Maxwell Air Force Base

Coordinates: 32°22′45″N 86°21′45″W / 32.37917°N 86.36250°W / 32.37917; -86.36250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Maxwell Air Force Base
AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
15/33 2,440.8 metres (8,008 ft) asphalt
Landing zone 918.9 metres (3,015 ft) asphalt
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Maxwell Air Force Base (IATA: MXF, ICAO: KMXF, FAA LID: MXF), officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. Occupying the site of the first Wright Flying School, it was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell, a native of Atmore, Alabama.

The base is the headquarters of

42d Air Base Wing
(42 ABW).

The

C-130H Hercules aircraft for theater airlift in support of combatant commanders worldwide. As an AFRC airlift unit, the 908th is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command
(AMC).

Gunter Annex is a separate installation under the 42 ABW. Originally known as Gunter Field, it later became known as Gunter Air Force Station (Gunter AFS) when its runways were closed and its operational flying activity eliminated. It was later renamed Gunter Air Force Base (Gunter AFB) during the 1980s. As a hedge against future Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) closure actions, Gunter AFB was consolidated under Maxwell AFB in March 1992 to create a combined installation known as Maxwell/Gunter AFB.

Maxwell AFB is also the site of Federal Prison Camp, Montgomery, a minimum security facility for male inmates.

History

Origins

Toward the end of February 1910, the

Wright Brothers decided to open one of the world's earliest flying schools at the site that would subsequently become Maxwell AFB. The Wrights taught the principles of flying, including take-offs, balancing, turns, and landings. The Wright Flying School closed on May 26, 1910.[2]

The field served as a repair depot during World War I. In fact, the depot built the first plane made in Montgomery and exhibited it at the field on September 20, 1918. Repair activity at the depot was sharply curtailed at the end of the war.

Interwar years

The Aviation Repair Depot's land was leased by the

U.S. Army
during World War I, and later purchased on January 11, 1920 for $34,327. Diminished postwar activity caused the U.S. War Department in 1919 to announce that it planned to close thirty-two facilities around the country, including the Aviation Repair Depot. In 1919, the Aviation Repair Depot had a $27,000 monthly civilian payroll, and was a vital part of the city's economy. The loss of the field would have been a serious blow to the local Montgomery economy. The field remained open into the early 1920s only because the War Department was slow in closing facilities. After this initial reprieve, the War Department announced in 1922 that facilities on the original closure list would indeed close in the very near future. City officials were not surprised to hear that Aviation Repair Depot remained on the list, because 350 civilian employees had been laid off in June 1921.

Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell, for whom the base is named

On November 8, 1922, the

U.S. Army Air Service aviation depots. Maxwell Field repaired aircraft engines in support of flying training missions such as those at Taylor Field
, southeast of Montgomery.

Maxwell Field, as most Army air stations and depots developed during World War I, was on leased properties with temporary buildings being the mainstay of construction. These temporary buildings/shacks were built to last two to five years. By the mid-1920s, these dilapidated wartime buildings had become a national disgrace. Congressional investigations also showed that the manning strength of the U.S. Army's air arm was seriously deficient. These critical situations eventually led to the Air Corps Act of 1926 and the two major programs that dramatically transformed Army airfields. The Air Corps Act changed the name and status of the Army Air Service to the

U.S. Army Air Corps
and authorized a five-year expansion program. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, this program and its companion, the 1926 Army Housing Program, produced well-designed, substantial, permanent buildings and infrastructure at all Army airfields retained after World War I.

Taking up the cause of Maxwell Field was freshman Congressman J. Lister Hill, a World War I veteran who served with the 17th and 71st U.S. Infantry Regiments. He, as well as other Montgomery leaders, recognized the historical significance of the Wright Brother's first military flying school and the potential of Maxwell Field to the local economy. In 1925 Hill, a member of the House Military Affairs Committee, affixed an amendment to a military appropriations bill providing $200,000 for the construction of permanent buildings at Maxwell Field. This amendment did not have the approval of the War Department nor the Army Air Corps, but as a result of this massive spending on Maxwell Field, the War Department kept it open. Hill recognized that to keep Maxwell Field open, it needed to be fiscally or militarily valuable to the War Department.

