World War II Previously called the
Wilmington Airport and the
Greater Wilmington Airport, the property was taken over by the
United States Army Air Forces during
World War II. Under USAAF control, the airport was renamed
New Castle Army Air Base. Opened in May 1943, New Castle AAB was assigned to the
Air Corps Ferrying Command 2d Ferrying Group with the 552d Army Air Forces Base Unit being the host unit in charge of the base and its facilities. The primary mission of the airfield was to facilitate the movement of aircraft overseas for delivery to the British and other Allies. Members of the historic
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). WASPs served as test and ferry pilots and towed targets for student gunners. There is a statue today at the airport that honors the women of WASP that served their country in the time of need. On 30 June 1945, the 1596th AAF Base Unit replaced the 552d AAFBU and the 2d Ferrying group was replaced by the 2d Foreign Transport Group. The mission of the base was changed to being responsible for overseas air transport of passengers and air cargo.
Continental Air Command With the general drawdown of the Air Force after the war, New Castle Airport became a joint-use base, with civilian aircraft operating from the airfield as an airport. The 328th Troop Carrier squadron was activated at the base on 1 July 1946. It operated C-47 transports from the airfield. On 1 September 1949, the military facilities at the airport were assigned to
Continental Air Command (ConAC) and the
Air Force Reserve's 512th Air Base Group became the host unit, remaining so until 31 January 1951 when it was reassigned to
Reading Municipal Airport,
Pennsylvania. During its tenure as host unit, the
Air Force Reserve and the
512th Troop Carrier Group operated
C-46 Commandos (325th, 326th, 327th and 328th Troop Carrier Squadrons) returned from Reading after it closed as a reserve facility. The 512th was activated to Federal Service on 1 April 1951 due to the
Korean War. Its personnel and aircraft were reassigned as fillers to active duty units and the group was inactivated two weeks later. The 512th ABG was replaced by the Federalized
Delaware Air National Guard's 113th Air Base Group, becoming the host unit on 1 February 1951. The mission of the 113th was to organize, administer, equip, train and prepare assigned ANG personnel for combat and to maintain a level of operational effectiveness. With its activation ended in 1952, the 113th was replaced by the 82d Air Base squadron on 2 January 1952. The 512th TCG was re-formed in the Air Force Reserve on 14 June 1952, being at New Castle Airport as a reserve unit until 20 Jul 1958 when it was reassigned to
Willow Grove Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania.
Air Defense Command In 1950 the facility was renamed
New Castle Air Force Base, with the
Eastern Air Defense Force (EADF),
Air Defense Command (ADC), assuming jurisdiction of New Castle AFB on 1 September 1950. On 8 September 1950, the
4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, equipped with the
F-86A Sabre was reassigned to New Castle AFB, giving the airfield an air-superiority mission. The 4th FIW was deployed to
Japan on 10 November 1950, with a mission to counter the MiG threat in the skies of
Korea. The 4th FIW became the top MiG-killing organization during the
Korean War. In addition to the 4th FIW, the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was activated on the base in 1950, initially flying
F-80 Shooting Stars, and in 1952, being replaced by
F-94 Starfires. In 1952, the 334th was involved in a UFO incident when its interceptors were scrambled to intercept unknown objects detected flying over Washington, D.C. On 10 February 1951, the Federalized
District of Columbia Air National Guard's
113th Fighter-Interceptor Wing was moved to the base from
Andrews AFB, Maryland, and the 113th Air Base Group was designated as the host unit at New Castle AFB. The 113th FIG controlled the Delaware ANG's
142d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which operated
F-84C Thunderjet interceptors. The 142d was upgraded to the
F-94B Starfire on 1 October 1951 and the Air National Guard unit was returned to State of Delaware control on 1 November 1952. With the departure of the Federalized ANG, ADC activated the
4710th Air Defense Wing on 1 February 1952. With its activation, the base was assigned to the
Eastern Air Defense Force's
26th Air Division. In addition, plans were made to elevate the base to a full USAF installation. The 96th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron replaced the 142 FIS on 1 November, inheriting the Starfires used by the Air Guardsmen, and the 525th Air Defense Group became the operational component of the 4710 ADW on 16 February 1953. A second F-94C squadron, the 97th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, joined the group on 27 March 1953. Further, New Castle ANGB was among those targeted for closure by the Pentagon effective in May 2005. However, by the late 1990s, a reversal in the fate of the base had been realized and in excess of $130 million in Federal funds had been allocated for capital projects for base improvement. On 1 April 1997 the operational gaining command of the Delaware Air National Guard changed again from Air Combat Command and back to the Air Mobility Command (AMC).
Major units assigned • Delaware Air National Guard, 1946 – present • 328th Troop Carrier Squadron, 1946-1949 • 512th Troop Carrier Group, 1949–1951; 1952-1958 • 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 1950 • 113th Fighter-Interceptor 1951-1952 • 4710th Air Defense Wing, 1952-1957 • 525th Air Defense Group, 1952-1955 • 82d Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1955-1957 ==See also==