Picture: Rows of B-29 Superfortress in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB.
Photo from the Colonel Schrimer Collection.

June 1st, 1956 to August 1st, 1959

On August 28th, 1948 the 4105th was redesignated the 3040th Aircraft Storage Depot, and the responsibilities of reclamation and salvage were added to the depot's mission. Over the coming years the unit will see a number of name changes but its basic mission would remain generally the same. 

Towards the end of the 1940s many of the stored aircraft were re-generated when increased tensions with the Soviet Union prompted the US to increase their state of readiness. Following this the build up for the imminent war in Korea resulted in the number of aircraft stored at Davis-Monthan to reduce further with many of the B-29s being returned to service or turned over for reclamation to fulfill the spares requirement to achieve the required level of readiness. 

In 87 B-29s were supplied to the Royal Air Force as a strategic bomber stop gap until they could receive their more modern, jet powered fleet. As well as being re-generated, a number of B-29s and C-47s were turned over to reclamation to supply spare parts to the operational fleet.

By the end of 1951 the number of stored and excess aircraft at Davis-Monthan stood at only 267, including 202 cocooned B-29. By mid 1952 this number had dropped to 202, including 81 cocooned and 28 un-cocooned B-29. A summary of stored Air Force aircraft numbers during 1951 and 1952 can be found using the links below.

With the introduction to service of the mighty Convair B-36 Peacemaker and the new generation Boeing B-47 Stratojet, and the cessation of the Korean War the now obsolete B-29s were once again retired to Davis-Monthan AFB.

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

- Between February and April the Douglas C-74 Globemaster fleet, which had been held in airworthy storage at Brookley AFB, AL since November 1955, were retired to DMAFB. On July 11, 1956 all were turned over for reclamation. Of the eleven arrivals four were re-generated for sale on the civilian market, the rest were scrapped during 1965.

- During the first half of the year a number of North American F-86F Sabres which had retired to DMAFB after serving with overseas based units were re-generated back to service with combat training wings at Williams AFB, AZ.

- A large number of North American T-6G Texans were supplied to foreign nations under the Military Assistance Program (MAP).  The aircraft were transported the short distance to Marana by road where they were overhauled before delivery to their new operators. 

- Over thirty Boeing B-50/B-50D Superfortress were re-generated and flown the Modification Center at Birmingham, AL. where they were converted to the KB-50 aerial tanker variant before being returned to service to Tactical Air Command (TAC) Air refueling units.

- An additional group of Boeing B-50D Superfortress were re-generated and flown to Lockheed Air Service in Burbank, CA. for conversion to the WB-50D weather reconnaissance variant.

- Eighteen Grumman HU-16A (SA-16) Albatross amphibious aircraft were re-generated and supplied to Brazil under MAP.