military bases in louisiana

Military Bases In Louisiana - 32°30'07" N 093°39'46" W / 32.50194° W 93.66278° W / 32.50194; -93.66278 Coordinates: 32°30'07"N 093°39'46"W / 32.50194°N 93.66278°W / 32.50194; -93.66278

Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) (IATA: BAD, ICAO: KBAD, FAA LID: MAD) is a United States Air Force (USF) base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in the northwestern United States. Adjacent to Bossier, Louisiana along the western and northwestern edges of the camp. Barksdale AFB covers more than 22,000 acres (89 km).

Military Bases In Louisiana

The host unit at Barksdale is the 2D Bomb Wing (2 BW), the oldest bomber wing in the US Air Force. It is part of the Eighth Air Force (8 AF) of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). Equipped with approximately 44 B-52H Stratofortress bombers, 2 BW provides flexible and responsive global combat operations and trains all AFGSC and AFRC Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crews.

Bill Boosts Louisiana Military Bases, Troops

The base was established in 1932 as Barksdale Field in honor of World War I pilot and test pilot Lt. Hugh Hoy Barksdale (1896-1926).

Units at Barksdale include the 2D Bomb Wing (2 BW), the oldest bomb wing in the US Air Force. The 2d participated in Brig G Billy Mitchell's 1921 beach bomb attempt (Bomb Chapter 2).

The 2d Bomb Wing is commanded by Col. Michael A. Miller. He also serves as the installation commander at Barksdale Air Force Base. The deputy commander is Colonel Scott Weiermueller.

The base is closed to the public. However, the base is home to the Barksdale Global Power Museum, which houses static displays of several aircraft including the Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan bomber, the integrated B-24 Liberator, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and the North American P. -51 Mustang, to Lockheed. Several variants of the SR-71 Blackbird, Geral Dynamics F-111 Aardvark and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The Department of Defense has a year-round operating theater open to visitors from outside the Department of Defense. Visitors can visit the museum from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM every day except official holidays.

Fort Bliss, Texas

Barksdale Field was named on February 2, 1933, in honor of 2nd Lt. Hugh Hoy Barksdale (1895–1926). Lieutenant Barksdale received his wings in Britain in 1918 and flew with the British Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Barksdale died on August 11. In 1926, a Douglas O-2 observation plane was testing spin characteristics over McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio. He did not recover due to the plane's spin, and while parachuting out of the plane, his parachute became caught in the wing's tether cables, and Barksdale fell to his death. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

The airport's name was changed to Barksdale Air Force Base on February 13, 1948, coinciding with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military branch.

Aircraft were being used when construction began on the site, so hangars one and two were enlarged to accommodate them. Although the aircraft were never assigned, each hangar was large enough to accommodate two Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers wingtip to wingtip, invaluable for the Big Belly and Pacer Plank modifications that Boeing's Wichita plant managed from 1965 to 1973. was 52Fs were deployed from Barksdale but did not return after the Vietnam War when they were replaced by B-52Gs.

In 1924, the citizens of Shreveport were interested in locating a military airport. In 1926, the citizens of Shreveport learned that the 3rd Assault Wing at Fort Crockett, Texas, required 500 individuals and at least 20,000 acres (81 km) of land.

Soldier Killed, 3 Wounded In Black Hawk Helicopter Crash In Louisiana

) to support aerial shots and bomb bays. Beginning in 1927, efforts to obtain a government commitment to build a metropolitan facility in Shreveport were led by Andrew Kuerbes and John D. A committee co-chaired by Ewing et al. There was a lot of correspondence between interested parties and the first offer was rejected. However, in February 1928, a young US Army Air Corps captain named Harold Ross Harris hired a dust fighter to fly over the area to find a suitable site for an airfield.

Captain Harris chose a suitable location for a military airfield. It was a vast area of ​​cotton plantations near Bossier City. The site selection committee, representing the city's wealthiest taxpayers, unanimously approved the Barksdale site. A delegation of citizens went to Washington to present the benefits of the proposed site in person to the War Department. After the delegation returned, a special unit of the United States Army visited Shreveport and reported that the place met all the requirements of the Air Corps.

