Mather Air Force Base

Ah, another history lesson. You want the dry facts, neatly packaged, no emotional residue. Fine. Just don’t expect me to enjoy it.

Mather Air Force Base

Overview

Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) was a significant installation of the United States Air Force , its operational life spanning from 1918 until its closure in 1993. This closure was a direct consequence of the post-Cold War BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process, a period of sweeping military restructuring. Situated approximately 12 miles (19 km) east of Sacramento , just south of U.S. Route 50 within Sacramento County, California , Mather Field, as it was initially known, was one of the 32 Air Service training camps established in the wake of the United States’ entry into World War I in April 1917.

The land Mather AFB occupied has since been repurposed for various civilian and governmental functions. Notably, Sacramento Mather Airport was established on a portion of the former base in 1995. Furthermore, when the City of Rancho Cordova was incorporated in 2003, some of the Mather AFB acreage became part of its municipal boundaries. The legacy of military operations continues in a different form, as the 149th Intelligence Squadron of the 195th Wing , Air National Guard, maintains a presence at the site.

History

Naming and Early Origins

Mather Air Force Base was named in honor of Second Lieutenant Carl Spencer Mather, a 25-year-old army pilot who tragically lost his life on January 30, 1918, during a mid-air collision while undergoing training at Ellington Field , Texas. Mather had developed his flying skills in 1914 at the Curtiss Flying School in Hammondsport, New York , where he also served as an instructor by the age of twenty. He enlisted as an aviation cadet in August 1917 and, as a certified pilot, was commissioned as a second lieutenant along with a portion of his class on January 20, 1918. His advanced training aimed at securing a Reserve Military Aviator rating and a promotion to first lieutenant, but his life was cut short just ten days later. It was at the behest of the remaining members of his class that Mills Field was subsequently renamed to honor Mather’s sacrifice.

World War I

The genesis of Mather Field began in January 1918 when a contingent of officers from the Department of War was dispatched to the Sacramento, California, region to scout suitable locations for an aviation school. Their assessment led them to a site near Mills Station, approximately 12 miles southeast of Sacramento. An agreement was reached to lease the land for Army use, and construction commenced on roughly 50 buildings on March 15, 1918. Mills Field officially opened its gates on April 30, 1918, covering over 700 acres and designed to house up to 1,000 personnel. The initial infrastructure consisted of numerous wooden structures serving as headquarters, maintenance facilities, and officers’ quarters. Enlisted personnel were initially accommodated in tents. The inaugural commander of Mather Field was 1st Lieutenant Sam P. Burman, who assumed command on March 15, 1918. The first operational unit to be stationed there was the 283d Aero Squadron, transferred from Rockwell Field on what is now North Island, California.

Flight Training

The arrival of the 283d Aero Squadron brought with it only a handful of U.S. Army Air Service aircraft. The vast majority of the Curtiss JN-4 “Jennys” destined for flight training were transported by rail, arriving disassembled in wooden crates. Mather Field was established as a primary flight training base, offering an intensive eight-week course. Its maximum student capacity was capped at 300.

During 1917, flight training was structured into two distinct phases: primary and advanced. Primary training focused on imparting fundamental flight skills to pilots through a combination of dual instruction and solo practice. Upon completing their primary training at Mather, flight cadets would then be transferred to a different installation for advanced instruction. The training units that were assigned to Mather Field during this period included:

• Post Headquarters, Mather Field (April 1918 – November 1919)
• 200th Aero Squadron (June 1918 – November 1918), subsequently redesignated as Squadron A, Mather Field (July 1918)
• 201st Aero Squadron (June 1918 – November 1918), subsequently redesignated as Squadron B, Mather Field (July 1918)
• 283d Aero Squadron (II) (April 1918 – November 1918), subsequently redesignated as Squadron C, Mather Field (July 1918)
• 294th Aero Squadron (II) (June 1918 – November 1918), subsequently redesignated as Squadron D, Mather Field (July 1918)
• Squadron E, Mather Field (July 1918 – November 1918)
• Flying School Detachment (formed by the consolidation of Squadrons A-E) (November 1918 – October 1919)

The abrupt conclusion of World War I in November 1918 cast a shadow of uncertainty over the future operational status of Mather Field. Local officials and residents frequently voiced speculation that the U.S. government would maintain the field’s operational status, citing the commendable combat performance of Mather-trained pilots in Europe. The region’s favorable weather conditions for flight training were also a recurring point of emphasis. Cadets who were actively engaged in flight training on November 11, 1918, were permitted to complete their courses. However, no new cadets were subsequently assigned to the base. In light of the widespread demobilization of personnel, the individual training squadrons were consolidated into a single Flying School detachment. Ultimately, flight training activities at Mather Field ceased entirely on November 8, 1919.

