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103-909: George Bunker, president of the Martin Company , paid a courtesy call on General John Medaris , USA, of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) at Redstone Arsenal , Alabama in 1956. Medaris noted that it would be helpful to the Army if there was a missile plant near the Air Force Missile Test Center (present-day Cape Canaveral Air Force Station ) in Florida. The Martin Company subsequently began construction of their Sand Lake facility in Orlando, Florida which opened in late 1957. Edward Uhl ,

206-454: A W50 nuclear weapon with three yield options— the Y1 with 60 kiloton yield, Y2 with 200 kiloton yield and Y3 with 400 kiloton yield; the conventional warhead was never deployed. The Pershing 1 firing platoon consisted of four M474 tracked-vehicles manufactured by FMC Corporation — by comparison, Redstone needed twenty vehicles. The transporter erector launcher (TEL) transported the two stages and

309-436: A ball-and-disk integrator and a control computer. As directed by the onboard computers, the bolts exploded and ejected the splice band. Another squib would open the thrust reversal ports in the forward end of the stage and ignite the propellant in the forward end, causing the motor to reverse direction. Testing found that the second stage would draft behind the warhead and cause it to drift off course, so explosive charges on

412-545: A 700-mile (1,130 km) apogee . Pegasus would have used the Pershing erector-launcher and could be placed in any open area. Martin seems to have targeted the nascent European space program, but this system was never developed. In 1965, the Army contracted with the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) of Johns Hopkins University to develop and implement a test and evaluation program. APL provided technical support to

515-647: A Ford M656 truck for U.S. Army units and a Magirus-Deutz or MAN SE for German Air Force units. Launch activation was performed from a remote fire box that could be deployed locally or mounted in the battery control central (BCC). One PTS controlled three launchers— when one launch count was complete, ten large cables were unplugged from the PTS and the PTS was moved up and connected to the next launcher. Missile and power station upgrades in 1974 provided easier access to missile components, reduce maintenance and improved reliability. A new digital guidance and control computer combined

618-418: A civil trial for the alleged crimes. When the three were put into a wagon and taken under cavalry escort to Fort Richardson, Satank began his death song. A mile down the trail, he grabbed the carbine of one of the troopers in the wagon. Before he could cock and fire it, he was hit by several shots fired by the escort. Satank was left against a tree, and the column continued its mission. A marker on Berry Road near

721-511: A control box, the ST-120 inertial navigation system in the guidance section rotated into alignment and the north direction programmed into the computer. In 1961, Martin proposed a satellite launch system based on the Pershing. Named Pegasus , it would have had a lighter, simplified guidance section and a short third stage booster. A 60-pound (27 kg) payload could be boosted to a 210-mile (340 km) circular orbit , or to an elliptical orbit with

824-500: A corps were an anti-aircraft machine-gun and anti-aircraft artillery battalion, a remount depot a bakery company, a troop transport train, a telegraph battalion, a field signal battalion, a photo section, and a sales commissary unit. Self-propelled balloons were developed at Post Field in 1937. These balloons were designed to be powered to an observation point, their motors removed, and observation baskets attached. The famous balloon hangar moved from Moffett Field to Fort Sill in 1934 and

927-575: A cross-country distance flight. The aviators were supported by a trail of heavy trucks and their mechanics on motorcycles. The flight arrived on November 26 without any major incidents delaying them. The squadron was kept in Texas because of tension along the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa felt betrayed that the U.S. government recognized Venustiano Carranza 's Mexican government. Villa began to attack Americans in northern Mexico. On March 9, 1916, Villa's troops attacked Columbus, N.M., and

1030-457: A detachment of the 13th Cavalry . The town was burned, and the Americans suffered eighteen soldiers and civilians killed and eight wounded. President Woodrow Wilson ordered Gen. John J. Pershing to lead 4,800 men into Mexico to capture Villa. Villa was never killed but did receive a wound from being shot by one of his men while being chased by troops under General Pershing. (See Pershing's diary on

1133-621: A joint Army/ Department of Energy study concluded that it was technically and financially feasible to replace the W50 warhead carried by Pershing 1a with the W85 warhead developed for Pershing II. However, with the signing of the INF Treaty, development on the conversion was terminated. The Pershing II Weapon System was a solid-fueled two-stage ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace

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1236-591: A modified ballistic missile (such as the U.S. Army's Juno I ). Martin also designed and manufactured the huge and heavily armed Titan I and LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Martin Company of Orlando, Florida, was the prime contractor for the US Army's Pershing missile. The Martin Company was one of two finalists for the command and service modules of the Apollo Program . The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded

1339-411: A new table of organization and equipment (TOE); an infantry battalion was added to provide additional security; and the 56th Artillery Group was reorganized and redesignated the 56th Field Artillery Brigade. Due to the nature of the weapon system, officer positions were increased by one grade: batteries were commanded by a major instead of a captain ; battalions were commanded by a colonel ; and

