THE MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY THE MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATIONRESERVATIONRESERVATIONRESERVATION

Timeline

The history of Massachusetts National Guard training on Upper Cape Cod extends back to 1908, when soldiers conducted weekend and annual training in the woods to the south and west of present-day MMR.

In 1931 the Adjutant-General of 1930s

In 1931, the Adjutant General of Massachusetts appointed a board of six Army National Guard officers to find a new campsite, as Camp Devens was deemed too small for required training. In 1933, Cape Cod was initially identified as a viable area for the new camp, to mixed reaction from the local communities. F ibili d l Feasibility assessments, and letters for and against the proposed military reservation, continued to be presented to the Commonwealth and the War Department through April the War Department through April 1935, when then Governor James Curley signed a bill to appropriate funds for the purchase of a campsite and to establish a Military and to establish a Military Reservation Commission. In September of that year, the War Department approved acquisition (purchase or lease) of up to 200,000 acres of land in Cape Cod for military training.

1930s – The WPA Years

Between 1935 and 1940, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Federal Government, primarily using Works Project Administration funds, constructed 63 buildings and two, 500-foot wide turf runways at Otis Field.

The initial construction effort at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (as it will shortly be known) represented the largest WPA project in the state, employing more than 600 workmen. By early 1938, the basic structure of the cantonment area was than 600 workmen. By early 1938, the basic structure of the cantonment area was laid out and commemorative names were assigned for most major roads and landscape features.

1936

As early as the summer of 1936, Massachusetts National Guard units began formal training at the new camp, setting up large tent camps just north of the proposed cantonment area. These early troops were generally poorly equipped often wearing World War I uniforms and using wooden guns or equipped, often wearing World War I uniforms and using wooden guns or Enfield rifles for training exercises.

1938In July 1938, then Governor Charles Hurley dedicated Camp Edwards, naming it in honor of Major General honor of Major General Clarence Edwards, former commander of the 26th (Yankee) Division. Otis Field was named after 1LT Frank J. Otis, 26th (Yankee) Division Aviation, killed while on a cross-country flightcross-country flight.

1940

In 1940, the U.S. Army leased Camp Edwards and undertook a major World War II mobilization construction program Much of the construction effort was completed mobilization construction program. Much of the construction effort was completed under the command of Major Thomas Waters of the 68th (AA) regiment, the first commander of Camp Edwards. The Walsh Construction Company of New York was contracted to construct the initial 1300 buildings in the cantonment area - with the goal being to provide housing and facilities for 30 000 men by January of 1941 when goal being to provide housing and facilities for 30,000 men by January of 1941 when the 26th (Yankee) Division was scheduled to enter Camp Edwards to start a year of training.

A railroad spur was built at Sagamore and a constant procession of trucks transporting material to the building site began.

Peak of construction occurred in November 1940, with 18,343 employees working three shifts, a , , p y g ,weekly payroll in excess of $1,000,000, and completion of 30 buildings a day. The project was completed in a mere 125 days (September 1940 to January 1941) and served as the national prototype for other camps built using the 700 series drawings.

1941

In January 1941, the 26th (Yankee) Division, comprised almost entirely of Massachusetts National Guardsmen, was federalized for a year of service and entered Camp Edwards as the first soldiers to train at the camp proper and live in the new barracks In February and March 1941 selectees from and live in the new barracks. In February and March 1941, selectees from New York and New England filled in the ranks of the Division, bringing the cantonment area close to its capacity of 30,000.

Between April and November of 1941, the 26th Division left Camp Edwards to participate in the Carolina Maneuvers and the Coastal Patrol, while other National Guard and Army Divisions came to train at Camp Edwards. The 26th Division returned to Camp Edwards on December 6, 1941, with the expectation of completing their year of service within the month. The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the subsequent bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the subsequent declaration of war by the United States, resulted in extension of federal service for all of the Division through 1944.

1942

The Convalescent Hospital was established at Camp Edwards in 1942 and, in addition to serving wounded coming back from Europe and the Pacific, the hospital became famous for its convalescent trains that crossed the U.S. and for its WAAC training program for New England nurses Over 2500 nurses for its WAAC training program for New England nurses. Over 2500 nurses stopped for training at Camp Edwards before going overseas between 1942 and 1944.

In one of the first instances of "urban training," in 1942, Camp Edwards constructed a Mock German Village on post for use in training exercises.

