Rhein-Main Air Base (located at ) was a
United States Air Force air base near the city of
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. It was a
Military Airlift Command (MAC) and
United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) installation, occupying the south side of
Frankfurt Airport. Its military airport codes are discontinued. Established in 1945, Rhein-Main Air Base was the primary airlift and passenger hub for USAFE. It was billed as the "Gateway to Europe". It closed on 30 December 2005.
During its lifetime, the base's host airlift wing operated
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
and
Douglas C-9A Nightingale
The McDonnell Douglas C-9 was a military version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airliner. It was produced as the C-9A Nightingale for the United States Air Force, and the C-9B Skytrain II for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The final flight of th ...
aircraft, as well as supporting many transient
C-5 Galaxy,
C-141 Starlifter,
C-17 Globemaster III,
KC-135 Stratotanker and
KC-10 Extender flight operations each day. Daily or weekly contract air passenger flights were also conducted for United States personnel arriving in or leaving Europe.
Arrival
After the
U.S. 7th Army moved through the Frankfurt area, th
826th Engineer Aviation Battalion (EAB) a unit of th
IX Engineer Command arrived at Frankfurt/Rhein-Main Airfield on 26 April 1945. It was classified as Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) Y-73. On 11 May 1945, the engineers began the task of clearing rubble and reconstructing major buildings. The Army engineers built new runways, aprons and hardstands, and taxiways leading to the terminal, as well as extending and widening the existing runway.
Frankfurt/Rhein-Main Airfield was initially used by the
Ninth Air Force as a tactical fighter base. Tactical air groups stationed at the airfield were:
* 362d Fighter Group (8 April 1945 - 30 April 1945)
*
377th Fighter Group (14 April 1945 - 2 May 1945)
* 378th Fighter Group (14 April 1945 - 2 May 1945)
* 379th Fighter Group (8 April 1945 - 30 April 1945)
* 425th Night Fighter Squadron (12 April 1945 - 2 May 1945)
Air Transport
The initial
USAAF transport unit at Rhein-Main was the 466th Air Service Group, activated on 20 November 1945. The 466th operated the aerial port, with a mixture of
C-47 Skytrain,
C-46 Commando, and
C-54 Skymaster transport aircraft using the base for transport operations. The Rhein-Main transport passenger and cargo terminal was completed in 1946, and air traffic into Rhein-Main increased after the closure of the military passenger terminal at
Orly Air Base,
France, in March 1947, when the
USAFE Eastern Air Transport Service opened its hub at Rhein-Main.
The
61st Troop Carrier Group was reassigned to Rhein-Main on 30 September 1946 from nearby
Eschborn Air Base and assumed control of the transport mission, carrying out routine transport operations from the base using C-47s and C-54s. Troop Carrier Squadrons of the 61st TCG were the 14th, 15th, and 53rd.
Berlin Airlift
The
ongoing dispute over
Berlin strained relations between the
Soviet Union and the Western Allies (
United States,
United Kingdom,
France). On 24 June 1948, the Soviet Union
blocked access to the three Western-held sectors of Berlin, which lay deep within the Soviet-controlled zone of Germany, by cutting off all rail and road routes going through Soviet-controlled territory in Germany. The commander of the American occupation zone in Germany, General
Lucius D. Clay
General Lucius Dubignon Clay (April 23, 1898 – April 16, 1978) was a senior officer of the United States Army who was known for his administration of occupied Germany after World War II. He served as the deputy to General of the Army Dwight D ...
, USA, gave the order on 25 June to launch a
massive airlift using both civil and military aircraft. Rhein-Main Air Base became the main American terminal in western Germany for
the airlift. The aircraft of the 61st TCG participated using C-54 Skymasters to ferry coal, flour, and other cargo into
West Berlin. Additional Troop Carrier Squadrons were assigned to the 61st group, these being the 20th, 48th, and 54th.
