Bakalar Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
- For the civil use of this facility after 1972, see Columbus Municipal Airport
Bakalar Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
base located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) north-northeast of Columbus, Indiana
Columbus, Indiana
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 44,061 at the 2010 census, and the current mayor is Fred Armstrong. Located approximately 40 miles south of Indianapolis, on the east fork of the White River, it is the state's 20th largest...
.
Opened during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the base was a training base for medium-range C-46 and C-47 troop carrier planes and glider pilots. It also was used for training B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
and B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
bomber crews. Reactivated during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, It was used as an Air Force Reserve training base for transport units. The base was closed by the Department of Defense in January 1970. The City of Columbus received title in 1972.
History
Initially known as Atterbury Air Base, its original name was borrowed from the Army's then-active Camp AtterburyCamp Atterbury
Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, Indiana, USA, is a training base of the Indiana National Guard. It was planned just months before the U.S. entry into World War II. Originally surveyed and researched by the Hurd Company, the present site was recommended to Congress in 1941. Construction commenced...
, located only 14 miles north of the base. It was named n honor of Brig. Gen. W.W. Atterbury, who had been in command of transportation and supplies in Europe during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. A graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Gen. Atterbury later became president of the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
.
The base was renamed Bakalar Air Force Base in a formal dedication ceremony held November 13, 1954, in honor of First Lieutenant John Edmond Bakalar. A native of Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
, Lt. Bakalar, of the 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, was killed in action September 1, 1944, over France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
when his P-51D-5 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
, 44-13895, crashed.
World War II
Atterbury Army Airfield was opened in February, 1943. Its history, however, dates back to June 1, 1942, when engineers from the U. S. Corps of EngineersUnited States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
Office at Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, began surveying the site for the Army Air Base. War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
plans for the airfield were announced in August as the area engineer arrived in Columbus. Under the supervision of architect Stratton Hammon
Stratton Hammon
Stratton Owen Hammon was a Louisville, Kentucky architect known for his Colonial Revival style homes.Hammon was a graduate of DuPont Manual High School in Louisville where he studied art and architectural drafting. He studied architecture briefly at the University of Louisville...
, the first actual construction work began August 13, 1942, with the first concrete for the runways being poured in September. Four concrete runways, 5000 × 150' were constructed, oriented north/south; northeast/southwest; east/west, and northwest/southeast for the airfield. A large parking ramp was also constructed on the south side of the runway complex with several large hangars. A small secondary airfield, Bartholomew County Airfield was also used as an auxiliary airfield, its location and details today being lost to time.
More than 1,000 workers employed during its construction. At the time Hammons took over the job of building the air base, he was 38 years old and had been an architect for 22 years. In December, with base nearly complete, promoted from captain to major and oversaw building of three more army fields, a general hospital, quartermaster depot, medical depot, and other structures. In order to finish base on time, Hammon needed a railroad spur to the base to ship in ten carloads of cement per day. Originally Pennsylvania Railroad refused to install the spur until other military obligations were met. Hammon ignored the military chain of command and appealed directly to the head of the War Production Board. Two days later, the spur was being built.
Atterbury was over 2,000 acres in size and cost over four million dollars to construct. To make room for the base, fourteen families were forced to sell their property to the government. It included more than one hundred buildings, all intended to be temporary. Station buildings and streets were also constructed, the buildings consisting primarily of wood, tar paper, and non-masonry siding. The use of concrete and steel was limited because of the critical need elsewhere. Most buildings were hot and dusty in the summer and very cold in the winter. Water, sewer and electrical services were also constructed. On 17 September 1942 a Navy plane making an emergency landing on the newly-graded and still un-surfaced runways of the base took the honors for being the first plane to use the field. The first Army plane landed at the field in December.
I Troop Carrier Command
Jurisdiction of the new base was assigned to the I Troop Carrier CommandI Troop Carrier Command
The I Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based at Stout Army Air Field, Indiana.Its primary mission was theater troop and logistics transport training...
