Maxwell Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force
(USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command
(AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery
, Alabama
, US
. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell
, a native of Atmore, Alabama
.
(AETC), and is the U.S. Air Force's center for Joint Professional Military Education (PME). The host wing for Maxwell-Gunter is the 42d Air Base Wing
(42 ABW). The 908th Airlift Wing
(908 AW) is a tenant activity and the only operational flying wing at Maxwell.
Under Air University are three principal schools that provide various levels of Joint Professional Military Education (JPME). The first is Squadron Officer School
(SOS), a nearly 2 month program oriented towards First Lieutenant
s and Captains in the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard
. The second, Air Command and Staff College
(ACSC) is a year long program for Air Force officers (to include Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard), Department of Defense
civil servants in the grade of GS-13, as well as select officers from other U.S. and Allied armed forces in the rank of Major
, Lieutenant Commander
, Squadron Leader
or equivalent. ACSC is considered "intermediate" level JPME. The third program, Air War College
(AWC) is also a year long program and selects students from the same sources as ACSC, but the minimum rank for attendance rises to Lieutenant Colonel
, Commander
, Wing Commander
or equivalent or DoD civil servants in the grade of GS-14. AWC is considered "senior" level JPME.
In addition to the in-residence programs at Maxwell, all three programs are available in correspondence/distance learning formats, while ACSC and AWC are also available in seminar formats at select USAF installations worldwide.
Maxwell AFB also hosts the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS), which has oversight for two of the Air Force's three officer commissioning programs, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC), which is headquartered at Maxwell and Air Force Officer Training School (OTS), which is headquartered and conducted at Maxwell AFB, having relocated from Lackland AFB, Texas in the 1990s. Capitalizing on the new facilities built for OTS in the 1990s, Maxwell is now the only base hosting the annual fall/spring semester and summer Field Training (FT) encampments for AFROTC cadets that they must attend before commissioning. The Civil Air Patrol
's corporate and joint CAP-USAF headquarters is also located at Maxwell.
The only operational flying unit at Maxwell is the Air Force Reserve Command
's 908th Airlift Wing
(908 AW) and subordinate 357th Airlift Squadron
(357 AS), which operates eight C-130H aircraft. As an AFRC airlift unit, the 908th is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command
(AMC).
Gunter Annex is a separate installation under the 42 ABW. Originally known as Gunter Field, it later became known as Gunter Air Force Station (Gunter AFS) when its runways were closed and its operational flying activity eliminated. As a hedge against future Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) closure action, Gunter was consolidated under Maxwell AFB to create a combined installation known as Maxwell/Gunter.
decided to open one of the world's earliest flying schools at the site that would subsequently become Maxwell AFB. The Wrights taught the principles of flying, including take-offs, balancing, turns, and landings. The Wright Flying School
closed on May 26, 1910.
The field served as a repair depot during World War I
. In fact, the depot built the first plane made in Montgomery and exhibited it at the field on September 20, 1918. Repair activity at the depot was sharply curtailed at the end of the war.
redesignated the depot as Maxwell Field in honor of Atmore, Ala. native Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell. On 12 August 1920, engine trouble forced Lt. Maxwell to attempt to land his DH-4 in a sugarcane field in the Philippines
. Maneuvering to avoid a group of children playing below, he struck a flagpole hidden by the tall sugarcane and was killed instantly. On the recommendation of his former commanding officer, Maj. Roy C. Brown, Montgomery Air Intermediate Depot, Montgomery, Alabama
, was renamed Maxwell Field. In 1923, it was one of three Army aviation depots. Maxwell Field repaired aircraft engines in support of flying training missions such as those at Taylor Field, southeast of Montgomery.
Maxwell Field, as most Army air stations and depots developed during World War I, was on leased properties with temporary buildings being the mainstay of construction. These temporary buildings/shacks were built to last two to five years. By the mid-1920s, these dilapidated wartime buildings had become a national disgrace. Congressional investigations also showed that the manning strength of the U.S. Army air arm was deficient. These critical situations eventually led to the Air Corps Act of 1926 and the two major programs that dramatically transformed Army airfields. The Air Corps Act changed the name and status of the Army Air Service to the Army Air Corps, and authorized a five-year expansion program. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, this program and its companion, the 1926 Army Housing Program, produced well-designed, substantial, permanent buildings and infrastructure at all Army airfields retained after World War I.
