Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base | |
---|---|
Near United States Air Forces in Europe | |
Condition | Closed |
Website | Official website (archived) |
Site history | |
Built | 1936 |
In use | 1945 | –2005
Fate | Redeveloped as terminal 3 of Frankfurt Airport |
Events |
|
Airfield information | |
Identifiers | : 106373 |
Rhein-Main Air Base (located at 50°1′48.7″N 8°35′16.97″E / 50.030194°N 8.5880472°E) was a
During its lifetime, the base's host airlift wing operated C-130 Hercules and Douglas C-9A Nightingale aircraft, as well as supporting many transient C-5 Galaxy, C-141 Starlifter, C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender flight operations each day. Daily or weekly contract air passenger flights were also conducted for United States personnel arriving in or leaving Europe.
Arrival
After the
Frankfurt/Rhein-Main Airfield was initially used by the Ninth Air Force as a tactical fighter base. Tactical air groups stationed at the airfield were:
- 362d Fighter Group (8 April 1945 – 30 April 1945)
- 377th Fighter Group (14 April 1945 – 2 May 1945)
- 378th Fighter Group (14 April 1945 – 2 May 1945)
- 379th Fighter Group (8 April 1945 – 30 April 1945)
- 425th Night Fighter Squadron (12 April 1945 – 2 May 1945)
Air Transport
The initial
Eastern Air Transport Service opened its hub at Rhein-Main.The 61st Troop Carrier Group was reassigned to Rhein-Main on 30 September 1946 from nearby Eschborn Air Base and assumed control of the transport mission, carrying out routine transport operations from the base using C-47s and C-54s. Troop Carrier Squadrons of the 61st TCG were the 14th, 15th, and 53rd.
Berlin Airlift
The ongoing dispute over Berlin strained relations between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies (United States, United Kingdom, France). On 24 June 1948, the Soviet Union blocked access to the three Western-held sectors of Berlin, which lay deep within the Soviet-controlled zone of Germany, by cutting off all rail and road routes going through Soviet-controlled territory in Germany. The commander of the American occupation zone in Germany, General Lucius D. Clay, USA, gave the order on 25 June to launch a massive airlift using both civil and military aircraft. Rhein-Main Air Base became the main American terminal in western Germany for the airlift. The aircraft of the 61st TCG participated using C-54 Skymasters to ferry coal, flour, and other cargo into West Berlin. Additional Troop Carrier Squadrons were assigned to the 61st group, these being the 20th, 48th, and 54th.
On 19 November 1948, the
The Soviet Union lifted its blockade at 00:01, on 12 May 1949. However, the airlift did not end until 30 September, as the Western nations wanted to build up sufficient amounts of supplies in West Berlin in case the Soviets blockaded it again.
1949–1959
Although originally envisioned as a bomber base by USAFE, as a result of the Berlin Airlift, Rhein-Main became a principal European air transport terminal. With the end of the blockade, the 513th TCG was inactivated on 16 October 1949. The 61st TCG returned to routine transport operations until the outbreak of the
The 61st was replaced by the
- 10th Troop Carrier Squadron
- 11th Troop Carrier Squadron
- 12th Troop Carrier Squadron
In 1955, with the opening of
During the Cold War, the dependents of military and government personnel living on base or in the surrounding communities attended Gail S. Halvorsen Elementary School, Rhein-Main Elementary School, William H. Tunner Middle School, Rhein-Main Junior High School, and Frankfurt American High School.[1]
USAFE turned over the northern part of the base to the German government for use as
435th Tactical Airlift Wing
The 1966 closure of USAFE bases in France increased cargo traffic at Rhein-Main extensively. On 1 July 1969, MAC transferred the
- 37th Tactical Airlift Squadron (assigned 1 October 1977) (Lockheed C-130 Hercules)
- 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron (assigned 31 March 1975) (McDonnell Douglas C-9A Nightingale)[2]
- 630th Military Airlift Support Squadron (MASSq)
- 322nd Combat Support Group (CSG)
There were also other Military Airlift Command Squadrons in USAFE, notably at Torrejón AB in Spain and Inçirlik AB in Turkey, which were made part of the 435th TAW.
The 630th MASSq operated Rhein-Main's freight and passenger terminals and provided aircraft maintenance for transitory
The 37th TAS took part in airlift operations during
The 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron flew aeromedical missions throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
During the 1980s, Rhein-Main AB was the primary airbase supporting a program run by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Affairs, under the authority of the late
On 1 July 1975, the
Events of note at Rhein-Main Air Base:
- On 10 December 1978, the first group of military dependents evacuated from Iran on C-141s landed in Rhein-Main after leaving Tehran late the day before. They had spent the first night in Athens, their second leg of the trip was to Rhein-Main and then they were transported to McGuire Air Force Base. Each plane held approximately 150 women and children.
