Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Western Montana

Great Falls AAF / Malmstrom AFB (revised 10/7/07) - Whitehall Intermediate Field (added 5/25/06)

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Whitehall Intermediate Field, Whitehall, MT

45.81 North / 112.21 West (Southeast of Butte, MT)

Whitehall Intermediate Field, as depicted on the February 1942 2M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

Photo of the airport while open has not been located.

The Whitehall Intermediate Field was established by the Department of Commerce

as one of their network of landing fields constructed for the emergency use

of commercial aircraft flying along airways between major cities.

The date of construction of the Whitehall Intermediate Field has not been determined.

The earliest reference to the field which has been located

was in The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It described Whitehall “Site 35” as a Department of Commerce Intermediate Field

along the Salt Lake – Great Falls Airway.

The field was said to consist of a 161-acre L-shaped gravel field

containing 2 runways” 3,960' north/south & 3,300' east/west.

The earliest depiction of the Whitehall Intermediate Field which has been located

was on the February 1942 2M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted Whitehall as “Site 36A”.

The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted the “Whitehall FAA” Airfield as having a single 5,950' unpaved Runway 16/34 within an irregularly-shaped landing area.

Several buildings were depicted on the northeast corner of the field,

but it is not known if these were airfield-related.

The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of the Whitehall Airfield

was on the April 1961 Yellowstone Park Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted “Whitehall (FAA)” as having a 5,900' unpaved runway.

The last directory listing of Whitehall which has been located

was in the 1963 AOPA Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).

Whitehall apparently lasted longer than most other rural Intermediate Fields.

It was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1963-65,

as it was no longer listed among active airfields in the 1965 Jeppesen Airway Manual (according to Chris Kennedy).

The 1996 USGS topo map still depicted the outline of the airfield,

labeled simply as “Landing Area”.

It also still depicted an airway beacon at the northeast corner of the field.

As seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo,

the outline of the former Whitehall Intermediate Field remains distinct.

Several buildings remain at the northeast corner of the airfield,

possibly including the airway beacon depicted on the topo map.

The site of the Whitehall Intermediate Field is located southeast of the intersection

of Route 41 & Airport Lane, appropriately enough.

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Great Falls AAF / Malmstrom AFB (GFA), Malmstrom, MT

47.5 North / 111.19 West (North of Billings, MT)

Col. Ford Laure making the 1^st B-17 landing at Great Falls Army Air Base on November 30, 1942.

This is a fairly unusual (although not unique) case of a base that continues to be an active Air Force installation (as of 2002)

even though its huge airfield has been abandoned.

Malmstrom Air Force Base traces its beginnings back to 1939 when WW2 broke out in Europe.

Concern about the war caused the local Chamber of Commerce to contact 2 Montana senators,

Burton Wheeler & James Murray, and request they consider development of a military installation in Great Falls.

In 1942, a survey team evaluated an area near the Green Mill Dance Club & Rainbow Dam Road

approximately 6 miles east of Great Falls.

Great Falls, along with ten other northern tier sparsely populated sites,

was considered for a heavy bomber-training base.

Construction began on Great Falls Army Air Base in 1942.

As constructed during the war, the airfield consisted of 4 paved runways, taxiways,

a large paved ramp area, numerous hangars, and a large number of other buildings.

The base was informally known as East Base

since the 7^th Ferrying Group was stationed at the Municipal Airport on Gore Hill.

Its mission was to establish an air route between Great Falls & Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska,

as part of the US Lend-Lease Program that supplied the Soviet Union

with aircraft & supplies needed to fight the German Army.

The earliest depiction which has been located of Great Falls Army Air Base

was a November 30, 1942 photo showing Col. Ford Laure making the 1^st B-17 landing at the base.

Great Falls Army Air Base was assigned to 2^nd Air Force.

Four Bombardment Groups, the 2^nd, 385^th, 390^th, and 401^st,

trained at Great Falls from November 1942 to October 1943.

Group Headquarters & one of the Groups' 4 squadrons were stationed in Great Falls.

These bombardment groups went on to participate in decisive raids over Germany

opening the door for Allied daylight precision bombing.

Upon completion of the B-17 training program in 1943,

Great Falls AAB was transferred to the Air Transport Command

and units from Gore Field transferred to the base.