Taking up the cause of Maxwell Field was freshman Congressman J. Lister Hill
. Hill was a World War I veteran who served with the 17th and 71st U.S. Infantry Regiments. He as well as other Montgomery leaders recognized the historical significance of the Wright Brother’s first military flying school and the potential of Maxwell Field to the local economy. In 1925 Hill, a member of the House Military Affairs Committee, affixed an amendment to a military appropriations bill providing $200,000 for the construction of permanent buildings at Maxwell Field. This amendment did not have the approval of the War Department nor the Army Air Corps. As a result of this massive spending on Maxwell Field, the War Department kept it open. Hill recognized that to keep Maxwell Field open, it needed to be fiscally or militarily valuable to the War Department.
In September 1927 Hill met with Major General Mason M. Patrick, chief of the Army Air Corps, and his assistant, Brigadier General James E. Fechet, to discuss the placement of an attack group at Maxwell Field. Both made it clear that Maxwell Field was too close to Montgomery and was not a suitable location for an attack group. In fact, they asked Hill as "a friend of the Air Corps" not to "embarrass" the Corps by asking that the group be placed there. They warned that if he persisted, they would "very much oppose" the effort. However, General Patrick not wanting to alienate the new and up and coming Congressman (who was also a member of the House Military Affairs Committee) sought to appease Hill by offering to create an observation squadron at Maxwell Field. Hill welcomed the gesture; however, the creation of an observation squadron fell short of the long term on-going mission sought by Hill for Maxwell Field.
Hill continued to argue for the attack group to be placed at Maxwell Field. He argued that because of the permanent buildings scheduled to be built, it would be fiscally advantageous for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. Hill's arguments were an extension of ones that had been presented to him by Major Roy S. Brown, former commandant of Maxwell Field from 1922-1925. In 1927 Major Brown was the commander of the Air Corps Tactical School
located at Langley Field. Major Brown urged Hill to keep his name out of it because of the easily traceable insider information. Hill, frustrated with the lack of positive response from Generals Patrick and Fechet, moved up the chain of command and passed on the correspondence he had with General Fechet to Secretary of War Dwight Davis, Assistant Secretary of War for Air F. Trubee Davidson, and Army Chief of Staff Charles P. Summerall. His request to them was given the answer: that they would give the matter "full consideration."
The depot's first official flying mission was carried out after that. Observation missions originated there in 1927–1929. Pilots from the field were also involved in completing the first leg of a test designed to establish an airmail
route between the Gulf Coast and the northern Great Lakes
area. The successful test played a major role in the eventual establishment of permanent airmail service in the Southeast.
By early 1928 the decision of the attack group had come down to Shreveport, Louisiana
, and Montgomery. Both cities vied for the federal money to be spent in their respective local areas. Shreveport the more economically developed city than its counter part Montgomery won the day. In April 1928 Hill, via his contacts in the War Department, found out that Montgomery would not be getting the attack group. Flexing his congressional muscle, Hill persuaded Assistant Secretary Davidson and now chief of the Air Corps Major General Fechet to hold off the official announcement until Montgomery had a second look by the War Department. During the interim Montgomery leaders had set forth actions to acquire over 600 acres (2 km²) for Maxwell Field’s expansion in hopes of wooing the War Department into placing the attack group in Montgomery.
In May 1928 General Benjamin Foulois, General Fechet's assistant, during an inspection visit with Third Army commander General Frank Parker to Maxwell Field mentioned that the Air Corps Tactical School would be moving to a still undecided location. During his stay General Foulois met with local Chamber of Commerce chairman Jesse Hearin and Maxwell Field Post commandant Major Walter R. Weaver. Hearin and Weaver touted the feasibility of Maxwell Field and the Montgomery area for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. However, General Foulois guided the conversation towards the impending movement of the Air Corps Tactical School and he favored Maxwell Field for the new home. Hearin immediately worked up an option on another one thousand acres (4 km²) for the Air Corps Tactical School should Montgomery not be favored with the attack group.
In July 1928, word "via rumor" of the decision for the establishment of an attack group came out that Shreveport was indeed the victor of the final decision. In December 1928, after much debate and political maneuvering it was announced officially by the Assistant Secretary of War that Shreveport would be getting the attack group and that the Army Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS) would be coming to Maxwell Field. The move to Maxwell Field from Langley Field was initially expected to increase Maxwell Field's population by eighty officers and 300 enlisted. It was expected that the ACTS would be to the Army Air Corps what Fort Benning, Ga was to the infantry.
