Olmsted Air National Guard Base - May 1979

Harrisburg Air National Guard Base 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 ...

base, located at

Harrisburg International Airport Harrisburg International Airport is a public airport in Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Middletown, Pennsylvania, nine miles (15 km) southeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. It is owned by the Susquehanna Area Regional ...

, Pennsylvania. It is located west-southwest of Middletown, Pennsylvania. The

Pennsylvania Air National Guard The Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PA ANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is, along with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, an element of the Pennsylvania National Guard. As commonw ...

facility is sited on the location of the former Olmsted Air Force Base, which was closed in 1969. The 193d Special Operations Wing operates EC-130J Hercules aircraft, designated as "Commando Solo" for special operations missions. Today the airfield is split between civilian activities, Harrisburg IAP (MDT) and military activities, which now carry the Harrisburg ANGB title. After Olmsted AFB closed in 1970 major civilian air activities moved from Capital City Airport, near

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

over to the former Olmsted site.

Middletown Air Depot

The installation saw its first military use by the

United States Army Signal Corps The United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) is a branch of the United States Army that creates and manages communications and information systems for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of Ma ...

in 1898. The first known use of the field by military aircraft was when Middletown Airfield opened in 1917 as a supply depot and maintenance center for Signal Corps aircraft. The first airplanes landed in 1918 at Middletown Air Depot, when it was under the administration of the Signal Corps of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. In 1939, it was still known by this name. Middletown had an abundance of engine and airframe shops and a supply distribution system that made it a significant facility, but a poor runway that, it was felt, would be too expensive to improve. It would involve claiming marsh land and portions of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

(both of which have since been accomplished) and the Air Force leadership at that time determined that more land for supply and maintenance buildings was needed. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the reconstitution of the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

in 1922, the facility became a logistics and maintenance support of Air Service aircraft and equipment through its host unit, the Middletown Air Depot (later Middletown Air Materiel Area under the

U.S. Army Air Corps 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 ...

). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, numerous U.S. Army Air Forces transport and reconnaissance units were organized and formed at Olmsted Army Airfield. Once equipped, they were reassigned to training bases. The Middletown Air Depot-''cum''-Middletown Air Material Area was a major support installation to the U.S. Air Force and its predecessor organizations for decades.

Renaming for Robert Olmsted

The installation was renamed in honor of 1st Lieutenant Robert Sanford Olmsted, U.S. Army Air Service, on 11 March 1948. First Lieutenant Olmsted was killed in a ballooning accident over the village of

Loosbroek Loosbroek is a village and parish in the southern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality Bernheze, North Brabant. Before 1994 the territory of Loosbroek was divided between three municipalities, Nistelrode, Heesch (Netherlands), Heesch an ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on 23 September 1923 while competing in the Gordon Bennett Cup. Olmsted remained in the race despite threatening weather which caused some competitors to drop out. Lightning struck the S-6 over

Nistelrode Nistelrode is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Bernheze, about 8 km south of Oss. History The village was first mentioned in the 13th century as Nisterle. The etymology is unclear, be ...

, the

, killing Olmsted.Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, , page 174. Beginning on 11 August 1948, the 147th Flight Service 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 ...

(MATS) began operations of the Olmsted Flight Service Center. During the 1948–1949

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road ...

, the U.S. Supply Depot at Olmsted AFB provided emergency support supplies for the airlift operations.Provan, John, and Davies, R. E. G., "Berlin Airlift: The Effort and the Aircraft", Paladwr Press, McLean, Virginia, , page 40. In 1958, Olmsted was designated as prime support depot for the

T-38 Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces. The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most ...

advanced jet trainer then under development and the L-27, later designated the

U-3 Blue Canoe The Cessna 310 is an American four-to-six-seat, low-wing, twin-engine monoplane produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engine aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II. Development The 310 first flew ...

, support aircraft. Olmsted AFB and the Middletown Air Depot's last assignment was with Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC), and the base and depot were closed on 30 June 1969.

Closure of Olmsted AFB

Initially turned over to

after active-duty closure, much of the former Olmsted AFB flight line area was redeveloped into the

under the ownership of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 1998, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania transferred ownership of the airport to the

Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority The Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA) is the governing authority of Harrisburg International Airport, Capital City Airport, Franklin County Regional Airport and Gettysburg Regional Airport in south-central Pennsylvania. SARAA was ...

(SARAA). In addition, in 1966, much of the former Air Force property was converted into The Pennsylvania State University—The Capital College, otherwise known as the Harrisburg Campus. This campus was originally chartered as a graduate and upper division school.