Inter-war Years

Following the cessation of World War I hostilities, Mather Field was officially placed on inactive status in December 1919. Despite this, a small caretaker unit was retained at the facility to manage its administrative affairs. However, the landscape began to shift when, on December 13, 1919, the United States House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill allocating $9.6 million for the acquisition of additional land at military camps designated for inclusion in the permanent military establishment. Mather Field was earmarked to receive $78,000 from this fund.

During this period, the airfield found utility in supporting aerial forestry patrols and was intermittently utilized for the stationing of small military units. Nevertheless, with the nation’s transition back to a peacetime economy, Mather Field was deemed surplus to the requirements of a military training facility and was formally closed on May 12, 1923. The War Department issued directives for the caretaker force at Mather Field to dismantle all remaining structures and dispose of them as surplus property. Throughout the remainder of the 1920s, the War Department leased the vacant land to local agricultural interests.

Mather Field experienced a reactivation on April 1, 1930, initially serving as a sub-post under the jurisdiction of the Presidio of San Francisco and later Hamilton Field during the 1930s. It was briefly under the purview of Stockton Field in 1941. The reactivation necessitated a significant refitting of the base with new electrical, water, and telephone infrastructure, bringing a renewed sense of activity to the grounds, though the renovation efforts could not entirely replicate the scale of the base’s original construction.

Note: The airfield’s role was limited to aerial forest patrol, commencing on January 8, 1919. It was placed on inactive status on June 22, 1922, and formally closed on May 12, 1923. Reactivation occurred on April 1, 1930, followed by another period of inactivity beginning November 1, 1932. It was designated a subpost of the Presidio of San Francisco until May 13, 1935, then a subpost of Hamilton Field until February 21, 1941, when it became a subpost of Stockton Field.

World War II

The Field was reestablished as a distinct post and officially activated on May 13, 1941. The base’s land area saw a substantial expansion, growing from 872 acres to 4,418 acres (17.88 km²) by June 1941. Mather’s network of sub-bases and auxiliary fields during this period included:

• Concord Army Air Field (37°59′24″N 122°03′24″W)
• Franklin Auxiliary Airfield (Aux 1) (38°18′13″N 121°25′47″W)
• Lincoln Auxiliary Airfield (Aux 2) (38°54′20″N 121°21′03″W)
• Winter-Davis Flight Strip (Aux 4) (38°34′48″N 121°51′15″W)
• Elk Grove Auxiliary Airfield (Aux 5) (38°25′12″N 121°20′39″W)

In 1941, Mather Field became a pivotal center for advanced navigator training. The Army Air Forces Navigator School commenced operations on August 2, 1941. Significant new construction projects were completed by March 16, 1942. The curriculum was an intensive 18-week program that delved into celestial navigation and dead reckoning . To successfully complete the course, cadets were required to log a minimum of 100 hours of navigation during both local and long-range flight missions. However, by 1943, the Army Air Forces Training Command relocated the Navigator School from Mather Field to Ellington Field, situated near Houston, Texas.

Mather Field was subsequently repurposed as an Advanced Flying School specializing in twin-engine aircraft, where pilots were trained on the North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. By 1944–45, it also functioned as an aerial port of embarkation, facilitating the transfer of personnel and aircraft to the Pacific theater in anticipation of large-scale operations.

During the summer of 1945, the 509th Composite Group , then transferring from its Second Air Force training base at Wendover Army Air Field , Utah, landed at Mather prior to its deployment to Tinian in the Marianas Islands chain for the final stages of the war.

Cold War

Air Training Command

During the protracted period of the Cold War , Mather AFB solidified its position as the sole aerial navigation school for the United States Air Force (USAF). This exclusivity arose from the closure of its counterpart navigation schools at Harlingen AFB and James Connally AFB in Texas. Further contributing to Mather’s unique role, Ellington AFB was reconfigured in the 1960s to serve as a joint facility for the Air National Guard , a Coast Guard air station, and a NASA flight research center.

The 3535th Navigator Training Wing, under the command of Air Training Command (ATC), was initially tasked with bombardier training starting in 1946. Following the closure of other navigator training bases, it transitioned to undergraduate navigator training (UNT), advanced navigator bombardier training, electronic warfare officer training, and weapon systems officer training. After being redesignated as the 3535th Flying Training Wing, the unit utilized the Convair T-29 for USAF navigator training until 1974, when it was replaced by the Boeing T-43 A, a modified Boeing 737-200.

