![754th Electronic Systems Group](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/754th_Electronic_Systems_Group.png)
Gunter Annex is 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 Signal ...
installation located in the North-northeast suburbs of
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
. The base is named after former Montgomery mayor
William Adams Gunter. Until 1992 it was known as Gunter Air Force Base or Gunter Air Force Station. It has been a military training base since its opening in 1940.
Gunter Annex is a subordinate installation under the administration of the
42d Air Base Wing
"The Skies for Us"
, colors =
, march =
, mascot =
, battles = Southwest Pacific Theater, First Gulf War
, anniversaries =
, dec ...
at nearby
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...
.
Overview
Gunter Annex is the home of the Business and Enterprise Systems (BES) Directorate. The BES provides and supports secure combat information systems and networks for the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense and other Federal Government Agencies.
The BES Directorate is a part of the
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), headquartered at Wright-Patterson AFB, is one of six centers reporting to the Air Force Materiel Command.AIR FORCE LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT CENTER (AFLCMC) Posted 8/3/2012 Printable Fact Sheet
L ...
(AFLCMC), which is headquartered at
Wright-Patterson AFB
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wri ...
, Ohio, and its subordinate activity at
Hanscom AFB
Hanscom Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located predominantly within Bedford, Massachusetts, with portions extending into the adjoining towns of Lincoln, Concord and Lexington. The facility is adjacent to Hanscom Field ...
, Massachusetts.
The
26th Network Operations Squadron
The 26th Network Operations Squadron (26 NOS), United States Air Force, is a network operations unit located at Gunter Annex, in Montgomery, AL.
History
The squadron was established as the 1987th Communications Squadron on June 1, 1966, at Nakho ...
provides network defense for the Air Force Enterprise Network (AFNET). The 689th Network Operations Squadron is a Classic Associate Unit to the 26th NOS and is also located on the Annex but falls under Air Force Reserve Command.
The host unit of Gunter Annex is the
42d Air Base Wing
"The Skies for Us"
, colors =
, march =
, mascot =
, battles = Southwest Pacific Theater, First Gulf War
, anniversaries =
, dec ...
, headquartered at Maxwell AFB. The former
42d Bombardment Wing
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
took over host duties at both Maxwell AFB and Gunter AFB on 1 October 1994 when the wing was redesignated and reassigned from the closing of
Loring Air Force Base
Loring Air Force Base was a United States Air Force installation in northeastern Maine, near Limestone and Caribou in Aroostook County. It was one of the largest bases of the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command during its existence, and was t ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
.
History
William Adams Gunter
The facility is named after William Adams Gunter (1871–1940), a long-time mayor of Montgomery Alabama. Mayor Gunter was an aviation advocate who championed aviation and was a major force behind the construction of the original
Montgomery Municipal Airport at this site in 1929. There were several efforts to have the airport officially named in his honor while he was still living. Although he successfully resisted these efforts, the site is still commonly referred to by residents as 'Gunter Field'.
World War II
In 1940, the 'Plan for the Expansion of the
Air Corps Training Program' was published and indicated a need for a preliminary flying school in the Montgomery area. The Commandant of the
Air Corps Tactical School
The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. C ...
at
Maxwell Field
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...
, Colonel Walter Weaver, picked the Montgomery Municipal Airport and the surrounding area as the location for the flying school. This included a newly built, but as yet unoccupied state hospital for
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
patients. In June 1940, the
War Department War Department may refer to:
* War Department (United Kingdom)
* United States Department of War (1789–1947)
See also
* War Office, a former department of the British Government
* Ministry of defence
* Ministry of War
* Ministry of Defence
* Dep ...
approved the recommendation to lease the land.
In August 1940 the first military personnel arrived and construction began. The hospital was used as a headquarters building and Colonel
Aubrey Hornsby
Aubrey Thomas Hornsby I (January 8, 1895 – May 23, 1981) was a U.S. Army officer and pioneer aviator who reached the rank of Brigadier General. He began his Army career during World War I as an artillery observer, seeing service in France and ...
was the project officer and later the first commanding officer. The Army leased the 187 acre municipal airport and purchased an additional 300 acres for the cantonment area. Complicated leasing agreements delayed construction and the Army facilities were not completed in time, so the first two classes, Class 41-A with 107 students and Class 41-B, trained at Maxwell Field on the other side of town. The first class to train at Gunter was 41-C which began instruction on November 28, 1940.
In late 1940, Mayor Gunter died and, on the recommendation of Colonel Hornsby, the flying field was officially named "Gunter Field" in early 1941. By July 1941, construction of the field was largely complete. In addition to the main airfield, the following known sub-bases and auxiliaries were used:
*
McLemore Auxiliary Field McLemore Auxiliary Field is a former facility of the United States Army Air Forces located in Montgomery, Alabama. Constructed after 1941 as an auxiliary to the nearby Craig Field, it was turned back into farmland after the war.
See also
* Alaba ...
