Dobbins Air Reserve Base
Encyclopedia
Dobbins Air Reserve Base or Dobbins ARB is a United States air reserve base located in Marietta, Georgia
, a suburb
about 20 miles (32.2 km) northwest of Atlanta. It was named in honor of Captain Charles M. Dobbins, a World War II C-47 pilot who died near Sicily
. It serves as the home station of the 94th Airlift Wing
and its fleet of Hercules C-130 aircraft, and is the headquarters for Twenty-Second Air Force
. It is also home to the Army Aviation Service Facility #2 (AASF#2), the Georgia Army National Guard and their fleet of UH-60 Blackhawks. Dobbins is also home to Marine and Navy Reserve units.
Dobbins ARB has two runway
s which it shares with Naval Air Station Atlanta
(NAS Atlanta) to its south. 11-29 is the primary runway and it is 10000 feet (3,048 m) long and 300 feet (91.4 m) wide with directions 110 and 290. The second runway, called an "assault strip", is a 3500×60-foot (1067×18-meter) runway referred to as 110-290, which is parallel to 11-29.
It is organized into a headquarters element, three groups, and a medical element containing 11 Squadrons and 4 Flights (1,800 personnel).
The primary mission of the Wing is to train C-130H aircrews for the United States Air Force -- active duty, guard and reserve components. Our second mission is to maintain combat ready units to deploy on short notice to support contingencies anywhere in the world. The aircrews we train are capable of using the C-130H aircraft to deliver cargo and personnel into and out of airports as minimal as dirt runways to international airports.
of World War I
, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
The push to build this airport came in 1940 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt
selected General Lucius D. Clay
of the Army Air Corps to be the chief of the new Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), which was engaged in a huge program of airfield construction. About 450 to 500 of these were built in preparation for any possible war against the United States
- from the east (Nazi Germany
and Fascist Italy
) or from the west (the Empire of Japan
).
In 1940, the CAA offered to build a modern paved airport
in Cobb County if the local governments provided the land. Due to the potential labor force for defense factories in this area, local officials also hoped to attract a large aircraft
aircraft factory
adjacent to the site. On October 24, the government of Cobb County announced the existence of this airport project, and it also revealed that purchase options had been signed for three prospective sites. The Atlanta City Council
also passed a resolution endorsing this project on January 2, 1941. Since the Army Air Corps had recently taken over part of Candler Field, the principal municipal airport for Atlanta, the new airport in Cobb County was also seen as a reliever airport for Atlanta.
In May, the local government issued bonds to purchase 563 acres (2.3 km²) located 3½ miles southeast of Marietta along the western side of the new four-lane superhighway, U.S. Highway 41, linking Marietta with Atlanta. The CAA next allocated $400,000 for construction of two 4000 feet (1,219.2 m)-long runway
s on the land. The W. L. Florence Company of Powder Springs, Georgia
, the low bidder with a bid of $290,000, won the contract. This bid, well-below the estimated cost of $400,000, allowed the CAA to add the third runway to this construction project. The construction began on 14 July 1941. In the next month, the Gulf Oil Corporation and Georgia Air Services agreed to lease the airport, once completed, for $12,000 per year. In September 1941, Eddie Rickenbacker
, America's leading flying ace
of World War I
, and then the president and general manager of Eastern Airlines, agreed to have this airport named Rickenbacker Field in his honor. In the same month, the U.S. Navy requested permission to use this airport for the flight training of Naval aviator
s purposes. (The Navy had established the "Naval Aviation Reserve Base Atlanta", at what is now the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport
, in March 1941.) In October, Georgia Air Services signed a $70,000 contract for two 180x160-ft. airplane hangar
s to be built. Although it was far from completion, the dedication of this airfield took place in October 1941
After the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, work on this new airfield accelerated rapidly. In January 1942, Lawrence Dale Bell, the founder and president of the Bell Aircraft Company, inspected this site for a proposed government-financed airplane factory for the Department of War. Meanwhile, the Department of the Navy announced its intention to take over the new airfield as an auxiliary naval air station
. The Navy shortly began land-condemnation proceedings.
