The base was opened on 21 October 1942 and during the
Second World War performed
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircrew training. It was placed on inactive status on 23 September 1946, although a small cadre of Army and Air Force personnel (331 Composite Squadron) remained assigned to
Alexandria Municipal Airport throughout the late 1940s. On 10 October 1950, the United States Air Force reopened
Alexandria Air Force Base during the
Korean War. The station's primary mission was tactical fighter operations for
Tactical Air Command. Its major operating units were: •
United States Army Air Forces : 67th Airdrome Squadron, 1 February 1943 – 25 March 1943 : 471st Bombardment Group, 1 May 1943 – 7 May 1943 : 469th Bombardment Group, 7 May 1943 – 1 April 1944 : 221st AAF Base Unit, 25 March 1944 – 1 March 1945 : 329th AAF Base Unit, 1 March 1945 – 23 September 1946 •
United States Air Force : 4416th Base Complement Sq, 23 October 1950 – 22 December 1950 :
137th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 22 December 1950 – 2 May 1952 :: Composite
Air National Guard wing activated to Federal Service due to
Korean War :: Flew Republic
F-84 "Thunderjets". Three operational squadrons 125th (Oklahoma ANG, F-84B/G, 127th (Kansas ANG F-84C/G), 128th (Georgia ANG, F-84B/G)). ANG personnel trained at Alexandria AFB 1950/51, being replaced by active duty Air Force personnel in 1951/52. Wing reassigned to
USAFE at
Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base,
France : 132d Fighter-Bomber Wing, 2 May 1952 – 1 January 1953 :: Iowa ANG Wing activated to Federal Service replacing reassigned 137th FBW :: One operational squadron (124th FIS). Flew Republic straight winged F-84s. Returned to state control.(F-84Fs were not assigned to front line units until January 1954-please see pages 42/3 in POST WORLD WAR TWO FIGHTERS 1945–73 U S Government Printing Office) :
366th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 1 January 1953 – 1 April 1959 :: Active duty Air Force wing activated at Alexandria AFB. Three operational squadrons (
389th,
390th,
391st) being initially equipped with
North American F-51D Mustang, reequipped with
North American F-86F "Sabre" jet aircraft by end of 1953. :: Alexandria AFB renamed England AFB on 23 June 1955 in honor of Lt Col John Brooke England, who died in an aircraft crash in France while attempting to land in heavy fog. :: Wing became first TAC unit to perform six-month TDY rotations with NATO at
Aviano AB,
Italy, with rotations continuing to support NATO in
France and Italy. Redesignated 366th Tactical Fighter Wing 1 July 1958. Inactivated 1 April 1959 as part of a general budgetary reduction of USAF wings. Aircraft transferred to
Air National Guard. :
420th Air Refueling Squadron (Tactical), 18 March 1954 – 4 October 1955 :: (Activated at England AFB, equipped with
Boeing KB-29P. :: First unit in TAC of its type. Provided TAC with independent air refueling capability. Reassigned to
USAFE at
RAF Sculthorpe,
England. : 622d Air Refueling Squadron (Tactical), 18 July 1955 – 1 April 1964 :: Activated at England AFB, assigned to 4505th Air Refueling Wing,
Langley AFB,
Virginia 1 July 1958. :: Equipped with
Boeing KB-29P (1955–57), later
turbojet-augmented Boeing KB-50J (1957–64) aircraft. Aircraft became obsolescent and unit inactivated 1 April 1964. :
401st Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 April 1959 – 27 April 1966 :: According to AIR FORCE COMBAT WINGS 1947–1977(GPO) pages 194/5 and 214, the 366th FBW had two FB Groups under it: 366th & 401st. The 366th WING became a TFW in July 1958 and inactivated in April 1959. Meanwhile, the 401st FBG upgraded to a FBW in September 1957 and remained in place with four squadrons of F-100D/Fs. The aircraft and most of the personnel of the 366th Wing were transferred to other units in TAC and overseas. There was no redesignations of any 366th squadrons to 401st squadrons. :: Four tactical fighter squadrons (612th, 613th, 614th, 615th) redesignated from former 366th TFW units. Participated in numerous firepower demonstrations, tactical exercises and maneuvers in the United States and overseas, and deployed its tactical squadrons to bases in Europe and the Middle East in support of NATO. Deployed to
Homestead AFB,
Florida during
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) as tactical airstrike unit. Wing designation along with 613th TFS reassigned to
USAFE at
Torrejon Air Base,
Spain. :
3d Tactical Fighter Wing, 9 January 1964 – 7 November 1965 :: Reassigned from
Yokota AB,
Japan, Equipped with F-100 Super Sabres after arrival at England AFB. :: Four tactical fighter squadrons (90th, 416th,
510th, 531st)., with the 510th coming from Clark AB, RP and the 416th and 531st moving from Misawa AB Japan, each unit with about 25 F-100D/Fs, then trained and rotated its squadrons in detached status to
Southeast Asia for combat duty. Reassigned to
Bien Hoa AB,
South Vietnam. The 3rd Wing number transferred from Yokota AB Japan along with one squadron number, the 90th "Pair-O-Dice", in the spring of 1964, so the wing had four squadrons assigned. : 834th Air Division, 1 July 1964 – 15 October 1966 :: Assumed command and control over 3d and 401st Tactical Fighter Wings. :: After reassignment of wings, assumed remaining organization and operational squadrons of former 401st TFW. Deployed to South Vietnamese bases (834th AD to
Tan Son Nhut AB), (612th, 614th, 615th) TFS to
Phan Rang AB,
Phu Cat AB). : 1st Air Commando/Special Operations Wing 15 January 1966 – 15 July 1969 :: 317th, 319th, 603rd Air Commando/Special Operations Squadrons :: Reassigned from
Hurlburt Field Florida. Redesignated 1st SOW 8 July 1968. Reassigned to Hurlburt Field, Florida. : 4410th Combat Crew Training Wing/Group 15 July 1969 – 31 July 1973 ::
6th Special Operations Training Squadron, 427th, 4412th, 4532d Combat Crew Training Squadrons :: Wing reassigned from
Hurlburt Field Florida. Redesignated as Group, 15 September 1970. Inactivated July 1973 due to US withdrawal from South Vietnam. Upon group inactivation, 6th SOTS reassigned to 1st SOW at Hurlburt Field but remained at England AFB until inactivation, January 1974. On 15 September 1970, the 4403d Tactical Fighter Wing, a temporary Major Air Command-Controlled (MAJCOM) unit, activated at England. With its subordinate
416th (activated 28 September 1970) and 431st Tactical Fighter Squadrons, it absorbed returning
North American F-100 Super Sabre aircraft of 31st TFW from
Tuy Hoa Air Base South Vietnam. It transferred aircraft and other assets to the
Air National Guard. Acted as holding unit for arriving
LTV A-7D Corsair II aircraft starting April 1972. The 4403d TFW and the 416th TFS both inactivated on 1 July 1972. On 1 July 1972, the
23d Tactical Fighter Wing reactivated at the base, without personnel or equipment, and took over the organization and assets of the temporary 4403d TFW. Three A-7D tactical fighter (
74th,
75th,
76th) squadrons formed. The wing re-equipped with
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft in 1981. Redesignated 23d Fighter Wing 1 October 1991. Inactivated 1 June 1992. ==Air Defense Command==