- On 20 January 1981, the American hostages held during the Iran hostage crisis were flown to Rhein-Main in a C-9A Nightingale aeromedical aircraft.
- On 23 October 1983, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon occurred. Rhein Main AB was instrumental in the processing of the casualties from that bombing in the days and weeks to follow. 241 military personnel perished in the blast.
- On August 8, 1985, the Red Army Faction snuck a car laden with explosives onto the base and parked it behind the headquarters building. At approximately 7:15 AM the car exploded, killing Airman first class Frank Scarton of Michigan and Becky Jo Bristol of San Antonio, Texas, and wounding 20 others.[3]
- In 1990, Rhein-Main Air Base was a major staging base for supplies and equipment heading to the Gulf War.
Post-Cold War use
The U.S. staged
On 1 April 1992 the 435th TAW was realigned from
On 1 July 1993, the 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron moved to Ramstein Air Base with its C-9A Nightingale aircraft. The 37th Airlift Squadron was subsequently reassigned to Ramstein on 1 October 1994. With these moves completed and most heavy Air Mobility Command (AMC) airlifters moving transcontinental cargo and passenger traffic to Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Base, the stage was set for a complete closure in 2005.
On 1 April 1995, the 435 AW was inactivated. The 435 AW was replaced by the
From September 2001 until 2005, Rhein-Main continued to provide support for transient C-130, C-141, C-17, C-5, KC-135, KC-10 and AMC-chartered civilian airliners supporting both US military activities throughout Europe, as well as a waypoint for air mobility operations throughout Southwest Asia towards the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Special Operations
Although the major mission of Rhein-Main Air Base was strategic and tactical airlift, the base also operated a substantial special operations mission.
The
Between 5–10 June 1967, during the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War, the 7406th flew dangerous, unarmed missions over the battle gathering electronic intelligence data. The 7406th continued flying recon missions from Rhein-Main in the C-130B models until 30 June 1973 when the squadron's sister Security Service flying squadron moved to Ellinikon International Airport, near Athens, Greece (known to the U.S. as Hellenikon AB). Operational missions were flown until 13 June 1974 from Greece when the unit was disbanded. The 7206th nomenclature continued, embodied in the 7206th Air Base Group which was a support group in Athens until 1993. Surveillance missions continued at Hellenikon under the auspices of the 6916th ESS.
With the relocation of the 7406th to Greece, the
The 7575th Operations Group operated at Rhein-Main from 1 July 1977 to 31 March 1991. Initially, three unique units were assigned to the group: the 7405th Operations Squadron, the
Closure
On 23 December 1999, the U.S. and German governments agreed to close the base. The last military passenger and cargo flights took place in late September 2005 and the base's formal closure ceremony took place on 10 October 2005. The final handover to the German government occurred on 30 December 2005 and the 726th AMS transferred to Spangdahlem Air Base. The Frankfurt Airport Authority has leveled the entire base, and in October 2015, commenced building a third passenger terminal (Terminal 3) and other airport facilities.[5]
In 2019, it became known that excavated soil from the construction site for Terminal 3 was contaminated with
See also
References
- ^ American Overseas Schools Historical Society
- ^ Ravenstein, p.230
- ^ Rhein-Main car bomb kills 2; more than 20 injured in blast. Stars and Stripes European Edition, 9 August 1985
- ^ See Tart, Larry and Keefe, Robert. The Price of Vigilance: Attacks on American Surveillance Flights. NY: Ballantine Books, 2001. 656 p.
- ^ [1] Fraport Website on Construction of Terminal 3
- faz.net(in German). Retrieved 25 February 2020.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
- Fletcher, Harry R., Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
- Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978, 2005
- Tart, Larry and Keefe, Robert. The Price of Vigilance: Attacks on American Surveillance Flights. NY: Ballantine Books, 2001. 656 p.
- USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to Present
External links
- Rhein Main Air Base Facebook Page
- Rhein Main Air Base Reunion 2015 Facebook Group
- Rhein Main Air Base Reunion 2015 Website
- IX Engineer Command Airfield Information
- Rhein Main Aerial Port Squadron information and Reunion Group
- Rhein Main Military Dependents Reunion Group
- 435th OMS Enroute MX
- "AFN Special Rhein Main AB History 965" on YouTube