On January 15, 1929, it was announced that the ACTS would be twice as large as originally planned. On February 11 it was announced that $1,644,298 had been allowed for ACTS construction. This was not including an additional $324,000 the Secretary of War had approved previously for non-commissioned officer barracks and a school building after a conference with Congressman Hill. On March 12 a conference between a Major Kennedy, Chief of Buildings and Grounds of the Army Air Corps and commandant of the ACTS, and Congressman Lister Hill to determine the locations of the buildings and types of construction. In March 1929, personnel at Maxwell provided flood relief to citizens of Montgomery. This was the first time at which food and supplies were airdrop
ped by U.S. military forces during a major civilian emergency.
On July 9, 1929, Captain Walter J. Reed and a battery of attorneys checked titles for the land. The War Department also announced the same day that the plan had changed to where the ACTS would be four times as large as originally planned with 200 officers and 1,000 enlisted men. At the time this made Maxwell Field the largest (as far as personnel) Army Air Corps installation in the southeast. Approximately 300 signatures to the deed of the land occupied by the Air Corps Tactical School were signed, of which, one was signed by a minor. Chairman of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce James Hearin said "several cases had to be taken to court." Despite the obvious rush for signatures, by October 5, deeds to the land were signed and mailed to the War Department.
On December 17, 1929, Congressman Lister Hill introduced a bill to appropriate $320,000 for the acquiring of 1075 acres (4 km²) of land in Montgomery County
as apart of an expansion program for Maxwell Field. This was a particularly bold move at the time by Hill because of the stock market crash. Effects of the crash had yet to take place; however, the panic caused by the crash had certainly captured Montgomery’s attention.
On January 25, 1930, President Herbert Hoover
asked Congress to re-appropriate an additional $100,000 for the main school building at Maxwell Field. President Hoover’s policy was to speed public works to offset unemployment. February 1930 Congressman Hill’s resolution was passed in the House of Representatives, 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) were to be added to Maxwell Field for expansion purposes. George B. Ford and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. designed the overall layout of Maxwell. They were hired by the Army Quartermaster Corps. Ford used an approach that clustered similar functions together. This technique provided plenty of open space and gave each cluster a distinct appearance.
On September 17, 1931, the first ACTS training occurred at Maxwell Field. Forty-one students met at 8:40 a.m. in the operations office conference room for general instruction. Classes were divided into sections, with some pilots sent on check flights, while others were sent out to become familiar with the surrounding countryside to become familiar with emergency landing field locations.
The morning of September 22, opening exercises of the Air Corps Tactical School were held. On September 24, the Air Corps Tactical School was officially launched. The address was made by Major General James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps also attending were Congressman Lister Hill and commandant of the Air Corps Tactical School Major John F. Curry. General Fechet, along with announcing his impending retirement, declared that the forty-one student officers could be future generals of the Air Corps. At a later luncheon General Fechet also lauded Montgomery’s attitude toward the Air Corps.
The 1931-1932 faculty included Army Air Corps (AC), Army Infantry (Inf), Army Chemical Warfare Service (CWS), and Army Field Artillery (FA) instructors. Initially, the school's curriculum reflected the dominating influence of General William "Billy" Mitchell. Mitchell was a strong believer in the importance of gaining and maintaining air superiority during a conflict. He argued strongly for pursuit aircraft in combination with bombers. Mitchell regarded enemy pursuit forces as the most serious threat to successful bombing operations and felt that the task of American pursuit was not necessarily to escort bombers but to seek out and attack enemy fighters. During the first five years of the school's operation, Mitchell's beliefs formed the basis for instruction at the tactical school. However, by the mid-1920s the school's emphasis had shifted from pursuit to bombardment aviation.
On July 16, 1933, Congressman Lister Hill secured approval from the War Department for $1,650,075 for immediate spending at Maxwell Field. Hill’s request was justified by increased enrollment at the Air Corps Tactical School and the desperate need for employment for the local Montgomery population. At the start of October 1933 bids opened for four construction projects that were to start immediately (1933-1934 construction at Maxwell Field employed an average of 500 plus workers).
