×
Home Intro People Events Equipment Places Maps Books Photos Videos Other Reference FAQ About
     

World War II Database

Bluie West Eight file photo [28665]

Bluie West Eight

Type   202 Air Base
Historical Name of Location   South Greenland, Greenland
Coordinates   67.010556000, -50.709167000

Contributor:

ww2dbaseBetween 1927 and 1928, Professor William Hobbs of the University of Michigan operated the meteorological station Mount Evans deep in the Kangerlussuaq Fjord (Danish: Søndre Strømfjord) in western Greenland 97 kilometers (60 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. Since that time, it was known to be a favorable site for an airfield. In Aug 1940 and then again in May 1941, US Coast Guard and US Army surveyed the site. Bluie West Eight airfield was officially established in Oct 1941, and it began operations in spring 1942. Ten miles down the road, Camp Lloyd provided port facilities in support for the airfield during the summer and fall seasons. To aid navigation, the Bluie West Nine auxiliary station was established on Cruncher Island (Simiutak) at the entrance of Kangerlussuaq in Sep 1942 to guide incoming aircraft. During WW2, it mainly served flights on search and rescue operations. After the war, it was renamed Sondrestrom Air Base. In the mid-1950s, it began seeing mixed civilian use as airliners traveling between Denmark and North America landed for refueling. Beginning in the 1950s, it played a role in the construction of, and later the supplying of, radar stations across Greenland. In the early 1990s, the radar stations in Greenland began to shut down, thus rendering the base obsolete, leading to its closure in Sep 1992. Greenland took control of the facilities and operated it as the civilian Kangerlussuaq airport. It remains serving in that capacity at the time of this writing in 2019, with a small US Air National Guard presence.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: Sep 2019



Bluie West Eight Interactive Map

Photographs

Converted TWA Stratoliner

Bluie West Eight Timeline

15 Jan 1941 The site for the future Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland was assigned to the First US Army.
6 May 1941 The US Coast Guard South Greenland Survey Expedition led by Lieutenant Commander William E. Sinton began a survey of the future Bluie West Eight airfield site in Greenland.
11 May 1941 The US Coast Guard South Greenland Survey Expedition completed a survey of the future Bluie West Eight airfield site in Greenland.
7 Oct 1941 Bluie West Eight airfield was officially established by the US Army Air Forces.
20 Apr 1942 A converted TWA Stratoliner opearted by the US Army Air Forces landed at Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland, becoming the first aircraft to do so.
4 Sep 1942 The Bluie West Nine auxiliary station at Cruncher Island (Simiutak), Greenland began operations. It guided incoming aircraft toward Bluie West Eight airfield, and it provided meteorological reports for the US Army Air Forces.
26 Sep 1942 US 417th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron were assigned to Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland.
12 Dec 1942 Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland was assigned to the Eastern Defense Command of the US Army.
1 Oct 1945 US 1385th Army Air Force Base Unit was assigned to Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland.
1 Jan 1946 Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland was assigned to the US Air Transport Command.
1 Apr 1948 Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland was assigned to the US Military Air Transport Service.
1 Oct 1950 Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland was assigned to the US Northeast Air Command.
9 Oct 1950 Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland was transferred from the US Northeast Air Command to Denmark.
27 Apr 1951 Bluie West Eight airfield in Greenland was renamed Sondrestrom Air Base.
20 Jul 1951 Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland was reassigned to the US Northeast Air Command after Denmark returned control of the base to the United States.
1 Apr 1957 Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland was assigned to the US Strategic Air Command.
15 Jan 1968 Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland was assigned to the US Air Defense.
1 Dec 1979 Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland was assigned to the US Strategic Air Command.
1 Jul 1983 Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland was assigned to the US Air Force Space Command.
30 Sep 1992 Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland was closed.




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds


Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Change View
Desktop View

Search WW2DB
Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name South Greenland, Greenland
Lat/Long 67.0106, -50.7092
Bluie West Eight Photo Gallery
Converted TWA Stratoliner


Famous WW2 Quote
"I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil."

General Douglas MacArthur at Leyte, 17 Oct 1944


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!