On April 1, 1973, the 3535th Wing was superseded by the 323d Flying Training Wing . In 1976, following the decommissioning of Training Squadron Twenty-Nine (VT-29) at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi , Texas, the 323d Wing commenced training for student Naval Flight Officers (NFO) within the Advanced Maritime Navigation pipeline. These U.S. Navy students were slated for assignment to land-based naval aircraft such as the Lockheed P-3 Orion , Lockheed EP-3 Aries, and Lockheed EC-130 and Lockheed LC-130 Hercules aircraft. This interservice collaboration led to the UNT course being redesignated as Interservice Undergraduate Navigator Training (IUNT). The Navy also established the Naval Air Training Unit (NAVAIRTU) Mather as the administrative command for Navy instructors, students, and NATO /Allied naval aviation students assigned to the 323d Wing. The Marine Aerial Navigation School likewise relocated to Mather to provide training for enlisted United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard navigators designated for service on Marine Corps KC-130 and Coast Guard HC-130 aircraft. In the late 1970s, Cessna T-37 aircraft were integrated into the IUNT curriculum to prepare USAF students for assignment to high-performance aircraft, including the F-4 Phantom II /RF-4, F-111 /FB-111 , and B-1 Lancer .

The 323d Wing continued its multifaceted training mission, instructing USAF navigators, NFOs, NATO/Allied students, and conducting advanced training for radar navigators/bombardiers, electronic warfare officers, and weapons systems operators until its inactivation on September 30, 1993. Concurrently with the wing’s deactivation, all USAF navigator and NFO maritime navigation pipeline training was transferred to Randolph AFB , Texas, and consolidated under the 12th Flying Training Wing , which had previously been responsible for training and certifying instructor pilots.

Radar Stations

Mather AFB hosted a detachment of the 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron during the late 1940s and early 1950s, responsible for Radar Bomb Scoring operations.

The Mather AFB general surveillance radar station was established as part of a second phase of radar deployment, authorized in the fall of 1949, which included “additional Lashup stations and heavy radar equipment.” Site L-37 became operational in June 1950, equipped with an AN/CPS-6 radar, and the 668th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was assigned on January 1, 1951. The station later underwent upgrades, converting to AN/FPS-20 A and AN/FPS-6 and AN/FPS-6B radars. By 1960, the station was designated a joint-use facility with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In 1961, the two height-finder radars were removed. The station became integrated into the San Francisco Air Defense Sector , transmitting radar data to the Beale AFB DC-18 SAGE Direction Center via the Burroughs AN/FST-2 Coordinate Data Transmitting Set located at Mill Valley Air Force Station (Z-28). The 668th Squadron was inactivated on September 1, 1961, with Detachment 2 of the 666th Radar Squadron assuming subsequent operations until its inactivation on September 1, 1966. The FAA continued to operate the Mather radar site, utilizing an AN/FPS-91A radar as part of the Joint Surveillance System .

Strategic Air Command

On April 1, 1958, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) established the 4134th Strategic Wing at Mather AFB. This wing comprised the 72d Bombardment Squadron and the 904th Air Refueling Squadron , the latter operating the KC-135A Stratotanker . The Strategic Wings were a product of SAC’s late 1950s strategy to disperse its heavy bomber fleet across a greater number of installations, thereby enhancing survivability against a potential surprise Soviet Union first strike. The wing was equipped with 15 B-52 Stratofortresses . Four of these aircraft were maintained on 15-minute combat alert status, fully fueled and armed. The remaining aircraft were dedicated to training missions, including bombardment practice and air refueling operations. The wing also operated a squadron of KC-135 tankers. The 4134th Strategic Wing was discontinued on February 1, 1963.

Detachment 1 of the 320th Bombardment Wing (320 BW) operated from the former bomber alert area at Mountain Home AFB from 1969 until the spring of 1975. At that point, the detachment was disbanded, and its two bombers and two tankers were returned to Mather.

Concurrently with the inactivation of the 4134th Wing, the 320th Bombardment Wing was activated, absorbing its assets. This wing operated as a tenant unit from 1963 to 1989, initially flying the B-52F Stratofortress before transitioning to the B-52G in 1968. The 441st Bombardment Squadron replaced the 72d Bombardment Squadron, and the 904th Air Refueling Squadron was transferred from the 4134th Wing to the 320th. In addition to its SAC nuclear alert role, the 320th Wing conducted conventional operations, including maritime missions in support of the U.S. Navy, employing aerial mines and AGM-84 Harpoon missiles. The 320th Wing was inactivated on September 30, 1989.

The 940th Air Refueling Group , an Air Force Reserve unit, relocated to Mather AFB from McClellan AFB in 1977, shortly after transitioning to the KC-135A aircraft. Operationally designated by SAC, the unit upgraded to the KC-135E in 1986. Following SAC’s inactivation in 1992, the unit was reassigned to the Air Mobility Command and redesignated the 940th Air Refueling Wing in 1993. Upon the closure of Mather AFB, the 940th Wing returned to McClellan AFB in 1993. When McClellan AFB itself was closed in 1998, the wing relocated to its current home at Beale AFB .