*
Elmore Auxiliary Field Elmore Auxiliary Field is a former facility of the United States Army Air Forces located in Montgomery, Alabama. Constructed after 1941 as an auxiliary to the nearby Gunter Field, it was redeveloped into Wetumpka Municipal Airport after the war.
...
(now Wetumpka Municipal Airport)
*
Mount Meigs Auxiliary Field Mount Meigs Auxiliary Field is a former facility of the United States Army Air Forces located in Montgomery, Alabama. Constructed after 1941 as an auxiliary to the nearby Gunter Field, it was turned back into farmland after the war.
See also
* A ...
*
Taylor Field
*
Dannelly Auxiliary Field
*
Deatsville Auxiliary Field Deatsville Auxiliary Field is a former facility of the United States Army Air Forces located in Montgomery, Alabama. Constructed after 1941 as an auxiliary to the nearby Gunter Field, it was turned back into farmland after the war.
See also
* Al ...
In 1943, 3,500 foot long hard surfaced runways were added.
Gunter was the first base established by the
Southeastern Training Center exclusively for Basic Flight Training. As such, it also trained instructors and other personnel for the other Basic Training bases opened in the Southeast that included
Cochran AAF in Macon, Georgia;
Bainbridge AB, Georgia;
Greenville AAF
Donaldson Air Force Base is a former facility of the United States Air Force located south of Greenville, South Carolina. It was founded in 1942 as Greenville Army Air Base; it was deactivated in 1963 and converted into a civilian airport. I ...
, Mississippi;
Shaw AAF in Sumter, South Carolina; and at Augusta, Georgia's civilian-run
Bush Field. Students would come to Basic Flight Training after completing Primary Training. In 1941, the Basic course was 10 weeks in length in which the student received 70 flying hours. After completion of the course, students would be chosen for advanced single or multi-engine training.
During World War II, the field served as a flying school for not just Army pilots, but for
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
(under the
Arnold Scheme
The Arnold Scheme was established to train British RAF pilots in the United States of America during World War II. Its name derived from US General Henry H. Arnold, Chief of the United States Army Air Forces, the instigator of the scheme, which r ...
),
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
Canadians
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
as well. By 1944, there were nearly four hundred aircraft assigned to Gunter Field. The primary aircraft used for Basic Training, by both the Army and the Navy, during most of the war was the fixed gear
Vultee BT-13
The Vultee Aircraft Corporation became an independent company in 1939 in Los Angeles County, California. It had limited success before merging with the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in 1943, to form the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporat ...
and
BT-15 Valiant. By later 1944, the BT-13s and 15s were worn out and they began to be replaced by the
North American AT-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...
.
After World War II ended, flight training was transferred to
Spence AAF (
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
) and, other than some contingents of French and
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
flight students, aviation training ended at Gunter. By February 1946, Gunter's remaining aircraft were transferred to
Maxwell Army Air Base and the field went to "stand by" status.
In January 1948 Gunter Field was redesignated Gunter Air Force Base. In May 1950, the
Air University located its Extension Course Institute there. In October of that year, a branch of the School of Aviation Medicine was also established.
Air Defense Command
In 1957 a
Semi Automatic Ground Environment
The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. S ...
(SAGE) Data Center (DC-09) was established at Gunter AFB. The SAGE system was an early generation computer network linking Air Force (and later
FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
)
United States general surveillance radar stations
United States general surveillance radar stations include Army and USAF stations of various US air defense networks (in reverse chronological order):
*Joint Surveillance System (JSS), with radar stations controlled by joint FAA/USAF ROCCs beginnin ...
into a centralized center for continental air defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack. It was initially under the
Montgomery Air Defense Sector
The Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS), was a unit of the US Air Force located at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. It provided air defense and surveillance of the southeastern region of the US. SEADS closed in winter 2005, ...
(MoADS), established on 8 September 1957. MoADS was synonymous with 32nd NORAD Region, which encompassed an area from the Cuban landmass north to Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. MoADS was a blockhouse with 18 inch thick steel-reinforced concrete walls designed to withstand anything but a direct nuclear hit. There were 4 floors, with the bottom floor for inputs, the second floor for computer systems, and the fourth floor for operations.
SAGE sites had twin AN/FSQ-7 computers that encompassed an area the size of a football field. These
IBM-built systems were tube-based with wire and washer memory banks. IBM also built in excellent diagnostics and redundancy, so the system should always be operational. The memory was 64K, with the incoming radar information storage was on magnetic drums and the maximum response overload before collapse was around 45 seconds.
In the 1960s, MoADS also assisted in hosting
William Tell
William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...
, a then-annual competition of
Air Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...
(ADC), later
Aerospace Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly inac ...
(ADC), and
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
fighter-interceptor squadrons that was held at
Tyndall AFB
Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (325 ...
, Florida. In the 1960s, this competition included live shoot-downs of Firebee aerial target drones launched from Tyndall AFB, and obsolescent
QB-47E Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
bombers and
BOMARC
The Boeing CIM-10 BOMARC (Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center) (IM-99 Weapon System prior to September 1962) was a supersonic ramjet powered long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) used during the Cold War for the air defense of North ...
missiles launched from nearby
Eglin AFB
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...