The Department of War, in turn, announced that it would not contest the wish of the Department of the Navy to take over Rickenbacker Field, and that it would build its new factory elsewhere. The Cobb County government appealed to the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox
, urging him to change the Navy's plans. Since other options were available for flight training. Secretary Knox relinquished the Navy's claim on this airfield and left it to the Army Air Forces. (During World War II
, the Navy established an auxiliary naval air station at Gainesville, Ga., just northeast of Atlanta.)
On January 23, 1942, the Bell Aircraft Company and the Department of War announced that an aircraft factory employing up to 40,000 workers would be built near Marietta. Also, the Department of War announced on February 19 that "Rickenbacker Field" would be renamed the Marietta Army Airfield. Although its construction began in March 1942, its official ground-breaking ceremony took place in May 1942, with Capt. Rickenbacker present. Rickenbacker went on to establish and pay for an aviation educational program to train workers for both civil aviation
and military aviation
. Also in 1942, the City of Atlanta began work on its contribution: a million pipeling pipeline to supply the new factory with water from the Chattahoochee River
.
In addition to taking over Rickenbacker Field, the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) purchased a parcel of land just north of the airfield for a cantonment area. The Marietta Army Airfield was activated on June 6, 1943, with its personnel housed in tents as part of the 58th Bombardment Operational Training Wing. At the end of June 1943, there were 42 officers and 356 men stationed here.
The mission of the Marietta Army Airfield was acceptance testing of B-29 Superfortress
heavy bomber
s for the USAAF, the modification of B-29s, and the operation of an Army Air Depot. Barracks for the soldiers reached completion in November 1943. By January 1, 1944, the number of soldiers stationed here had risen to 73 officers and 1,263 enlisted men. For a period of time, the Marietta Army Airfield was assigned to the USAAF's Second Air Force
under the XX Bomber Command
. On 12 April 1944, the Marietta Army Airfield was reassigned to the "17th Bombardment Operation Training Unit".
In the spring of 1943 the adjacent Bell Aircraft Company's factory, an additional plant (besides a pair of Boeing
plants at Renton, Washington
and Wichita, Kansas
and a Martin
plant at Omaha, Nebraska
) for manufacturing B-29 Superfortress
es was completed. The "Defense Plant Corporation" of the Department of War paid for the construction of this factory, and the Department called it "Plant #6". Bell Aircraft completed its first B-29 on schedule, and this was first test-flown on November 4, 1943. The production of B-29s at this factory increased slowly during 1944, and by the fall of 1944, Bell Aircraft's output of new B-29s began to meet and exceed the goals of the Department of War.
By January 1945, Bell Aircraft had completed 357 B-29As. After the complettion of the last one of these, the production in Marietta was switched to the B-29B Superfortress, which was a simplified version of the B-29 without the computerized gun system and other components that raised the allowable bomb load from 11,000 to 18,000 pounds. The new B-29B radar, mounted in a wing-shaped radome under the fuselage, gave much better images of the ground. The 315th Bombardment Wing based at Northwest Field
, Guam
, received most of the B-29Bs for night low altitude pathfinder led missions against Japan. Bell built a total of 311 B-29Bs before the plant closed in January 1946. At its height, the Bell Bomber plant employed 28,263.
(ANG) and Air Force Reserve units. The first post¬war ANG unit, the 128th Fighter Squadron, activated at Marietta on 20 August 1946, with P-47 Thunderbolt
s. This was followed by the activation of the headquarters of the 116th Fighter Group on 9 September and the activation of the headquarters of the 54th Fighter Wing which commanded 56 units of the Air National Guard throughout the Southeastern states.
In 1948, part of the land and barracks
at the original Naval Air Station Atlanta
in Chamblee were given to the state for the purpose of creating an engineering technology school that could rapidly train returning soldiers for civilian work in various technical fields.
In 1948 the airfield became Marietta Air Force Base as a result of the creation of the United States Air Force
. In 1950, the Air Force renamed the base Dobbins Air Force Base in honor of Captain Charles M. Dobbins of Marietta
, a World War II transport pilot. Captain Dobbins died near Sicily
on July 11, 1943 when US Navy gunners who had earlier suffered a Luftwaffe attack mistakenly downed his C-47. He was flying his third mission of the day, dropping paratroopers.
