England Air Force Base

This article is about the USAF base in Louisiana, USA. For UK Royal Air Force bases, seeList of Royal Air Force stations.For USAF bases in England, UK, seeUnited States Air Force in the United Kingdom.

England Air Force Baseis a formerUnited States Air Forcebase inLouisiana,located 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest ofAlexandriaand about 170 miles (270 km) northwest ofNew Orleans.Originally known asAlexandria Army Air Base,on 23 June 1955 the facility was renamedEngland Air Force Basein honor ofLt Col John Brooke England(1923–1954).

England Air Force Base Alexandria Air Force Base Alexandria Army Airfield
Part ofTactical Air Command(TAC)
Rapides Parish,nearAlexandria, Louisiana
1983 orthophoto
England AFB
Coordinates	31°19′39″N92°32′55″W
Type	Air Force Base
Site information
Controlled by	United States Air Force
Site history
Built	1942
In use	1942–1992
Garrison information
Garrison	23d Tactical Fighter Wing (1972–1992)

The base was closed in 1992. The airfield and buildings are nowAlexandria International Airport.Three episodes ofThe Crocodile Hunterwere recorded in this base because the area is an important area for conservation.

History

The base was opened on 21 October 1942 and during theSecond World WarperformedBoeingB-17 Flying Fortressaircrew training. It was placed on inactive status on 23 September 1946, although a small cadre of Army and Air Force personnel (331 Composite Squadron) remained assigned toAlexandria Municipal Airportthroughout the late 1940s.

Republic F-84G-1-RE Thunderjet Serial 51-733 from the 27th Fighter Escort Wing(SAC)taken during Operation Fox Peter Two in October 1952)

North American F-86F-25-NH Sabre Serial 52-4850 from the 366th Fighter-Bomber Wing.

Boeing B-KB50D Superfortress 48–123 of Air Proving Ground Command carrying out first triple-point refuelling operation with three North American F-100C Super Sabres (54-1825, 53–1774, 54–1848) of the 451st Fighter Day Squadron (322d FDG), 1956

North American F-100D-50-NH Super Sabre Serial 55-2895 from the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing.

North American F-100D-51-NH Super Sabre 55-2881 of the 3d TFW 531st TFS (Taken at Bien Hoa AB)

Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D-11-CV Corsair II Serial No: 71-0338 of the 75th Tactical Fighter Squadron taken in May 1973. A-7D attack aircraft were assigned to England AFB from 1972 through 1981

On 10 October 1950, the United States Air Force reopenedAlexandria Air Force Baseduring theKorean War.The station's primary mission was tactical fighter operations forTactical Air Command.

Its major operating units were:

• United States Army Air Forces

67th Airdrome Squadron, 1 February 1943 – 25 March 1943

471st Bombardment Group, 1 May 1943 – 7 May 1943

469th Bombardment Group, 7 May 1943 – 1 April 1944

221st AAF Base Unit, 25 March 1944 – 1 March 1945

329th AAF Base Unit, 1 March 1945 – 23 September 1946

• United States Air Force

4416th Base Complement Sq, 23 October 1950 – 22 December 1950

137th Fighter-Bomber Wing,22 December 1950 – 2 May 1952

CompositeAir National Guardwing activated to Federal Service due toKorean War

Flew RepublicF-84 "Thunderjets".Three operational squadrons 125th (Oklahoma ANG, F-84B/G, 127th (Kansas ANG F-84C/G), 128th (Georgia ANG, F-84B/G)). ANG personnel trained at Alexandria AFB 1950/51, being replaced by active duty Air Force personnel in 1951/52. Wing reassigned toUSAFEatChaumont-Semoutiers Air Base,France

132d Fighter-Bomber Wing, 2 May 1952 – 1 January 1953

Iowa ANG Wing activated to Federal Service replacing reassigned 137th FBW

One operational squadron (124th FIS). Flew Republic straight winged F-84s. Returned to state control.(F-84Fs were not assigned to front line units until January 1954-please see pages 42/3 in POST WORLD WAR TWO FIGHTERS 1945–73 U S Government Printing Office)

366th Fighter-Bomber Wing,1 January 1953 – 1 April 1959

Active duty Air Force wing activated at Alexandria AFB. Three operational squadrons (389th,390th,391st) being initially equipped withNorth American F-51D Mustang,reequipped withNorth American F-86F "Sabre"jet aircraft by end of 1953.