The Air Corps Tactical School
opened July 15, 1931. The school evolved into the Air Force's first tactical center until the imminence of American involvement in World War II
forced a suspension of classes in June 1940 that resulted in permanent closure of the school. One of the school's notable achievements was its development of two aerial acrobatic teams: the "Three Men on a Flying Trapeze", put together by then-Captain Claire L. Chennault in 1932, and the Skylarks in 1935.
In 1940, it was announced that the installation was to be converted into a pilot-training center. On 8 July 1940 the United States Army Air Corps redesignated its training center at Maxwell Field, Alabama as the Southeast Air Corps Training Center. The Southeast Air Corps Training Center at Maxwell handled flying training (basic, primary and advanced) at airfields in the Eastern United States.
An Air Force Pilot School (preflight) was also activated which provided aviation cadets the mechanics and physics of flight and required the cadets to pass courses in mathematics and the hard sciences. Then the cadets were taught to apply their knowledge practically by teaching them aeronautics, deflection shooting, and thinking in three dimensions. On 8 January 1943, the War Department constituted and redesignated the school as the 74th Flying Training Wing (preflight).
During following years, Maxwell was home to six different schools that trained U.S. military aviators and their support teams for wartime service. As World War II
progressed, the number of required pilot trainees declined, and the Army Air Forces
decided not to send more aircrew trainees to Maxwell Field.
On 31 July 1943, the Southeast Air Corps Training Center was redesignated as the Eastern Flying Training Command. Also in July, the Army Air Forces announced a specialized school for pilots of four-engine aircraft. The first B-24 Liberator
landed at the field later that month. In early 1945, B-29 Superfortress
bomber training replaced the B-24 program.
Training at Maxwell continued until 15 December 1945, when the Eastern Flying Training Command was inactivated and was consolidated into the Central Flying Training Command at Randolph Field, Texas
.
Air University, an institution providing continuing military education for Air Force personnel, was established at Maxwell in 1946, prior to the Air Force becoming an independent service. Today, it remains the main focus of base activities. In 1992, the 3800th Air Base Wing
was disbanded and the 502d Air Base Wing
took over as the host wing, which two years later gave way to the current 42d Air Base Wing.
as a possible battlefield.
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...
(USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
(AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell
William C. Maxwell
William Calvin Maxwell was an American pilot in the United States Air Force and namesake of Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama....
, a native of Atmore, Alabama
Atmore, Alabama
Atmore is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 7,676. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 7,530. The city was named for Mr. C.P. Atmore....
.
Units
Maxwell AFB is the headquarters of Air University (AU), a major component of Air Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
(AETC), and is the U.S. Air Force's center for Joint Professional Military Education (PME). The host wing for Maxwell-Gunter is the 42d Air Base Wing
42d Air Base Wing
The 42nd Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Air University. It is stationed at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama...
(42 ABW). The 908th Airlift Wing
908th Airlift Wing
The 908th Airlift Wing is a C-130 theater airlift unit assigned to Air Force Reserve Command. The wing is stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama....
(908 AW) is a tenant activity and the only operational flying wing at Maxwell.
Under Air University are three principal schools that provide various levels of Joint Professional Military Education (JPME). The first is Squadron Officer School
Squadron Officer School
Squadron Officer School , is a five-week long Professional Military Education course for U.S. Air Force Captains. It fulfills the U.S. Air Force's requirement for primary developmental education . SOS is based at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and the in-residence version of the course is taught there...
(SOS), a nearly 2 month program oriented towards First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
s and Captains in the Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
. The second, Air Command and Staff College
Air Command and Staff College
The Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
(ACSC) is a year long program for Air Force officers (to include Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard), Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
civil servants in the grade of GS-13, as well as select officers from other U.S. and Allied armed forces in the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
, Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
or equivalent. ACSC is considered "intermediate" level JPME. The third program, Air War College
Air War College
The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
(AWC) is also a year long program and selects students from the same sources as ACSC, but the minimum rank for attendance rises to Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
or equivalent or DoD civil servants in the grade of GS-14. AWC is considered "senior" level JPME.
In addition to the in-residence programs at Maxwell, all three programs are available in correspondence/distance learning formats, while ACSC and AWC are also available in seminar formats at select USAF installations worldwide.