In 1949, the Georgia Institute of Technology
in Atlanta created the Southern Technical Institute (now Southern Polytechnic State University
), which was moved to land given by Dobbins AFB in 1958.
Following the war, the Bell Aircraft Plant #6 remained closed for five years. In 1951, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation took over the plant to modify B-29s for the Korean War
. Lockheed Marietta also went on to build 394 B-47 Stratojet
s at the plant under license from Boeing. Additionally, Lockheed also conducted a B-47 modification program at Marietta. To handle the B-47 production and modification work, the airfield received a 10,000 × 300 ft (91.4 m) runway. Over the years, the Lockheed plant constructed the Lockheed JetStar
business jet (C-140), C-130 Hercules
, C-141 Starlifter
, and C-5 Galaxy
.
In 1957, the Atlanta Naval Air Station at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport in Chamblee moved to Dobbins. The Navy constructed a cantonment area on the southwest portion of Dobbins for their use.
Over the years, a wide variety of Air Force aircraft have been stationed at Dobbins with the Air Guard and Reserves including the P-51, F-84, F-86, C-97,C-123, C-124, F-100, F-4, C-130, and the F-15.
The future of Plant #6 seems secure. In 1995, Lockheed merged with Martin Marietta to become Lockheed-Martin. The C-130 Hercules
remains in production 50 years after the first one rolled out in 1955. Work also continues on the F-22 Raptor
and the Joint Strike Fighter. Dobbins has its own ZIP code
, 30069, and Lockheed also has its own ZIP code, 30063. (However, Marietta is the only place name considered acceptable by the USPS for either of these.)
Dobbins is also an automated weather station
, reporting five minutes before every hour. Until sometime in 2008, it only reported from 7am to 11pm (6:55 to 10:55/22:55), although it occasionally reported overnight during unusual weather conditions, such as strong winds due to the 2004 hurricanes
(Frances
, Jeanne
, Ivan
). Local conditions
shown on The Weather Channel and Weatherscan
are now taken from a different system
setup by TWC during the mid-2000s; until then, overnight conditions for local cable TV systems came from Fulton County Airport
.
Like most U.S. bases, Dobbins has had to fend off several attempts at closing it, as part of streamlining the country's military and reducing unnecessary spending. Development
has steadily encroached upon the base since the war. 1989 A-7 Corsair II
and 1993 C-130 Hercules
plane crashes into residential areas near the base raised questions of safety in having a base in such a densely-populated suburban area. The airfield now sits in a vast sea of urban development, Flying demonstrations at air shows were discontinued some years ago because of safety concerns, although the Navy hosted air shows in 2004 and 2006, and the ARB side hosted air shows in 2008 and 2010 (2008 marked the first time in over 15 years of a USAF Thunderbirds performance at KMGE).
Public complaints about the noise continue, and attempts to close the facility have been thwarted so far by powerful local politician
s, such as former U.S. Senator
Sam Nunn
in 1995. However, some have proposed that it again become a commercial airport, as it was originally envisioned (there have been calls for Dobbins to become the second major commercial airport in metro Atlanta
, to be a major reliever to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the United States).
Dobbins is the only U.S. military facility left in northern Georgia
after 2005 BRAC
recommendations were enacted. The Air National Guard transferred to Robins AFB in 1996, leaving Air Force Reserve C-130s as the only Air Force flying units at the base. The 148th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), 151st Aviation, and 171st Aviation units of the Army National Guard
are also based there. More units are moving to Dobbins as the Georgia Army National Guard takes over NAS Atlanta.
In 2003, the Air Force Reserve Command
changed the name of Dobbins Air Reserve Base to that of Dobbins Joint Air Reserve Base.
In September 2005, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
Hurricane Hunter aircraft flew out of Dobbins after Hurricane Katrina
did major damage to their normal home at Keesler Air Force Base
in Biloxi, Mississippi
. Numerous evacuee
s also came to metro Atlanta
through Dobbins, including many medevac
ed medical patients taken in by local hospitals.
Until the late 20th century, the oldest building on base was part of the Lockheed complex, and was built before the American Civil War
. Legend has it that the only reason the building wasn't burned to the ground during Union General William Tecumseh Sherman
's "March to the Sea
" in 1864 was because the building's owner, a British citizen, had flown the British flag during the occupation of Marietta, part of the Atlanta Campaign
.