On 19 November 1948, the
513th Troop Carrier Group (Special) was activated at Rhein-Main Air Base to assist in the airlift, also using C-54s. Squadrons of the 513th were the
313th,
330th,
331st,
332d, and
333d.
The Soviet Union lifted its blockade at 00:01, on 12 May 1949. However, the airlift did not end until 30 September, as the Western nations wanted to build up sufficient amounts of supplies in West Berlin in case the Soviets blockaded it again.
1949–1959
Although originally envisioned as a bomber base by USAFE, as a result of the Berlin Airlift, Rhein-Main became a principal European air transport terminal. With the end of the blockade, the 513th TCG was inactivated on 16 October 1949. The 61st TCG returned to routine transport operations until the outbreak of the
Korean War. The 61st was reassigned to
McChord Air Force Base,
Washington on 21 July 1950.
The 61st was replaced by the
60th Troop Carrier Wing 060 may refer to:
* Motorola 68060 microprocessor
* 0-6-0, wheel arrangement for railway locomotives
* emergency telephone number in Mexico, "060"
* Bermuda, country code "060" (ISO 3166-1 numeric)
* 060, the area code for Chimay in the Belgian tel ...
, which transferred from
Wiesbaden Air Base, West Germany on 2 June 1950. The 60th was equipped with the heavier
C-82 Packet cargo aircraft. In 1953, the
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechaniz ...
arrived, bringing an increased cargo capability to the wing. The 60th TCW consisted of the following squadrons:
*
10th Troop Carrier Squadron 010 may refer to:
* 10 (number)
* 8 (number) in octal numeral notation
* Motorola 68010, a microprocessor released by Motorola in 1982
* 010, the telephone area code of Beijing
* 010, the Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the R ...
* 11th Troop Carrier Squadron
* 12th Troop Carrier Squadron
In 1955, with the opening of
USAFE bases in France, most heavy transport flights were shifted there and Rhein-Main became a passenger and tactical cargo hub. The 60th Troop Carrier Wing relocated to
Dreux-Louvillier Air Base, France on 15 October 1955. The 1614th Support Squadron of the
Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...
's (MATS)
1602d Air Transport Wing
Lucius D. Clay Kaserne (german: Flugplatz Wiesbaden-Erbenheim) , commonly known as Clay Kaserne, is an installation of the United States Army in Hesse, Germany. The ''kaserne'' is located within Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. Named for General Lucius D. Cl ...
headquartered at
Châteauroux, France provided aircraft maintenance, passenger services, air cargo handling, hotel operations and airlift operational support during the 1950s and 1960s. Rhein-Main was placed under the 7310th Air Base Wing, which for over a decade provided ground service as well as cargo and passenger loading and unloading for USAFE and MATS transports.
During the Cold War, the dependents of military and government personnel living on base or in the surrounding communities attended
Gail S. Halvorsen Elementary School, Rhein-Main Elementary School,
William H. Tunner
William Henry Tunner (July 14, 1906 – April 6, 1983) was a general officer in the United States Air Force and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces. Tunner was known for his expertise in the command of large-scale military airlif ...
Middle School, Rhein-Main Junior High School, and
Frankfurt American High School.
USAFE turned over the northern part of the base to the German government for use as
Flughafen Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres. ...
, the chief commercial airport for the greater Frankfurt area, in April 1959. The remainder of the base stayed in USAF hands as the principal aerial port for the
Department of Defense in Germany.
435th Tactical Airlift Wing
The 1966 closure of USAFE bases in France increased cargo traffic at Rhein-Main extensively. On 1 July 1969, MAC transferred the
435th Tactical Airlift Wing
The 435th Air Ground Operations Wing is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
The current commander is Colonel Bryan T. Callahan, who too ...
from
RAF High Wycombe in the
United Kingdom to Rhein-Main as host unit and upgraded its facilities. Squadrons assigned to Rhein-Main along with the 435th TAW were:
*
37th Tactical Airlift Squadron
The 37th Airlift Squadron is part of the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It operates Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules aircraft providing theater airlift.
Mission
Conduct airlift, airdrop and aeromedical evacuation operations.
