Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

base in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it was merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form

Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling (JBAB) is a 905-acre (366 ha) military installation, located in Southeast, Washington, D.C., established on 1 October 2010 in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the ...

. From its beginning, the installation has hosted elements of the Army Air Corps (predecessor to today's Air Force) and Navy aviation and support elements.

History

Before

European colonization The historical phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Turks, and the Arabs. Colonialism in the modern sense be ...

, the area where Bolling Air Force Base is located was inhabited by the Nacotchtank, an Algonquian people. The largest village of the Nacotchtank was located just north of the air force base, south of

Anacostia Park Anacostia Park is operated by the United States National Park Service. It is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest and most important recreation areas, with over 1200 acres (4.9 km2) at multiple sites. Included in Anacostia Park is Kenilworth ...

. Another Nacotchtank village is believed to have existed on the base grounds, where two ossuaries (burial mounds) were discovered in 1936. Other Nacotchtank archaeological sites have been found at Giesboro Point on the Potomac River. The Department of Defense (DOD) has owned the Bolling grounds since 1917, when the tract of land was scouted by

William C. Ocker Colonel William Charles Ocker (June 18, 1880 – September 15, 1942) was an American aviation pioneer. He was known as the "Father of Instrument Flying". Biography He was born on June 18, 1880, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ocker was one of s ...

at the direction of General Billy Mitchell. Founded on 2 October 1917 as The Flying Field at Anacostia, it was the first military airfield near the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. It was renamed Anacostia Experimental Flying Field in June 1918. Soon, the single installation evolved into two separate, adjoining bases; one Army (later Air Force) and one Navy. Bolling Field was opened 1 July 1918 and was named for Colonel Raynal C. Bolling, the first high-ranking air service officer killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Colonel Bolling was the Assistant Chief of the Air Service, and was killed in action near Amiens, France, on 26 March 1918 while defending himself and his driver, Private Paul L. Holder, from German soldiers. Flying activities began on 4 July 1918 with mailplanes landing there, with all equipment removed from the former location at the Polo Grounds, Washington, D.C.Editors, "Mailplanes Land at Bolling Field", ''Air Service Journal'', Gardner, Moffat Co., Inc., New York, New York, 11 July 1918, Volume III, Number 2, page 53. In the late 1940s, Bolling Field's property became Naval Air Station Anacostia and a new Air Force base, named Bolling Air Force Base, was constructed just to the south on 24 June 1948. Bolling AFB has served as a research and testing ground for new aviation equipment and its first mission provided aerial defense of the capital. It moved to its present location, along the Potomac in the city's southwest quadrant, in the 1930s. Over the years, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and National Guard units, as well as DOD and federal agencies also found the installation to be an ideal place from which to operate. * In 1918, pilots from the installation were dispatched by President Woodrow Wilson to create the first permanent airmail route from Washington, D.C. to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. * Navy seaplanes were first tested and Air Force aerial refueling techniques were developed by installation-based personnel and military commands. * Following its successful transatlantic flight in 1927, Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" returned to the installation. Soon after, the aircraft was used for Lindbergh's goodwill flight to Mexico and South America. * Air Force Lt. Col. Henry "Hap" Arnold led a bomber flight from Bolling Field on a 4,000-mile journey to Alaska in 1934, to demonstrate the capabilities of long-range strategic bombing missions. * Throughout World War II, the installation served as a training and organizational base for personnel and units going overseas. It also served as the aerial gateway to the nation's capital. * The Air Force's first headquarters was established at the installation, as Army Air Forces Headquarters in 1941 and, with the creation of the United States Air Force, Air Force Headquarters in 1947. * The Sacred Cow, President Harry Truman's initial official aircraft and Franklin Roosevelt's only official aircraft, retired from service on the installation in 1961. This aircraft was the predecessor to Air Force One and was used for both presidential and VIP support missions. President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, which created the United States Air Force, at the desk on board this aircraft. * In 1962, fixed-wing aircraft operations at the air force and naval installations ceased, due to congested airspace around Washington National Airport on the opposite shore of the Potomac River. Although fixed-wing aircraft operations ceased, the installations continued to serve the Military Airlift Command (MAC); the headquarters for the Air Force District of Washington; the Air Force 11th Wing; Commander, Naval Installations Command, Naval Media Center (now, Defense Media Activity-Navy) and many other military commands and federal agencies The

Air Force District of Washington The Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) is a Direct Reporting Unit of the United States Air Force. AFDW oversees Air Force operations in the Washington, D.C. region (also known as the "National Capital Region" or "NCR"). As a Direct Reporti ...

(AFDW) was created and activated at Bolling on 1 October 1985 with the mission of providing administrative support to Air Force members. On 15 July 1994, AFDW was inactivated, but was reactivated 5 January 2005 to "provide a single voice for Air Force requirements in the National Capital Region" according to the base's website.

