Establishment Pounds Field was established by the City of Tyler in 1929 at a cost of as a municipal airport. As part of the buildup of the
Army Air Corps in 1941, the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics of the
Department of Commerce, acting under the Commerce Appropriation act, entered an agreement with the city for the development of the Tyler Municipal Airport as a necessity for national defense. In exchange, the city would continue to use the airport as a civil facility. In November 1942, the Army Air Forces began the conversion of the municipal airport to a military airfield, with the construction of hangars, a large aircraft parking ramp, two hard-surfaced runways along with a station area consisting of numerous buildings and barracks to support 2,000 personnel. Initial construction was completed in April 1943. The facility, named
Tyler Army Air Field was assigned to
Third Air Force officially on 27 March 1943. Third Air Force assigned the facility to
Barksdale Field, Louisiana, as a sub-base. A detachment was assigned to Tyler from Barksdale to prepare the facility as an operational training field. This included erecting a control tower and also setting up facilities such as a hospital, post exchange and other support facilities. The land also required sod and shrubbery which was purchased from local sources along with service clubs for keeping up enlisted men's morale. In April transient aircraft began to land at the airfield and a transient alert detachment was established to render refueling and maintenance support. :
494th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 10 September – 15 November 1943 :
495th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 10 September-15 November 1943 •
409th Bombardment Group (A-20G Havoc) :
642d Bombardment Squadron (Light), 1 December 1943 – 16 December 1943 :
643d Bombardment Squadron (Light), 1 December 1943 – 16 December 1943 •
159th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 25 March 1944 – 1 June 1944, Stinson L-5 •
11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 17 April 1944 – 12 July 1944, F-10 (B-25) Mitchell •
1st Reconnaissance Squadron (Special) (later 41st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron), 24 May 1944 – 7 December 1944, F-7 (A-20) Havoc • 161st Liaison Squadron, 10 July 1944 – 30 July 1944; 30 September 1944 – 19 November 1944, Stinson L-5 ==See also==