...
(assigned 1 October 1977) (
Lockheed C-130 Hercules)
*
55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron
The 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated during World War II as the 55th Ferrying Squadron. It deployed to Canada and managed a station on the ALSIB ferrying route.
The squadro ...
(assigned 31 March 1975) (
McDonnell Douglas C-9A Nightingale)
*
630th Military Airlift Support Squadron (MASSq)
*
322nd Combat Support Group
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many socie ...
(CSG)
There were also other Military Airlift Command Squadrons in USAFE, notably at
Torrejón AB in Spain and
Inçirlik AB in Turkey, which were made part of the 435th TAW.
The 630th MASSq operated Rhein-Main's freight and passenger terminals and provided aircraft maintenance for transitory
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...
,
C-141 Starlifter and
C-5 Galaxy aircraft supporting aerial ports in
Europe, the
Middle East, and
Africa. TDY support of missions was not uncommon. Rhein-Main AB was the principal
Port of Entry
In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internati ...
for all U.S. servicemen and women serving in West Germany as well as military and diplomatic air freight destined for U.S. bases and embassies throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
The 37th TAS took part in airlift operations during
Operations Desert Shield/Storm in
Southwest Asia (the Middle East), from 14 August 1990 – 29 March 1991. It also air-dropped humanitarian supplies in
Operation Provide Comfort for the relief of fleeing Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq in April–May 1991. The 37th AS conducted airlift and airdrop missions to
Bosnia and Herzegovina for
Operation Provide Promise, starting July 1992.
The
55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron
The 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated during World War II as the 55th Ferrying Squadron. It deployed to Canada and managed a station on the ALSIB ferrying route.
The squadro ...
flew
aeromedical missions throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
During the 1980s, Rhein-Main AB was the primary airbase supporting a program run by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Affairs, under the authority of the late
George M. Dykes, IV
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd President ...
, who was DoD Director of Humanitarian Assistance, supporting Afghan guerrillas (at that time known as Mujaheddin) in their fight against the Soviet Union. Over 100 Afghan Relief Flights, flown by
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter and
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-rang ...
aircraft, and ten Pack Animal Transport flights, flown by
Flying Tigers Airlines
Flying Tiger Line, also known as Flying Tigers, was the first scheduled cargo airline in the United States and a major military charter operator during the Cold War era for both cargo and personnel (the latter with leased aircraft). The airline ...
B747F aircraft (which transported Texas mules to Afghanistan in a covert operation to provide logistics to the Afghan guerrillas, were routed through the airbase. This included a series of approximately 50 aeromedical evacuation flights that brought combat wounded Afghan guerrillas and, from time to time, women and children from Chaklala's
PAF Base Nur Khan in Pakistan to the US and Europe for reconstructive surgery after they lost hands, feet, legs, or arms. These flights were supported by the
55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron
The 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated during World War II as the 55th Ferrying Squadron. It deployed to Canada and managed a station on the ALSIB ferrying route.
The squadro ...
with medical aircrews from the
2d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron.
On 1 July 1975, the
USAF and
Military Airlift Command entered into an agreement with the
Federal Republic of Germany that only transport aircraft would be stationed at Rhein-Main Air Base.
Events of note at Rhein-Main Air Base:
* On December 10, 1978, the first group of military dependents evacuated from Iran on C-141s landed in Rhein-Main after leaving Tehran late the day before. They had spent the first night in
Athens, their second leg of the trip was to Rhein-Main and then they were transported to
McGuire Air Force Base
McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the j ...
. Each plane held approximately 150 women and children.
* On January 20, 1981, the American hostages held during the
Iran hostage crisis were flown to Rhein-Main in a
C-9A Nightingale
The McDonnell Douglas C-9 was a military version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airliner. It was produced as the C-9A Nightingale for the United States Air Force, and the C-9B Skytrain II for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The final flight of th ...
aeromedical aircraft.