In September 1927, Hill met with Major General

James E. Fechet
, to discuss the placement of an attack group at Maxwell Field. Both made it clear that Maxwell Field was too close to Montgomery and was not a suitable location for an attack group. In fact, they asked Hill as "a friend of the Air Corps" not to "embarrass" the Corps by asking that the group be placed there. They warned that if he persisted, they would "very much oppose" the effort. However, General Patrick not wanting to alienate the new and up and coming Congressman (who was also a member of the House Military Affairs Committee) sought to appease Hill by offering to create an observation squadron at Maxwell Field. Hill welcomed the gesture; however, the creation of an observation squadron fell short of the long term on-going mission sought by Hill for Maxwell Field.

Hill continued to argue for the attack group to be placed at Maxwell Field. He argued that because of the permanent buildings scheduled to be built, it would be fiscally advantageous for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. Hill's arguments were an extension of ones that had been presented to him by Major Roy S. Brown, former commandant of Maxwell Field from 1922 to 1925. In 1927, Major Brown was the commander of the

Charles P. Summerall
. His request to them was given the answer: that they would give the matter "full consideration."

The depot's first official flying mission was carried out after that. Observation missions originated there in 1927–1929. Pilots from the field were also involved in completing the first leg of a test designed to establish an

Gulf Coast and the northern Great Lakes
area. The successful test played a major role in the eventual establishment of permanent airmail service in the Southeast.

By early 1928, the decision of basing a new Army Air Corps attack group had come down to Shreveport, Louisiana, and Montgomery. Both cities vied for the federal money to be spent in their respective local areas, but Shreveport the more economically developed city than its counterpart Montgomery won the day. In April 1928, Hill, via his contacts in the War Department, found out that Montgomery would not be getting the attack group. Flexing his congressional muscle, Hill persuaded Assistant Secretary Davidson and now chief of the Air Corps Major General Fechet to hold off the official announcement until Montgomery had a second look by the War Department. During the interim Montgomery leaders had set forth actions to acquire over 600 acres (2 km2) for Maxwell Field's expansion in hopes of wooing the War Department into placing the attack group in Montgomery.

In May 1928 General Benjamin Foulois, General Fechet's assistant, during an inspection visit with Third Army commander General Frank Parker to Maxwell Field mentioned that the Air Corps Tactical School would be moving from Langley Field to a still undecided location. During his stay General Foulois met with local Chamber of Commerce chairman Jesse Hearin and Maxwell Field post commandant, Major Walter R. Weaver. Hearin and Weaver touted the feasibility of Maxwell Field and the Montgomery area for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. However, General Foulois guided the conversation towards the impending movement of the Air Corps Tactical School and he favored Maxwell Field for the new home. Hearin immediately worked up an option on another one thousand acres (4 km²) for the Air Corps Tactical School should Montgomery not be favored with the attack group.

In July 1928, word "via rumor" of the decision for the establishment of an attack group came out that Shreveport was indeed the victor of the final decision. In December 1928, after much debate and political maneuvering it was announced officially by the Assistant Secretary of War that Shreveport would be getting the attack group and that the Army Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS) would be coming to Maxwell Field. The move to Maxwell Field from Langley Field was initially expected to increase Maxwell Field's population by eighty officers and 300 enlisted. It was expected that the ACTS would be to the Army Air Corps what

Fort Benning
, Georgia was to the infantry.

On January 15, 1929, it was announced that the ACTS would be twice as large as originally planned. On February 11, it was announced that $1,644,298 had been allowed for ACTS construction. This was not including an additional $324,000 the Secretary of War had approved previously for non-commissioned officer barracks and a school building after a conference with Congressman Hill. On March 12, a conference between a Major Kennedy, Chief of Buildings and Grounds of the Army Air Corps and commandant of the ACTS, and Congressman Lister Hill to determine the locations of the buildings and types of construction. In March 1929, personnel at Maxwell provided flood relief to citizens of Montgomery. This was the first time at which food and supplies were airdropped by U.S. military forces during a major civilian emergency.