19431943

The East Coast Processing Center was established in Center was established in October 1943 and represents the first such facility on the East Coast of the U.S. The C h d h h d Center housed men who had gone AWOL at the time their units were shipped overseas -most men stayed for a month ybefore being shipped out to Europe or the Pacific. Between 1943 and 1945, more than 40 000 d 40,000 men were processed through this center.

1944

Shortly after the Allies' North African campaign began in 1944, the US Army built a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp for captured German soldiers at Camp Edwards. The POW camp, located at the south end of the runway, housed up to 2,000 POWs at a given time, many of whom were from Rommel's famed North Africa Corps. The prisoners worked around Camp Edwards much of the time, but were also sent to work in the area's farms and cranberry fields. German prisoners also assisted in salvaging millions of board feet f l b ft th Oti i i it d t t d b h i i S t b 1944 of lumber after the Otis vicinity was devastated by a hurricane in September 1944.

The 1114th SCU maintained security and managed the camp throughout the war. By the end of the war, the POW had received, processed, and repatriated up to 5,000 POWs.

1945 19461945-1946

Finally, Camp Edwards housed one of the larger Temporary Separation Centers for discharging soldiers - more than 12,900 men were discharged from Camp Edwards in 1945-46.

Camp Edwards was deactivated as an Army post in 1946, returning to its original mission as a training site for the Massachusetts National Guard.

1946-1948

In 1946, the runway was extended to 8,000 feet to support larger, heavier aircraft, and the 101st Observation Squadron was reactivated as a National Guard unit.

In 1947 after the Department of Defense created the U S Air Force as a separate military branch In 1947, after the Department of Defense created the U.S. Air Force as a separate military branch, the Air Defense Command (ADC) assumed primary responsibility for continental defense against air attack. The Strategic Air Command (SAC) was responsible for operation of the long-range bomber aircraft. The relationship of the U.S. Air Force to the National Guard was established at this time, when the Air National Guard agreed to take on localized air defense of industrialized regions of the U.S.

In 1948, the U.S. Air Force obtained control of Otis Field (renamed Otis Air Force Base) for an air-defense mission and assigned a fighter interceptor unit.

C Ed d ti t d i 1950 f t t i i t d i

1950Camp Edwards was reactivated in 1950 for troop training support during the Korean conflict, and numbers approached World War II levels.

In 1954, Congress authorized the transfer of the post from the Department of the Army to the Department of the Air Force, for the purpose of

1954y p , p p

operating a military airfield. The Air Force expanded its operations across most of the main post, but the Army continued to control the range and maneuver areas.

1951-1956Between 1951 and about 1956, the Air Force constructed numerous new hangars and other buildings on the south side of the airfield at Otis Otis along with Hanscom Field at Otis. Otis, along with Hanscom Field at Bedford, Massachusetts, and Ethan Allen Field at Burlington, Vermont, were the three major fields of the Air Defense Command.

Th h t th l t 1940 d l 1950 Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Department of Defense continued its defensive build-up in response to Soviet atomic capability and long-range bombers, and the ADC built a series of alert fighter hangars at g ginstallations supporting the air defense interceptor mission. As one of these installations, Otis fulfilled its role through the crews and aircraft of the 33rd Fighter-Interceptor Wing whose headquarters were Interceptor Wing, whose headquarters were established at Otis.

The 564th Air Defense Group (58th and 437th Fighter Squadrons) was also based at and conducted missions from Otis. The 564th was later redesignated the 33rd Air Defense Group.

1955In 1955, the ADC's 551st Airborne Early Warning and

1955

Control Wing was assigned to Otis AFB to conduct reconnaissance missions and expand the U S defense expand the U.S. defense perimeter. The 551st operated large 4-engine Constellation Aircraft ("Connies") that were

difi d d l modified to conduct long-range flights over the Atlantic Ocean. Other ADC units conducting air defense missions from Otis AFB at this time included the 4707th Defense Wing, the 33rd Fighter Wing, and the 58th

d 60th Fi ht I t t and 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons.

1950s-1960s

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Otis AFB played a role in the technologically g y , p y g yadvanced national defense Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, which provided long-range search, height, and identification radar and ground-to-air radio communications for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). NORAD's mission was to provide continuous long-range radar surveillance of the North American land mass using a pioneering air defense system that focused upon missile defense. The first SAGE Direction Center was operational in 1958. Full deployment in the 22 air defense sectors in the U.S. and one air defense sector in Canada was achieved by 1963. Otis AFB served as a node in gap-filler radar and flight support.