Maxwell AFB also hosts the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS), which has oversight for two of the Air Force's three officer commissioning programs, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC), which is headquartered at Maxwell and Air Force Officer Training School (OTS), which is headquartered and conducted at Maxwell AFB, having relocated from Lackland AFB, Texas in the 1990s. Capitalizing on the new facilities built for OTS in the 1990s, Maxwell is now the only base hosting the annual fall/spring semester and summer Field Training (FT) encampments for AFROTC cadets that they must attend before commissioning. The Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
's corporate and joint CAP-USAF headquarters is also located at Maxwell.
The only operational flying unit at Maxwell is 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....
's 908th Airlift Wing
908th Airlift Wing
The 908th Airlift Wing is a C-130 theater airlift unit assigned to Air Force Reserve Command. The wing is stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama....
(908 AW) and subordinate 357th Airlift Squadron
357th Airlift Squadron
The 357th Airlift Squadron is part of the 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. It operates C-130 Hercules aircraft providing global airlfit.-History:...
(357 AS), which operates eight C-130H aircraft. As an AFRC airlift unit, the 908th is operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
(AMC).
Gunter Annex is a separate installation under the 42 ABW. Originally known as Gunter Field, it later became known as Gunter Air Force Station (Gunter AFS) when its runways were closed and its operational flying activity eliminated. As a hedge against future Base Realignment and Closure
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...
(BRAC) closure action, Gunter was consolidated under Maxwell AFB to create a combined installation known as Maxwell/Gunter.
Origins
Toward the end of February 1910, the Wright BrothersWright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
decided to open one of the world's earliest flying schools at the site that would subsequently become Maxwell AFB. The Wrights taught the principles of flying, including take-offs, balancing, turns, and landings. The Wright Flying School
Wright Flying School
The Wright Flying School, also known as the Wright School of Aviation, was operated by the Wright Company from 1910 to 1916 and trained 119 individuals to fly Wright airplanes.-History:...
closed on May 26, 1910.
The field served as a repair depot 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...
. In fact, the depot built the first plane made in Montgomery and exhibited it at the field on September 20, 1918. Repair activity at the depot was sharply curtailed at the end of the war.
Between the wars
The Aviation Repair Depot's land was leased by the U.S. Army during World War I, and later purchased on January 11, 1920 for $34,327. Diminished postwar activity caused the U.S. War Department in 1919 to announce that it planned to close thirty-two facilities around the country, including the Aviation Repair Depot. In 1919 the Aviation Repair Depot had a $27,000 monthly civilian payroll in 1919, and was a vital part of the city's economy. The loss of the field would have been a serious blow to the local Montgomery, Ala economy. The field remained open into the early 1920s only because the War Department was slow in closing facilities. After this initial reprieve, the War Department announced in 1922 that facilities on the original closure list would indeed close in the very near future. City officials were not surprised to hear that Aviation Repair Depot remained on the list, because 350 civilian employees had been laid off in June 1921. On November 8, 1922, the War DepartmentUnited 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...
redesignated the depot as Maxwell Field in honor of Atmore, Ala. native Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell. On 12 August 1920, engine trouble forced Lt. Maxwell to attempt to land his DH-4 in a sugarcane field in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Maneuvering to avoid a group of children playing below, he struck a flagpole hidden by the tall sugarcane and was killed instantly. On the recommendation of his former commanding officer, Maj. Roy C. Brown, Montgomery Air Intermediate Depot, Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, was renamed Maxwell Field. In 1923, it was one of three Army aviation depots. Maxwell Field repaired aircraft engines in support of flying training missions such as those at Taylor Field, southeast of Montgomery.
Maxwell Field, as most Army air stations and depots developed during World War I, was on leased properties with temporary buildings being the mainstay of construction. These temporary buildings/shacks were built to last two to five years. By the mid-1920s, these dilapidated wartime buildings had become a national disgrace. Congressional investigations also showed that the manning strength of the U.S. Army air arm was deficient. These critical situations eventually led to the Air Corps Act of 1926 and the two major programs that dramatically transformed Army airfields. The Air Corps Act changed the name and status of the Army Air Service to the Army Air Corps, and authorized a five-year expansion program. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, this program and its companion, the 1926 Army Housing Program, produced well-designed, substantial, permanent buildings and infrastructure at all Army airfields retained after World War I.
