Sondrestrom Air Base, originally Bluie West-8, was a United States Air Force base in central Greenland. The site is located north of the Arctic Circle and from the northeast end of Kangerlussuaq Fjord (formerly known by its Danish name Søndre Strømfjord). The base is approximately west-northwest of Ravneklippen and east of Sisimiut. Following World War II, the base was briefly returned to Danish control between 9 October 1950 and 20 July 1951. The 1951 Greenland bases treaty led to the return of Sondrestrom to American control. The base was turned over to the Greenland government in 1992 and is now the civilian community of Kangerlussuaq and Kangerlussuaq Airport, although the USAF operates a small Air National Guard detachment in the former base. History Names Established on 20 October 1941 and named Bluie West Eight (BW-8); codenamed "Bodkin" in communications. Renamed: Sondrestromfjord Army Air Base, 1945 Renamed: Sondrestromfjord Air Base, 25 October 1947 Renamed: Sondrestrom Air Base, 10 January 1952 Base operating units 417th Base HQ & Air Base Squadron, 26 September 1942 1385th Army Air Force Base Unit, 1 October 1945 1004th Air Base Squadron (redesignated: 1234th Air Base Squadron, 1 October 1948), 1 June 1948 Greenland Base Command, 21 June 1949 – 9 October 1950 6621st Air Base Squadron, 20 July 1951 6621st Air Base Group, 25 September 1955 4084th Air Base Group, 1 April 1957 4684th Air Base Group, 1 July 1960 – 1 June 1992 1015th Air Base Squadron, a subordinate unit to the 1012th Air Base Group at Thule, was the unit designation from at least March, 1985 to closing in September, 1992 2004th Airways & Air Communications Squadron(AACS)(MATS) Major commands to which assigned First United States Army, 15 January 1941 Eastern Defense Command (U.S. Army), 12 December 1942 Air Transport Command, 1 January 1946 Military Air Transport Service, 1 April 1948 Northeast Air Command, 1–9 October 1950; 20 July 1951 Strategic Air Command, 1 April 1957 Air Defense (redesignated: Aerospace Defense) Command, 15 January 1968 Strategic Air Command, 1 December 1979 – 30 June 1983 Air Force Space Command from 1 July 1983 to September 1992 closing Founding and construction Following the fall of Denmark to Germany in World War II, responsibility for the security of Greenland passed to the American military under the terms of a 9 April 1941 treaty with the defected Danish ambassador in Washington, Henrik Kauffmann. Military leaders responded by building