1959In 1959, the Air Force constructed a counterpart to the Army's Nike missiles, the Boeing Michigan A ti l R h C t Aeronautical Research Center (BOMARC) anti-aircraft missile facility, on a site northwest of the airfield as part of a nation-wide

f t i d f t Oti surface-to-air defense system. Otis was one of eight such facilities in the country.

1960When John F. Kennedy became President in 1960, Otis Airfield took on an even greater importance due to its close

i it t th S Whit proximity to the Summer White House at Hyannisport. It became a regular stop for Air Force One and became one of the busiest air bases in the country. yPresident Kennedy maintained office space in Building 102 and used Building 110 (Kennedy Cottage) as a staging area for meetings and public affairs meetings and public affairs events when arriving or leaving from the airfield.

1968

In 1968, the Department of Defense agreed to allow the Coast Guard to utilize Otis Air F B C C d f Force Base on Cape Cod for a new Coast Guard Air Station.

19701970

Air Station Cape Cod was officially established on August 29, 1970.

In 1973, the U.S. Army began

1973In 1973, the U.S. Army began withdrawal from Camp Edwards, and in 1975, the Massachusetts Army National G d d ti l Guard assumed operational control.

Simultaneously in 1973 Otis Simultaneously, in 1973, Otis Air Force Base shifted to the Otis Air National Guard Base and became the home of the 102d Fighter Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard, the successor to the 101st Observation Squadron 101st Observation Squadron.

1976

In 1976, the 102d Fighter Interceptor Group was deactivated with the 102d Fighter Interceptor Wing assuming working command authority. The 101st Fighter Interceptor Squadron remained as the F 106 i d ki d Th 102d' i t th F 15 F-106 equipped working squadron. The 102d's conversion to the F-15 marked the first Air National Guard air defense unit to receive the Eagle.

1978

In 1978, the U.S. Air Force constructed the Perimeter Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased Array Warning System (PAVE PAWS) installation, designed to detect submarine launched ballistic missiles. It was the first of four such installations that provided coverage for the continental U.S.

19921992

The 102nd Fighter Interceptor Wing was redesignated the 102d g p g gFighter Wing in April 1992.

2008

On April 6, 2008 the Fighter Wing was re-designated to an Intelligence Wing. The new intelligence group, designated a Digital Ground Station will a Digital Ground Station, will exploit and analyze information sent from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles i li h l b Th circling the globe. The new

unit will also provide direct, around-the-clock support to combat operations worldwide. pAn Air Operations Group supporting command and control of long-range strikes

d b ti and cyber operations was activated in October of 2008.

2008

Ai St ti C C d f ll

2008

Air Station Cape Cod assumes full responsibility for airfield operations beginning October 1, 2008.

While transforming the Cold War Vintage Air Force Base into a 100% operated Coast Guard Air Station, all aspects of airfield management to include maintenance, approach lighting, tower operations, weather forecasting, NAVAIDs and snow removal became the NAVAIDs and snow removal became the responsibility of ASCC.

TTODAYODAYTTODAYODAY

The MMR is home to five military commands, including the Massachusetts Army National Guard at Camp Edwards; the Massachusetts Air National Guard at Otis Air National Guard Base; the 253rd Combat Communications Group, also at Otis Air National Guard Base; the 6th Space Warning Squadron phased array radar site at Cape Cod Air Force Space Warning Squadron phased array radar site at Cape Cod Air Force Station; and the U.S. Coast Guard at Air Station Cape Cod.

These military commands work to protect the land, sea, and air of the y p , ,northeastern United States. In addition, many military units and service members who work and train at the MMR are participating in missions around the world.

TTODAYODAYCamp Edwards is adapting to remain a cutting-edge training facility for Massachusetts and the entire Northeast. Camp Edwards has brought

t t f th t t i i f iliti new, state-of-the-art training facilities on line, is in the process of updating its small arms ranges, and is planning for its future to ensure Camp Edwards remains a viable, modern training facility in the years to modern training facility in the years to come.

The major commands of the MMR--the U.S. Coast Guard, Massachusetts Air and Army , yNational Guard and the U.S Air Force are working together to develop a vision for the future of the base. This vision is based on a tradition of service, dedication to

i i d h i d i mission, and the input and perspective gained from the community working through challenges together.

The vision will grow and change over time as mission needs change; yet there are goals that will g g g ; y gremain constant: supporting the missions that serve national security objectives, protecting the valuable natural resources the military has committed to steadfast stewardship of, and continuing to build and strengthen the relationships forged with our neighbors.