In 1920 a hangar was built on a former auto racing track to accommodate airmail service, and the 160-acre property became known as Speedway Field. In 1923, the airport was renamed
Wold-Chamberlain Field in honor of two local pilots, Ernest Wold and Cyrus Chamberlain, who lost their lives in combat during World War I. The airport soon became home to
Northwest Airways, which in 1926 won the government's airmail contract and acquired the airport's only hangar.
Navy In 1928 Naval Reserve Air Station Minneapolis was created At Wold Chamberlain Field. That same year the name changed to Naval Reserve Air Base (NRAB) Minneapolis. In 1979 the name changed to NARC Twin Cities. On September 20, 1943, the detachment was re designated as
Station No. 11, Alaskan Wing, Air Transport Command. The airport became a key stop on what was designated the "Alaskan Route", in which aircraft were ferried north to
Edmonton Airport in Northern Alberta on the Alaska Route, to support the
Alaskan Campaign against the Japanese, and also for eventual transport to
Siberia as part of
Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union. Minneapolis was also a stop on ATC's "Crimson Route", the ferrying route between the manufacturing facilities in Southern California and the combat bases being constructed in the United Kingdom. It operated as a refueling and maintenance base on the transport route north to
Crystal II in the Canadian
Northern Territories or
Goose Air Station in
Labrador to support the combat forces in the United Kingdom, North Africa and other destinations. With the end of the war in September 1945, the military mission of the airport was changed on January 1, 1946, to be a supply depot for Air Transport Command cargo aircraft throughout the upper Great Lakes region and to serve as a terminus for transcontinental planes and their upkeep.
Continental Air Command On July 1, 1948, with the inactivation of Air Transport Command, control of the military facilities was transferred to
Continental Air Command (ConAC), with the 2465th Air Force Reserve Training Center being activated August 28. Its mission was to conduct reserve training. The
440th Troop Carrier Group (Medium) was activated at the field on September 3 equipped with
C-47 Skytrains. The 440th trained for troop carrier operations in the Reserve, and became part of the
440th Troop Carrier Wing when it activated in June 1949. It was called to active duty on May 1, 1951, and inactivated four days later with its personnel and equipment being reassigned to other units as a result of the
Korean War. After its federal service ended in January 1953, it was reactivated and after a short period as a Fighter-Bomber Group, it transitioned to
C-119 Flying Boxcars in 1954. The 440th remained in Minneapolis until November 1957 when it was transferred to the new Air Reserve Station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Air Defense Command With the inactivation of the 440th Troop Carrier Group in May 1951, the active-duty
Air Defense Command (ADC) brought the federalized
Kentucky Air National Guard's
123d Fighter-Interceptor Wing to the airport later in May. The 123d FIG's
165th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was equipped with
F-51 Mustangs and trained until the end of its federal service in February 1952. The F-51s were taken over by the active-duty
18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, under ADC's
514th Air Defense Group in February 1952. These World War II fighters, used as interceptors, were replaced by
F-86F Sabre jet interceptors in 1953. The 514th was redesignated as the
475th Fighter-Interceptor Group (Air Defense) on August 18, 1955, as part of an ADC program to reactivate notable World War II combat units. The 18th FIS was also redesignated as the
432d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. The
F-94 Starfire-equipped 337th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron became the second interceptor squadron at Minneapolis later in 1955. In late 1957, Air Defense Command began to wind down operations at Minneapolis, due to the expansion of the civilian airport and jet noise of the interceptors over the urban area surrounding the facility. The 475th FIG was inactivated on January 2, 1958.
Air Force Reserve The USAF Reserve returned to Minneapolis on February 11, 1963, when the 934th Tactical Airlift Group was activated. Initially flying the C-119 Flying Boxcar, the unit has also periodically deployed to Panama, and later Puerto Rico, to fly cargo and personnel throughout Central and South America since 1979. Upgraded to the C-130 in 1970, the 934th deployed personnel and aircraft to participate in allied operations in the Persian Gulf area and the Balkans in 1990 and later. It has also participated in numerous joint airborne training exercises and humanitarian airlifts.
Minnesota Air National Guard The Minnesota 109th Fighter Squadron was allocated to the Air National Guard on May 24, 1946, at Minneapolis. During the Korean War it was activated, contributing pilots to Korea's "Mig Alley." In the 1950s and early 1960s, the 109th Fighter Interceptor Squadron was providing active air defense commitments with 24-hour alert status. Threats by the Soviet Union to oust Western troops from West Berlin in 1961 prompted the "Berlin Crisis" and a call-up of selected National Guard forces throughout the nation. Included in this mobilization were members of the 133rd Air Transport Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard, who served in federal active service for 11 months while operating out of their home station at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. During the
Vietnam War, although never officially mobilized, the Air Guard flew hundreds of supply and transport missions to Southeast Asia. ==Gallery==