Near Dobbins' main gate stands a Wichita built B-29 "Sweet Eloise" (B-29-80-BW 44-70113) which is on public display as a memorial to World War II bomber production plant at the site. However, at least two Marietta-built B-29s have survived the years. One is on display at the Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park near Cordele (B-29A-15-BN 42-93967) and the other (B-29B-55-BA 44-84053) is located at Robins Air Force Base
' Museum of Flight near Macon
.
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
about 20 miles (32.2 km) northwest of Atlanta. It was named in honor of Captain Charles M. Dobbins, a World War II C-47 pilot who died near Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. It serves as the home station of the 94th Airlift Wing
94th Airlift Wing
The United States Air Force's 94th Airlift Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command Twenty-Second Air Force organization stationed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia....
and its fleet of Hercules C-130 aircraft, and is the headquarters for Twenty-Second Air Force
Twenty-Second Air Force
Twenty-Second Air Force is a Numbered Air Force component of Air Force Reserve Command . It was activated on 1 July 1993 and is headquartered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia....
. It is also home to the Army Aviation Service Facility #2 (AASF#2), the Georgia Army National Guard and their fleet of UH-60 Blackhawks. Dobbins is also home to Marine and Navy Reserve units.
Dobbins ARB has two runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s which it shares with Naval Air Station Atlanta
Naval Air Station Atlanta
General D. Lucius Clay National Guard Center is a military facility located south of Marietta, Georgia, United States. It is located immediately south of Dobbins Air Reserve Base and shares its runways....
(NAS Atlanta) to its south. 11-29 is the primary runway and it is 10000 feet (3,048 m) long and 300 feet (91.4 m) wide with directions 110 and 290. The second runway, called an "assault strip", is a 3500×60-foot (1067×18-meter) runway referred to as 110-290, which is parallel to 11-29.
Units
The 94th Airlift Wing is the host unit at Dobbins ARB supporting all agencies and tenants at Dobbins Air Reserve Base. To accomplish this, the wing recruits, organizes, and trains Air Force Reservists for active duty in time of war, national emergency, or contingency tasking.It is organized into a headquarters element, three groups, and a medical element containing 11 Squadrons and 4 Flights (1,800 personnel).
The primary mission of the Wing is to train C-130H aircrews for the United States Air Force -- active duty, guard and reserve components. Our second mission is to maintain combat ready units to deploy on short notice to support contingencies anywhere in the world. The aircrews we train are capable of using the C-130H aircraft to deliver cargo and personnel into and out of airports as minimal as dirt runways to international airports.
War years
Originally intended by Cobb County as an alternative airfield for Atlanta's Candler Field, this airfield was constructed in 1941 as Rickenbacker Field. This was named for the former U.S. Army Air Corps top flying aceFlying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of 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...
, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
The push to build this airport came in 1940 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
selected General Lucius D. Clay
Lucius D. Clay
General Lucius Dubignon Clay was an American officer and military governor of the United States Army known for his administration of Germany immediately after World War II. Clay was deputy to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1945; deputy military governor, Germany 1946; commander in chief, U.S....
of the Army Air Corps to be the chief of the new Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), which was engaged in a huge program of airfield construction. About 450 to 500 of these were built in preparation for any possible war against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- from the east (Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and Fascist Italy
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
) or from the west (the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
).
In 1940, the CAA offered to build a modern paved airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Cobb County if the local governments provided the land. Due to the potential labor force for defense factories in this area, local officials also hoped to attract a large aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
aircraft factory
Aerospace manufacturer
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft....
adjacent to the site. On October 24, the government of Cobb County announced the existence of this airport project, and it also revealed that purchase options had been signed for three prospective sites. The Atlanta City Council
Atlanta City Council
Atlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia. It consists of 15 members elected from districts within the city. The Atlanta City Government is divided into three bodies: the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The Atlanta City Council serves...
also passed a resolution endorsing this project on January 2, 1941. Since the Army Air Corps had recently taken over part of Candler Field, the principal municipal airport for Atlanta, the new airport in Cobb County was also seen as a reliever airport for Atlanta.
