498th Tactical Missile Group

Kadena Air Base, Okinawa

Mace "B" Tactical Missile
Launch and Maintenance Sites

The Martin Marietta TM-76B Mace was re-designated the MGM13C, later corrected to the CGM-13C, and as backward as it seems, finally to its last designation as the CGM-13B It was known by all who were trained on it as the "B" Bird

In the Hole The Launch Crew accepts the Mace and begins preparation for the count to 600B Photo courtesy of Dennis Cralley, Sr. (dcralleysr@cox.net) U.S. Air Force Tactical Missiles Now Available On Line at Amazon.com and Lulu.com! By the Editors of this Website! 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." Burkhard Domke Harsefeld, Germany "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." Hack Hunton (hack@sstelco.com) Mace B, Kadena, Okinawa US Air Force Tactical Missiles © 2008 - George Mindling and Robert Bolton Inspired by the 38th TMW Website, George Mindling and Robert Bolton co-authored US Air Force Tactical Missiles 1949 - 1969: The Pioneers ©2008, the story of America's first operational missiles, from the Matador to the Mace, from Taiwan, Korea, and Okinawa to Germany, including Lowry, Orlando, Holloman, Santa Rosa Island at Eglin, and even Camp Happiness! 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 Fälle 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. Ausfährlich 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, äber 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 Bevökerung, die heute endlich erführt, was sich damals in ihrer Nachbarschaft zugetragen hat. Den beiden Autoren gebührt der Dank. Klaus Stark   (klaus_stark@t-online.de) Berlin, Germany This book is not only a must for all those who served in the U.S. Air Force with the early cruise missiles, but also for German military archeologists who have been puzzling over relics stumbled across in the Eifel, the Hunsrück and the Palatinate Forests. After more than 40 years, we finally have a wealth of facts, information and stories, from 1954 to 1969, of the nuclear equipped American Matador and Mace missiles stationed in Germany placed on the table. With detailed and vivid descriptions, George Mindling and Bob Bolton talk about the young Missilemen who arrived for the first time in March, 1954, in Bitburg - still green in the face, having prevailed the Atlantic crossing in major storm. Of the T-33 aircraft which practiced as if they Matador missiles launched in the direction of German-German border, or from the Cuban missile crisis, when the U.S. Air Force Europe went on DEFCON 3 and was issued ammunition to the mechanics in Bitburg for their rifles. Eyewitnesses say: "We would have to have the birds in the air in any event within 15 minutes!" It is vital military history that is prey to oblivion, but is now accessible to everyone - even for the local population, which today finally learns what happened at that time in their neighborhood. The two authors deserve thanks for saving the history. Klaus Stark, klaus_stark@t-online.de Berlin, Germany

The Kadena Controversy In response to inquiries about my knowledge and documentation about a possible live-warhead Mace missile launch from Kadena Air Base during the Cuban Missile crisis, I present the following references and related links about the event. This is NOT operation Sunset Lily, a scheduled launch of an inert Mace-B six years later that was canceled and did not happen. Operation Sunset Lily was used as the backstory for former Launch Officer Carlo Croce's novel Launch Enable. The initial Bulletin of Atomic Scientist article is at: The Okinawa Missiles of October The response from Stars and Stripes Magazine is at: Missileers refute claim The photographs used from this web site by author Travis Tritten were used with my permission. The Bordne/UN Interview in .mp3 format (43Mb) is available for download at Bordne Interview My response to Aaron Tovish, Director of the 2020 Vision Campaign of Mayors for Peace, author of the original article, is at: Letter to Aaron Tovish George Mindling, Webmaster/Co-author U.S. Air Force Tactical Missiles 1949 – 1969 The Pioneers

An assembled missile on the lowered door. The Mace B was not usually seen fully assembled outside of the launch bay as in this show position. Operational assembly normally took place in the launch bay itself: first, the M16E3 Thiokol Booster Bottle was mated to the fuselage, then the missile with the wings extended was wenched down into the bay. The loaded warhead section was lowered and mated next, followed by the nose section which contained the missiles guidance and flight controls

Photo courtesy of Dennis Cralley, Sr. (dcralleysr@cox.net)

TM-76B (CGM-13B) Mace in launch position. The hydraulic system is powered up for acceptance test, (1500 PSI supplied by an external Hydraulic Power Supply, HPS) but the Flight Controls System has not yet gone active (left spoilers full up.) The two nozzles aimed at the tailpipe are water nozzles used during firing of the RATO bottle. Photo: Stars and Stripes European Edition

The Missile Maintenance Area

Site Photos provided by Charles Headlee
headlee@abcs.com