1442-623: A portion thereof would be combat alert status (CAS) on a permanent hard site, covering assigned targets. In peacetime the four batteries of each battalion rotated through four states or conditions of alert readiness, the highest being that of the CAS battery. The purpose of this rotation was to assume the CAS status, to share the burden of CAS responsibility, to provide time for field tactical training and equipment maintenance, and to give ample leave and pass time to personnel without adverse impact on operational requirements. During periods of increased tension,

1545-622: A second Glenn L. Martin Company on September 10, 1917. This new company was headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio . In 1913, Mexican insurgents from the northwestern state of Sonora bought a single-seater Martin Pusher biplane in Los Angeles with the intention of attacking federal naval forces that were attacking the port of Guaymas . The aircraft was shipped on May 5, 1913, in five crates to Tucson, Arizona , via Wells Fargo Express , and then moved through

1648-652: Is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma , about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City . It covers almost 94,000 acres (38,000 ha). The fort was first built during the Indian Wars . It is designated as a National Historic Landmark and serves as home of the United States Army Field Artillery School , as well as the Marine Corps site for Field Artillery MOS school, United States Army Air Defense Artillery School ,

1751-626: Is known today as the Fort Sill Apache Tribe . Lt. Hugh L. Scott commanded Troop L of the 7th Cavalry, consisting entirely of Indians and considered one of the best in the West. Kiowa scout I-See-O and other members of the troop are credited with helping tribes on the South Plains avert the Bloody Ghost Dance uprising of the 1890s in which the US Army brutally murdered many Indians on

1854-716: The 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade , and the 75th Field Artillery Brigade . Fort Sill is also one of the four locations for the Army Basic Combat Training . It has played a significant role in every major American conflict since 1869. The site of Fort Sill was staked out on January 8, 1869, by Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan , who led a campaign into Indian Territory to stop tribes from raiding border settlements in Texas and Kansas . Sheridan's massive winter campaign involved six cavalry regiments accompanied by frontier scouts such as Buffalo Bill Cody , Wild Bill Hickok , Ben Clark and Jack Stilwell. Troops camped at

1957-589: The Lockheed Corporation , then the nation's second-largest defense contractor, to form the Lockheed Martin Corporation , becoming the largest such company in the world. The Martin Company employed many of the founders and chief engineers of the American aerospace industry, including: Martin also taught William Boeing how to fly and sold him his first airplane. Fort Sill Fort Sill

2060-703: The Lockheed Martin corporation. Glenn L. Martin Company was founded by aviation pioneer Glenn Luther Martin on August 16, 1912. He started the company building military training aircraft in Santa Ana, California , and in September 1916, Martin accepted a merger offer from the Wright Company , creating the Wright-Martin Aircraft Company. This merger did not function well, so Glenn Martin left to form

2163-737: The MB-1 bomber , a large biplane design ordered by the United States Army on January 17, 1918. The MB-1 entered service after the end of hostilities. A follow-up design, the MB-2 , proved successful; 20 were ordered by the Army Air Service , the first five of them under the company designation and the last 15 as the NBS-1 (Night Bomber, Short range). Although the War Department ordered 110 more, it retained

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2266-509: The Martin 4-0-4 twin-engined passenger airliner. The Martin Company moved into the aerospace manufacturing business. It produced the Vanguard rocket , used by the American space program as one of its first satellite booster rockets as part of Project Vanguard . The Vanguard was the first American space exploration rocket designed from scratch to be an orbital launch vehicle — rather than being

2369-577: The Pershing Operational Test Unit (POTU), identified problem areas and improved the performance and survivability of the Pershing systems. In 1964 a series of operational tests and follow-on tests were performed to determine Pershing reliability. The Secretary of Defense then requested that the Army define the modifications required to make Pershing suitable for the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) role. The Pershing 1a development program

2472-525: The Sooners . At one point in the 1880s, the post was nearly deserted when gold was rumored to have been found in the nearby Wichita Mountains, and officers and soldiers alike rushed to stake claims. In 1894, Geronimo and 341 other Chiricahua Apache prisoners of war were brought to Fort Sill, where they lived in villages scattered around the post. After a couple of years, Geronimo was granted permission to travel with Pawnee Bill 's Wild West Show, and he joined

2575-473: The brigade was commanded by a brigadier general . Pershing 1a was deployed with three U.S. battalions in Europe and two German Air Force wings. Each battalion or wing had 36 mobile launchers. The constitution of West Germany prohibited owning nuclear weapons, thus control of the nuclear warheads remained in the hands of the U.S. Army. During peacetime operations, a portion of the Pershing 1a assets were deployed on

2678-509: The "Wilson Memorandum" that removed from the U.S. Army all missiles with a range of 200 miles (320 km) or more. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) rescinded the memorandum in 1958 and ABMA began development of the class of ballistic missile. The missile was initially called the Redstone-S , where the S meant solid propellant (and the name Redstone came from the Redstone missile it