In May, the local government issued bonds to purchase 563 acres (2.3 km²) located 3½ miles southeast of Marietta along the western side of the new four-lane superhighway, U.S. Highway 41, linking Marietta with Atlanta. The CAA next allocated $400,000 for construction of two 4000 feet (1,219.2 m)-long runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s on the land. The W. L. Florence Company of Powder Springs, Georgia
Powder Springs, Georgia
Powder Springs is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 13,940 at the 2010 census.- History :The town of Powder Springs was incorporated as Springville in 1838 in the lands of two Cherokee Indian chiefs, Chief Nose and Chief Ana Kanasta . Gold had been discovered in...
, the low bidder with a bid of $290,000, won the contract. This bid, well-below the estimated cost of $400,000, allowed the CAA to add the third runway to this construction project. The construction began on 14 July 1941. In the next month, the Gulf Oil Corporation and Georgia Air Services agreed to lease the airport, once completed, for $12,000 per year. In September 1941, Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
, America's leading flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of 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...
, and then the president and general manager of Eastern Airlines, agreed to have this airport named Rickenbacker Field in his honor. In the same month, the U.S. Navy requested permission to use this airport for the flight training of Naval aviator
Naval aviation
Naval aviation is the application of manned military air power by navies, including ships that embark fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. In contrast, maritime aviation is the operation of aircraft in a maritime role under the command of non-naval forces such as the former RAF Coastal Command or a...
s purposes. (The Navy had established the "Naval Aviation Reserve Base Atlanta", at what is now the DeKalb-Peachtree Airport
DeKalb-Peachtree Airport
DeKalb-Peachtree Airport is a municipal general aviation airport located in Chamblee, Georgia, just northeast of Atlanta. It is operated by the local government of DeKalb County, Georgia, and is also known commonly as Peachtree-DeKalb Airport, or simply PDK. Other names include Peachtree...
, in March 1941.) In October, Georgia Air Services signed a $70,000 contract for two 180x160-ft. airplane hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
s to be built. Although it was far from completion, the dedication of this airfield took place in October 1941
After the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, work on this new airfield accelerated rapidly. In January 1942, Lawrence Dale Bell, the founder and president of the Bell Aircraft Company, inspected this site for a proposed government-financed airplane factory for the Department of War. Meanwhile, the Department of the Navy announced its intention to take over the new airfield as an auxiliary naval air station
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
. The Navy shortly began land-condemnation proceedings.
The Department of War, in turn, announced that it would not contest the wish of the Department of the Navy to take over Rickenbacker Field, and that it would build its new factory elsewhere. The Cobb County government appealed to the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox
Frank Knox
-External links:...
, urging him to change the Navy's plans. Since other options were available for flight training. Secretary Knox relinquished the Navy's claim on this airfield and left it to the Army Air Forces. (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 Navy established an auxiliary naval air station at Gainesville, Ga., just northeast of Atlanta.)
On January 23, 1942, the Bell Aircraft Company and the Department of War announced that an aircraft factory employing up to 40,000 workers would be built near Marietta. Also, the Department of War announced on February 19 that "Rickenbacker Field" would be renamed the Marietta Army Airfield. Although its construction began in March 1942, its official ground-breaking ceremony took place in May 1942, with Capt. Rickenbacker present. Rickenbacker went on to establish and pay for an aviation educational program to train workers for both civil aviation
Civil aviation
Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
and military aviation
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
. Also in 1942, the City of Atlanta began work on its contribution: a million pipeling pipeline to supply the new factory with water from the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
.
In addition to taking over Rickenbacker Field, the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) purchased a parcel of land just north of the airfield for a cantonment area. The Marietta Army Airfield was activated on June 6, 1943, with its personnel housed in tents as part of the 58th Bombardment Operational Training Wing. At the end of June 1943, there were 42 officers and 356 men stationed here.
The mission of the Marietta Army Airfield was acceptance testing of B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
heavy bomber
Heavy bomber
A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...
s for the USAAF, the modification of B-29s, and the operation of an Army Air Depot. Barracks for the soldiers reached completion in November 1943. By January 1, 1944, the number of soldiers stationed here had risen to 73 officers and 1,263 enlisted men. For a period of time, the Marietta Army Airfield was assigned to the USAAF's Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
under the XX Bomber Command
XX Bomber Command
The XX Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on July 16, 1945.- History:...