More buildings were constructed this year, including a consolidated mess,

a Post Exchange, a theater, and a 400-bed hospital.

Moreover, the Lend Lease Program continued, which included deliveries of P-39, C-47, B-25, and A-20 aircraft.

B-25 Mitchell Bombers arrived by rail & were assembled on base,

while others were flown in by both military & Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs).

These aircraft were later flown by US pilots to Fairbanks, Alaska,

and transferred to Russian pilots who in turn flew them into Siberia.

A total of 1,717,712 pounds of cargo containing aircraft parts, tools miscellaneous equipment,

explosives & medical supplies were shipped through Great Falls AAB to Russia.

The earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Great Falls AAF which has been located

was on the May 1945 Butte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

A circa mid-1940s aerial view looking west at Great Falls Army Air Base.

Aircraft shipments to the Soviet Union through Great Falls AAF stopped in 1945 with the end of WW2,

with approximately 8,000 aircraft having been processed in a 21-month period.

Following WW2, Great Falls AAB assumed a support mission for military personnel assigned to Alaskan military installations.

A reserve training unit was established here for the 4th Air Force from 1946-47.

In 1947 the United States Air Force became a separate service

and the base’s name changed to Great Falls Air Force Base.

The October 1948 Butte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted Great Falls AFB as having an 8,900' hard surface runway.

The "Cold War" was heating up when the Soviet Union closed all land travel between West Germany & West Berlin in 1948.

"Operation Vittles," the strategic airlift of supplies to Berlin's 2,000,000 inhabitants, was initiated.

Great Falls AFB played a critical role in assuring the success of this vital operation.

Officials selected the base as the only replacement aircrew training site for Berlin Airlift-bound C-54s,

officially activating the 517^th Air Transport Wing.

Using radio beacons, Great Falls AFB was transformed to resemble Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, Germany.

Hundreds of pilots & Flight Engineers, many of whom were recalled to active duty,

were qualified on the C-54 aircraft & on flight procedures to & from Berlin

by practicing on ground mock-ups & flying simulated airlift missions.

Later, the 517^th Air Transport Wing was redesginated the 1701^st Air Transport Wing.

This wing's primary mission was the routing & scheduling of flights throughout the Pacific Ocean region

in support of allied forces in the Korean Conflict.

The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) reopened the C-54 Flight Training School

as the 1272 Medium Transition Training Unit in May 1950, one month before the Korean War began.

The 1701^st ATW was later replaced by the 1300^th Air Base Wing & the 582^nd Air Resupply & Communications Squadron.

Great Falls AFB has also played a major aerial defense role in North American Air Defense mission.

The 29^th Air Division activated at Great Falls AFB in early 1950,

bringing with them fighter interceptor squadrons, an aircraft control & warning squadron, and ground observer detachments.

The 29th Fighter Interceptor Squadron activated in 1953 & remained at Great Falls until 1968.

Malmstrom AFB was responsible for the 24^th North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) region,

which covered the western half of the North America.

This was comprised of 4 fighter-interceptor squadrons & radar sites

stretching from the Rocky Mountains, halfway across North Dakota & north to the north border of Canada.

The Malstrom Command Center (Building 500) was originally a Semi-Automatic Ground Environment facility,

which served as an alternate NORAD Command Center during the Cold War.

The 24^th also served as the NORAD alternate command post, which remained active until 1983.

In 1954, the base was aligned under Strategic Air Command

and the 407^th Strategic Fighter Wing was assigned to Great Falls AFB.

The Wing's F-84 fighters & KB-29 air refuelers were to provide fighter escort for SAC's long-range B-36 bombers.

In the same year, the 407^th SFW Vice Commander, Col. Einar Malmstrom,

died when his T-33 crashed approximately one mile west of the airport at Gore Field.

Although his tenure was short, he was well liked by the local community.

It was the local civilian community that led the efforts to rename Great Falls AFB for Col. Malmstrom.

In 1956, the base was officially rededicated as Malmstrom AFB.

When the 407th SFW was deactivated in 1957, the 4061^st Air Refueling Wing (ARW) was activated.

The 407^th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) and their KB-29s

were joined by the 97^th ARS & their KC-97s to form the wing.