2781-578: The 1958 Berlin Crisis , became the vice chief of staff of the Army, played a crucial role in the Cuban Missile Crisis and in the escalation of the Vietnam War . One of the U.S. Air Force 's most advanced technical units, the 1st Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska., traces its lineage through the 1st Balloon Company. The 44th Aero Squadron was assigned to support

2884-553: The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron of the U.S. Air Force at Beale AFB traces its unit heritage to the 1st Aero Squadron. In August 1917, Capt. H.R. Eyrich surveyed a new airfield location at Fort Sill and established Henry Post Army Airfield (named after 2nd Lt. Henry Post , who was killed in a plane crash in San Diego in 1914). The field occupies a small plateau about a mile south of the main post cantonment area. Construction immediately began on wooden hangars, offices, and officer housing. As

2987-480: The 3rd Aero Squadron, trains pilots at Vance Air Force Base , Enid, Okla. The 4th Aero Squadron was also sent to Post Airfield that summer. The 4th operated as an observation school for the field artillery until demobilized on Jan 2nd, 1919. Today, the 394th Combat Training Squadron at White-man AFB, Mo., traces its lineage to the 4th Aero Squadron. As the Army's aviation assets grew, various units were created, inactivated, assigned, and reassigned. In 1922, Fort Sill

3090-681: The Air Service Flying School, and the Army Aviation School . In 1917, the Henry Post Army Airfield was constructed for artillery observation and spotting. During World War I , Montgomery M. Macomb , a brigadier general and career artillery officer who had retired in 1916, was recalled to active duty to command Fort Sill and oversee the schools and training programs that prepared soldiers for combat in France . Fort Sill

3193-548: The Army ordered the squadron back to Columbus, N.M. Their only real military success was finding a lost and thirsty cavalry column. The 1st Aero Squadron received new airplanes, but the factory hurriedly packed them, all missing parts and requiring significant modifications. The squadron was not taken to the field again until it was deployed to France as part of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I . Today,

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3296-692: The Field Artillery School at Post Field in August 1922. It was reassigned on July 31, 1927, to the Air Corps Training Center. The unit today is not active. It was replaced by the 88th Observation Squadron, which moved from Brooks Field , Texas, to Fort Sill in September 1928. The 88th left Post Field in 1931, and today is the 436th Training Squadron out of Dyess AFB , Texas. In the 1930s, the WPA and Army built several new permanent structures to replace

3399-608: The Fort Sill Golf Course. Unlike other U.S. territories, Indian Territory had no organized government. Hence, Army posts like Fort Reno , Fort Supply and Fort Sill found themselves the most significant federal and legal presence in a vast territory. They provided protection to Indians and civilians alike, sometimes dealt as mediators between the Indians and the Indian agents, and protected the various Indian tribes against intrusion by

3502-659: The Fourth Cavalry north from Fort Concho. The fourth column, consisting of the Sixth Cavalry and Fifth Infantry, was commanded by Colonel Nelson A. Miles and came south from Fort Dodge. The fifth column, the Eighth Cavalry commanded by Major William R. Price, a total of 225 officers and men, plus six Indian scouts and two guides, originated from Fort Union [5] and marched east via Fort Bascom in New Mexico.[6] The plan called for

3605-490: The Indian Agent brought several Kiowa chiefs to tell their story about attacking the wagon train. When Sherman ordered their arrest during a meeting on Grierson's porch, two of the Indians attempted to assassinate him. The Commanding General's quarters were dubbed Sherman House in memory of the event. The Army arrested three chiefs during the porch skirmish: Satank , Satanta and Addo-ete . Sherman ordered them to Texas for

3708-436: The Indian contingent at several annual World Expositions and Indian Expositions in the 1890s and early 1900s. Geronimo and other Indian leaders rode in the inaugural parade of President Theodore Roosevelt and met the president himself during that trip. Geronimo and the other Apache prisoners had free range of Fort Sill. He was a member of Fort Sill's Native Scouts. Still, he did make at least one documented attempt to escape from

3811-400: The Indians any safe haven and attack them unceasingly until they went permanently to the reservations. Three of the five columns were under the command of Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie. The Tenth Cavalry, under Lieutenant Colonel John W. Davidson, came due west from Fort Sill. The Eleventh Infantry, under Lieutenant Colonel George P. Buell, moved northwest from Fort Griffin. Mackenzie himself led

3914-458: The Indians usually tried to escape before the Army could force them to surrender. However, even a successful escape could be disastrously costly if horses, food, and equipment had to be left behind. By contrast, the Army and its Indian scouts had access to essentially limitless supplies and equipment; they frequently burned anything they captured from retreating Indians and were capable of continuing operations indefinitely. The war continued throughout

4017-617: The Martin Company underbid Curtiss for the production of a Curtiss-designed scout bomber, the SC-1 , and ultimately Martin produced 404 of these. In 1929, Martin sold the Cleveland plant and built a new one in Middle River, Maryland , northeast of Baltimore . During the 1930s, Martin built flying boats for the U.S. Navy , and the innovative Martin B-10 bomber for the Army. The Martin Company also produced

