Turner Air Force Base

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Turner AFB, 3 January 1964
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Turner AFB, 3 January 1964

Turner Air Base is a former United States Air Force base near Albany, Georgia.

Turner Army Air Field was built in 1942 as an Army Air Corps training field. It was initially operated as a school for navigators. It later offered elementary & advanced training in twin engine craft. The precise airfield configuration of Turner AAF during World War II is unknown, but later photos appear to indicate that the WW2-era airfield had at least four paved runways.

Turner was also used during World War IIto train French aircrews.

During World War II, Turner AAF had the following satellite airfields:

  • Leesburg Auxiliary #1 (8.5 miles NE of Leesburg)
  • West Smithville Auxiliary #2 (4.5 miles SW of Smithville)
  • West Leesburg Auxiliary #3 (2.5 miles SW of Leesburg)
  • North Smithville Auxiliary #6 (3.5 miles NE of Smithville)
  • Cordele Auxiliary #7 (1.5 miles NE of Cordele)
  • Vidalia-Lyons Auxiliary #8 (3 miles SE of Vidalia)
  • Tifton Auxiliary #9 (2 miles SE of Tifton)

Turner AAF was closed after World War II, but then reopened in 1947 (shortly thereafter being renamed Turner Air Force Base). It became the home of the Strategic Air Command 31st Fighter Wing, resulting in extensive expansion of the runways & other facilities.

During the 1950s, Turner was the first base to operate the F-84G fighter & RB-57D reconnaissance aircraft.

In 1958, another major expansion was caused by the arrival of a wing of B-52 bombers. The airfield at Turner was greatly expanded, into a configuration that was typical of a SAC B-52 base: a single 12,000' runway, with a parallel taxiway and a huge ramp area.

One of the most significant aspects of the SAC expansion at Turner was the installation of a ring of Nike Hercules surface-to-air missiles, which was a customary defensive shield for B-52 bases.

The Nikes were installed in two nearby off-base installations, and were armed with nuclear warheads.

Turner was closed by the Air Force in 1967 and was turned over to the U. S. Navy. It then became Albany Naval Air Station, and housed units of the Navy & Marine Corps Reserve, including CH-53 helicopters and Mach 2 RA-5 Vigilantes which relocated from Sanford NAS, FL.

Turner was closed by the Navy in 1976. At the time of its closure, the airfield consisted of a single runway (12,050' long), taxiways, a large ramp area, and numerous hangars & buildings.

After its closure by the Navy, Turner was briefly reused for civil flying, with the nearby Ayres aircraft manufacturing company using the field to train pilots for their crop-duster aircraft.

Following its closure, the site was actively marketed for economic redevelopment by the local government. They were rewarded by the selection in 1978 of the Turner AFB site by the Miller Brewing Company, which built an extensive brewery operation at the location, almost completely obliterating any trace of the former huge airfield facilities.

A large part of the base still exists. The brewery took the site from the runways east, but most of the base is still intact, including a lot of the signage & even guard & utility shacks around the perimeter. Western concrete ramps are still there, and so is a lot of the leftover hardware. The original perimeter chainlink fence is still up, and there are still signs warning against photography without permission of the commander!

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