Taking up the cause of Maxwell Field was freshman Congressman J. Lister Hill
J. Lister Hill
Joseph Lister Hill was a Democratic U.S. Senator from the state of Alabama. He was elected to fill the term left by the resignation of Dixie Bibb Graves and was reelected five times, serving in the Senate from January 11, 1938 until January 3, 1969...
. Hill was a World War I veteran who served with the 17th and 71st U.S. Infantry Regiments. He as well as other Montgomery leaders recognized the historical significance of the Wright Brother’s first military flying school and the potential of Maxwell Field to the local economy. In 1925 Hill, a member of the House Military Affairs Committee, affixed an amendment to a military appropriations bill providing $200,000 for the construction of permanent buildings at Maxwell Field. This amendment did not have the approval of the War Department nor the Army Air Corps. As a result of this massive spending on Maxwell Field, the War Department kept it open. Hill recognized that to keep Maxwell Field open, it needed to be fiscally or militarily valuable to the War Department.
In September 1927 Hill met with Major General Mason M. Patrick, chief of the Army Air Corps, and his assistant, Brigadier General James E. Fechet, to discuss the placement of an attack group at Maxwell Field. Both made it clear that Maxwell Field was too close to Montgomery and was not a suitable location for an attack group. In fact, they asked Hill as "a friend of the Air Corps" not to "embarrass" the Corps by asking that the group be placed there. They warned that if he persisted, they would "very much oppose" the effort. However, General Patrick not wanting to alienate the new and up and coming Congressman (who was also a member of the House Military Affairs Committee) sought to appease Hill by offering to create an observation squadron at Maxwell Field. Hill welcomed the gesture; however, the creation of an observation squadron fell short of the long term on-going mission sought by Hill for Maxwell Field.
Hill continued to argue for the attack group to be placed at Maxwell Field. He argued that because of the permanent buildings scheduled to be built, it would be fiscally advantageous for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. Hill's arguments were an extension of ones that had been presented to him by Major Roy S. Brown, former commandant of Maxwell Field from 1922-1925. In 1927 Major Brown was the commander of the Air Corps Tactical School
Air Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. Created in 1920 at Langley Field, Virginia, it...
located at Langley Field. Major Brown urged Hill to keep his name out of it because of the easily traceable insider information. Hill, frustrated with the lack of positive response from Generals Patrick and Fechet, moved up the chain of command and passed on the correspondence he had with General Fechet to Secretary of War Dwight Davis, Assistant Secretary of War for Air F. Trubee Davidson, and Army Chief of Staff Charles P. Summerall. His request to them was given the answer: that they would give the matter "full consideration."
The depot's first official flying mission was carried out after that. Observation missions originated there in 1927–1929. Pilots from the field were also involved in completing the first leg of a test designed to establish an airmail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
route between the Gulf Coast and the northern Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
area. The successful test played a major role in the eventual establishment of permanent airmail service in the Southeast.
By early 1928 the decision of the attack group had come down to Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, and Montgomery. Both cities vied for the federal money to be spent in their respective local areas. Shreveport the more economically developed city than its counter part Montgomery won the day. In April 1928 Hill, via his contacts in the War Department, found out that Montgomery would not be getting the attack group. Flexing his congressional muscle, Hill persuaded Assistant Secretary Davidson and now chief of the Air Corps Major General Fechet to hold off the official announcement until Montgomery had a second look by the War Department. During the interim Montgomery leaders had set forth actions to acquire over 600 acres (2 km²) for Maxwell Field’s expansion in hopes of wooing the War Department into placing the attack group in Montgomery.
In May 1928 General Benjamin Foulois, General Fechet's assistant, during an inspection visit with Third Army commander General Frank Parker to Maxwell Field mentioned that the Air Corps Tactical School would be moving to a still undecided location. During his stay General Foulois met with local Chamber of Commerce chairman Jesse Hearin and Maxwell Field Post commandant Major Walter R. Weaver. Hearin and Weaver touted the feasibility of Maxwell Field and the Montgomery area for the placement of the attack group at Maxwell Field. However, General Foulois guided the conversation towards the impending movement of the Air Corps Tactical School and he favored Maxwell Field for the new home. Hearin immediately worked up an option on another one thousand acres (4 km²) for the Air Corps Tactical School should Montgomery not be favored with the attack group.