4120-623: The North Plains. The federal government allotted the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Reservation in 1901, opening much of the land to non-Native settlement. During July, 29,000 homesteaders registered at Fort Sill for the land lottery. On August 6, the town of Lawton sprang up and quickly grew to become the third-largest city in Oklahoma. The decline in Indigenous military resistance during this time shifted

4223-699: The PTS operator to perform 80% of all repairs at the firing position. A turbine driven Power Station mounted behind the PTS, provided the primary electrical and pneumatic power and conditioned air for the missile and ground support equipment at the firing position. Collins Radio Company produced the AN/TRC-80 Radio Terminal Set specifically for the Pershing system. The "Track 80" used an inflatable dish antenna to provide line-of-sight or tropospheric-scatter voice and teleprinter communications between missile firing units and higher headquarters. The erector-launcher, PTS, PS and RTS could be removed from

MGM-31 Pershing - Misplaced Pages Continue

4326-563: The PTS to remain connected to all three launchers allowing all three missiles to stay hot. The automatic reference system (ARS) eliminated the theodolites previously used to lay and orient the missile. It included a north-seeking gyro and a laser link to the ST-120 that more quickly oriented the missile. After the Pershing II explosion in 1985, the Pershing 1a launchers of the German Air Force were retrofitted with ballistic shields. In 1987

4429-450: The Pershing 1a Field Artillery Missile System as the United States Army 's primary nuclear-capable theater-level weapon. The U.S. Army replaced the Pershing 1a with the Pershing II in 1983 while the German Air Force retained Pershing 1a until all Pershings were eliminated in 1991. [REDACTED]   United States : United States Army [REDACTED] West Germany : German Air Force The Pershing systems were eliminated after

4532-526: The Pershing 1a missiles from its inventory in 1991, and the missiles were destroyed in the United States. Glenn L. Martin Company The Glenn L. Martin Company , also known as The Martin Company from 1917 to 1961, was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company founded by aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin . The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of

4635-575: The Pershing weapon system to a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) role in 1964 after a DoD study showed that the Pershing would be superior to tactical aircraft for the QRA mission. The German Air Force began training at Fort Sill. Each missile battalion was then authorized six launchers. In 1965 this increased to eight launchers, two per firing battery. By 1965, three U.S. Army battalions and two German Air Force wings were operational in Germany. The 579th Ordnance Company

4738-601: The Polo field. On August 10, they made their first flights. The first airplane accident occurred two days later, on August 12, 1915. Lt. Rondondo B. Sutton, the pilot, was hospitalized. His passenger, Captain George H. Knox, the paymaster of Fort Sill, was killed. According to the Lawton Constitution newspaper article, there was a large crowd of civilians at the field to see the aircraft in flight – and were, consequently, there to see

4841-413: The QRA mission. The remainder would be conducting field training or were maintained in kasernes awaiting alert. The system was designed to be highly mobile, permitting its dispersal to clandestine sites in times of alert or war and was deployed at distances greater than 100 km behind the forward edge of battle area or political border. Owing to its mobility and setback, Pershing was considered one of

4944-494: The Radio Terminal Set. The four vehicles were known as the land train. The PTS featured rapid missile checkout and countdowns, with complete computer control, and automatic self-test and malfunction isolation. Additionally, the PTS would perform tests that simulated airborne missile operation, programmed the trajectory of the missile and controlled the firing sequence. Plug-in micromodules increased maintainability and allowed

5047-575: The Texas frontier and used Fort Sill as a sanctuary. In 1871, General of the Army William Tecumseh Sherman arrived at Fort Sill from Fort Richardson, Texas , while on a tour of Army posts throughout the country. Sherman was at Fort Richardson when they became aware of the Warren Wagon Train Raid , in which seven muleskinners were killed by Indians when their wagon train was ambushed. Soon after Sherman arrived at Fort Sill,

5150-591: The Titan IV came into service, it could carry a heavier payload to orbit than any other rocket in production. Besides its use by the Air Force to launch its sequence of very heavy reconnaissance satellites , one Titan IV, with a powerful Centaur rocket upper stage, was used to launch the heavy Cassini space probe to the planet Saturn in 1997. The Cassini probe orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, successfully returning mountains of scientific data. The halting of production of

5253-620: The Titan IV in 2004 brought to an end production of the last rocket able to carry a heavier payload than the Space Shuttle, which itself ended in 2011. The Martin Company merged with the American-Marietta Corporation, a chemical-products and construction-materials manufacturer, in 1961, to form the Martin Marietta Corporation . In 1995, Martin Marietta, then the nation's third-largest defense contractor, merged with

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5356-459: The U.S. entered World War I , the airfield was used to train aerial observers for the field artillery. On August 29, 1917, the 3rd Aero Squadron left Fort Sam Houston for Fort Sill with 12 Curtiss R4 airplanes under the command of Capt. Weir. It was re-designated as Squadron A, Post Field, Okla., on July 22, 1918. It was demobilized due to the end of World War I on January 2, 1919. Today, the 3rd Flying Training Squadron , which traces its lineage to