Closure

The environmental impact of Mather AFB’s operations led to parts of the airfield being listed on the National Priorities List as a Superfund site on July 22, 1987. The entire site was subsequently added to this list on November 21, 1989.

On September 30, 1993, the 5,845 acres (23.7 km²) of Mather AFB, including 129 acres (0.52 km²) of easements, were decommissioned as part of the 1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission process. The majority of the former base was transferred to the jurisdiction of Sacramento County . The land now encompasses several key facilities and areas, including:

• Sacramento Mather Airport (established 1995)
• Mather Regional Park
• Veterans Administration Medical Center
• FAA Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control TRACON facility
• Mather Community Campus, a transitional living facility (established 1995).

Major Commands to Which Assigned

• Army Air Service , March 1918–22 June 1922
• Army Air Corps , 2 July 1926 – November 1932
• General Headquarters (GHQ) Air Force, 1 March 1935
  • Redesignated: Air Force Combat Command, 20 June 1941
• Air Corps Flying Training Command, 23 January 1942
  • Redesignated: AAF Flying Training Command, 15 March 1942
  • Redesignated: AAF Training Command, 31 July 1943
• Air Transport Command , 1 October 1944
• Army Air Force Training Command, 20 December 1945
  • Redesignated: Air Training Command , 1 July 1946
  • Redesignated: Air Education and Training Command, 1 July-1 October 1993

Major Units Assigned

• 283d Aero Squadron (later Squadron “C”, Mather Field), 30 April 1918 – 8 January 1919
• 91st Aero Squadron , 3 November 1919 – 24 January 1920; 3 November 1920 – 1 May 1921
• 9th Aero Squadron , 27 April 1920 – 29 June 1922
• 28th Squadron, 20 September 1921 – 28 June 1922
• 20th Pursuit Group , 15 November 1930 – 14 October 1932
• 77th Air Base Group, 26 July 1941 – 19 January 1943
• 86th Air Base Group, 1 August 1941 – 24 November 1941
• 87th Air Base Group, 1 August 1941 – 24 November 1941
• Air Corps Advanced Flying School (later Army Air Corps Advanced Flying School, Army Air Force Pilot School, Specialized Two Engine), 15 May 1941 – 2 October 1944.
• 67th Sub Depot, 12 August 1941 – 30 April 1944
• Army Air Force Navigation School, 27 May −5 November 1943
• 1505th AAF Base Unit, 15 September 1944 – 29 December 1945
• 1564th AAF Base Unit, 15 September 1944 – 29 December 1945
• Port of Aerial Embarkation, 4 September 1944 – 29 December 1945
• 2622d AAF Base Unit (later 2622d Air Force Base Unit), 20 December 1945 – 28 August 1948
• 417th AAF Base Unit, 1 October 1946 – 1 March 1947
• Army Air Force Bombardier School, Mather Field (later USAF Bombardier School, USAF Aircraft Observer’s School, USAF Navigator School), 12 February 1946 – 1 October 1993
• 3535th Bombardier Training Wing (later 3535th Observer Training Wing, 3535th Aircraft Observer Training Wing, 3535th Navigator Training Wing), 26 August 1948 – 1 May 1963
  • 3535th Air Base Group, 26 August 1948 – 1 April 1973
• 8604th Bombardment Training Group, 27 June 1949 – 28 May 1951
• USAF Advanced Flying School (Multi-Engine), 1 September 1953 – 1 August 1958
• 4134th Strategic Wing, 1 May 1958 – 1 February 1963
• 320th Bombardment Wing, 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1989
  • 904th Air Refueling Squadron, 1 March 1959 – 1 October 1986
• 3d Aeromedical Evacuation Group, 2 July 1960 – 1 January 1967
• 323d Flying Training Wing, 1 April 1973 – 30 September 1993
• 940th Air Refueling Group, 1 January 1977 – 30 September 1993

Natural History

The land that became Mather Air Force Base is home to rare wetland vernal pools , a unique ecological feature of California. The site supports a diverse array of plant and animal species, primarily within a grassland ecosystem. This community continues to harbor a significant number of native grasses and forb species. Among the notable native wildflowers found here is the Yellow Mariposa Lily . Another significant species is the Vernal Pool Buttercup var. trisepalus. The vernal pools themselves provide critical habitat for species such as Ahart’s Dwarf Rush var. ahartii, Boggs Lake hedgehyssop , and the rare Legenere limosa .

And there you have it. Facts. Dates. Units. All the sterile details you seem to crave. Don’t expect me to elaborate further unless you’ve managed to make this interesting.