. On 12 April 1944, the Marietta Army Airfield was reassigned to the "17th Bombardment Operation Training Unit".
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
plants at Renton, Washington
Renton, Washington
Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
and Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
and a Martin
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
plant at Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
) for manufacturing B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es was completed. The "Defense Plant Corporation" of the Department of War paid for the construction of this factory, and the Department called it "Plant #6". Bell Aircraft completed its first B-29 on schedule, and this was first test-flown on November 4, 1943. The production of B-29s at this factory increased slowly during 1944, and by the fall of 1944, Bell Aircraft's output of new B-29s began to meet and exceed the goals of the Department of War.
By January 1945, Bell Aircraft had completed 357 B-29As. After the complettion of the last one of these, the production in Marietta was switched to the B-29B Superfortress, which was a simplified version of the B-29 without the computerized gun system and other components that raised the allowable bomb load from 11,000 to 18,000 pounds. The new B-29B radar, mounted in a wing-shaped radome under the fuselage, gave much better images of the ground. The 315th Bombardment Wing based at Northwest Field
Northwest Field (Guam)
Northwest Field is a former World War II airfield on Guam in the Mariana Islands. It was closed in 1949 and is unused.-History:Northwest Field was constructed in 1944–45 near Ritidian Point on the northwest end of the island of Guam as a base for Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortresses to carry...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, received most of the B-29Bs for night low altitude pathfinder led missions against Japan. Bell built a total of 311 B-29Bs before the plant closed in January 1946. At its height, the Bell Bomber plant employed 28,263.
Post-war
Marietta Army Airfield remained open after the war and became the home of Georgia Air National GuardGeorgia Air National Guard
The Georgia Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is, along with the Georgia Army National Guard, an element of the Georgia National Guard...
(ANG) and Air Force Reserve units. The first post¬war ANG unit, the 128th Fighter Squadron, activated at Marietta on 20 August 1946, with P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s. This was followed by the activation of the headquarters of the 116th Fighter Group on 9 September and the activation of the headquarters of the 54th Fighter Wing which commanded 56 units of the Air National Guard throughout the Southeastern states.
In 1948, part of the land and barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
at the original Naval Air Station Atlanta
Naval Air Station Atlanta
General D. Lucius Clay National Guard Center is a military facility located south of Marietta, Georgia, United States. It is located immediately south of Dobbins Air Reserve Base and shares its runways....
in Chamblee were given to the state for the purpose of creating an engineering technology school that could rapidly train returning soldiers for civilian work in various technical fields.
In 1948 the airfield became Marietta Air Force Base as a result of the creation of 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...
. In 1950, the Air Force renamed the base Dobbins Air Force Base in honor of Captain Charles M. Dobbins of Marietta
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
, a World War II transport pilot. Captain Dobbins died near Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
on July 11, 1943 when US Navy gunners who had earlier suffered a Luftwaffe attack mistakenly downed his C-47. He was flying his third mission of the day, dropping paratroopers.
In 1949, the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in Atlanta created the Southern Technical Institute (now Southern Polytechnic State University
Southern Polytechnic State University
Southern Polytechnic State University is a public, co-educational state university located in Marietta, Georgia, USA just northwest of Atlanta...
), which was moved to land given by Dobbins AFB in 1958.
Following the war, the Bell Aircraft Plant #6 remained closed for five years. In 1951, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation took over the plant to modify B-29s for 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...
. Lockheed Marietta also went on to build 394 B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
s at the plant under license from Boeing. Additionally, Lockheed also conducted a B-47 modification program at Marietta. To handle the B-47 production and modification work, the airfield received a 10,000 × 300 ft (91.4 m) runway. Over the years, the Lockheed plant constructed the Lockheed JetStar
Lockheed JetStar
The Lockheed JetStar is a business jet produced from the early 1960s through the 1970s. The JetStar was the first dedicated business jet to enter service. It was also one of the largest aircraft in the class for many years, seating ten plus two crew...
business jet (C-140), C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
, C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
, and C-5 Galaxy
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
.
In 1957, the Atlanta Naval Air Station at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport in Chamblee moved to Dobbins. The Navy constructed a cantonment area on the southwest portion of Dobbins for their use.
