Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB occupies more than 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) east of Bossier City and along the southern edge of Interstate 20. More than 15,000 active-duty and Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) members serve at Barksdale.
The host unit at Barksdale is the 2nd Bomb Wing (2 BW), the oldest bomb wing in the USAF. It is assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command's (AFGSC) Eighth Air Force (8 AF). Equipped with about 44 Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bombers, The 2nd Bomb Wing provides flexible, responsive global combat capability and trains all AFGSC and AFRC B-52 Stratofortress crews.
The base was established in 1932 as Barksdale Field, named for World War I aviator and test pilot Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale (1896–1926).
Role and operations
Units at Barksdale include the oldest bomb wing in the USAF, the 2nd Bomb Wing (2 BW). The 2nd participated in Brig Gen Billy Mitchell's 1921 off-shore bombing test (as the 2nd Bomb Group).F
Components of the 2nd Bomb Wing are: 2nd Operations Group (Tail Code: "LA") 11th Bomb Squadron (Boeing B-52H Stratofortress) "Mr. Jiggs", Gold Tail Stripe 20th Bomb Squadron (B-52H) "Buccaneers", Blue Tail Stripe 96th Bomb Squadron (B-52H) "Devil's Own", Red Tail Stripe 2nd Operations Support Squadron 2nd Mission Support Group 2nd Maintenance Group 2nd Medical Group
The commander of the 2nd Bomb Wing is Colonel Michael A. Miller. He also functions as the installation commander of Barksdale Air Force Base. The vice commander is Colonel Scott Weyermuller.
Other assigned units at Barksdale are: Air Force Global Strike Command Headquarters, Eighth Air Force 307th Bomb Wing (Air Force Reserve Command) (Tail Code: "BD") 93rd Bomb Squadron (B-52H) "Indian Outlaws", Blue/Gold Chex Tail Stripe 343rd Bomb Squadron (B-52H) 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron Det 13 ACC TRSS 8th Information Warfare Flight 26th Operational Weather Squadron
The base is closed to the public. However, the base is home to the Barksdale Global Power Museum, which hosts static displays of numerous aircraft including a Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan bomber, Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, North American P-51 Mustang, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, and multiple versions of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. There is an annual open house when non-Department of Defense visitors are allowed. Visitors may also tour the museum from 9:30 am to 4 pm every day except official holidays.
History
Origins In 1927, the United States Army Air Corps was looking for a location to house an expansion for the Third Attack Group, then in Fort Crockett, Texas. Shreveport joined in the running to get a base in its area, alongside 80 other cities. Shreveporters John D. Ewing and Andrew Querbes led a group to Washington D.C. advocating for the base to be in the area, suggesting a location near Cross Lake. In 1928, Captain Harold R. Harris was hired to find locations in the area suitable for an airfield. Harris selected a cotton field in Bossier Parish. The War Department chose that area because they preferred it over Cross Lake, as well as because of hostility from governor Huey Long against Caddo Parish and Shreveport for opposing his education reforms.
22,000 acres of land was acquired from 800 property owners in Bossier Parish by the City of Shreveport, who annexed it on a voter-approved municipal bond of and then donated it to the federal government. On 4 December 1930, the Army began work on the base, with Norfleet Giddings Bone serving as architect. The construction project was the then-largest airfield in the world. The 20th Pursuit Group moved in from Mather Field, California in 1932 with its three pursuit squadrons equipped with the Boeing P-12 and Boeing P-26 Peashooter. The field was dedicated on February 2, 1933, and the 3rd Attack Wing arrived in the mid-1930s. During World War Two, Free French and Nationalist Chinese air crews trained at Barksdale. The base was also home to the Air Training Command beginning in 1945.
By the mid-1930s, Barksdale Field was the headquarters and main base of the 3rd Attack Wing, equipped with the Curtiss A-12 Shrike and Northrop A-17. The airfield was used by both fighter and attack pilots to hone their gunnery and bombing skills. Additional barracks were constructed 1936–1937, and light bombers replaced pursuit and attack aircraft.
Technically, Barksdale AFB is neither in Bossier City nor Shreveport but, like all military bases, is an autonomous community with its own infrastructure. However, the base obtains its water from the Shreveport Water system, with a connection to the Bossier City Water System as a backup supply of water in case the Shreveport system is undergoing maintenance or emergency situations.
Name Barksdale Field was named in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale (1895–1926) on 2 February 1933. Lt. Barksdale received his wings in Great Britain in 1918 and flew with the British Royal Flying Corps during World War I. He died on 11 August 1926, over McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio, while testing a Douglas O-2 observation airplane for spin characteristics. He did not recover from a flat spin, and while bailing out of the plane his parachute was caught in the wing's brace wires, causing Barksdale to fall to his death. He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.USAF Barksdale AFB Factsheet The name of the airfield was changed to Barksdale Air Force Base on 13 February 1948, concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military branch. Airships were still in use when field construction began, so Hangars One and Two were built large enough to accommodate them. No airships were ever assigned, but each hangar was large enough to accommodate two Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers wingtip to wingtip, which proved invaluable for Big Belly and Pacer Plank modifications managed by Boeing's Wichita plant between 1965 and 1973. Half of the B-52Fs were deployed from Barksdale, but never returned, as they were replaced by B-52Gs after the Vietnam War.
