On 14 December 1965, one of the RB-57Fs (63-13287) operating out of Rhein-Main AB was lost during a mission over the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. What actually happened is still uncertain. There were reports that the aircraft had been shot down by a Soviet S-75 Dvina
S-75 Dvina
The S-75 Dvina is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude, command guided, surface-to-air missile system...
Surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
, but at the time, the official statement by the USAF was that the aircraft crew had probably perished from an oxygen system failure, since it took over an hour for the aircraft to spiral down from altitude and fall into the Black Sea. Although seven or eight days were spent searching for the wreckage, only small bits and pieces of it were ever found. However, there were also reports that the two crewmembers were captured alive by the Soviets, with their ultimate fate being uncertain.
Stress cracks began appearing in the wing spars and ribs of the RB-57Fs in the early 1970s and the activities of the RB-57Fs were restricted. The last of the RB-57Fs were retired in early 1974 and 7407th squadron was inactivated 30 June 1974.
Downsizing
All along, the 7405th and its sister squadrons were also flying peripheral reconnaissance missions throughout Europe and, increasingly, the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, but beginning in the late 1960s Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
Boeing RC-135s assumed a greater share of the peripheral strategic reconnaissance mission and on 30 June 1974 the 7499th Group and 7406th and 7407th squadrons were inactivated. The 7405th Support Squadron was re designated as the 7405th Operations Squadron and continued its mission.
7575th Operations Group
West Berlin Air Corridor
During the Cold War era , the West Berlin Air Corridors comprised three regulated airways for civil and military air traffic of the Western Allies between West Berlin and West Germany passing over the former East Germany's territory. The corridors were under control of the all-Allied Berlin Air...
missions were unique and no RC-135s would be flying to West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. So the 7405th Support Squadron and its "Berlin for Lunch Bunch" C-130s continued this unique task, the squadron being directly assigned to HQ USAFE.
In late December 1975, the 7405th flew its last EC-97G mission from Wiesbaden Air Base when the USAF turned the base over to the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and moved its operations to Rhein-Main AB. There, re-designated as the 7405th Operations Squadron, it acquired three heavily-modified C-130E Hercules, airlifters in name only. By this time, technology improvements were such that each aircraft could carry a variety of sensors with advanced capabilities. Thus, if one sensor type detected a new and unusual activity, the aircrew could almost instantly bring other sensors to bear on it. This ability provided lucrative intelligence time and time again.
On 1 July 1977, the squadron was assigned to the newly organized 7575th Operations Group at Rhein-Main AB. Along with the 7575th OG, the 7580th Operations Squadron was activated on 1 July 1977 at Rhein-Main AB. The 7580th OS was a non-flying squadron staffed with C-130 Electronic Warfare Officers (EWOs) and aircraft maintenance personnel.
In 1977, when the 7575th Operations Group was formed at Rhein-Main AB, HQ USAFE realigned the 7th Special Operations Squadron
7th Special Operations Squadron
The 7th Special Operations Squadron is an active flying unit of the United States Air Force. It is a component of the 352d Special Operations Group , United States Special Operations Command, and is currently based at Royal Air Force base RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, eastern England.-Mission:From...
under its control, until March 1983, when the 7th SOS transferred from USAFE to Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
(MAC). The 7th SOS operated four MC-130E Combat Talon Is (64-0523, 64-0555, 64-0561 and 64-0566). Although even today very little is known about this special unit, the mere fact that the USAF information service always answers 'no comment' to any questions about its role is sufficient to allow the tentative conclusion that clandestine operations are involved, with the squadron performing undisclosed missions under the direction of the DCS Operations of HQ USAFE.
The 7th SOS's MC-130Es were been spotted in every corner of Europe. These sightings were perhaps connected with NATO marine unit exercises with which the 7th SOS is also involved. One of the most bizarre sightings dates from January 1976 when a traveller from West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
saw a low-flying C-130 over the Transitstrasse, the transit route, near Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
in the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
. Flying at an estimated fifty meters over the motorway, the Hercules disappeared northwards at great speed. It was certainly an MC-130E from the 7th SOS but what it was doing in the DDR is not so certain. Granted it was flying perfectly legally in the air corridor at the time of the sighting, the fact that it was a black MC-130E from the 7th SOS does make one a trifle suspicious.
The 7405th's corridor/Control Zone collection missions, with their pivot at Tempelhof Central Airport
Tempelhof Central Airport
Tempelhof Central Airport was a United States Military airfield in West Berlin, Germany between 1945 and 1994.During its operational life, it was garrisoned by the United States Air Force, with units of the United States Army Berlin Brigade located within the facility...