The 4061^st ARW flew their missions from Malmstrom AFB until 1961.

The 341^st Strategic Missile Wing was activated at Malmstrom AFB in 1961.

Construction of the wing's first launch facility was completed in 1961.

The first Minuteman I ICBM arrived on base by rail in 1962.

Just 4 days after the missile's arrival, Launch Facility Alpha-09 gained the title of the first Minuteman missile site.

In 1963, following 28 months of construction, the wing & its 3 squadrons became operational.

Each squadron controlled 50 missiles, bringing the total wing strength to 150 Minuteman I missiles.

Malmstrom's runway had apparently been lengthened at some point between 1948-63,

as the July 1963 Butte Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted Malmstrom AFB as having a 11,500' hard surface runway.

Two years later, construction began on the 4^th & final squadron, the 564th SMS.

This squadron was equipped with the more modern Minuteman II missiles.

Malmstrom's missile field was now the largest in the United States, covering 23,500 square miles.

By 1967, the 10^th, 12^th & 490^th SMSs were also upgraded to the Minuteman II missiles,

increasing the wing's capabilities to 4 missile squadrons equipped with a total of 200 Minuteman II missiles.

The 17^th Defense Systems Evaluation Squadron, equipped with EB-57 Canberras,

was activated here in the 1970s to train NORAD air defense personnel in electronic countermeasures.

In 1988 the Hardened Mobile Launcher for the Small ICBM

was tested at Malmstrom AFB to verify its ability to operate in harsh winter conditions.

A major restructuring occurred in 1989 when SAC relocated the 40^th Air Division to Malmstrom AFB

and assigned it host responsibilities for both the newly activated 301^st ARW & the 341^st Strategic Missile Wing.

The 301^st ARW deployed to Moon Island in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.

During this time period the 301^st flew 443 Combat Sorties refueling 936 coalition aircraft,

and transferring 33.5 Million pounds of fuel.

In 1991, the 40^th Air Division deactivated, returning host responsibilities back to the 341^st.

The 1991 USGS topo map depicted Malmstrom AFB as having a single runway -

the other 3 former runways were no longer depicted.

An April 1, 1991 DOD photo by Russ Pollanen of Malmstrom's operations building & control tower.

Also in 1991, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was officially formalized.

President Bush took all Minuteman II missiles, bombers & tankers off alert status on September 27.

As Minuteman II missiles were removed, a new program called Rivet Add was launched,

modifying the 150 Minuteman II launch facilities to accommodate the newer Minuteman III.

In the early 1990s, host responsibilities changed several times due to massive Air Force restructuring programs.

In 1992, Malmstrom's host responsibilities were again transferred,

this time to the Air Mobility Command's 301^st ARW.

Later that same year, the Air Force restructured its major commands,

deactivating SAC & replacing it with Air Combat Command (ACC).

In 1993 responsibility for the nation's ICBM force was transferred to Air Force Space Command.

USGS aerial photo 1996.

Note that this picture was apparently taken during an airshow,

as there is a static display of a variety of different types of aircraft parked on the southwest end of the ramp,

with many types of aircraft which were not based at Malmstrom.

In addition to the single 11,500' Runway 3/21, the remains of 3 other WW2-era runways were extant, as well.

An undated photo of hangars at Malmstrom AFB.

The 1995 Defense Base Realignment & Closure Commission led to the deactivation

of the 43^rd Air Refueling Group with its aircraft assigned to the 6^th Air Base Wing at McDill AFB, Florida.

The airfield at Malmstrom was, until the end of 1996,

an active military flightline with numerous landings & departures daily.

During its final years, the airfield at Malmstrom was considered an Air Force Class B airfield,

consisting of a single 11,500' x 200' Runway 3/21 with a parallel taxiway,

adjoining aircraft parking areas, and 6 interconnecting taxiways.

In 1997, Malmstrom's runway was declared inactive for the first time in the base's history.

Since closure of the airfield, the USAF has no plans or budget to operate the runway.

As of 2002, the only remaining aviation facility at this huge airfield is the Malmstrom AFB Heliport.

Malmstrom continues to operate as an active Air Force Base,

in support of the Minuteman missiles which are deployed in the surrounding area.