United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) at Wheelus Air Base

By the end of the war, it had re-organized its commands to mainland Europe at Lindsey Air Station, Wiesbaden, Germany and was redesignated as the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe.

Today, USAFE maintains air force jets ready for combat at bases from the United Kingdom to Turkey, covering air and space operations in Europe, Asia and most of Africa and is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany2.

The establishment in 1949 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) resulted in an increase of responsibilities for the United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE)1. USAFE was initiated as the Eighth Air Force on 19 January 1942 at Savannah Army Air Base, Georgia. During the Second World War, the Eighth Air Force was relocated to headquarters at Bushey Park, Southwest London, England (USSTAF). On 7 August 1945, USSTAF was, in turn, redesignated as the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).

USAFE at Wheelus Airbase

In 1951, USAFE was allocated primary responsibility for Wheelus. The 7272nd Air Base Wing was designated the ‘host unit’ although many other units would operate out of Wheelus in the years that followed. 1951 was also the year that the Kingdom of Libya granted permission for USAFE fighter and bomber units to use the weapons training facilities at the El Uotia Gunnery Range. This was a 23,000-acre gunnery range approximately 50 miles west of Wheelus, near the Tunisian border, which allowed Wheelus to develop as an excellent training facility, which saw USAFE staff trained in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground shooting, and delivery of weapons, both conventional and nuclear3.

Fighter Interceptor Squadron aka The Red Devils. United States Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Many other units operated out of Wheelus over the years, including the Red Devils, Strategic Air Command, the Seventeenth Airforce and the 58th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron.

431st ‘The Red Devils’ Emblem. United States Air Force, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Red Devils

In June 1953, USAFE’S 431st Fighter - Interceptor Squadron was deployed at Wheelus AB, having been reassigned from Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan. The squadron flew mainly F-86 Sabres, plus two Lockheed T-33s (aka T Birds) and one Douglas C-47. The squadron remained at Wheelus until September 1958, when it was redeployed to Zaragoza Air Base in Spain. The 431st was nicknamed ‘The Red Devils’ as evidenced by their badge4.

Strategic Air Command Emblem - en:United States Army Institute of Heraldry, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Strategic Air Command logo on a B-47 on display at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, Georgia. Bubba73 (Jud McCranie), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Strategic Air Command

In the 50’s, air tankers were rare and refuelling of aircraft was no simple task. Wheelus was an ideal location, with Libya lying in the centre of the Mediterranean, with predominantly clear weather conditions, unimpeded by severe precipitation and foggy and cloudy conditions, this rendered it a strategic choice for Strategic Air Command (SAC) to be deployed.

From 16 November 1950, SAC began moving B-50s, B-36s and B-47s as well as KB-29s, KB-50s and KC97 tankers from the United States to Wheelus Airbase. Wheelus became a primary location for SAC operations in North Africa, and was used as a base for bomber excursions, tanker refueling and reconnaissance missions. Wheelus hosted SAC bomber deployments in 45-day rotational deployments, with Wheelus acting as a staging area for planned strikes against the Soviet Union.

SAC's use of Wheelus continued until 1970, when as part of the USAF withdrawal from the base, its rotational deployments ended.

Seventeenth Air Force Emblem - en:United States Army Institute of Heraldry, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Seventeenth Air Force

Wheelus was the primary home to USAFE’s 17th Air Force from 1956 to 1959. During the early to mid 1950's the units and equipment of the USAFE Seventeenth Air Force, which served USAFE from 1953 to 1996 and which was initially based at Rabat, Morocco, were progressively enlarging. With the expansion of the command into Greece, Italy and Turkey, it was decided that headquarters of the Seventeenth Air Force would be moved to a more central position. In August 1956, the headquarters of the Seventeenth Air Force was reassigned from Morocco to Wheelus Air Base, allowing for increased space for the force and a more convenient and strategic position6. The Seventeenth Air Force remained headquartered at Wheelus until November 1959, when it was redeployed to Ramstein Air Base in West Germany7.

The 58th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron

The 58th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron was based at Wheelus from 1952 through to 1970. This was from its activation till the loss of Wheelus base rights after the overthrow of the Libyan monarchy in 1969 (apart from a brief halt in its activities from September 1960 to June 1961). The 58th’s mandate was to fly search and rescue missions over areas of the Middle East, Africa, and Southern Europe. It also assisted by standing on alert during the manned space missions of the 1960’s, and emergency aid in the event of natural disasters in the region8. In a notable event, during the North African Flood Disaster of 1969, which killed 600 people and displaced over a quarter of a million people in Tunisia and Algeria9, three Sikorsky HH-3E Jolly Greens from the 58th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron at Wheelus flew into flood-ravaged Tunisia and saved the lives of at least 433 people trapped in high waters10.

USAF 58th Rescue and Recovery Squadron assisting in Rescue, from ‘Floods in Tunisia (1969)’ - Video. British Pathe.

F100 of the 7272nd Flying Training Wing, Wheelus, USAF Photo

Given USAFE’s expanding operations at Wheelus, control of Wheelus Airbase was formally reassigned from MATS to the command of the USAFE on 16 October 1961, with the 7272nd Air Base Wing becoming the host unit11.

footnotes

  1. Seventeenth Air Force history. U.S. Air Forces in Europe & Air Forces Africa. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.usafe.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/252929/seventeenth-air-force-history/
  2. Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, April 17). United States Air Forces in Europe – air forces africa. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Forces_in_Europe_%E2%80%93_Air_Forces_Africa
  3. The years of wheelus. Air Force Magazine. (2022, May 20). Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0108wheelus/
  4. Ibid.,
  5. The Years of Wheelus. Air Force Magazine. (2022, May 20). Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.airforcemag.com/article/0108wheelus/
  6. Seventeenth Air Force history. U.S. Air Forces in Europe & Air Forces Africa. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://www.usafe.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/252929/seventeenth-air-force-history/
  7. Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, November 29). Wheelus Air Base. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelus_Air_Base#USAFE_use
  8. Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, January 31). 58th rescue squadron. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/58th_Rescue_Squadron#Rescue_in_North_Africa
  9. Winstanley, D. THE NORTH AFRICAN FLOOD DISASTER, SEPTEMBER 1969, Volume25, Issue9 September 1970 Pages 390-403.
  10. Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, January 31). 58th rescue squadron. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/58th_Rescue_Squadron#Rescue_in_North_Africa
  11. Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, November 29). Wheelus Air Base. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelus_Air_Base#USAFE_use
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