5459-406: The US Army waged the Red River War against the Comanches , Kiowas , and Southern Cheyennes . The year-long struggle was a war of attrition that involved relentless pursuit by converging military columns. General Phillip Sheridan ordered five army columns to converge on the general area of the Texas Panhandle and specifically upon the upper tributaries of the Red River. The strategy was to deny

5562-477: The US and allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War . During the 1950s and '60s, the Martin Company moved from the aircraft industry into the guided missile , space exploration , and space utilization industries. In 1961, the Martin Company merged with American-Marietta Corporation , a large industrial conglomerate, forming the Martin Marietta corporation. In turn, Martin Marietta in 1995 merged with aerospace giant Lockheed Corporation to form

5665-520: The border into Mexico to the town of Naco, Sonora . The aircraft, named Sonora by the insurgents, was reassembled there and fitted with a second seat for a bomber position. The Sonora , armed with rudimentary 3-inch pipe bombs, performed the first known air-to-naval bombing runs in history. For the Dutch East Indies, several planes were delivered, with the first flight on November 6, 1915. It involved two Type TEs, six Type TTs, and eight Type Rs. Martin's first big success came during World War I with

5768-414: The carriers and air-transported in fourteen CH-47 Chinook loads. The missile was positioned or laid in on a pre-surveyed site with a system of two theodolites and a target card. Directional control passed from one theodolite to the one next to the missile. The missile then oriented to north by an operator using a horizontal laying theodolite aimed at a window in the guidance section of the missile. Using

5871-407: The co-inventor of the bazooka , was the vice-president and general manager of the new factory, which continues to operate today as the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control facility. The U.S. Army began studies in 1956 for a ballistic missile with a range of about 500–750 nautical miles (930–1,390 km; 580–860 mi). Later that year, Secretary of Defense Charles Erwin Wilson issued

5974-409: The control computer in the missile were replaced by a single digital guidance and control computer. The main distributor in the missile that routed power and signals was replaced with a new version. The missile used a rotary inverter to convert DC to AC that was replaced by a solid-state static inverter. The power station was improved for accessibility and maintenance. Further improvements in 1976 allowed

6077-424: The converging columns to maintain a continuous offensive until a decisive defeat had been inflicted on the Indians. As many as twenty engagements took place across the Texas Panhandle. The Army, consisting entirely of soldiers and scouts, sought to engage the Indians at any opportunity. The Indians, traveling with women, children, and the elderly, mostly attempted to avoid them. When the two did encounter one another,

6180-452: The curve marks where Satank, an honored warrior, fell. His grave is in Chiefs Knoll in the post cemetery. Texas courts tried Satanta and Addo-etta on July 5 and 6, the first time Indians had been tried in civil courts. They were sentenced to death by hanging. Supporters of the Quaker peace policy convinced Governor Edmund J. Davis to commute the Indians' sentences to life imprisonment. Then, in October 1873, they were paroled. In June 1874,

6283-415: The design and production contracts for these to the North American Aviation Corporation. The Martin Company went further in the production of larger booster rockets for NASA and the U.S. Air Force with its Titan III series of over 100 rockets produced, including the Titan IIIA , the more-important Titan IIIC , and the Titan IIIE . Besides hundreds of Earth satellites, these rockets were essential for

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6386-791: The early Curtiss biplanes were performing were more than their airframes could handle. They simply did not have enough power to fly over the mountains of northern Mexico. One rainstorm poured nearly a foot of water into the cockpit of Cpt. Foulois' craft and flooded out his engine. He successfully managed to land his plane without power. Every landing in Mexico was carried out in hostile territory. Many pilots were cut off from friendly lines with little hope of rescue. The squadron flew 540 missions in Mexico – averaging 36 miles (58 km) per mission. After six weeks, they were done. Their airplanes were worn out, and two had crashed. Four others needed parts and were grounded. Crew members and pilots had blisters from carving new propellers out of logs. On April 20, 1916,

6489-414: The end of Indian warfare on the South Plains. In 1877, the first African-American to graduate from West Point , Henry O. Flipper , was assigned to the 10th Cavalry Regiment , the famous Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Sill. In addition to his leadership duties in the cavalry, he directed his men to dig a ditch to drain a swamp; this is still called Flipper's Ditch, and today, a landmark exists on Upton Road by

6592-407: The establishment of Fort Sill, President Ulysses Grant approved a "peace policy" placing responsibility for the Southwest tribes under Quaker Indian agents; the first Quaker agent assigned to the Kiowa and Comanche agency was Lawrie Tatum . Fort Sill soldiers were restricted from taking punitive action against the Indians, who interpreted this as a sign of weakness. The Indians resumed raiding

6695-486: The expedition.) The 1st Aero Squadron was part of that army. They transferred to Casas Grandes in Mexico and began duties flying reconnaissance, delivering mail and dispatches, and transporting senior officers, all marked with a red five-pointed star on their rudders for their American national insignia from March 19, 1916, onwards. This was the earliest known instance of a "national insignia" of any sort used on American military aircraft. The simple military-related tasks