* On 23 October 1983, the
bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon occurred. Rhein Main AB was instrumental in the processing of the casualties from that bombing in the days and weeks to follow. 241 military personnel perished in the blast.
*
On August 8, 1985, the
Red Army Faction snuck a car laden with explosives onto the base and parked it behind the headquarters building. At approximately 7:15 AM the car exploded, killing
Airman first class Frank Scarton of Michigan and Becky Jo Bristol of
San Antonio, Texas, and wounding 20 others.
* In 1990, Rhein-Main Air Base was a major staging base for supplies and equipment heading to the
Gulf War.
Post-Cold War use
The U.S. staged ''
Operation Provide Hope
Operation Provide Hope was a humanitarian operation conducted by the U.S. Air Force to provide medical equipment to former Soviet republics during their transition to capitalism. The operation was announced by Secretary of State James A. Baker, ...
'', a symbolic yet substantial airlift in February 1992 to the former Soviet Union, from Rhein-Main AB. A closing ceremony to the airlift phase (a much larger ground phase of Operation Provide Hope began in the spring) was held in late February at Rhein-Main AB, using a Russian
Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft to transport the last shipment of air-delivered supplies.
On 1 April 1992 the 435th TAW was realigned from
Military Airlift Command (MAC) to
United States Air Forces in Europe (
USAFE) and redesignated as the 435th Airlift Wing (435 AW). The 37th Tactical Airlift Squadron (37 TAS) became the 37th Airlift Squadron (37 AS) on the same date. At its peak, Rhein-Main AB had a population of 10,000. However, by 1993, USAF officials announced the intent to downsize the base by half.
On 1 July 1993, the 55th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron moved to
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...
with its C-9A Nightingale aircraft. The 37th Airlift Squadron was subsequently reassigned to Ramstein on 1 October 1994. With these moves completed and most heavy
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri.
Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...
(AMC) airlifters moving transcontinental cargo and passenger traffic to Ramstein and
Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base (IATA: SPM, ICAO: ETAD, former code EDAD) is a NATO air base with the USAF as a tenant constructed between 1951 and 1953 and located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier ...
, the stage was set for a complete closure in 2005.
On 1 April 1995, the 435 AW was inactivated. The 435 AW was replaced by the
469th Air Base Group under
USAFE and the
726th Air Mobility Squadron (726 AMS) under AMC. The 469 ABG inactivated on 10 October 2005. The 726th Air Mobility Squadron was the last unit at the base.
From September 2001 until 2005, Rhein-Main continued to provide support for transient C-130, C-141, C-17, C-5, KC-135, KC-10 and AMC-chartered civilian airliners supporting both US military activities throughout Europe, as well as a waypoint for air mobility operations throughout Southwest Asia towards the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Special Operations
Although the major mission of Rhein-Main Air Base was strategic and tactical airlift, the base also operated a substantial special operations mission.
The
7406th Operations Squadron was activated at Rhein-Main on 10 May 1955 and received its first aircraft (
RB-50s) in March 1956. The RB-50s were replaced with specially configured
C-130A-II reconnaissance aircraft in 1958. The 7406th owned and maintained the aircraft and provided the flight crews. A separate
USAF Security Service squadron provided the crew for the intelligence collection positions on the aircraft. One of these C-130s (''56-0528'') was shot down with the loss of a crew of seventeen over
Yerevan, Soviet
Armenia on 2 September 1958. Four Soviet
MiG-17 pilots took turns firing on the unarmed C-130 when the American aircraft penetrated Soviet airspace while on a mission along the Turkish-Armenian border.
Between June 5–10, 1967, during the Arab-Israeli
Six-Day War, the 7406th flew dangerous, unarmed missions over the battle gathering electronic intelligence data. The 7406th continued flying recon missions from Rhein-Main in the C-130B models until 30 June 1973 when the squadron's sister Security Service flying squadron moved to
Ellinikon International Airport, near
Athens,
Greece (known to the U.S. as
Hellenikon AB
Hellenikon Air Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base located in Athens, Greece. After its closure, it was redeveloped into Ellinikon International Airport.
