History Brookley Air Force Base

1 history

1.1 world war ii
1.2 postwar use
1.3 closure
1.4 major usaf units assigned
1.5 post-military use

history

brookley air force base had aeronautical beginnings mobile s first municipal airport, original bates field. however, site had been occupied time of mobile s founding, starting home of mobile s founding father, jean-baptiste le moyne, sieur de bienville, in 18th century.

in 1938 army air corps took on 1,000-acre (405 ha) bates field site , established brookley army air field. military attracted site because of area s flying weather , bay-front location, alabama congressman frank boykin s influence in washington important in convincing army locate new military field in mobile instead of tampa, florida. however, later year, tampa chosen military flying installation of own, named macdill field, home of present-day macdill air force base.

world war ii

world war ii scene @ brookley army air field.

during world war ii, brookley army air field became major army air forces supply base air material command in southeastern united states , caribbean.

many air depot personnel, logisticians, mechanics, , other support personnel trained @ brookley during war. both air materiel , technical services command organized mobile depot groups @ brookley, once trained deployed around world air depot groups, depot repair squadrons, quartermaster squadrons, ordnance maintenance, military police, , many other units mission support front-line combat units depot-level maintenance aircraft , logistical support maintain operations. air transport command operated large numbers of cargo , passenger aircraft base part of domestic wing.

during war, brookley became mobile’s largest employer, 17,000 skilled civilians capable of performing delicate work fragile instruments , machinery. in 1944, army decided take advantage of brookley’s large, skilled workforce top-secret “ivory soap” project hasten victory in pacific. project required 24 large vessels re-modeled aircraft repair , maintenance units had able accommodate b-29 bombers, p-51 mustangs, r-4b sikorsky helicopters, , amphibious vehicles.

the air force delivered 24 vessels mobile, alabama, in spring 1944 start remodeling. 5,000 men underwent complex training process prepared them rebuild vessels , operate them once on water. end of year, vessels departed mobile.

one of keys allied victory in europe norden bomb sight, enabled bomber squadrons target germany’s war-making industry , infrastructure more accurately. military repaired , calibrated bombsights @ brookley in secret facility, still standing , in use today.

in 1944 closure of army contract flying school @ nearby bates army airfield, air transport command operations shifted bates alleviate runway traffic @ brookley. late in 1945 bates field returned civil control , atc operations returned brookley.

postwar use

following world war ii , creation of independent united states air force, installation became brookley air force base. in 1947 closure of morrison field, florida, c-74 globemaster project moved brookley. c-74 was, @ time, largest military transport aircraft in world. developed douglas aircraft after japanese attack on pearl harbor. long distances across atlantic, , pacific ocean combat areas indicated need transoceanic heavy-lift military transport aircraft.

1701st air transport wing douglas c-74 globemaster @ brookley afb in 1950s

the c-74 squadron (later 521st air transport group, 1701st air transport wing), air transport command operated 2 squadrons of c-74 globemasters brookley 1947 until retirement in 1955. eleven aircraft used extensively worldwide transport of personnel , equipment, supporting united states military missions. saw extensive service supporting berlin airlift , korean war being used on scheduled mats overseas routes though late 1940s , mid-1950s. additionally, logistic support flights strategic air command (sac), , tactical air command (tac) saw globemaster in north africa, middle east, europe, caribbean, , within united states. 2 c-74s used support first tac republic f-84 thunderjet flight across pacific ocean japan. sac continued use globemasters rotate boeing b-47 stratojet medium bombardment groups on temporary duty in england , morocco part of reflex operation. c-74s retired in 1955 due lack of logistical support. 1701st atw flew strategic airlift missions on worldwide scale c-124 globemaster ii fleet after retirement of c-74 until 1957 when military air transport service moved out of brookley afb , base came under full jurisdiction of air material command.

in 1962, air material command renamed air force logistics command (aflc) , brookley afb became aflc installation , host base of modification , repair center s successor organization, mobile air materiel area (moama).

after immediate end many of wartime jobs of world war ii, base s civilian workforce again expanded around 16,000 people 1962, result of both cold war , other usaf base closings in other areas of country. during time, aflc s mobile air materiel area (moama) provided depot-level maintenance various usaf aircraft of period, include c-119 flying boxcar, c-131 samaritan, f-84 thunderstreak, rf-84 thunderflash,the f-104 starfighter , republic f-105 thunderchief.

in 1964, air force reserve 908th tactical airlift group moved brookley bates field. operated c-119 flying boxcar transports.

closure

on 19 november 1964, department of defense announced progressive reduction in employment , eventual closure of brookley air force base. costs of escalation of vietnam war cited primary reason closure. robert mcnamara, secretary of defense, unpopular both congress , public. military bases sources of employment , federal dollars states , local communities, allowed them handle cost of them , sales military people stationed @ base.

moreover, mcnamara worked president lyndon b. johnson, had reputation rewarding friends , punishing opponents. when mcnamara began base closure announcements, suspicion began johnson picking bases close retribution recent 1964 presidential election. republican candidate, senator barry goldwater, had carried alabama in election , believed johnson penalizing alabama defecting traditional democratic party ties. mcnamara, however, had agenda, wanted curb air force s reliance on large aircraft in favor of long-range missiles , closing maintenance facilities such brookley way that. mcnamara, however, denied politics played part in decision close several air force bases including brookley.

the reserve 904th tag moved maxwell afb, alabama in april. incoming nixon administration in 1969 confirmed closure of brookley way save money because of vietnam war, , when closed in june 1969, brookley afb represented largest base closure in u.s. history time, eliminating 10% of local jobs mobile workforce, provided annual payroll of $95 million local economy.

major usaf units assigned

1701st air transport wing
1703d air transport group
908th tactical airlift group
26th weather squadron

post-military use

after closure, base returned city of mobile. later, city transferred mobile airport authority , became known mobile downtown airport. city had created mobile airport authority in 1982 oversee operation of mobile regional airport , become mobile aeroplex @ brookley. mobile airport authority autonomous , not part of city or mobile county. authority’s 5 board members appointed mobile’s mayor, approved mobile city council, , serve 6 year terms.

airbus began construction on aircraft production plant @ brookley, producing airbus a320 airliners. airbus had attempted enter market @ brookley field when military division eads partnered northrop grumman produce kc-45, billed next generation of air refueling & cargo aircraft air force replacement aging fleet of kc-135s. eads/northrop grumman won contract bid produce aircraft, plans put in limbo after rival boeing filed protest on bidding process; , in 2011 boeing declared winner of rebidding.