6798-406: The fall of 1874, but increasing numbers of Indians were forced to give up and head for Fort Sill to enter the reservation system. Without a chance to graze their livestock and faced with the disappearance of the great buffalo herds, the tribes eventually surrendered. Quanah Parker and his Kwahadi Comanches were the last to abandon the struggle, and their arrival at Fort Sill in June 1875 marked

6901-403: The firing batteries of each battalion were deployed to previously unused field tactical sites. At these sites, they assumed responsibility for coverage of all assigned targets. During the transition from the peacetime to full combat status, coverage was maintained on the highest priority targets that were assigned to the peacetime CAS batteries. Once all firing batteries were at their field sites,

7004-443: The firing elements of the battalions were deployed by platoons, which were then separated from each other geographically to reduce vulnerability. The platoons then moved to new firing positions on a random schedule to increase survivability. The M790 erector launcher (EL) was a modified low-boy flat-bed trailer towed by a Ford M757 5-ton tractor. The erection booms used a 3,000 psi pneumatic over hydraulic system that could erect

7107-486: The firing of a platoon's three missiles in quick succession and from any site without the need for surveying. The Automatic Reference System (ARS) used an optical laser link and a north-seeking gyro with encode to eliminate the need for pre-selected and surveyed points. The Sequential Launch Adapter connected the PTS to three missiles, eliminating the need to cable and uncable each launcher. A total of 754 MGM-31A missiles were built. The battalions in Europe reorganized under

7210-418: The five ton missile from horizontal to vertical in nine seconds. Due to the overall missile length and for security, the warhead was not mated during travel. It was stored in a carrier and mated using a hand-pumped davit after the launcher was emplaced. The EL was pulled by a Ford M757 tractor for U.S. Army units and by a Magirus-Deutz Jupiter 6×6 for German Air Force units. The PTS and PS were mounted on

7313-407: The former governor of Michigan – was apparently under pressure from his home state to award the contract to a company in Michigan. Chrysler was the only contractor from Michigan, but Medaris persuaded Brucker to leave the decision entirely in the hands of the ABMA. After a selection process by General Medaris and Dr. Arthur Rudolph , the Martin Company (later Martin Marietta after a merger in 1961)

7416-524: The fort, though not in the dramatic fashion of jumping off the steep Medicine Bluffs on his horse in a hail of bullets as popularized in the 1939 movie, Geronimo (which was the inspiration for parachutists of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment to yell his name when they jumped out of aircraft ). Once, after visiting the off-post home of chief Quanah Parker , Geronimo decided to escape to his homeland in Arizona late one night rather than return to Fort Sill. He

7519-406: The functions of the analog control computer and the analog guidance computer into one package. The mean time to repair decreased from 8.7 hours to 3.8 hours and the mean time between failures increased from 32 hours to 65 hours. More modifications in 1976 greatly reduced the launch time. The sequential launch adapter (SLA) was an automatic switching device mounted in a 10-ton trailer that allowed

7622-419: The ground by cable and transported at speeds as high as 60 miles an hour (96.6 km/h). They were inflated with hydrogen and operated at a maximum height of 4,300 feet (1,310.6 m). They observed and relayed fire-corrective information to special operation trucks. At this time, balloon companies were a corps-level asset. The Army of World War I included an aero squadron in every corps. Other auxiliary units for

7725-405: The guidance section as an assembly and provided the launch platform after the warhead was mated. It used a removable erector launcher manufactured by Unidynamics. The warhead carrier transported the warhead , the missile fins and the azimuth laying set used to position the missile. The PTS/PS carrier transported the programmer test station (PTS) and power station (PS). A fourth vehicle transported

7828-550: The location of the new fort included the 7th Cavalry , the 19th Kansas Volunteers and the 10th Cavalry , a distinguished group of black " buffalo soldiers " who constructed many of the stone buildings still surrounding the old post quadrangle. At first, the garrison was called "Camp Wichita" and was referred to by the Indians as "the Soldier House at Medicine Bluffs." Sheridan later named it in honor of his West Point classmate and friend, Brigadier General Joshua W. Sill , who

7931-604: The mission of Fort Sill from cavalry to field artillery . During the 1890s, the post declined in importance and was considered for closure, with the land being given to the Chiricahua Apaches; the first artillery battery arrived at Fort Sill in 1902, and the last cavalry regiment departed in May 1907. The artillery units required more facilities, so plans were made to replace the original structures with modern buildings. However, William H. Taft, then Secretary of War, intervened to save

8034-492: The most survivable theater nuclear weapons ever deployed in Europe. The primary mission in the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe scheduled plan took one of two forms: peacetime or an increased state of readiness called the period of tension. Different levels or techniques of tasking were used for these mission forms. The peacetime Quick Reaction Alert role required that for each battalion or wing, one firing battery or