In July 1928, word "via rumor" of the decision for the establishment of an attack group came out that Shreveport was indeed the victor of the final decision. In December 1928, after much debate and political maneuvering it was announced officially by the Assistant Secretary of War that Shreveport would be getting the attack group and that the Army Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS) would be coming to Maxwell Field. The move to Maxwell Field from Langley Field was initially expected to increase Maxwell Field's population by eighty officers and 300 enlisted. It was expected that the ACTS would be to the Army Air Corps what Fort Benning, Ga was to the infantry.
On January 15, 1929, it was announced that the ACTS would be twice as large as originally planned. On February 11 it was announced that $1,644,298 had been allowed for ACTS construction. This was not including an additional $324,000 the Secretary of War had approved previously for non-commissioned officer barracks and a school building after a conference with Congressman Hill. On March 12 a conference between a Major Kennedy, Chief of Buildings and Grounds of the Army Air Corps and commandant of the ACTS, and Congressman Lister Hill to determine the locations of the buildings and types of construction. In March 1929, personnel at Maxwell provided flood relief to citizens of Montgomery. This was the first time at which food and supplies were airdrop
Airdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...
ped by U.S. military forces during a major civilian emergency.
On July 9, 1929, Captain Walter J. Reed and a battery of attorneys checked titles for the land. The War Department also announced the same day that the plan had changed to where the ACTS would be four times as large as originally planned with 200 officers and 1,000 enlisted men. At the time this made Maxwell Field the largest (as far as personnel) Army Air Corps installation in the southeast. Approximately 300 signatures to the deed of the land occupied by the Air Corps Tactical School were signed, of which, one was signed by a minor. Chairman of the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce James Hearin said "several cases had to be taken to court." Despite the obvious rush for signatures, by October 5, deeds to the land were signed and mailed to the War Department.
On December 17, 1929, Congressman Lister Hill introduced a bill to appropriate $320,000 for the acquiring of 1075 acres (4 km²) of land in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Alabama
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the most populous county in the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area; its population in 2010 was 229,363 .- History :...
as apart of an expansion program for Maxwell Field. This was a particularly bold move at the time by Hill because of the stock market crash. Effects of the crash had yet to take place; however, the panic caused by the crash had certainly captured Montgomery’s attention.
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
asked Congress to re-appropriate an additional $100,000 for the main school building at Maxwell Field. President Hoover’s policy was to speed public works to offset unemployment. February 1930 Congressman Hill’s resolution was passed in the House of Representatives, 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) were to be added to Maxwell Field for expansion purposes. George B. Ford and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. designed the overall layout of Maxwell. They were hired by the Army Quartermaster Corps. Ford used an approach that clustered similar functions together. This technique provided plenty of open space and gave each cluster a distinct appearance.
On September 17, 1931, the first ACTS training occurred at Maxwell Field. Forty-one students met at 8:40 a.m. in the operations office conference room for general instruction. Classes were divided into sections, with some pilots sent on check flights, while others were sent out to become familiar with the surrounding countryside to become familiar with emergency landing field locations.
The morning of September 22, opening exercises of the Air Corps Tactical School were held. On September 24, the Air Corps Tactical School was officially launched. The address was made by Major General James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps also attending were Congressman Lister Hill and commandant of the Air Corps Tactical School Major John F. Curry. General Fechet, along with announcing his impending retirement, declared that the forty-one student officers could be future generals of the Air Corps. At a later luncheon General Fechet also lauded Montgomery’s attitude toward the Air Corps.
The 1931-1932 faculty included Army Air Corps (AC), Army Infantry (Inf), Army Chemical Warfare Service (CWS), and Army Field Artillery (FA) instructors. Initially, the school's curriculum reflected the dominating influence of General William "Billy" Mitchell. Mitchell was a strong believer in the importance of gaining and maintaining air superiority during a conflict. He argued strongly for pursuit aircraft in combination with bombers. Mitchell regarded enemy pursuit forces as the most serious threat to successful bombing operations and felt that the task of American pursuit was not necessarily to escort bombers but to seek out and attack enemy fighters. During the first five years of the school's operation, Mitchell's beliefs formed the basis for instruction at the tactical school. However, by the mid-1920s the school's emphasis had shifted from pursuit to bombardment aviation.
On July 16, 1933, Congressman Lister Hill secured approval from the War Department for $1,650,075 for immediate spending at Maxwell Field. Hill’s request was justified by increased enrollment at the Air Corps Tactical School and the desperate need for employment for the local Montgomery population. At the start of October 1933 bids opened for four construction projects that were to start immediately (1933-1934 construction at Maxwell Field employed an average of 500 plus workers).