Wing became first TAC unit to perform six-month TDY rotations with NATO atAviano AB,Italy,with rotations continuing to support NATO inFranceand Italy. Redesignated 366th Tactical Fighter Wing 1 July 1958. Inactivated 1 April 1959 as part of a general budgetary reduction of USAF wings. Aircraft transferred toAir National Guard.

420th Air Refueling Squadron (Tactical),18 March 1954 – 4 October 1955

(Activated at England AFB, equipped withBoeing KB-29P.

First unit in TAC of its type. Provided TAC with independent air refueling capability. Reassigned toUSAFEatRAF Sculthorpe,England.

622d Air Refueling Squadron (Tactical), 18 July 1955 – 1 April 1964

Activated at England AFB, assigned to 4505th Air Refueling Wing,Langley AFB,Virginia1 July 1958.

Equipped withBoeing KB-29P(1955–57), laterturbojet-augmented Boeing KB-50J(1957–64) aircraft. Aircraft became obsolescent and unit inactivated 1 April 1964.

401st Tactical Fighter Wing,1 April 1959 – 27 April 1966

According to AIR FORCE COMBAT WINGS 1947–1977(GPO) pages 194/5 and 214, the 366th FBW had two FB Groups under it: 366th & 401st. The 366th WING became a TFW in July 1958 and inactivated in April 1959. Meanwhile, the 401st FBG upgraded to a FBW in September 1957 and remained in place with four squadrons of F-100D/Fs. The aircraft and most of the personnel of the 366th Wing were transferred to other units in TAC and overseas. There was no redesignations of any 366th squadrons to 401st squadrons.

Four tactical fighter squadrons (612th, 613th, 614th, 615th) redesignated from former 366th TFW units. Participated in numerous firepower demonstrations, tactical exercises and maneuvers in the United States and overseas, and deployed its tactical squadrons to bases in Europe and the Middle East in support of NATO. Deployed toHomestead AFB,FloridaduringCuban Missile Crisis(1962) as tactical airstrike unit. Wing designation along with 613th TFS reassigned toUSAFEatTorrejon Air Base,Spain.

3d Tactical Fighter Wing,9 January 1964 – 7 November 1965

Reassigned fromYokota AB,Japan,Equipped with F-100 Super Sabres after arrival at England AFB.

Four tactical fighter squadrons (90th, 416th,510th,531st)., with the 510th coming from Clark AB, RP and the 416th and 531st moving from Misawa AB Japan, each unit with about 25 F-100D/Fs, then trained and rotated its squadrons in detached status toSoutheast Asiafor combat duty. Reassigned toBien Hoa AB,South Vietnam.The 3rd Wing number transferred from Yokota AB Japan along with one squadron number, the 90th "Pair-O-Dice", in the spring of 1964, so the wing had four squadrons assigned.

834th Air Division, 1 July 1964 – 15 October 1966

Assumed command and control over 3d and 401st Tactical Fighter Wings.

After reassignment of wings, assumed remaining organization and operational squadrons of former 401st TFW. Deployed to South Vietnamese bases (834th AD toTan Son Nhut AB), (612th, 614th, 615th) TFS toPhan Rang AB,Phu Cat AB).

1st Air Commando/Special Operations Wing 15 January 1966 – 15 July 1969

317th, 319th, 603rd Air Commando/Special Operations Squadrons

Reassigned fromHurlburt FieldFlorida. Redesignated 1st SOW 8 July 1968. Reassigned to Hurlburt Field, Florida.

4410th Combat Crew Training Wing/Group 15 July 1969 – 31 July 1973

6th Special Operations Training Squadron,427th, 4412th, 4532d Combat Crew Training Squadrons

Wing reassigned fromHurlburt FieldFlorida. Redesignated as Group, 15 September 1970. Inactivated July 1973 due to US withdrawal from South Vietnam. Upon group inactivation, 6th SOTS reassigned to 1st SOW at Hurlburt Field but remained at England AFB until inactivation, January 1974.