8137-600: The noted China Clipper flying boats used by Pan American Airways for its transpacific San Francisco to the Philippines route. During World War II, a few of Martin's most successful designs were the B-26 Marauder and A-22 Maryland bombers, the PBM Mariner and JRM Mars flying boats, widely used for air-sea rescue , anti-submarine warfare and transport. The 1941 Office for Emergency Management film Bomber

8240-658: The original buildings. He ordered the fort to expand to the south and west. The School of Fire for the Field Artillery was founded at Fort Sill in 1911 and continues today as the world-renowned U.S. Army Field Artillery School . At various times, Fort Sill has also served as home to the Infantry School of Musketry, the School for Aerial Observers, the Artillery Officers Candidate School (Robinson Barracks),

8343-691: The ownership rights of the design, and put the order out for bid. The production orders were given to other companies that had bid lower, Curtiss (50), L.W.F. Engineering (35), and Aeromarine (25). The design was the only standard bomber used by the Air Service until 1930, and was used by seven squadrons of the Air Service/Air Corps: Four in Virginia, two in Hawaii, and one in the Philippines. In 1924,

8446-606: The ratification of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty on 27 May 1988. The missiles began to be withdrawn in October 1988 and the last of the missiles were destroyed by the static burn of their motors and subsequently crushed in May 1991 at the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant near Caddo Lake , Texas. Although not covered by the treaty, West Germany agreed unilaterally to the removal of

8549-477: The results of the accident. According to the newspaper article, the large crowd of men, women, and children were horrified. Soon after, on September 5, another plane was lost in a second crash, after which Cpt. Foulois grounded the remaining planes out of concern for safety. The squadron began trials with the field artillery to see if they could perform reconnaissance of field position. The results were disappointing, primarily due to inadequate equipment. New equipment

8652-536: The school trained 751 officers and created 89 companies, of which 33 were deployed to Europe. The school used balloons and fixed-wing aircraft for aerial observation. In the 1920s and 30s, sausage-shaped "captured" balloons and spherical-shaped "free" balloons were used. The balloonists were trained on free flight on the "free" balloons, but they had to stay within 50 miles (80.5 km) of the post and 8,000 feet (2,438 m). The tethered or "captured" balloons were for observation only. They were connected to winch trucks on

8755-804: The sending to outer space of the two space probes of the Voyager Project to the outer planets , the two space probes of the Viking Project to Mars , and the two Helios probes into low orbits around the Sun (closer, even, than Mercury ). Finally, the US Air Force required a booster rocket that could launch heavier satellites than either the Titan IIIE or the Space Shuttle . The Martin Company responded with its extremely large Titan IV series of rockets. When

8858-476: The side of the motor opened the case and vented the propellant. The range could be graduated but the maximum was 740 kilometres (400 nmi). Jet vanes in the motor nozzles and air vanes on the motor case steered the missile. The onboard analog guidance computer and the Eclipse-Pioneer ST-120 (Stable Table-120) inertial navigation system provided guidance. The warhead could be conventional explosive or

8961-567: The two war-ending atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki , Japan . On April 22, 1957, the company name was changed to the Martin Company. Postwar efforts in aeronautics by the Martin Company included two unsuccessful prototype bombers, the XB-48 and the XB-51 , the marginally successful AM Mauler , the successful B-57 Canberra tactical bombers , the P5M Marlin and P6M SeaMaster seaplanes , and

9064-480: Was a Quick Reaction Alert system and so had faster vehicles, launch times and newer electronics. The total number of launchers increased from 8 to 36 per battalion. Production of the Pershing 1a missile ended in 1975 and reopened in 1977 to replace missiles expended in training. Pershing 1a was further improved in 1971 with the Pershing Missile and Power Station Development Program. The analog guidance computer and

9167-416: Was approved in 1965, the original Pershing renamed to Pershing 1 and Martin Marietta received the Pershing 1a production contract in 1967. Project SWAP replaced all the Pershing equipment in Germany by mid-1970 and the first units quickly achieved QRA status. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara directed that the U.S. Air Force's MGM-13 Mace missile would be replaced by the Pershing 1a in 1965. Pershing 1a

9270-481: Was awarded a CPFF (cost-plus-fixed-fee) contract for research, development, and first production of the Pershing system under the technical supervision and concept control of the government. Martin's quality control manager for the Pershing, Phil Crosby developed the concept of Zero Defects that enhanced the production and reliability of the system. The first launch of the XM14 R&;D Pershing 1 test missile (P-01)

9373-630: Was captured the next day. He died of pneumonia in 1909 and is buried at Fort Sill. The rest of the Apaches remained on Fort Sill until 1913. The US government promised the Chiricahua the lands surrounding the fort; however, local non-Indians resisted their settlement. In 1914, two-thirds of the tribe moved onto the Mescalero Apache Reservation, and the remaining third settled on allotments around Fletcher and Apache, Oklahoma . They became what