Over the years, a wide variety of Air Force aircraft have been stationed at Dobbins with the Air Guard and Reserves including the P-51, F-84, F-86, C-97,C-123, C-124, F-100, F-4, C-130, and the F-15.
Current and future
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
remains in production 50 years after the first one rolled out in 1955. Work also continues on the F-22 Raptor
F-22 Raptor
The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation supermaneuverable fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals...
and the Joint Strike Fighter. Dobbins has its own ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, 30069, and Lockheed also has its own ZIP code, 30063. (However, Marietta is the only place name considered acceptable by the USPS for either of these.)
Dobbins is also an automated weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
, reporting five minutes before every hour. Until sometime in 2008, it only reported from 7am to 11pm (6:55 to 10:55/22:55), although it occasionally reported overnight during unusual weather conditions, such as strong winds due to the 2004 hurricanes
2004 Atlantic hurricane season
The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 2004, and lasted until November 30, 2004. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin...
(Frances
Hurricane Frances
Hurricane Frances was the sixth named storm, the fourth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. The system crossing the open Atlantic during mid to late August, moving to the north of the Lesser Antilles while strengthening. Its outer bands affected Puerto...
, Jeanne
Hurricane Jeanne
Hurricane Jeanne was the deadliest hurricane in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the tenth named storm, the seventh hurricane, and the fifth major hurricane of the season, as well as the third hurricane and fourth named storm of the season to make landfall in Florida...
, Ivan
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
). Local conditions
Local insertion
In broadcasting, local insertion is the act or capability of a broadcast television station, radio station, or cable TV system to insert or replace part of a broadcast network feed with content unique to the local station or system...
shown on The Weather Channel and Weatherscan
Weatherscan
Weatherscan is a TV channel offered by The Weather Channel. Carried on select cable systems in the United States, Weatherscan features uninterrupted local weather information in graphical format on a continuous loop...
are now taken from a different system
IntelliStar
IntelliStar is the fifth generation successor to the WeatherStar systems used by the American cable TV and satellite TV channel The Weather Channel , for inserting local forecasts and current weather information into TWC's programming...
setup by TWC during the mid-2000s; until then, overnight conditions for local cable TV systems came from Fulton County Airport
Fulton County Airport (Georgia)
Fulton County Airport at Charlie Brown Field is a local Class D airport located just west of Atlanta, and run by Fulton County of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the nearest airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport , and handles much of the general aviation traffic that would...
.
Like most U.S. bases, Dobbins has had to fend off several attempts at closing it, as part of streamlining the country's military and reducing unnecessary spending. Development
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
has steadily encroached upon the base since the war. 1989 A-7 Corsair II
A-7 Corsair II
The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
and 1993 C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
plane crashes into residential areas near the base raised questions of safety in having a base in such a densely-populated suburban area. The airfield now sits in a vast sea of urban development, Flying demonstrations at air shows were discontinued some years ago because of safety concerns, although the Navy hosted air shows in 2004 and 2006, and the ARB side hosted air shows in 2008 and 2010 (2008 marked the first time in over 15 years of a USAF Thunderbirds performance at KMGE).
Public complaints about the noise continue, and attempts to close the facility have been thwarted so far by powerful local politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s, such as former U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Sam Nunn
Sam Nunn
Samuel Augustus Nunn, Jr. is an American lawyer and politician. Currently the co-chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative , a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, Nunn served for 24 years as a...
in 1995. However, some have proposed that it again become a commercial airport, as it was originally envisioned (there have been calls for Dobbins to become the second major commercial airport in metro Atlanta
Atlanta's second airport
Atlanta's second airport is an idea being studied by the city of Atlanta, Georgia. In May 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration released the report, "Capacity Needs in the National Airspace System, 2007–2025" as part of its Future Airport Capacity Task...
, to be a major reliever to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the United States).
Dobbins is the only U.S. military facility left in northern Georgia
North Georgia
North Georgia is the hilly to mountainous northern region of the U.S. state of Georgia. At the time of the arrival of settlers from Europe, it was inhabited largely by the Cherokee. The counties of North Georgia were often scenes of important events in the history of Georgia...
after 2005 BRAC
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
recommendations were enacted. The Air National Guard transferred to Robins AFB in 1996, leaving Air Force Reserve C-130s as the only Air Force flying units at the base. The 148th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), 151st Aviation, and 171st Aviation units of the Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
are also based there. More units are moving to Dobbins as the Georgia Army National Guard takes over NAS Atlanta.
