The YB-61 Matador at Lowry while it was in the Court Area of the Interim Air Force Academy in 1955. The missile later graced the entrance to the electronics school at Lowry.
Beyond the Web Page... The only book devoted exclusively to the Matador and Mace Tactical Missiles. The book reveals the story from the initial idea that became the first U.S. pilotless bomber, through the politically troubled development of the ever evolving deployment methods of the Matador and Mace Tactical Missiles. It covers the Units, Groups, Squadrons and Wing that fielded the missiles. From the United States test sites, Europe, Asia and North Africa nothing is omitted. All phases of the application of these two missiles by the U.S. Air Force (and West German Luftwaffe) are included, from the first tentative launches of the XSSM-A-1 Matador in January 1949, to the tense alert duty of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the final launch of a MQM13A in May of 1977. The maintenance, logistics and launch, the men, equipment and tactics are all there.
"Bob, George, I finished your book 2 days after I received it. Couldn't put it down. It was incredible reading and incredibly detailed information."
Kent Washburn (KWASH55@aol.com) Mace B, Kadena, Okinawa
"George and Bob. I want you both to know how much I enjoyed reading and how much I admire and appreciate what you have accomplished in developing and publishing "The Pioneers". It is truly an outstanding piece of work, reflecting the time and effort required to produce it, but is also a formidable contribution to our military history. I mentioned in some earlier correspondence that I was a little disappointed in the relatively small amount of information regarding the Operating Location/Guidance Sites but you largely made up for it with this magnificent book."
Dale Lake (daleflake@yahoo.com) 601st Tactical Control Squadron, 38th TMW, Hamm, Germany
"I just finished your book, The Pioneers, et al. Please accept my "job well done!" Not only is it informative, but it's very readable. I'd also like to complement you on how well you footnoted it. You have shown that a scholarly work can be both instructive and enjoyable."
Michael Roof (lavinaschnur@hotmail.com) SGM USA (Ret.)
ISBN 978-0-557-00029-6
"Very good work with great detail."
Col. Charlie Simpson, USAF, Retired
Executive Director
Association of Air Force Missileers
"George, the book arrived on Tuesday while I was off to France. Of course, I quickly read the chapter about ´Germany's quiet step into the realm of nuclear armament.´ You know, this is still a widely ignored fact over here...
...For me it is fascinating to see what the picture really was in the 1950s and 1960s as opposed to what the official communication of the time wanted people to believe. A fascinating book shedding some light on the early days of tactical nuclear missiles as well as the political background that even today is still largely hidden behind the propaganda of the time. Can´t wait to read the rest of it."
"I have your excellent book on USAF tactical missiles. I actually witnessed the decommissioning of the Maces at Wüscheim back in 1966."
Paul Offen
Talitha, Tye Common Road
Billericay
Essex CM12 9PX
UK
"I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how much I enjoyed the book that you and Bob wrote. The history was of particluar interest to me and my brother who was a history Professor at the University of Wisconsin. He also thought the book was well written, and he now knows what his little brother, (me), did while in Germany for three years."
George Joseph Snyder (gjsnyder@lanset.com)
71st TMS, Steinborn, Germany
"...by the way, I read your book, it was great, thanks for writing it."
Dieses Buch ist ein Muss für alle, die im Rahmen ihres Dienstes bei der U.S. Air Force mit den frühen Marschflugkörpern zu tun hatten, aber auch für deutsche Militärarchäologen, die in der Eifel, im Hunsrück oder im Pfälzer Wald schon über rätselhafte Hinterlassenschaften gestolpert sind. Nach mehr als 40 Jahren wird endlich eine Fülle von Fakten, Informationen und Geschichten zu den zwischen 1954 und 1969 in Deutschland stationierten, mit Automwaffen ausgerüsteten amerikanischen Matador und Mace auf den Tisch gelegt. Ausführlich und lebendig erzählen George Mindling und Bob Bolton von den jungen Missilemen, die im März 1954 erstmals in Bitburg ankamen - noch ganz grün im Gesicht, weil auf dem Atlantik schwerer Sturm geherrscht hatte. Von den T-33-Flugzeugen, die aus Übungsgründen so taten, als wären sie Matador-Flugkörper, über die Startstellungen hinweg in Richtung deutsch-deutsche Grenze donnerten und sich von der Gegenseite nur nicht erwischen lassen durften. Oder von der Kuba-Krise, als die US Air Force Europe auf DEFCON 3 ging und an die Mechaniker in Bitburg Munition für ihre Karabiner ausgegeben wurde.
Augenzeugen sagen dazu: "Wir hätten die Vögel auf jeden Fall innerhalb von 15 Minuten in der Luft haben müssen!" Es ist lebendige Militärgeschichte, die nun nicht der Vergessenheit anheimfällt, sondern jedermann zugänglich wird - auch für die ortsansässige Bevölkerung, die heute endlich erfährt, was sich damals in ihrer Nachbarschaft zugetragen hat. Den beiden Autoren gebührt der Dank.
Klaus Stark (klaus_stark@t-online.de)
Berlin, Germany
Just wanted to say the sight is fantastic! One thing that I've noticed, is
the almost total lack of information concerning Lowry AFB and the
individuals who spent their time there training the future technicians and
mechanics. I was one of the lucky ones to spend 7 years, 11 months at
Lowry, the last 6 years as an instructor for the Mace 'B' GEMS school. I
always wished I could have been in an operational unit, but the AF needs
said I was an instructor. Over the period at LAFB I was assigned to the
3419th, 3424th, and the 3421st. I always wore my pocket rocket with pride,
and the instructor badge with the same pride. Keep up the good work!
George Mindling, Flight Controls, and Jim Hawkins, MEMS, at Lowry AFB, Colorado, in front of a TM-76A school training missile on May 13, 1961,.
The photo was taken during a snow storm on Sunday, Mother's Day. The day before had crowds in short sleeved shirts as they attended Armed Forces Day Open House with sunshine and 65 degree temperature!
The TM-76A display missile at Lowry AFB, on display at Lowry 1 during better weather
Photo courtesy of Lee Garwig (leegarwig@verizon.net)
Good Afternoon,
I Found your Kadena Mace site and had a few memories come back. The photo is of the original class of instructors from Lowry AFB after graduating from the G.L. Martin factory training course in Baltimore MD in 1960.
I'm the guy in the back row with the mustache. I may be able to dig up the names of the rest of them.
I am also a former member of the 498th in the TEMS area from 1965 to 1968. If your still putting stuff on this site I may be able to help. Let me know.
MSG Larry Hamilton USAF(Ret) (acornoak@train.missouri.org)
"Two old coots like us..."
Bill Reeves, SMSGT (Retired) and George Mindling, 2/3rds of the initial 1962 Bitburg Flight Controls IC&V team 9 on October 2, 2007, some 45 years later (Leonard Estrada not pictured). Bill is the instructor at Baltimore, top row far right, and George is the fellow on the left in front of the school missile in the snow in the photo above. George is also the webmaster for the 38th TMW Web Site.
This page is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the United States Air Force.
Opinions and views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the
Department of the Air Force.
All Contributions remain the property of the original owners
All Contributions used with Permission
Web Page Design and Development by
George Mindling - Port Charlotte, Florida
I Found your Kadena Mace site and had a few memories come back. The photo is of the original class of instructors from Lowry AFB after graduating from the G.L. Martin factory training course in Baltimore MD in 1960.