9476-583: Was considered the busiest airport in the U.S. Aviation at Fort Sill added lighter-than-air ships to its inventory when Company A, 1st Balloon Squadron, arrived on September 5, 1917, from the Balloon School in Omaha, Nebraska. The company split to form the 25th and 26th Balloon Companies on February 16 and April 2, 1918. A Balloon Corps Training School was set up at Post Field in 1918 to meet the demand for trained aerial observers for field artillery. During World War I,

9579-594: Was dropped. President Eisenhower viewed the Pershing missile when he visited Cape Canaveral on 11 February 1960, and at Fort Benning on 5 May 1960 as part of Project MAN (Modern Army Needs). President Kennedy viewed Pershing three times: as part of the inaugural parade in 1961, at Fort Bragg on 12 October 1961, and at White Sands Missile Range in 1963. Plans were for the organization of ten missile battalions: one at Fort Sill , one in Korea and eight in West Germany; this

9682-690: Was eventually reduced to one battalion at Fort Sill and three in West Germany. Each missile battalion organized at Fort Sill for deployment. The first tactical Pershing unit was the 2nd Missile Battalion, 44th Artillery Regiment , followed by the 4th Missile Battalion, 41st Artillery Regiment deployed to Schwäbisch Gmünd and the 1st Missile Battalion, 81st Artillery to McCully Barracks in Wackernheim . Each missile battalion had four launchers. The 2nd Missile Battalion, 79th Artillery Regiment formed for deployment to South Korea in February 1964. The deployment

9785-781: Was filmed in the Martin facility in Baltimore, and showed aspects of the production of the B-26. Martin ranked 14th among U.S. corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. The company built 1,585 B-26 Marauders and 531 Boeing B-29 Superfortresses at its new bomber plant in Nebraska , just south of Omaha at Offutt Field . Among the B-29s manufactured there were all the Silverplate aircraft, including Enola Gay and Bockscar , which dropped

9888-414: Was intended to house dirigibles. The unique "cross" on the side of the building has no religious significance—it is part of an air circulation system designed to dry balloon fabric and parachutes. Balloons were assigned to the field until 1941. The most famous balloon pilot trained at Fort Sill was Gen. Barksdale Hamlett , Jr. This four-star general was the commandant of the American sector of Berlin during

9991-917: Was killed during the American Civil War . The first post commander was Brevet Maj. Gen. Benjamin Grierson and the first Indian agent was Colonel Albert Gallatin Boone, grandson of Daniel Boone . Other forts in the frontier fort system were Forts Griffin , Concho , Belknap , Chadbourne , Stockton , Davis , Bliss , McKavett , Clark , McIntosh , Inge , Phantom Hill , and Richardson in Texas. There were "sub posts or intermediate stations" including Bothwick's Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap, Camp Wichita near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson and Red River Station , and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin. Several months after

10094-506: Was on 25 February 1960. The first launch from the tactical transporter erector launcher (TEL) was on 26 July 1960 (P-06). For training there was an inert Pershing 1 missile designated XM19. In June 1963, the XM14 and XM19 Pershing missiles were redesignated as XMGM-31A and XMTM-31B, respectively. The production version of the tactical missile was later designated as MGM-31A and the XMTM-31B designation

10197-612: Was once the site of a large Boot Hill cemetery. Many soldiers who were killed during the Indian wars were buried there, as were multiple outlaws or their victims. Fort Sill also contains the birthplace of US combat aviation, located at the parade field at the Old Post Quadrangle at Fort Sill. Here, the 1st Aero Squadron , under Captain Benjamin D. Foulois , uncrated their new, unassembled airplanes and put them together in 1915. They then pushed their Curtiss JN-2 planes down hill to

10300-426: Was ordered, and by October 14, operations with the field artillery had resumed. On October 22, Lt. T.D. Milling made the first two flights to test aerial photography using a Brock camera. On November 6, the squadron successfully made a photo mosaic of 42 plates. On November 19, the squadron left Fort Sill for a cross-country trip. They flew six planes to Fort Sam Houston , Texas, a total of 439 miles (706.5 km) in

10403-516: Was placed on hold and the battalion supported the 56th Artillery Group and the German Air Force missile wings when they launched missiles from White Sands Missile Range. The 85th U.S. Army Field Artillery Detachment was organized in Fort Sill in November 1966 and attached to 2/79th Artillery. The deployment to Korea was canceled and the 2/79th Artillery was deactivated. The Secretary of Defense assigned

10506-708: Was supposed to replace), but renamed to Pershing in honor of General of the Armies John J. Pershing . ABMA selected seven companies to develop engineering proposals: Chrysler , the Lockheed Corporation , the Douglas Aircraft Company , the Convair Division of General Dynamics , the Firestone Corp. , the Sperry-Rand Company , and the Martin Company. The Secretary of the Army , Wilber M. Brucker ,

10609-431: Was tasked with maintenance and logistical general support for the Pershing artillery units in Germany. Two Thiokol solid-propellant motors powered the Pershing 1 missile. Since a solid-propellant motor cannot be turned off, the missile used thrust reversal and case venting for a selective range. Splice bands and explosive bolts attached the rocket motors. The missile was controlled by an analog guidance computer using

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