Taipei Air Station - 1966 - - - " What you have in the end are memories"......... Photo Courtesy of Richard Reesh.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Matador Missiles Stand Ready at Tainan Air Base in 1958

Guild Fetridge served his Taiwan tour at Tainan Air Base, assigned to the 868 Tactical Missile Squadron.
Guild's photographs were taken 54 years ago....



Buildings in the US area of Tainan Air Base when Guild arrived in January 1958. 

As you can see, these old huts were constructed of the highest quality Bamboo.....























Another view of the old buildings in the early days at Tainan Air Base.

     "We bunked in the huts when we I first arrived at Tainan AB.  After a few months the Air Force deemed these huts and our living conditions were less than appropriate and all personnel were permitted to move off base, residing in either hostels or finding living quarters with Taiwanese families.  I met and lived with a wealthy family on Cheng Kang Lu for two years. I have many photos of those days."

Here, some of the new construction in the US portion of Tainan AB which was completed in 1958.

More photos of this construction on Tainan Air Base can be found HERE.


.  Looks like the new US Base Headquarters down the street with flags flying.

Read more about the History of the US Air Force in Taiwan in 1958.

2 September 1958.   6214th Air Base Group at Tainan AS moved into their new headquarters building.  The 868th Tactical Missile Squadron moved into a new building at the same time.
























Matador TM-61C missiles in storage on the revetments adjacent to the Tainan Air Base flight line.
























A Matador TM-61C Missile on display during a holiday air show on the Tainan AB flight line.






















Pre-launch activities going on with a large group  of Taiwanese military officers looking on.

 Missile personnel conduct pre-launch check-lists.

Actual  launching of a TM-61C Martin Matador Surface-to-Surface Nuclear Guided Missile at Tainan Air Base in 1959.

A F-100 Super Sabre would fly over the area 20 seconds after launch acting as a chase aircraft.


























Guild sitting in a pedicab outside of Tainan Air Base in 1959.




8 comments:

Unknown said...

Served in the 868th at Tainan, in 1960 and a little bit of 61. But I was mostly at the remote guidance sites a Kouchung and then Mahgong. Your pix brought back memories/

A/1c Homer Felknor
hfelknor@hotmail.com

Marty pottgether said...

I served in the 6214th support group at Tainan air base in 1959-1960. ( project seaweed). The picture of the water tower is where my barracks was. Great memories.

Anonymous said...

I served in the 868TMS armament section from 11/57to2/59, your pictures are excatly as I remember the base, good old bamboo huts.
Harold Phillips
November,2019

Guild Fetridge. A/1C said...

I also was in the 868th TMS Armament Section which was originally in a large WWII bunker near the air base flight line. Then we moved off base down the road to a separate secure area for the Armament Section. I don't remember your name though...our Section head was originally Capt Harold Caulkins and he was replaced by Captain Carlton Marsh.
Guild Fetridge, A/1C

Unknown said...


Served at TAS, 868th TMS in the WSA (area 8), 1961-62. Capt. Carlton Marsh, Capt. Ollie West were Officers at that time, and SMsgt. Sidney Stockbridge was senior NCO.

A1c Robert Welz
AFSC: 33150A

Unknown said...

Robert Welz
Served at TAS, 868th TMS in the WSA (area 8), 1961-62. Capt. Carlton Marsh, Capt. Ollie West were Officers at that time, and SMsgt. Sidney Stockbridge was senior NCO.

A1c Robert Welz
AFSC: 33150A

GEORGE BRISTOL said...

Served in the 2165-2 Communications Detachment at Tainan AB during '62-'63. I worked in the Comm Center the entire tour. By the time I got there, the Matador missiles had been removed and were replaced by TDY F-100's from Clark AB. Two planes were on constant alert, each armed with just one bomb - described to me by a Taiwanese pilot as a "big bomb" i.e., a nuke. Enjoyed my time there and got around the island every break I had.

George Bristol
TSgt (MSgT Selectee)
AFSC 291X0

Sammy said...

Get Nuclear Weapons Dummy The only thing that Will Deter China are Nuclear Weapons If your That Stupid to not develop Them you will get what you Deserve for your stupidity Your Total Destruction Don’t care What the United States Think you cannot Depend On Joe Biden regardless of What he has Said when push comes to shove he will not risks Nuclear War with China once you develop Them MAKE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT CHINA KNOWS Sincerely Sam Sparks United States of America