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Base · World War II · 1933–present

Barksdale Field

Shreveport airfield that trained bomber crews in WWII and became Barksdale Air Force Base.

History

Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) (IATA: BAD, ICAO: KBAD, FAA LID: BAD) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB occupies more than 22,000 acres (8,900 ha) east of Bossier City and along the southern edge of Interstate 20. More than 15,000 active-duty and Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) members serve at Barksdale.

Text adapted from Wikipedia: Barksdale Air Force Base (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Timeline

  1. 2 February 1933
    The field was dedicated on February 2, 1933, and the 3rd Attack Wing arrived in the mid-1930s.
    Wikipedia
  2. 1936
    Additional barracks were constructed 1936–1937, and light bombers replaced pursuit and attack aircraft.
    Wikipedia
  3. 25 May 1940
    Between 23 and 25 May 1940, Barksdale Field was host to the Army's "complete military maneuvers" simulating European combat operations.
    Wikipedia
  4. November 1940
    Barksdale was developed as an Air Corps flying school November 1940 and the runway apron was completed mid-1941.
    Wikipedia
  5. 1942
    During World War II, the airfield trained replacement crews and entire units between 1942 and 1945.
    Wikipedia
  6. 1945
    The base was also home to the Air Training Command beginning in 1945.
    Wikipedia
  7. 1945
    In the postwar year of the 1940s, Barksdale then became headquarters for the Air Training Command from 1945 to 1949.
    Wikipedia
  8. 1 December 1945
    Army Air Forces (USAAF) Base Unit as the OTU, being subsequently replaced by the 2621st USAAF Base Unit on 1 December 1945.
    Wikipedia
Did a relative serve at Barksdale Field? A report can show the dates and pages that place them there. Records that place a person at a base are muster rolls, morning reports, unit rosters or discharge papers; a base history alone doesn't prove someone took part in an event.