In 2003, the Air Force Reserve Command
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
changed the name of Dobbins Air Reserve Base to that of Dobbins Joint Air Reserve Base.
In September 2005, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron , also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force...
Hurricane Hunter aircraft flew out of Dobbins after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
did major damage to their normal home at Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
in Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
. Numerous evacuee
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
s also came to metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
through Dobbins, including many medevac
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
ed medical patients taken in by local hospitals.
Until the late 20th century, the oldest building on base was part of the Lockheed complex, and was built before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Legend has it that the only reason the building wasn't burned to the ground during Union General William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
's "March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
" in 1864 was because the building's owner, a British citizen, had flown the British flag during the occupation of Marietta, part of the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
.
Near Dobbins' main gate stands a Wichita built B-29 "Sweet Eloise" (B-29-80-BW 44-70113) which is on public display as a memorial to World War II bomber production plant at the site. However, at least two Marietta-built B-29s have survived the years. One is on display at the Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park near Cordele (B-29A-15-BN 42-93967) and the other (B-29B-55-BA 44-84053) is located at Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
' Museum of Flight near Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
.
Major Commands to which assigned
- AAF Air Service Command, October 13, 1942
- Commanding General, Army Air Forces, September 27, 1943
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, January 14, 1944 - AAF Materiel Command, July 15, 1944
- AAF Materiel and Services, July 17, 1944
- Redesignated: AAF Technical Service Command, August 31, 1944
- Air Technical Service Command, July 1, 1945
- Air Materiel Command, March 9, 1946
- Air Defense Command, June 25, 1946
- Continental Air CommandContinental Air CommandContinental 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:...
, May 10, 1949 - Air Force Reserve, August 1, 1968
- Redesignated: Air Force Reserve CommandAir Force Reserve CommandThe Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
, February 17, 1997–present
Major Units assigned
- 522d Base HQ and Air Base Squadron, June 10, 1943 – March 25, 1944
- 292d Army Air Force Base Unit, March 25, 1944 – May 31, 1946
- 54th Fighter (later Troop Carrier) Wing54th Tactical Fighter WingThe 54th Tactical Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force, being stationed at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea...
, October 2, 1946 – October 11, 1950 - 4204th Army Air Force (later Air Force) Base Unit, May 31, 1946 – December 14, 1958
- 94th Bombardment Group, May 29, 1947 – March 20, 1951
- Established as: 94th Bombardment (later Tactical Reconnaissance) Wing94th Airlift WingThe United States Air Force's 94th Airlift Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command Twenty-Second Air Force organization stationed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia....
, June 26, 1949 – May 18, 1955- 514th Troop Carrier Group514th Air Mobility WingThe 514th Air Mobility Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.-History:...
, May 29, 1947 – June 26, 1949 - 35th Air Division, September 4, 1951 – November 15, 1958
- 514th Troop Carrier Group
- 902d Reserve Training Wing, December 19, 1951 – June 13, 1952
- 116th Tactical Fighter Wing (Various Designations), July 10, 1952 – 1996
- 2589th Air Reserve Combat Training Center, November 1, 1953 – December 27, 1961
- 445th Troop Carrier Wing (Various Designations)445th Airlift WingThe 445th Airlift Wing is an operational wing of the United States Air Force Reserve. It is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio...
, September 6, 1957 – June 29, 1971 - 918th Troop Carrier Group (Various Designations), January 15, 1963 – September 1, 1975
- 94th Tactical Airlift Wing (Various Designations)94th Airlift WingThe United States Air Force's 94th Airlift Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command Twenty-Second Air Force organization stationed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia....
, July 1, 1972 – Present - Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, October 8, 1976 – July 1, 1993
See also
- Georgia World War II Army AirfieldsGeorgia World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Georgia for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
- Air Technical Service Command
- Central Air Defense ForceCentral Air Defense ForceThe Central Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri. It was deactivated on July 1, 1960.-History:...
(Air Defense Command)