, Florida.
On 16 December 1960, the SAGE facility at Gunter controlled two
BOMARC
The Boeing CIM-10 BOMARC (Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center) (IM-99 Weapon System prior to September 1962) was a supersonic ramjet powered long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) used during the Cold War for the air defense of North ...
-B missiles launched from
Eglin AFB
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...
and directed their interception of a
QB-47E Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
drone flying at 500 mph at 30,000 feet.
William Tell also showcased various air defense development programs. One was the Mach 3+
YF-12
The Lockheed YF-12 was an American Mach number, Mach 3+ capable, high-altitude interceptor aircraft, interceptor prototype, developed and manufactured by American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation.
It was developed during the late ...
interceptor that later became the basis for the
SR-71
The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a Range (aeronautics), long-range, high-altitude, Mach number, Mach 3+ military strategy, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporati ...
strategic reconnaissance aircraft. In the early 1960s, a YF-12 would launch from
Edwards AFB
Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is Ed ...
, California, climb to around 70,000 feet and intercept a drone over the Gulf of Mexico that was launched Eglin AFB, shoot it down, and then return to Edwards AFB. This was a spectacular show of advanced technology of that time.
MoADS was inactivated on 1 April 1966 and redesignated as the 32d Air Division. DC-09 with its
AN/FSQ-7
The AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central, referred to as the Q7 for short, was a computerized command and control system for Cold War ground-controlled interception used in the USAF Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense network.
The ...
computer remained under the 32d Air Division until it and the Air Division were inactivated on 31 December 1969 when technology advances allowed the Air Force to shut down many SAGE Data Centers.
Gunter Annex
In 1971, nearly of Gunter were returned to the city of Montgomery. In that year the
Air Force Data Systems Design Center
The Air Force Data Systems Design Center (AFDSDC) was activated on 26 Oct 1967. The unit was located at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington D.C. Its mission was to analyze, design, develop, program, test, implement and maintain all automated da ...
moved there and in 1972 the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy came to Gunter. In early 1973, Gunter was redesignated an "Air Force Station".
Major construction was undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s, thanks to the advocacy of Congressman
William Dickinson, and in 1988 Gunter was redesignated an "Air Force Base". The primary tenants were still the Extension Course Institute, the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy and the Air Force Data Systems Design Center.
In March 1992, Gunter was again redesignated, this time as Maxwell Air Force Base, Gunter Annex, and now falls under the command of nearby
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...
.
Previous names
* Army Air Corps Basic Flying School, Municipal Airport, Montgomery, Alabama, 27 August 1940
* Gunter Field, 10 February 1941
* Gunter Air Force Base, 13 January 1948
* Gunter Air Force Station, 1 February 1973
* Gunter Air Force Base, 1 July 1988
* Maxwell Air Force Base, Gunter Annex, 1 March 1992
Major commands to which assigned
* Southeast Air Corps Training Center, 27 August 1940
* Air Corps Flying Training Command, 23 January 1942
: Re-designated: Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, 15 March 1942
* Army Air Forces Training Command, 31 July 1943
* Army Air Forces School, 15 December 1945
* Re-designated:
Air University, 12 Mar 1946
*
Air Training Command
Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated as Ai ...
, 15 May 1978
: Re-designated:
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...
, 1 July 1993
Major ADCOM units assigned
*
Montgomery Air Defense Sector
The Southeast Air Defense Sector (SEADS), was a unit of the US Air Force located at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. It provided air defense and surveillance of the southeastern region of the US. SEADS closed in winter 2005, ...
, 8 September 1957 – 1 April 1966
: Redesignated:
32d Air Division
The 32d Air Division (32d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was last active with Air Defense Command, assigned to First Air Force at Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, where it was inactivated on 31 December 1969.
The di ...
, 1 April 1966-31 December 1969
*
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
The command was responsible for the organizatio ...
, 1 April 1966 – 1 July 1968
See also
*
Alabama World War II Army Airfields
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Alabama for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of AAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields we ...
*
74th Flying Training Wing (World War II)
The 74th Flying Training Wing was wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Eastern Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 30 December 1945 at Maxwell Field, Alabama.
The wing's mission was to provide classif ...
*
United States general surveillance radar stations
United States general surveillance radar stations include Army and USAF stations of various US air defense networks (in reverse chronological order):
*Joint Surveillance System (JSS), with radar stations controlled by joint FAA/USAF ROCCs beginnin ...
References
* Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas
* Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC.
* ''A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946–1980'', by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
* Winkler, David F. (1997), ''Searching the skies: the legacy of the United States Cold War defense radar program''. Prepared for United States Air Force Headquarters Air Combat Command.
Information for Gunter AFB, AL
{{Authority control
Installations of the United States Air Force in Alabama
1940 establishments in Alabama
Military education and training in the United States
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment sites
Buildings and structures in Montgomery, Alabama
Aerospace Defense Command military installations