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Show . V kol 22 7- -No. PUBLISHED AT KAYSVILLE, UTAH AFB to Observe 14th An n versarv Hill ""Iff ISJ -- -- -J .T JfeSspS c" jriiOD" ffi Fourteen years has seen Hill AFB grow from a barren sand-hi- ll to a mighty air above show Photos of Utah. state in the largest employer in the base's history. (1) Shortly after the activation ten years ago construction began on warehouses and hangars at Hill JPB Si above shows early construction of stat services building on the left ,oto ana supply headquarters on the right. Hangar in the background is the operations hangar. (2) Rare photograph above shows hangar No. 3 still in the skeleton 1 AFB "grew "P fast" with the advent of World War II and the necessity for repairing aircraft and monitoring supplies. Many famous bombers er Patched up at Hill AFB after doing a terrific job in the war. Markings n tne famous "Eager Beaver" above show the Liberator completed 77 bombing rlfIOniS;,wlth three shiPs aid three planes to its credit. (4) Inset shows Brig, general Morris Berman (then Lt. Col.) who, according to General Orders No. 1, torce base which is the some of the milestones 2 ourteen Years See Hill Prow into Vital Air Base By Bob Bowman 'wBase' November 7 19H marks another birthday for Hill Air !sumedren yea j3 APR k ovember dga" I Hill s ag0' on November 7, 1940, Brig. Gen. Morris Berman nd of four weather-beate- n shacks located on a sandhilr. t0 Hve and breath its history began on that bleak iri" began at an earlier dji 7It Parentge established in Salt, JkvS? 'tionwaaVt ief Jlats temPrary Up t0 &nd aircraft S?LMf r Vyide instal-fo- r facili-ilitar- v bailing wire" en flying the supply and recfn?f,JToday these depots C40rPs "headn faiet0wn. AMA B-2- ; y, B-2- Things began to shape up for the new base in 193o. Congress passed Bill and thereby the Wilcox-Wilso- n authorized seven new permanent Air Corps depots. : One of these depots was to be in" the Rocky Mountain Area. General Arnold, with a party of Army of f icials and Congressmen, toured this area on-- an inspection a desirtrip. Their missionnew"pick The base. the for able site the of Committee Affairs Military Commerce of Chamber n e d 0g the presguided the dignitaries toThfe AFB. group ent site beheld piaiu, wc sprinkled with sagebrush and sand,Wlin all utt3ivu - ing across the prairie; The inspection team were "men gifted with vision. Theyandchecked found the drainage possibilities them good.. There was plenty of runways. flat land, ideal for long The power and water situation was excellent. The weather picture was Everything pointed exceptional, to a "natural" for a proposed air of a11 the AMA' AFB, Ohio. Iate General Henry right.pqaUnItcrs "Hap" r far-seei- ng 'Eight-millio- B-1- 6f-H- ill x- n dollars was 1939 when a money in appropriated bill was signed by President Roosevelt on July 1. On December 1, 1939 the site was named Hill Field, honoring Major Ployer P. Hill who gave his life in 1935 testing the first 7 bomber. Official ground breaking ceremonies were held during December Col. Frank M. Browning 1910. (Ret.), , chairman of the Ogden Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, lifted ,the first shovel of dirt. This was an honor paid to the. Chamber of Commerce group for services rendered. The Ogden group had long since optioned part.ofthe land and purchased other tracts. Chamber of Commerce members had scoured the countryside borrowing grading possible. 1 Arnold was impressed with the record of the Salt Lake City depot. He "sold', the War Department on the possibilities of establishing a permanent facility in this area. General Arnold, with typical, straability, recognized the s.ucH a depot. of advantage tegic He reasoned that an installation located in the shadows of the Million Appropriated Wasatch Mountains would be less Eight made his recommenThe general would it exposed to attack. Besides, Air Corps decided and the dations defense for as soon as provide a bulwark of Coast construction states, to begin the western and Pacific . Penn-- . - date in .1034 when an Air j OOOEN S FIR assumed command of Hill Field on November 7, 1940. He served in this capacity until June 26, 1944. (5) Entrance to Hill AFB has changed since this photo was taken which shows the old main gate and old barracks buildings, used as civilian dormitories. (6) The famous 4 line during World War II turned thousands of "war wearies" back into good as new bombers. Sign in the back of the hangar a bomber a day." (7) Thousands of Hillfielders assemble on says "Slap a Jap the apron fronting the aircraft repair hangars and participate in prayer ceremonies on June 6, 1944. (8) Following V-- J Day, activities at Hill AFB quieted down, but in 1950, at the beginning of the Korean struggle, Hill AFB again found itself playing a vital defense role. Hill was called upon to modify and recondition hundreds of 6 bombers which played a most important part against the enemy. (9) August, 1952, marked another milestone in the history of Hill AFB when the first jet aircraft arrived for overhaul. .' ill November 5, 1954 - . equipment and other materials to get construction under way. The shovel used in ground-breakin- g ceremonies, incidently, is still kept on exhibition in the Chamber of Commerce Office in' Ogden. Much water has passed under the bridge since those early days Commanders have come and gone Such men as Col. Paul D. Wolfe. Brig. Gen. Ray G. Harris, Col, Frank u. ll a c k e 1 1, Maj. Gen William M. Morgan, Col. James S. Sutton, Maj. Gen. Norris B. Har- bold, and Brig. Gen- - A. H. Gilke- son have added their names to the roster of Hill AFB commanders. A rundown of the list of nrior commanders shows several officers' have passed away and others have retired or left the service. Several officers have , transferred to jobs one rung higher on the Air Force career ladder. "Brig. Gen. M. E. Tillery, the 'present Commander, is the ninth in the series of brilliant Air Force men ' to manage this depot. May of 1953 saw a division of command responsibility. Col. H. J. . Kieling was designated the commander for the base. Gen Tillery was designated the commander of the Ogden Air Materiel Area, comprising the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming, v and Utah. , Hill AFB often has changed its name. Old timers will recognized such monikers as Ogden Air Depot Control Area Command, Ogden Air Service Command, Hill Field, Ogden Air Technical Service Command, (Continued on Page 2.) - |