The site was selected as the airport on December 5, 1928. The land in Bossier Parish on which the airport was built was unclaimed land near the city of Bossier, which was annexed by the city of Shreveport after being selected from among 80 candidates. The property was approved by Shreveport voters in 1929, fulfilling a pledge by the citizens of Shreveport through the issuance of $1,500,000 (equivalent to $23,671,512 in 2021 dollars) in municipal bonds from more than 800 owners. US government. The last bond expired on December 31, 1959. After the purchase, Shreveport donated the land to the federal government under their agreement, while the federal government covered all the costs of building and equipping the buildings. Shreveport originally proposed a site adjacent to Cross Lake (Shreveport, Louisiana) in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, but the War Department deemed the site unsuitable for further expansion of the facility due to insufficient land. After the establishment of the military facility, the city of Bossier grew and expanded to the south and east, completely occupying the area surrounding the base. Technically, of course, Barksdale AFB is not located in Bossier City or Shreveport, but like all military bases, it is an independent community with its own infrastructure.

However, the camp receives its water from the Shreveport water system and connects to the Bossier City water system for maintenance of the Shreveport system or as a backup water supply in case of emergencies.

America's Largest Military Bases

Construction of the Barksdale field began in 1931, with hangars, runways, and billets built. The first flight operations began on November 7, 1932, with the arrival of the 20th Pursuit Group and three Pursuit Squadrons, equipped with Boeing P-12s and Boeing P-26 Peace Fighters. The airport was officially opened and dedicated on February 2, 1933.

In the mid-1930s, Barksdale Field was the headquarters and main base of the 3rd Attack Wing, equipped with Curtiss A-12 and Northrop A-17 aircraft. The airfield was used by fighter and attack pilots to develop their gunnery and bombing skills. Additional barracks were built in 1936-1937, and light bombers replaced fighter and attack aircraft.

Barksdale was developed as an Air Corps flying school in November 1940, and the runway was completed in mid-1941. From May 23 to 25, 1940, the Army's "Total Military Maneuver" was held at Barksdale Field, simulating combat operations in Europe. About 320 Army Air Corps aircraft participated as Maj. Gen. Dwight D. Eishower looked on. US Army Chief of Staff General George S. Marshall also paid a brief visit to Barksdale Field during the final stages of the maneuvers.

During World War II, the airfield trained replacement personnel and wheel units from 1942 to 1945. Popular units trained at Barksdale include:

Barksdale Kids Participate In Military Children Parade > Barksdale Air Force Base > News

The 335th Bombardmt Group (Medium) began training duties as an operational training unit (OTU) on 17 July 1942 with Martin B-26 Marauders. On 1 May 1944, the 335th replaced the 331st US Air Force Base as an OTU, and on 1 December 1945, the 2621st US Air Force Base. No. 2621 conducted pilot training until 26 September 1947. inactivated and replaced by the 2621st Air Base Unit.

During World War II, Barksdale also housed the main elements of the Free French Air Force and the Chinese Nationalist Air Force.

Barksdale Field was designated Barksdale Air Force Base on January 13, 1948, and a separate service by the United States Air Force in 1947.

In the postwar 1940s, Barksdale became the headquarters of the Air Training Command from 1945 to 1949. The 47th Bombardmt Light Wing, initially equipped with the Douglas B-26 Invader, moved from Biggs Field on 19 November 1948. For the North American B-45 Tornado. The B-45 was the United States Air Force's first jet bomber and the first air-to-air jet. The first B-45As arrived in December 1948, and by March 1950 the wing had received 96 aircraft.

Complicated, Multi Day Severe Weather Threat Taking Shape Across Acadiana

Due to budget cuts to the B-45 program, the Air Force planned to inactivate the 47th Bomb Wing and move its B-45s and crews to Yokota AB, Japan, so that the air force could take advantage of the know-how gained in the Far East. -how-t by the wing of the 47th ball. in Barksdale. However, the B-45 did not have enough range to fly from California to Hawaii and could not be equipped with external fuel tanks, so shipping the aircraft to Japan was costly. The first use of the B-45 at Barksdale also demonstrated this

Army bases in louisiana, military bases in tennessee, military bases in arkansas, military bases in maryland, bases in louisiana, military bases in georgia, navy bases in louisiana, military bases in massachusetts, military bases in kansas, military bases in minnesota, list of military bases in louisiana, military bases louisiana