On July 9, 1929, Captain Walter J. Reed and a battery of attorneys checked titles for the land. The War Department also announced the same day that the plan had changed to where the ACTS would now be four times as large as originally planned with 200 officers and 1,000 enlisted men. At the time, this made Maxwell Field the largest (as far as personnel) Army Air Corps installation in the southeast. Approximately 300 signatures to the deed of the land occupied by the Air Corps Tactical School were signed, of which one was signed by a minor. Chairman of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce James Hearin said, "...several cases had to be taken to court." Despite the obvious rush for signatures, by October 5, deeds to the land were signed and mailed to the War Department.

On December 17, 1929, Congressman Lister Hill introduced a bill to appropriate $320,000 for the acquiring of 1,075 acres (4 km2) of land in Montgomery County as a part of an expansion program for Maxwell Field. This was a particularly bold move at the time by Hill because of the stock market crash. Effects of the crash had yet to take place; however, the panic caused by the crash had certainly captured Montgomery's attention.

Austin Hall
was built in 1931 to serve as the Air Corps Tactical School's main building.

On January 25, 1930, President

Army Quartermaster Corps
and they designed the overall layout of ACTS at Maxwell. Ford used an approach that clustered similar functions together. This technique provided plenty of open space and gave each cluster a distinct appearance.

On September 17, 1931, the first ACTS training occurred at Maxwell Field. Forty-one students met at 8:40 a.m. in the operations office conference room for general instruction. Classes were divided into sections, with some pilots sent on check flights, while others were sent out to become familiar with the surrounding countryside to become familiar with emergency landing field locations.

On the morning of September 22, 1931, opening exercises of the Air Corps Tactical School were held. On September 24, the Air Corps Tactical School was officially launched. The address was made by Major General James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps also attending were Congressman Lister Hill and commandant of the Air Corps Tactical School, Major John F. Curry. General Fechet, along with announcing his impending retirement, declared that the forty-one student officers could be future generals of the Air Corps. At a later luncheon, General Fechet also lauded Montgomery's attitude toward the Air Corps.

Overhead Maxwell Field in 1937

The 1931-1932 faculty included Army Air Corps (AC), Army Infantry (Inf), Army Chemical Warfare Service (CWS), and Army Field Artillery (FA) instructors. Initially, the school's curriculum reflected the dominating influence of

Brigadier General Billy Mitchell
. Mitchell was a strong believer in the importance of gaining and maintaining air superiority during a conflict. He argued strongly for pursuit (e.g., "fighter") aircraft in combination with bombers and regarded enemy pursuit forces as the most serious threat to successful bombing operations and felt that the task of American pursuit was not necessarily to escort bombers, but to also seek out and attack enemy fighters. During the first five years of the school's operation, Mitchell's beliefs formed the basis for instruction at the tactical school. However, by the mid-1930s the school's emphasis had shifted from pursuit to bombardment aviation.

On July 16, 1933, Congressman Lister Hill secured approval from the War Department for $1,650,075 for immediate spending at Maxwell Field. Hill's request was justified by increased enrollment at the Air Corps Tactical School and the desperate need for employment for the local Montgomery population. At the start of October 1933 bids opened for four construction projects that were to start immediately; 1933-1934 construction at Maxwell Field later employed an average of more than 500 workers.

The

Claire L. Chennault
in 1932, and the Skylarks in 1935.

World War II

World War II Maxwell Field postcard

In 1940, it was announced that the installation was to be converted into a pilot-training center. On 8 July 1940 the Army Air Corps redesignated its training center at Maxwell Field, Alabama as the

Southeast Air Corps Training Center
. The Southeast Air Corps Training Center at Maxwell handled flying training (basic, primary and advanced) at airfields in the Eastern United States.

An Air Force Pilot School (preflight) was also activated which instructed

U.S. Army Air Forces. On 8 January 1943, the War Department constituted and redesignated the school as the 74th Flying Training Wing
handling pre-flight training.

During following years, Maxwell was home to six different schools that trained U.S. military aviators and their support teams for wartime service. As World War II progressed, the number of required pilot trainees declined, and the Army Air Forces decided not to send more aircrew trainees to Maxwell Field. The following known sub-bases and auxiliaries were constructed to support the flying school:

Maxwell Field 1943 photo pictorial

On 31 July 1943, the Southeast Air Corps Training Center was redesignated as the Eastern Flying Training Command. Also in July, the Army Air Forces announced a specialized school for pilots of four-engine aircraft. The first

B-29 Superfortress
bomber training replaced the B-24 program.