Major commands to which assigned

* Army Signal Corps, Aviation Section, 16 June 1917 * Bureau of Aircraft Production, 20 May 1918 * Army Air Service, 4 June 1920 * Air Corps

Materiel Division Air Materiel Command (AMC) was a United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In 1961, the command was redesignated the Air Force Logistics Command wi ...

, 15 October 1926 *

Air Corps Maintenance Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, 29 April 1941 *

Air Service Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, 17 October 1941 *

Army Air Forces Materiel and Services An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

on July 14, 1944 : Redesignated: Army Air Forces Technical Service Command on August 31, 1944 : Redesignated: Air Technical Service Command on July 1, 1945 : Redesignated: Air Materiel Command on March 9, 1946 : Redesignated: Air Force Logistics Command on April 1, 1961 : Inactivated on 30 June 1969

Known units assigned

Known base operating units were: * 4149th Air Base Unit * 2843d Air Base Wing * 4112th Air Force Base Unit Known major service units: * Middletown Air Service Command, later Middletown Air Materiel Area Known operational units assigned were: * Eleventh Air Force (

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 ...

), 13 June 1946 – 1 July 1948 *

60th Transport Group The 60th Operations Group (60 OG) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing. It is stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California. Established prior to World War II, its predecessor unit, the 60th Transport (later ...

, 1 December 1940 – 21 May 1941 * 61st Transport Group, 1 December 1940 – 9 July 1941 * 315th Transport Group, 14 February 1942 – 18 June 1942 * 168th Air Transport Group, 16 February 1964 - 8 January 1966 * 168th Military Airlift Group, 8 January 1966 - 1 Jun 1967 * 168th Tactical Electronic Warfare Group, 8 January 1966 - 6 October 1980 (PA ANG unit that remained post-closure; current

193rd Special Operations Wing The 193rd Special Operations Wing is a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, stationed at Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Middletown, Pennsylvania. The wing is gained by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania when in a "state" status, as wel ...

) * 6th Transport Squadron, 14 October 1939 – 23 March 1942 * 10th Transport Squadron, 1 December 1940 – 21 May 1941 * 12th Transport Squadron, 1 December 1940 – 20 May 1941 * 2d Transport Squadron, 28 June 1935 – 21 May 1942 * 33d Transport Squadron, 14 February 1942 – 17 June 1942 * 43d Transport Squadron, 15 June 1942 – 17 June 1942 * 34th Transport Squadron, 14 February 1942 – 18 June 1942 * 35th Transport Squadron, 14 February 1942 – 18 June 1942 * 64th Troop Carrier Squadron, 5 April 1947 – 27 June 1949 * 113th Aero Squadron, 15 September 1917 – 31 March 1919 : Assigned to:

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

Role and operations

The PA ANG's 193d Special Operations Wing consists of: *

193d Special Operations Squadron The 193rd Special Operations Squadron (193 SOS) is a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 193rd Special Operations Wing located at Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Middletown, Pennsylvania, The 193rd is equipped with the EC-130J Comma ...

flies the EC-130J Commando Solo, a specially-modified four-engine Hercules transport. The 193d Special Operations Squadron conducts information operations, psychological operations and civil affairs broadcasts. Other components of the Wing are located at State College and at

Muir Army Airfield The Muir Army Airfield is a military airport at Fort Indiantown Gap, near Annville, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS), operated by the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It ...

at Fort Indiantown Gap.

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units based at Harrisburg Field Air National Guard Base.

United States Air Force

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

*** Headquarters 193rd Special Operations Wing *** 193rd Special Operations Group ****

193rd Special Operations Squadron The 193rd Special Operations Squadron (193 SOS) is a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 193rd Special Operations Wing located at Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Middletown, Pennsylvania, The 193rd is equipped with the EC-130J Comma ...

– EC-130J Commando Solo **** 193rd Special Operations Support Squadron *** 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Group **** 193rd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron **** 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Operations Flight **** 193rd Special Operations Maintenance Squadron *** 193rd Special Operations Mission Support Group **** 193rd Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron **** 193rd Special Operations Communications Squadron **** 193rd Special Operations Force Support Squadron **** 193rd Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron **** 193rd Special Operations Security Forces Squadron *** 193rd Special Operations Medical Group **** Detachment 1 *** 193rd Air Operations Group **** 93rd Air Intelligence Squadron **** 193rd Air Communications Squadron **** 193rd Combat Operations Squadron

Notes

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * {{cite book, editor=Maurer, Maurer, title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, orig-year=1969, url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf , edition= reprint, year=1982, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-405-12194-6, oclc=72556, lccn=70605402 Military installations in Pennsylvania 1917 establishments in Pennsylvania History of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Superfund sites in Pennsylvania Airports established in 1917