, the mission of the base was to the training and organization of C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
and C-46 Commando
C-46 Commando
The Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
transport aircrews. Also many Waco CG-4
Waco CG-4
The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used United States troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4 by the United States Army Air Forces, and named Hadrian in British military service....
glider pilots received training at Atterbury. On 5 May 1943, the 57th Station Compliment Squadron was activated on the airfield to organize military personnel and provide a station command organization. Atterbury Army Air Field was distinct base from the United States Army Camp Atterbury, which was finished in summer 1942 a few miles north of where the air base would be laid out. As originally conceived, Atterbury Army Air Field was intended to allow ground troops (Camp Atterbury) and air troops (Atterbury Army Air Field) to learn to work together in combat.
On 20 December 1942 the first base commander, Major Ralph M. Fawcett, arrived from Godman Field, Kentucky. The first large group of troops arrived at the new base in February, 1943, from Pine Camp, N. Y., under the command of Major Avery S. Keller. The following April, flying cadets from Freeman Field, Seymour, Indiana
Seymour, Indiana
Seymour was the site of the World's First Train Robbery, committed by the local Reno Gang, on October 6, 1866 just east of town. The gang was put into prison for the robbery, and later hanged at Hangman's Crossing outside of town....
, began using the base for take-off and landing practice. And plans were revealed in June for activation and training of a number of ground units at the field. July was a busy month in the first year of operation at the base. On July 7, the field had its first practice gas attack from the air. And on 8 July 1943, the 431st Sub-Depot was activated at the field under the command of Major Charles D. Kerswill.
In addition to serving as a training base for transports and for gliders in its early years, it was also used as a landing field for hospital planes bringing soldier patients to Wakeman Hospital Center at the Army's Camp Atterbury. By 1944 wounded from Europe were received at Atterbury for treatment at Wakeman Hospital in Columbus.
By late summer 1943 most of the transport and glider training by I Troop Carrier command was being phased down at Atterbury, In September, elements of the III Bomber Command
III Bomber Command
The III Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
596th Bombardment Squadron
596th Bombardment Squadron
The 596th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 2d Bombardment Wing. It was inactivated at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana on 1 September 1991.-History:...
, 397th Bombardment Group from MacDill Field, Floria trained at the base. The unit flew B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
s from the field until early 1944 when they moved back to their unit, then stationed at Hunter Army Airfield
Hunter Army Airfield
Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
, Georgia prior to their overseas deployment. From Hunter, the group was deployed and reassinged to Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, where they entered combat at RAF Gosfield
RAF Gosfield
RAF Station Gosfield is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north of Braintree; about north-northeast of LondonOpened in 1943, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force...
(AAF-154), England.
First Air Force
In 1944 a more controversial mission (at the time) began at Atterbury. Throughout World War II, continued pressure from African-American civilian leaders led the Army to allow blacks train as members of bomber crews, a step that opened many more skilled combat roles to them. In response to this pressure, jurisdiction of Atterbury AAF was transferred from I Troop Carrier Command to First Air ForceFirst Air Force
The First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
on 24 August 1944, and the mission of the base was changed to training black airmen for B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
medium bomber crews. Two squadrons, the 618th
618th Bombardment Squadron
The 618th Bombardment Squadron was a U.S. Army Air Force bombardment squadron formed as part of the famed Tuskegee Airmen.-History:The squadron's members were involved in the civil rights action referred to as the Freeman Field Mutiny; the "mutiny" came about when African-American aviators became...
and 619th Bombardment Squadron
619th Bombardment Squadron
The 619th Bombardment Squadron was a U.S. Army Air Force bombardment squadron formed as part of the famed Tuskegee Airmen.-History:The squadron's members were involved in the civil rights action referred to as the Freeman Field Mutiny; the "mutiny" came about when African-American aviators became...
, assigned to the 477th Composite Group at Godman Field, Kentucky performed crew training at Atterbury between August 1944 and March 1945. Administrative functions of the station were maintained by the 118th Army Air Force Base Unit. Atterbury was used for B-25 training because the unit's main field in Kentucky was unsuitable for use by medium bombers.
In March 1945 the 477th reached its full combat strength and B-25 Mitchell training under the 477th CG was moved to Freeman Field, Indiana which consolidated the group, which was scheduled to go into combat on 1 July. By April, most personnel had been transferred, and Atterbury was placed in a standby status under control of Godman Field. After the departure of the 477th, most facilities were closed. The facility operated as a communications site until December 1945 when it was closed and turned over to the War Assets Administration
War Assets Administration
The War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposal. After World War II, the base used periodically for pilot training.