World War II
Barksdale was developed as an Air Corps flying school November 1940 and the runway apron was completed mid-1941. Between 23 and 25 May 1940, Barksdale Field was host to the Army's "complete military maneuvers" simulating European combat operations. Some 320 aircraft from throughout the Army Air Corps participated, as Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower watched. General George C. Marshall, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, also briefly visited Barksdale Field during the latter stages of the maneuvers.
During World War II, the airfield trained replacement crews and entire units between 1942 and 1945. Known units that trained at Barksdale were: 27th Bombardment Group (Light) 1 February 1940 – 7 October 1940 (Douglas A-24 Dauntless) 8th Pursuit Group 5 September 1941 – 7 October 1941 (Curtiss P-40 Warhawk) 46th Bombardment Group (Light) 2 February 1942 – 1 April 1942 (Douglas A-20 Havoc) 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) February 1942 – July 1942 (Consolidated B-24 Liberator) 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy) February 1942 – 30 March 1942 (Consolidated B-24 Liberator) 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) 1 March 1942 – 26 March 1942 (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress) 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) 1 March 1942 – 15 May 1942 (Consolidated B-24 Liberator) 90th Bombardment Group (Heavy) 17 May 1942 – 21 June 1942 (Consolidated B-24 Liberator) 17th Bombardment Group (Medium) 23 June 1942 – November 1942 (Martin B-26 Marauder) 95th Bombardment Group (Heavy) 15 June 1942 – 26 June 1942 (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress) 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy): 18 June 1942 – 26 June 1942 (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress) 319th Bombardment Group (Medium): 26 June 1942 – 8 August 1942 (Martin B-26 Marauder) 321st Bombardment Group (Medium) 26 June 1942 – 1 August 1942 (North American B-25 Mitchell)
The 335th Bombardment Group (Medium) took over training duties as a permanent Operational Training Unit (OTU) on 17 July 1942 with Martin B-26 Marauders. On 1 May 1944, the 335th was replaced by the 331st U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) Base Unit as the OTU, being subsequently replaced by the 2621st USAAF Base Unit on 1 December 1945. The 2621st provided pilot training until 26 September 1947, when it was inactivated and replaced by the 2621st Air Force Base Unit.
Also during World War II Barksdale played host to the major contingent of the Free French Air Forces and Nationalist Chinese aircrews.
Postwar years Barksdale Field was renamed Barksdale Air Force Base on 13 January 1948, with the designation of the United States Air Force as a separate service in 1947.
In the postwar year of the 1940s, Barksdale then became headquarters for the Air Training Command from 1945 to 1949. The 47th Bombardment Wing, Light, equipped first with the Douglas B-26 Invader was assigned on 19 November 1948, from Biggs Field for transitioning to the North American B-45 Tornado. The B-45 was the USAF's first operational jet bomber and the first jet aircraft to be refueled in the air. The first B-45As began arriving in December 1948, with the wing accepting 96 aircraft by March 1950.
Due to budget reductions in the B-45 program, the air force planned to inactivate the 47th Bomb Wing and transfer its B-45s and personnel to Yokota Air Base, Japan so Far East Air Forces could benefit from the know-how gained by the 47th at Barksdale. However the costs of moving the aircraft to Japan were substantial, as the range of the B-45 was insufficient to fly from California to Hawaii and the aircraft could not be equipped with external fuel tanks. Initial use of the B-45 at Barksdale also showed that the aircraft was not truly operational, with ineffective fire control and bombing systems along with structural weaknesses developing on the aircraft already in use. In addition, each engine had to be inspected after only hours of use. If found serviceable, it could be only flown another hours before a total overhaul was necessary. It was determined that the aircraft simply could not be deployed overseas and put into operational use. It took almost two years until Air Materiel Command could work out these issues and have the 47th Bomb Wing's aircraft ready for operational use.
The 47th Bomb Wing was assigned to NATO and was reassigned first to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, in March 1951, then afterwards to RAF Sculthorpe, England, arriving in the UK on 1 May 1951. With the departure of the 47th, Barksdale phased out bomber crew training.
U.S. Representative Joe Waggonner, worked successfully to keep Barksdale open during his time in Congress. Through his efforts, Barksdale survived base closures that occurred elsewhere across the nation.
Cold War
On 1 November 1949, Barksdale was reassigned to Strategic Air Command (SAC), and became home of Headquarters Second Air Force. Barksdale remained a SAC base for nearly the next half-century. However, with the change of commands, the mission of Barksdale initially remained that of a training base where units were formed and organized, then were reassigned to front-line operational bases.
91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
The first SAC unit at Barksdale was the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was reassigned to the base from McGuire Air Force Base on 1 October. The mission of the 91st was to provide global strategic reconnaissance, with emphasis on aerial photography and mapping.
The 91st was equipped with a myriad of aircraft, including versions of the Boeing RB/TRB-17 Flying Fortress; Boeing RB/TB/TRB-29 Superfortress; Douglas RC-54 Skymaster; Boeing B/RB-50 Superfortress, and the North American RB-45 Tornado.