On 15 September 1970, the 4403d Tactical Fighter Wing, a temporary Major Air Command-Controlled (MAJCOM) unit, activated at England. With its subordinate416th(activated 28 September 1970) and 431st Tactical Fighter Squadrons,it absorbed returningNorth American F-100 Super Sabreaircraft of 31st TFW fromTuy Hoa Air BaseSouth Vietnam. It transferred aircraft and other assets to theAir National Guard.Acted as holding unit for arrivingLTV A-7D Corsair IIaircraft starting April 1972. The 4403d TFW and the 416th TFS both inactivated on 1 July 1972.

On 1 July 1972, the23d Tactical Fighter Wingreactivated at the base, without personnel or equipment, and took over the organization and assets of the temporary 4403d TFW. Three A-7D tactical fighter (74th,75th,76th) squadrons formed. The wing re-equipped withFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIaircraft in 1981. Redesignated 23d Fighter Wing 1 October 1991. Inactivated 1 June 1992.

Air Defense Command

Alexandria (and later England) AFB was base forAir Defense Commandinterceptor and radar units along the Gulf Coast. In 1959, the332d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron,assigned to the32d Air DivisionstationedF-102 Delta Daggerinterceptors at the base between 1959 and 1960.

In addition to the fighter-interceptor squadron, England AFB part of the planned deployment byAir Defense Commandof forty-four Mobile radar stations across the United States to support the permanent Radar network established during theCold Warfor air defense of the United States. This deployment had been projected to be operational by mid-1952. Funding, constant site changes, construction, and equipment delivery delayed deployment.

On 1 November 1954 the653d Aircraft Control and Warning Squadronbegan operations at Alexandria AFB with the activation ofAN/MPS-14,AN/TPS-1D, andAN/TPS-10D radars. The site was designated asM-125,and initially the station functioned as a Ground-Control Intercept (GCI) and warning station. As a GCI station, the squadron's role was to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes. The AN/MPS-14 continued to operate until site closure in 1963. In 1958 the site was operating anAN/FPS-20search set.

In addition to the main facility, Air Defense Command operated threeAN/FPS-18Gap Filler sites:

• Delhi, LA (M-125A):32°19′40″N091°33′25″W
• Weeks Island, LA (M-125C):29°48′34″N091°48′22″W
• Lake Charles GFA, LA (M-125D):30°11′05″N093°10′30″W

England AFB was a plannedSemi Automatic Ground Environment(SAGE) Data Center (DC) location, for the also-planned Shreveport Air-Defense Sector. However, in March 1963 Air Defense Command ordered the site to close due to budget reductions and operations ceased on 23 April.

The station was picked up by theFederal Aviation Administration(FAA) after the ADC shut down operations. The site is still in operations using the FPS-20A, being known as Alexandria, Louisiana. Virtually all other parts of this old Air Force radar station have been removed. A golf course now occupies part of the old M-125 site.

Closure

In October 1990, the1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commissiondecided that England Air Force Base would be closed by September 1992. Reduction of equipment and personnel began almost immediately. The 23d Fighter Wing'sFairchild A-10"Thunderbolt II" aircraft were sent to other units, and the base was closed on 15 December 1992.During the period of its military use, Air Force units from England Air Force Base served in combat in World War II, the Vietnam War andOperation Desert Storm.

See also

• Louisiana World War II Army Airfields
• List of USAF Aerospace Defense Command General Surveillance Radar Stations

Notes

This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency

Further reading

• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984).Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977.Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History.ISBN0-912799-12-9.
• Mueller, Robert (1989).Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982.USAF Reference Series, Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History.ISBN0-912799-53-6
• Endicott, Judy G. (1999)Active Air Force wings as of 1 October 1995; USAF active flying, space, and missile squadrons as of 1 October 1995.Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. CD-ROM.
• Martin, Patrick (1994).Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings.Schiffer Military Aviation History.ISBN0-88740-513-4.
• Menard David R. (1998)Republic F-84: Thunderjet, Thunderstreak, & Thunderflash: A Photo ChronicleSchiffer PublishingISBN0-7643-0444-5
• Rogers, Brian (2005).United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978.Hinkley, England: Midland Publications.ISBN1-85780-197-0.
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to present
• Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson,A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 – 1980,Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• Winkler, David F. (1997),Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program.Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
• England AFB, LA

External links

• Memories of England Air Force Base
• England Air Force BaseArchived2015-09-29 at theWayback Machine:England AFB photos, history, aircraft, map, static aircraft display, and more.