Cold War
For three years, from 1946 until 1949, the base was closed. However, in May 1949 it was announced that the Air Force was exercising a right of return to reopen the World War II airfield. The mission of Atterbury was to be a primarily as a summer training headquarters for 2-week active duty tours of 5,000 to 10,000 air reservists from 13 north-central states. It also served a dual purpose as a maintenance center.During the time of its inactivation, the Army Air Forces had been made a separate branch of the military as the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. The base was renamed Atterbury Air Force Base, and placed under Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...
, Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
. The 2466th Air Force Reserve Combat Training Center was given the task of re-opening the installation, and the reserve training center was moved from Evansville, Indiana. Enough rehabilitation work was completed on the Base facilities during June.
The 434th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium was established and activated on 1 July 1949 in the Air Force Reserve at the new Atterbury Air Force Base. The Indianapolis-based 434th Troop Carrier Group, Medium. was moved to Atterbury on 1 July 1949 and assigned as the wing's operational component. The group had 4 C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
squadrons, the 71st, 72d, 73d and 74th Troop Carrier Squadrons.
At Atterbury, the wing served as a training organization for the Air Force Reservists. Most of the training was accomplished on weekends. In August 1949 the group converted to C-46 Commando
C-46 Commando
The Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
es, and training for the most part consisted of transition flying training. Before the transition was completed, the Group spent two weeks in the summer of 1950 (8–22 July) on active duty in a summer encampment.
With the start of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the 434th was called to active duty on 2 May 1951, being assigned to Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
. When activated, its four troop carrier squadrons were reduced to three, the 74th TCS being inactivated upon activation. After receiving its initial training at Atterbury AFB, the Wing was moved to Lawson AFB, Georgia to support Army Airborne Forces training at Fort Benning. The Wing was assigned to the Eighteenth Air Force and served on active duty for 21 months before returning to Reserve status and once again coming back to Indiana.
The 434th returned to its previous training role upon its return. On 13 November 1954, the base was renamed Bakalar Air Force Base in a formal dedication ceremony in honor of First Lieutenant John Edmond Bakalar. His decorations and awards included the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
and the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
, both awarded posthumously, the Air Medal
Air Medal
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
with six Oak Leaf Clusters.
Throughout the 1950s, the 434th TCW performed routine reserve training at Bakalar. In 1957, the wing transitioned from C-46 Commandos to the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
. C-119's were flown by the 434th until the base was closed in 1970. 1959 saw the 434th Troop Carrier Group being inactivated on 14 April, its squadrons being assigned directly to the wing under the tri-deputate organization adopted by the wing. The 2466th Air Force Reserve Combat Training Center was inactivated on 1 July 1959 due to budget reductions, its mission being folded into that of the 434th TCW.
During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
, the 434th TCW was activated and brought under the operational control of Nineteenth Air Force
Nineteenth Air Force
The Nineteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base and belonging to the Air Education and Training Command...
, Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
. The wing's C-119 squadrons began transporting supplies, equipment and Army personnel to Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. The 73d Troop Carrier Squadron was deployed to Scott Air Force Base
Scott Air Force Base
Scott Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force in St. Clair County, Illinois, near Belleville.-Overview:The base is named after Corporal Frank S. Scott, the first enlisted person to be killed in an aviation crash...
, Illinois, where it operated from during the crisis. In December 1962, the wing was returned to control of the Fifth Air Force Reserve Region and resumed reserve training.
In 1963, the 434th TCW was reogranized with the addition of three new reserve troop carrier groups being placed under its control. The 930th, 931st and 932d Troop Carrier Groups were activated and assigned on 11 February. The Wing's squadrons were divided between the three new groups, the 71st TCS being reassigned to the 930th TCG; the 72d to the 931st TGG, and the 73d to the 932d TCG. All were equipped with Wing's former C-119 Boxcars.
On 1 October 1966, the 932d TCG was released from assignment to the 434th TCW and reassigned to the 442d Military Airlift Wing at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Missouri, in preparation for heavy cargo operations. On 1 July 1967, the 434th was re-designated the 434th Tactical Airlift Wing, its subordinate groups and squadrons also being re-designated as Tactical Airlift units.