History
The airport was built in 1938, and after the German invasion o ...
). Operational missions were flown until 13 June 1974 from Greece when the unit was disbanded. The 7206th nomenclature continued, embodied in the 7206th Air Base Group which was a support group in Athens until 1993. Surveillance missions continued at Hellenikon under the auspices of the 6916th ESS.
With the relocation of the 7406th to Greece, the
7th Special Operations Squadron was moved from Ramstein to Rhein-Main as one of the units shuffled as part of Operation Creek Action. The 7406th's Hercules had been used for covert
communications intelligence (COMINT) missions along the
Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
borders. The 7th SOS's
MC-130Es, code-named 'Combat Talon', were no less mysterious and were also striking to look at with their matte black camouflage scheme and two large hooks on the nose. The 7th SOS's MC-130Es were spotted in every corner of Europe. The 7th SOS was reassigned to the
7575th Operations Group in 1977, and then to the
39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing on 1 February 1987. It was relocated to
RAF Alconbury in the
United Kingdom in December 1992, coming under a different group in the process.
The 7575th Operations Group operated at Rhein-Main from 1 July 1977 to 31 March 1991. Initially, three unique units were assigned to the group: the 7405th Operations Squadron, the
7580th Operations Squadron, and the 7th Special Operations Squadron. The 7405th had recently moved from Wiesbaden Air Base and converted to flying heavily modified C-130E Hercules airlifters. The 7580th was staffed with
electronic warfare officers and specialized aircraft maintenance personnel who flew in the back of or maintained the 7405th's aircraft. The mission of the 7405th and 7580th was to conduct covert reconnaissance flights through the
West Berlin Air Corridor, also known as the Berlin corridors and control zone.
Closure
On 23 December 1999, the U.S. and German governments agreed to close the base. The last military passenger and cargo flights took place in late September 2005 and the base's formal closure ceremony took place on 10 October 2005. The final handover to the German government occurred on 30 December 2005 and the 726th AMS transferred to
Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base (IATA: SPM, ICAO: ETAD, former code EDAD) is a NATO air base with the USAF as a tenant constructed between 1951 and 1953 and located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier ...
. The
Frankfurt Airport Authority has leveled the entire base, and in October 2015, commenced building a third passenger terminal (Terminal 3) and other airport facilities.
In 2019, it became known that excavated soil from the construction site for Terminal 3 was contaminated with
PFAS chemicals with the volume of polluted soil being approximately 600,000 cubic metres. It was considered highly probable that the contamination originated with
firefighting foams
Firefighting foam is a foam used for fire suppression. Its role is to cool the fire and to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, thus achieving suppression of the combustion. Firefighting foam was invented by the Russian engineer a ...
which had been used by the
USAFE, primarily for training purposes.
See also
*
1983 Rhein-Main Starfighter crash
The 1983 Rhein-Main Starfighter crash happened on 22 May 1983, in connection with an air show at the Rhein-Main Air Base. A Canadian Armed Forces Canadair CF-104 Starfighter crashed on a nearby highway, killing six.
Background
Pentecost is a ...
References
* Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
* Fletcher, Harry R., Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
* Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
* Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
* Rogers, Brian, ''United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978'', 2005
* Tart, Larry and Keefe, Robert. ''The Price of Vigilance: Attacks on American Surveillance Flights''. NY: Ballantine Books, 2001. 656 p.
USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to Present
External links
Rhein Main Air Base Facebook PageRhein Main Air Base Reunion 2015 Facebook GroupRhein Main Air Base Reunion 2015 WebsiteIX Engineer Command Airfield InformationRhein Main Aerial Port Squadron information and Reunion GroupRhein Main Military Dependents Reunion Group435th OMS Enroute MX*
{{authority control
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in the European Theater
Buildings and structures in Hesse
History of Hesse
Installations of the United States Air Force in Germany
Military installations closed in 2005
Airports in Hesse