Cold War

Training at Maxwell continued until 15 December 1945, when the Eastern Flying Training Command was inactivated and was consolidated into the Central Flying Training Command at

Randolph Field, Texas
.

U.S. Air Force
becoming an independent service the following year. Today, it remains the main focus of base activities at Maxwell.

Maxwell Field was renamed Maxwell Air Force Base in September 1947 when the Air Force was created. [3]

In 1992, the

42d Air Base Wing
.

As home of the Air University, Maxwell became the postgraduate academic center of the U.S. Air Force. Air University evolved first as an institution influenced by air power as shaped in World War II, then by the Cold War under the threat of nuclear annihilation, and by air power as applied during the Cold War's Korean and Vietnam conflicts. In the early twenty-first century, the emphasis shifted to air power's role in confronting international and transnational terrorism by both state-sponsored and non-state actors. AU grew materially from inadequate quarters, classrooms, and instructional technology into a campus that is as modern and up-to-date as those of any other in the U. S. armed forces. Construction of Maxwell's Academic Circle, Air University's primary education complex, began in the 1950s. Its centerpiece was the Air University Library, eventually one of several major libraries on a military installation.

Over the years, other activities were established or relocated to Maxwell AFB, to include Headquarters,

Air Force ROTC.[4]

Detachment 3 of the 58th Operations Group activated at Maxwell during January 2024 to train crews on the MH-139A Grey Wolf.[5]

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Maxwell Air Force Base.[6][7][8]

United States Air Force

Education

Maxwell Air Force Base is zoned to Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools for grades K-8.[18] The DoDEA operates Maxwell Air Force Base Elementary/Middle School.[19] For high school Maxwell AFB residents are zoned to Montgomery Public Schools facilities: residents of the main base are zoned to George Washington Carver High School, while residents of the Gunner Annex are zoned to Dr. Percy L. Julian High School. Residents may attend magnet schools.[20]

Future

In November 2020, the Air Force announced that Maxwell AFB is its preferred choice for basing the MH-139A Grey Wolf Formal Training Unit. The Grey Wolf training mission will replace the 908th Airlift Wing's C-130H Hercules mission, with the first of the new aircraft expected to arrive during 2023.[21]

Popular culture

Maxwell AFB appears in the video game Tom Clancy's EndWar as a possible battlefield.[22]

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ "Airport Diagram – Maxwell AFB (KMXF)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Wright Brothers Flying School". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  3. ^ "Maxwell Air Force Base and the 42nd Air Base Wing through the Years". Maxwell AFB. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  4. ^ "Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex | Encyclopedia of Alabama". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Archived from the original on 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  5. ^ Roney, Marty (31 January 2024). "Maxwell Air Force Base unit to train new helicopter pilots in Montgomery". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Maxwell-Gunter AFB". MyBaseGuide. MARCOA Media. 10 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Air University". Air University. US Air Force. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Units". 908th Airlift Wing. US Air Force. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Air Force".
  10. ^ "688th Cyberspace Wing".
  11. ^ https://www.aflcmc.af.mil/Portals/79/AFLCMC-Org-Chart-Aug-15-2022-No-Phone.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  12. ^ "Units".
  13. ^ "CAP Unit Locator".
  14. ^ "Montgomery Military Entrance Processing Station".
  15. ^ https://www.disa.mil/~/media/Files/DISA/News/AFCEA-2017/4-%20Lindeman-DODIN%20Network%20Operations%20panel.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  16. ^ "About EPA's National Analytical Radiation Environmental Laboratory (NAREL)". 29 January 2013.
  17. ^ "FPC Montgomery".
  18. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2022-07-04. - Text listing: "Maxwell AFB School District" would mean the Department of Defense Education Activity
    (DoDEA) since that agency operates the on-base public schools.
  19. ^ "Home". Department of Defense Education Activity. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  20. ^ "Maxwell AFB Community". Department of Defense Education Activity. Archived from the original on 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  21. ^ "Maxwell AFB selected as location for MH-139 FTU". US Air Force. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  22. ^ Ubisoft (2008). "Locations". Ubisoft. Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 1 April 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maxwell Field (Airfield).
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