Bergstrom Air Force Base
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bergstrom Air Force Base (1942-1993) was located seven miles southeast of Austin, Texas. In its later years it was a major base for the U.S. Air Force's RF-4C reconnaissance fighter fleet.
Contents |
[edit] History
Del Valle Army Airbase was activated on 19 September 1942 on 3,000 acres (12 km²) leased from the City of Austin. The lease agreement stipulated that the land would revert back to the city if the government abandoned it. The name of the base was changed to Bergstrom Army Air Field on March 3, 1943, in honor of Captain John August Earl Bergstrom, a reservist in the 19th Bombardment Group, who was killed at Clark Field, Philippines on December 8, 1941. He was the first Austinite killed in World War II. The base was renamed Bergstrom Field on November 11, 1943, and became Bergstrom Air Force Base in December 1948. At this time, command passed from the Tactical Air Command (TAC) to the Continental Air Command, then in 1949, to the Strategic Air Command (SAC).
Host units assigned to Bergstrom were:
- 442d Base HQ and AB Sq, 26 Sep 1942 - 15 Apr 1944
- 807th AAF/AF Base Unit, 15 Apr 1944 - 16 Mar 1949
- 27th Strategic Fighter/Fighter-Bomber Wg, 16 Mar 1949 - 1 Jul 1958
- 4130th Strategic Wing, 1 Oct 1958 - 1 Sep 1963
- 340th Bombardment Wing, 1 Sep 1963 - 1 Jul 1966
- 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 Jul 1966 - 15 Jul 1971
- 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 15 Jul 1971- 30 September 1993
During World War II, Bergstrom was the home of troop-carrier groups. Known units were the 52d, 53d, 313th and 349th Troop Carrier Group.
[edit] Strategic Air Command
In 1949, the 27th Strategic Fighter Wing was assigned to Bergstom under the 8th Air Force. Initially flying the P/F-82 "Twin Mustang" and P/F-51 "Mustang", the wing flew fighter escort operations to meet SAC commitments through 1950. Upgrading to F-84E jets in 1950, the wing won the Mackay Trophy for successful deployment of 90 F-84s from Bergstrom AFB, to Furstenfeldbruck AB, West Germany, in September 1950, via Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, and England. This was the first long-range mass flight of jet aircraft in aviation history.
During the Korean War, the 27th SFW deployed to Yokota AB, Japan on 19 November 1950, then split into two echelons. The advance echelon deployed at Taegu AB, South Korea on 1 December 1950, while the rear echelon deployed at Itazuke AB, Japan on 9 December. The Wing flew combat missions in Korea until 30 June 1951 and returned to the United States. The Wing redeployed to Misawa AB, Japan during 6 October 1952 - 13 February 1953 to provide air defense.
Wing pilot Capt Forrest W. Wilson, in an F-84G, won the Allison Trophy jet aircraft race of the National Aircraft Show at Dayton, Ohio, on 6 September 1953, flying the 110.3-mile course at an average speed of 537.802 mph in 12:17.2 minutes.
From June 1953 - June 1957 the 27th had air refueling as an additional mission, flying the KB-29 aerial tanker.
On 1 July 1957, the 27th was redesigned the 27th Fighter-Bomber Wing and was assigned to TAC. It also received the new F-101 "Voodo". Maj Adrian E. Drew, wing F-101 project officer, broke the world speed record on 12 Dec 1957 when he flew an F-101A over a Mojave Desert course at 1,212.8 mph in one direction and 1,207.5 mph in the opposite direction.
On 1 July 1958, the 27th FBW was transferred to Cannon AFB, New Mexico. With the departure of the 27th to New Mexico, Bergstrom returned to SAC with the arrival of the 4130th Strategic Wing on 1 October 1958, flying B-52D's of the 335th Bombardment Squadron and KC-135s of the 910th Air Refueling Squadron.
The 4130th was part of SAC developing a plan to disburse it's bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The 4130th consisted of 15 B-52s, dispersed from the 95th Bombardment Wing at Biggs AFB. At Bergstom half of the 4130th was kept on fifteen minute alert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat. The remaining planes were used for training in bombardment missions and air refueling operations.
The Strategic Wing designation was phased out at Bergstrom on 1 September 1963 when the 4130th was re-designated the 340th Bombardment Wing. The 340th continued SAC global strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations until July 1966 when Bergstrom was again transferred to Tactical Air Command.
In the 1960s, Bergstrom Air Force Base became the place where Air Force One flew into and out of often. It was the airfield that Lyndon Johnson used as president when traveling between Washington, D.C. and his ranch in Texas. The base was almost closed in 1965 due to Department of Defense budget cuts.
In 1969, Bergstrom Air Force Base began an "open house" in conjunction with the Austin Aqua Festival and titled it Aero-Fest. In addition to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performing, the gathering showed off many military airplanes and other hardware. A crowd favorite was a C-5 Galaxy, which visitors would walk through to get to the main display area. Aero-Fest was an instant success and in just two years, it was drawing 80,000 people to the base.