Major commands assigned

Last flight out of Bolling Air Force Base

* Director of Military Aeronautics, 28 June 1918 * 3d Service Command, 6 March 1928 * Chief of Air Corps (Exempted Station), 1 July 1936 *

General Headquarters Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

, 15 March 1941 : Redesignated Air Force Combat Command, 20 June 1941 *

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...

, 13 October 1942 * Headquarters,

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

, 7 July 1943 *

Continental Air Forces Continental Air Forces (CAF) was a United States Army Air Forces major command, active 1944–1946. It was tasked with combat training of bomber and fighter personnel, and for Continental United States (CONUS) air defense after the Aircraft Wa ...

, 17 July 1945 : Redesignated:

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

, 21 March 1946 * Bolling Field Command, 16 December 1946 *

Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NA ...

, 1 August 1952 * Bolling Field Command, 1 October 1957 : Redesignated

Headquarters Command, United States Air Force The Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) is a Direct Reporting Unit of the United States Air Force. AFDW oversees Air Force operations in the Washington, D.C. region (also known as the "National Capital Region" or "NCR"). As a Direct Report ...

, 17 March 1958 *

Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of th ...

, 1 July 1976 *

, 1 October 1985 – 5 July 1994; 7 July 2005 – present * Headquarters,

, 5 July 1994 – 7 July 2005 Mueller, Robert, ''Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982'', Office of Air Force History, 1989

Major units assigned

* 312th Aero Sq (Service), July 1918 – 17 August 1919 * 99th Observation Sq, 18 August 1919 – 21 March 1921 * HQ Detachment, Bolling Field, 11 July 1922 – 31 March 1928 * General Headquarters, Air Force, 1 October 1933 – 28 February 1935 * 14th Air Base Group, 1 March 1935 – 31 March 1944 * 1st Staff Squadron, 1 September 1936 – 31 March 1944 * 2d Staff Squadron, 1 September 1936 – 31 March 1944 * 4th Staff Squadron, 17 May 1941 – 31 March 1944 * Air Force Combat Command, 28 March 1941 – 12 March 1942 * V Air Support Command (redesignated:

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

), 23 July – 28 October 1942 *

5th Bombardment Wing The 5th Bomb Wing (5 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot. The 5 BW is one of only ...

, 10–31 July 1942 *

VIII Ground Air Support Command The VIII Air Support Command is a disbanded United States Army Air Forces unit. It was assigned to Eighth Air Force throughout its existence, and it was last stationed at Sunninghill Park, England, where it was disbanded on 1 December 1943. VI ...

, 28 April – 29 May 1942 * 10th Ferrying Squadron, 10 April 1942 – 1 March 1943 * Transatlantic Sector, AAF Ferrying Command : Redesignated, Transatlantic Sector,

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies ...

, 21 February 1942 – 15 April 1943 * XII Air Support Command, 25 September – 19 October 1942 *

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to ...

, 20–28 August 1942 * 26th Transport Group, 1 March 1943 – 21 February 1944 * Army Air Force Base Unit 1 : Redesignated Air Force Base Unit 1, 1 April 1944 – 1 April 1948 * 503d Army Air Force Base Unit, 21 February 1944 : Redesignated: 503d Air Force Base Unit, 27 September 1947 – 1 April 1948 *

, 15 December 1944 – 20 October 1946 *

, 21 March 1946 – 20 October 1946 * Bolling Field Command. 15 December 1946 : Redesignated: Headquarters Command, USAF, 17 March 1958 – 1 July 1976 * 1st Special Air Missions Squadron : Redesignated: 1111th Special Air Mission Squadron : Redesignated: 1299th Air Transport Squadron, 10 March 1948 – 10 July 1961 * 16th Special Air Missions Group : Redesignated: 1100th Special Air Missions Group : Redesignated: 2310th Air Transport Group, 10 March 1948 – 29 November 1952 * 1100th Air Base Wing, 16 March 1949 – 30 September 1977 : Redesignated: 1100th Air Base Group, 30 September 1977 – 15 December 1980 : Redesignated: 1100th Air Base Wing, 15 December 1980 – 15 July 1994 *

, 1 October 1985 – 5 July 1994; 7 July 2005–present *

11th Wing The 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is the host unit at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. on from June 2020. It previously was stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryl ...

, 15 July 1994 – 30 September 2010

References

External links

* {{Authority control Defunct airports in the United States Installations of the United States Air Force Military facilities in Washington, D.C. Initial United States Air Force installations Installations of Strategic Air Command Southwest (Washington, D.C.)

History

Major commands assigned

Major units assigned

See also

References

External links