World War II
Air Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. Created in 1920 at Langley Field, Virginia, it...
opened July 15, 1931. The school evolved into the Air Force's first tactical center until the imminence of American involvement in 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...
forced a suspension of classes in June 1940 that resulted in permanent closure of the school. One of the school's notable achievements was its development of two aerial acrobatic teams: the "Three Men on a Flying Trapeze", put together by then-Captain Claire L. Chennault in 1932, and the Skylarks in 1935.
In 1940, it was announced that the installation was to be converted into a pilot-training center. On 8 July 1940 the United States Army Air Corps redesignated its training center at Maxwell Field, Alabama as the Southeast Air Corps Training Center. The Southeast Air Corps Training Center at Maxwell handled flying training (basic, primary and advanced) at airfields in the Eastern United States.
An Air Force Pilot School (preflight) was also activated which provided aviation cadets the mechanics and physics of flight and required the cadets to pass courses in mathematics and the hard sciences. Then the cadets were taught to apply their knowledge practically by teaching them aeronautics, deflection shooting, and thinking in three dimensions. On 8 January 1943, the War Department constituted and redesignated the school as the 74th Flying Training Wing (preflight).
During following years, Maxwell was home to six different schools that trained U.S. military aviators and their support teams for wartime service. As 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...
progressed, the number of required pilot trainees declined, and the Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
decided not to send more aircrew trainees to Maxwell Field.
On 31 July 1943, the Southeast Air Corps Training Center was redesignated as the Eastern Flying Training Command. Also in July, the Army Air Forces announced a specialized school for pilots of four-engine aircraft. The first B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
landed at the field later that month. In early 1945, 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...
bomber training replaced the B-24 program.
Training at Maxwell continued until 15 December 1945, when the Eastern Flying Training Command was inactivated and was consolidated into the Central Flying Training Command at Randolph Field, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Air University, an institution providing continuing military education for Air Force personnel, was established at Maxwell in 1946, prior to the Air Force becoming an independent service. Today, it remains the main focus of base activities. In 1992, the 3800th Air Base Wing
502d Air Base Wing
The 502d Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit that provides installation support for Joint Base San Antonio. The 502d activated on 1 August 2009...
was disbanded and the 502d Air Base Wing
502d Air Base Wing
The 502d Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit that provides installation support for Joint Base San Antonio. The 502d activated on 1 August 2009...
took over as the host wing, which two years later gave way to the current 42d Air Base Wing.
Popular Culture
Maxwell AFB appears in the video game Tom Clancy's EndWarTom Clancy's EndWar
Tom Clancy's EndWar is a real-time tactics game designed by Ubisoft Shanghai for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows platforms. The Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable versions feature turn-based tactics instead of the real-time tactics of their console counterparts...
as a possible battlefield.
See also
- Air Training CommandAir Training CommandAir Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
- Air Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
- Air and Space Basic CourseAir and Space Basic CourseAir and Space Basic Course is a Professional Military Education course taught by the Squadron Officer College, Air University, at Maxwell AFB, AL. It is the first level of PME for U.S. Air Force second lieutenants and is required regardless of commissioning source...
- Air University
- Squadron Officer SchoolSquadron Officer SchoolSquadron Officer School , is a five-week long Professional Military Education course for U.S. Air Force Captains. It fulfills the U.S. Air Force's requirement for primary developmental education . SOS is based at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and the in-residence version of the course is taught there...
- Air Command and Staff CollegeAir Command and Staff CollegeThe Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
- Air War CollegeAir War CollegeThe Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
- Gunter Annex
- Alabama World War II Army AirfieldsAlabama World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Alabama for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
- Air Corps Tactical SchoolAir Corps Tactical SchoolThe Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. Created in 1920 at Langley Field, Virginia, it...
- Civil Air PatrolCivil Air PatrolCivil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
- ROTC
External links
- Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. The Intellectual and Leadership Center of the Air Force
- Maxwell Air Force Base on Twitter
- Maxwell Air Force Base on Facebook
- Air University
- 42nd Air Base Wing
- BRAC 2005: Closings, Realignments to Reshape Infrastructure
- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- National HQ Civil Air Patrol Homepage
- Maxwell-Gunter AFB FamCamp Information