[edit] Tactical Reconnaissance
After July 1966, Bergstom was again under the control of the TAC and housed the headquarters for the Twelfth Air Force, which was responsible for all Tactical Air Command reconnaissance, fighter, and airlift operations west of the Mississippi River. The new 12th Air Force headquarters building was completed in August 1968. The unique circular structure became an icon of the base and was nicknamed "The Doughnut" and "The Roundagon."
The 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was activated at Bergstrom on 1 July 1966. The 75th TRS's mission was to train RF-4C pilots for duty in Southeast Asia and to provide replacement aircraft to the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base and the 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Udon Royal Thai Air Force Base.
With the drawdown at the close of the Vietnam War, the 75th TRW was inactivated in place its and resources passed to the 67th TRW, activated on 15 July 1971.
The 75th TRSs' operational squadrons were:
- 4th Tactical Reconnaissance: 18 Nov 1966 - 15 Jul 1971
- 9th Tactical Reconnaissance: 1 Sep 1969 - 15 Jul 1971
- 91st Tactical Reconnaissance: 1 Jul 1967 - 15 Jul 1971
The 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was tranferred to Bergstrom from Mountain Home Air Force Base Idaho in 1972, when the 366th TFW returned from Da Nang Air Base to Mountain Home and the base's mission was changed. When the 67th moved to Texas , it concentrated on maintaining tactical reconnaissance mission forces capable of meeting worldwide operational requirements.
The 67th TRW conducted reconnaissance training of USAF, US Marine Corps, and allied reconnaissance aircrews between 1982 - 1989; acted as advisor to Air National Guard reconnaissance units until 1992; performed reconnaissance missions supporting the US Customs Service, 1983 - 1992; hosted the TAC-sponsored worldwide tactical reconnaissance competition at Bergstrom in 1986, 1988, and 1990.
In 1979 the Concorde visited Bergstrom, followed by the Space Shuttles Columbia and Discovery aboard their Boeing 747 carrier aircraft in 1981 and 1985, respectively.
During the Gulf War, the 67th TRW deployed personnel and aircraft in support of operations in Southwest Asia in 1991, photographing enemy targets, conducting searches for enemy missile sites, tracking movement of the Iraqi Republican Guard and oil slicks, and conducting overall battle damage assessment.
The 67th TRSs' operational squadrons were:
- 12th Tactical Reconnaissance: 31 Aug 1971 - 30 Sep 1993
- 45th Tactical Reconnaissance: 15 Oct 1971 - 31 Oct 1975
- 91st Tactical Reconnaissance: 15 Jul 1971 - 30 Sep 1993
[edit] Air Force Reserve
In March 1976, the Air Force Reserve 924th Tactical Airlift Group moved to Bergstrom from Ellington Air Force Base near Houston. The 704th Airlift Squadron flew early model Lockheed C-130A/B Hercules.
In April 1978 the unit was redesignated the 924th Tactical Fighter Group, with the 704th Tactical Fighter Sqauadron being re-equipped with McDonnell Douglas F-4D/E Phantom IIs, and in 1991, the unit was upgraded to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. The 704th iniially received Block 15 F-16A/Bs, then in 1994 the squadron was upgraded to Block 32 F-16C/Ds. Also the 924th was upgraded to Fighter Wing status.
In July 1991 Bergstrom ended up on a list of 75 military facilities under study for closure by the post-Cold War Base Realignment and Closure Commission. This was largely due to the retirement of RF-4C aircraft from the USAF inventory. The decision was made to retain the AFRES 924th TFG in an enclosed area of Bergstrom when the base was converted to a civilian airport. All other active-duty USAF activities were to be inactivated or relocated.
On September 30, 1993, the 67th TRW was deactivated and on the installation was officially closed as an active Air Force Base
The Air Force Reserve took additional actions resulting from the 1995 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommendations and force structure decisions. The AFRES 924th Fighter Wing started drawing down on 31 March 1996 and inactivated when Bergstrom was officially closed on 30 September 1996. The wing's F-16 fighter aircraft were transferred to Homestead ARB Florida to replace older aircraft.
This ended all military presence at Bergstrom.
[edit] Post-USAF use
- Further information: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
During the 1970s, Austin's municipal airport became crowded and noise complaints increased from the housing subdivisions built in the flight path. The city approached the Air Force in 1978 to propose a shared civil-military airport at Bergstrom, but the original proposal and further ones in 1981 and 1984 were all rejected. The Air Force rejected the 1978 and 1984 proposals because of operational concerns. The 1981 proposal included a new runway on the west side of the base. Dubbed "Bergstrom West", the plan did not get approved because the city disliked the joint use control arrangement required by the Air Force.
With the closure of Bergstorm AFB in 1993, a bond was raised for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Much of the former air base, including most buildings, trees, and structures, were completely demolished, with a few exceptions, such as the Twelfth Air Force Headquarters (which was converted into a hotel) and the original 12,250-foot runway, which was refurbished for commercial use. Air cargo operations began in June 1997 and passenger operations started in May 1999.
[edit] References
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
- Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
- Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- Bergstrom AFB Memorial in the concourse of Austin Bergstrom International Airport