, continued through the 1980s. Then came the 1989 collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
; the 1990 German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, and the phase-out of Soviet armed forces from Eastern Europe. The 7405th helped monitor this until shortly before Germany was reunified. On 27 September 1990, the last C-130 collection mission was flown; then, on 3 October, the Berlin Air Corridors and Control Zone officially disappeared. From 1946 to 1990 the "Berlin for Lunch Bunch" had flown over 10,000 missions to West Berlin. Now it had flown its last, Germany and the city of Berlin were again unified, and the 7405th Operations Squadron faded into military aviation and intelligence history. It's mission was completed.
The 7405th Operations Squadron was inactivated on 1 January 1991; the 7575th Operations Group and 7580th Operations Squadron were inactivated on 31 March 1991.
Lineage
- Established as 7499th Air Force Squadron, 1 November 1948
- Re-Designated as 7499th Composite Squadron, 1949
- Re-Designated as 7499th Support Squadron, 1954
- Re-Designated as 7499th Support Group, 10 May 1955
- Inactivated on 30 June 1974
- 7405th Operations Squadron assumed mission of inactivated group
- 7575th Operations Group established 1 July 1977
- 7405th Operations Squadron assumed mission of inactivated group
- Inactivated on 31 March 1991
Stations
- Fürstenfeldbruck Air BaseFürstenfeldbruck Air BaseFürstenfeldbruck Air Base is a German Air Force airfield located near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany....
, Germany (later: West Germany), 1 November 1948 - Weisbaden Air Base, West Germany, 1 August 1950
- Rhein-Main Air BaseRhein-Main Air BaseRhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
, West Germany (later Germany), 31 December 1975-1 January 1991
Components
- 7405th Support Squadron (Wiesbaden AB), 10 May 1955
- After 30 June 1974, assigned directly to HQ USAFE.
- Re-designated as 7405th Operations Squadron, 31 December 1975
- Assigned to 7575th Operations Group, 1 July 1977-1 January 1991
- 7406th Support Squadron (Rhein-Main AB), 10 May 1955-30 June 1974
- 7407th Support Squadron (Rhein-Main AB), 10 May 1955-30 June 1974
- 7580th Operations Squadron Rhein-Main AB), 1 July 1977-31 March 1991
- 7th Special Operations Squadron7th Special Operations SquadronThe 7th Special Operations Squadron is an active flying unit of the United States Air Force. It is a component of the 352d Special Operations Group , United States Special Operations Command, and is currently based at Royal Air Force base RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, eastern England.-Mission:From...
, 1 Jul 1977-1 March 1983
Aircraft
- RB-17 Flying Fortress, 1947-1950
- C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, 1948-1959 - RB-26 Invader, 1948-1950
- C-54 SkymasterC-54 SkymasterThe Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
, 1950-1963 - EC-97G Stratofreighter, 1953-1974
- Serial numbers; 52-2678, 52-2687 & 52-2688
- Convair T-29, 1959-1974
- RB-50D Superfortress, 1956-1957
- Radar terrain mapping for Martin TM-61 Matador tactical missile routes.
- Serial numbers; 48-107, 49-312, & 49-307
- RB-50E Superfortress, 1956-1958
- Photographic Reconnaissance
- Serial numbers: 47-120, 47-126, & 47-129
- RB-50G Superfortress, 1956-1958
- Electronic Reconnaissance
- Serial numbers: 47-136 & 47-157
- C-130A-II Hercules, 1958-1971
- C-130A Hercules, 1958-1975
- C-130B-II Hercules, 1971-1975
- Lockheed MC-130, 1977-1983
- RB-57A Canberra, 1955-1957
- Produced as RB-57A-1: 52-1427, 52-1429, 52-1431, 52-1432, 52-1433, 52-1439, 52-1442, 52-1462, 52-1464, 52-1492
- Transferred to 6091 RS: 52-1427, 52-1431, 52-1464, 52-1492
- Modified to RB-57A-2: 52-1429, 52-1462
- RB-57D Canberra, 1957-1964
- RB-57F Canberra, 1963-1964; 1964-1974
- C-130E Hercules, 1975-1990
- RF-100A Super Sabre, 1955-1958
- North American RF-100A-10-NA 53-1551
- Delivered to USAF on 15 Apr 1955
- Transferred to 7499th Support Group, Wiesbaden, West Germany May 1955
- Transferred to 7407th Support Squadron Bitburg West Germany Feb 1956
- Dropped from inventory due to flying accident in Oct 1956
- North American RF-100A-10-NA 53-1554
- Delivered to USAF on 15 Apr 1955
- Transferred to 7499th Support Group, Wiesbaden West Germany May 1955
- Transferred to 7407th Support Squadron Bitburg West Germany Feb 1956
- To 3131st Maintenance Group Châteauroux, France in June 1958
- North American RF-100A-10-NA 53-1545
- Delivered to USAF on 15 Apr 1955
- Transferred to 7499th Support Group, Wiesbaden West Germany May 1955
- Transferred to 7407th Support Squadron Bitburg West Germany Feb 1956
- To 3131st Maintenance Group Châteauroux, France in June 1958