Barksdale AFB

The history of the 2d Bomb Wing is nearly as old as that of American air power itself. Beginning in World War I, the unit was established by the Army Air Services as the first effort in aerial bombardment.

As the 2d Bombardment Group during World War I, it participated in one of the largest bombing raids of the war on 9 Oct 1918 when 353 Allied planes commanded by Gen "Billy" Mitchell struck German troop concentrations in the Meuse-Argonne area. In more than two months of combat, the group delivered more than 111 tons of bombs on German targets.

From 13-21 July 1921, the group's four bombardment squadrons were detached to General Mitchell's 1st Provisional Air Brigade to conduct controversial tests to determine the efficiency of aircraft against naval warships. The aircraft successfully bombed and sank three ex-German warships, including the formidable 22,437-ton battleship Ostfriesland, off the coast of Virginia. From 23-26 Sept. 1921, the group's bombardment squadrons, again under the direction of General Mitchell, bombed and sank the ex-Navy battleship USS Alabama in yet another test of aircraft bombardment efficiency.

On 5 Sept. 1923, the group, operating from an improvised airdrome on the sands near Cape Hatteras, N.C., bombed and sank the ex-Navy battleships USS Virginia and USS New Jersey. With the training and experience gained during these final tests, the 2d Bombardment Group had developed into America's premier aerial bombardment unit.

To further attest the group's capabilities, three 97th Bombardment Squadron Martin B-10B aircraft commanded by Capt. Richard E. Nugent departed Langley Field, VA., and successfully bombed a target 600 miles away in Michigan during the Second Army Maneuvers. This mission, flown almost entirely in inclement weather, garnered the squadron the 1936 Mackay Trophy.

On 1 March 1937, the group received the first B-17 bomber, delivered to the U.S. Army. A goodwill tour to Argentina by six B-17's in February 1938 and a flight to Colombia by three B-17's in August of the same year highlighted the late 1930's. The trip to Bueno Aires represented the longest distance performance of its kind on record and won the group the Mackay Trophy in 1938.

Remaining at Langley Field for more than 20 years, the group underwent several name changes and operated a series of different aircraft. early in World War II the group was assigned anti-submarine patrol duty and in October 1942 was earmarked for combat. The group started with fresh personnel at Geiger Field, Wash., and entered combat operations in North Africa in March 1943. It subsequently became the 2nd Bombardment Group (heavy) in July 1943, while flying the B-17 bomber against Axis targets in the Mediterranean area. From 23 April 1943 to 1 May 1945 aircrews flew a total of 412 combat missions, dropping 25,797 tons of bombs on targets in Africa, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Hungary. Group gunners claimed 279 victories of German and Italian aircraft.

Phase-Down
The phase-down of the vast American military strength following World War II was reflected in the activities of the group. It was inactivated upon its return to the United States in 1946 only to be reactivated as the 2nd Bombardment Group at Andrews Field, MD., 1 July 1947. The group did not become operational until arriving at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. During the late summer and early fall of 1947, the group was on temporary duty in the United Kingdom.

Shortly after the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the military, the group was assigned as a tactical component of the newly designated 2nd Bombardment Wing.

In January 1949, the wing transferred to Chatham Air Force Base, near Savannah, GA. A year later, it was again moved to a new home at nearby Hunter Field. From 1949 to 1952 all or portions of the wing performed temporary duty exercises overseas.

Headquarters Air Force ordered the permanent designation of the group's history, awards and emblem bestowed on the wing 1 April 1963. On that same date, the wing moved to Barksdale from Hunter and took control of the B-52 and KC-135 aircraft assigned to the 4238th Strategic Wing.

Liberty We Defend
Starting in 1965, 2d Bomb Wing crews supported operation "Arc Light," the B-52 bombing operations in Southeast Asia. In April 1972, as part of Operation Bullet Shot, the wing deployed the remainder of its aircraft participated in Operation Just Cause, which ousted President Manuel Noriega and restored democracy to Panama.

Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm brought Barksdale warriors into the spotlight again with their efforts to liberate Kuwait.

The 2d Bomb Wing flew the longest bombing mission in the history of military aviation when seven B-52's flew a 35 hour mission and launched the first conventional cruise missiles. The 2d Bomb Wing delivered one-fourth of all U.S. Air Force bombs during Desert Storm. The 2d Bomb Wing KC-135's and KC-10's provided more than 1,000 of the 13,700 coalition refueling missions.

Two 2d Bomb Wing B-52's conducted a missile strike against surface-to-air missile sites and air defense radars in Iraq in September 1996. Desert Strike was the first combat employment of the B-52H in history and was ordered in response to Iraqi attacks on Kurds in northern Iraq. The mission earned the wing the prestigious 1996 Mackay Trophy as the most meritorious flight of the year.

In November 1997, eight B-52 bombers and about 200 people from the wing were ordered by the president to the British Isle of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean where they joined forces already in the region in response to threats made by Iraq. The B-52's capability to perform a variety of missions with worldwide precision strike served as a significant factor in making up a credible military force that led to an agreement between the U.N. secretary general and Iraq that called for a full accounting and disclosure of weapons-of-mass-destruction programs.

In response to Iraq's refusal to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors, seven B-52's and about 180 people from Barksdale were again deployed to Diego Garcia in November 1998. U.S. military forces, including Barksdale's B-52's, launched a sustained series of air strikes against Iraq shortly after midnight 17 Dec. 1998, using conventional air-launched cruise missiles.

Today, as the largest bomb wing in Air Combat Command and part of the historic 8th Air Force, the wing continues to reflect the heritage of its motto, Libertatem Defendimus: "Liberty We Defend."

Main phone numbers: Commercial (318)456-2252 or DSN 781-2252

Mailing address: Barksdale AFB, LA 71110

Population: 5,372 active duty; 1,534 reservists; 7,125 family members; 1,288 civilians

Housing: 87 officer family units; 497 enlisted family units; 804 unaccompanied personnel units (318)456-4791

Temporary lodging: 264 visitor and temporary units (318)456-3091; campground (318)456-2679

Family Support Center: (318)456-8400

Schools: None on base.

Child Care: Center for 166, six-month wait; five approved homes (318)456-4139

Health care: Clinic. Appointments (318)456-6555; benefits (318)456-6572; Tricare (800)611-2875

Barksdale AFB - Bossier City, LA has a large size commissary - (318)456-8263, a medium exchange, a mall, and one shoppette (318)746-2554. Recreation at Barksdale AFB - Bossier City, LA includes bowling, library, recreation center, theater, golf, gym, tennis, swimming, outdoor activities, and fishing.

Internet: www.barksdale.af.mil/