On 13 May 1968, the 930th Tactical Airlift Group was activated for combat duty in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
; the 71st TAS's C-119 aircraft were selected for modification to the AC-119G Gunship configuration with powerful searchlights and rapid-fire machine guns. The group and its Bakalar Reservists were reassigned to Lockbourne AFB, Ohio on 11 June. The 71st was subsequently re-designated as the 71st Air Commando Squadron (ACS) on 15 June and eventually was deployed to Nha Trang Air Base
Nha Trang Air Base
Nha Trang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located northwest of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province....
, South Vietnam on 5 December where it was assigned to the 14th Special Operations Wing. Subsequently re-designated as a Special Operatons Squadron, the 71st flew combat operations in South Vietnam until 5 June 1969 when its reservists were returned to the United States. The 71st SOS was the only USAF reserve unit to serve in Vietnam; its AC-119's remained in South Vietnam, being transferred to the 17th Special Operations Squadron
17th Special Operations Squadron
The 17th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan. It operates MC-130P Combat Shadow aircraft providing special operations capability...
.
The major command at Bakalar was changed from Continental Air Command (ConAc) to the Air Force Reserve (AFRES) on 1 August 1968, at the time a field operating agency. The 434th TAW, however, remained as part of the Fifth Air Force Reserve Region.
In 25 June 1969, the 931st Tactical Airlift Group was re-designated as the 931st Tactical Air Support Group, its 72d Tactical Airlift Squadron being re-designated and re-equipped with U-3A "Blue Canoe"
Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is an American six-seat, low-wing, twin-engined monoplane that was produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engined aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II.-Development:...
light utility aircraft. The 931st TASG mission was charged with tactical air support. The group's C-119s were reassigned to the 71st Special Operations Squadron and modified to the AC-119G configuration.
Closure
Due to funding reductions in 1969, Bakalar Air Force Base was selected for closure. The 930th Special Operations Group was moved to Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana where it later became a Tactical Fighter Group in 1973, flying the A-37 DragonflyA-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
. It was inactivated on 1 July 1975. Its 71st Air Commando Squadron was inactivated in 1973 and its AC-119s retired. It was later reactivated in 1987 as part of the new Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command is the Special Operations component of the United States Air Force and the US Air Force component command to the United States Special Operations Command , a unified command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida...
. It now flies CV-22 Ospreys from Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.
The 931st Tactical Air Support Group was also moved to Grissom AFB in 1969. It has gone though a number of changes over the years, and remains active today as the 931st Air Refueling Group at McConnell AFB, Kansas. Its operational component is the 72d Air Refueling Squadron, flying KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
s.
The 434th Tactical Airlift Wing was inactivated on 31 December 1969 with the closure of Bakalar AFB. It was later reactivated as the 434th Air Refueling Wing, and now operates as the host reserve wing at Grissom Joint Air Reserve Base, Indiana.
Bakalar was closed by the Department of Defense in January 1970. The City of Columbus received title in 1972, and in 1982 renamed it Columbus Municipal Airport.
Current use
Today the former Bakalar Air Force Base is a first-class General Aviation airport. Some original World War II and Air Force buildings remain and are in use. Additionally, a museum, the Atterbury/Bakalar Air Museum, has been constructed and dedicated to the memory of all military and civilian personnel who served there.In 1995, the local Aviation Board began a restoration of the former air base. During the process, the board determined that one of the few remaining World War II buildings on the base should be dedicated to a war hero. The original Atterbury Army Airfield Chapel was restored and named for Women Airforce Service Pilots
Women Airforce Service Pilots
The Women Airforce Service Pilots and its predecessor groups the Women's Flying Training Detachment and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron were pioneering organizations of civilian female pilots employed to fly military aircraft under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces...
(WASP) Jean Lewellen Norbeck.
Norbeck (1912–1944) was a Columbus native, and was one of 38 WASP killed in service during World War II and the only woman from Bartholomew County killed in the line of duty. Stationed at Shaw Field, South Carolina, she was a test pilot for planes that had been marked unsafe. On October 16, 1944, she was killed when the plane she was piloting crashed. The restored chapel was dedicated to her on May 29, 1998.