Sewart Air Force Base (1941–1971) is a former

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 located in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

, about 25 miles southeast of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. During World War II, it was known as Smyrna Army Airfield.

History

World War II

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 * D ...

ordered the construction of a Bombardment Air Base near Nashville on 22 December 1941, shortly after the US had entered

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. A tract of land consisting of located off US Route 70 in

Rutherford County, Tennessee Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2021 census, the population was 352,182, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee. A study conducted by the Univer ...

near Smyrna, Tennessee, was selected and acquired by the

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 ...

for use as an Army-Air Force Training Command Base. Six thousand workers erected 200 buildings and an airfield to accommodate the training needs of the Army Air Force. In January 1942, Smyrna Army Airfield was assigned to the AAF Southeast Training Center with the Army Air Force Pilot School (Specialized 4-Engine) activated (phase 3 pilot training). In this phase, cadets flew

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

and

B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models ...

heavy bombers. Pilots graduating this phase were sent on to group combat training with the

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 ...

. Graduates were commissioned as Flight Officers (Warrant Officers), and those who graduated at the top of their class were commissioned as

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

s. On 8 January 1943, the War Department constituted and activated the 76th Flying Training Wing (Specialized 4-Engine) at Smyrna and assigned it to the AAF Eastern Flying Training Command. Throughout the war, numerous military personnel were stationed at Smyrna. At the end of hostilities, demobilization and defense reductions followed, resulting in the base being deactivated and placed in caretaker status in 1947. However, the installation's inactivity was short-lived and the newly created

re-activated the facility as Smyrna Air Force Base in 1948.

314th Troop Carrier Wing

On 1 November 1948, the 314th Troop Carrier Wing (314 TCW) was formed at Smyrna AFB. The 314th Wing served as a primary troop carrier unit in the eastern United States, involved in joint airborne training with Army forces. Its personnel developed assault airlift operations and participated in aerial demonstrations, exercises, maneuvers, and joint operations. Sewart Air Force Base - Postcard

Transport Groups of the 314th: * 309th Group: 26 June 1949 – 20 February 1951 * 314th Group: 1 November 1948 – 8 October 1957 * 316th Group: 4 November 1949 – 14 November 1954 * 313th Group: 1 October 1953 – 8 June 1955 * 513th Group: 8 November 1955 – 8 October 1957 * 516th Group: 8 March 1955 – 9 July 1956 Squadrons of the 314th: * 50th Troop Carrier: 8 October 1957 – 26 December 1965 * 61st Troop Carrier: 8 October 1957 – 1 December 1965 * 62d Troop Carrier: 8 October 1957 – 1 December 1965 * 18th Troop Carrier: 1 July 1963 – 1 April 1965 Cargo aircraft used by the 314th: *

C-82 C-82 may refer to: * C-82 Packet, a United States Army Air Forces aircraft used after World War II C82 may refer to : * '' Corydoras loxozonus'', a freshwater catfish * Ruy Lopez chess openings ECO code * Follicular lymphoma Follicular lymphoma (F ...

, 1948–1951 *

C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

, 1948–1953 * CG-15 Glider, 1949–1951 * C-119, 1949–1951 * C-45, 1949–1951, 1954–1955 * C-46, 1950, 1952 *

C-123 The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Rese ...

, 1956–1961 *

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desi ...

, 1956–1966 The 314th also hosted several helicopter squadrons: * 20th Helicopter: 9 July 1956 – 17 July 1959 * 23d Helicopter: 9 July 1956 – 12 October 1956 * 24th Helicopter: 9 July 1956 – 25 September 1956 * 21st Helicopter: 30 June 1957 – 8 October 1957 These units flew the

CH-21 Shawnee The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee is an American helicopter, the fourth of a line of tandem rotor helicopters designed and built by Piasecki Helicopter (later Boeing Vertol). Commonly called "the flying banana", it was a multi-mission helicop ...

helicopter. Smyrna AFB flourished in the late 1940s and 1950s. In the aftermath of

, the US military renamed several military establishments in honor of fallen heroes, and the Department of Defense chose to name the Smyrna base after native Tennessean Allan J. Sewart, Jr. of Nashville. On 25 March 1950, Sewart Air Force Base was officially dedicated in honor of this hero who died in a bombing mission over the Solomon Islands in November 1942. Sewart AFB was the only operational

base in the United States in 1958. On 7 January 1960, seven ski-equipped C-130 Hercules from Sewart's 61st Troop Carrier Squadron flew via California, Hawaii, Canton, Fiji and New Zealand to support Operation Deep Freeze ’60 in Antarctica, during the summer months on the frozen continent. The mission was to supply the U.S.

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

by landing at two bases at the South Pole and Marie Byrd Land. Lt. Colonel Wilbert Turk, commander of the 61st, led the mission. Staging from Christchurch, New Zealand, the C-130s flew 7:40 hours to

McMurdo Sound McMurdo Sound is a sound in Antarctica. It is the southernmost navigable body of water in the world, and is about from the South Pole. Captain James Clark Ross discovered the sound in February 1841, and named it after Lt. Archibald McMurdo ...

, Antarctica, on 23 January to establish a record-breaking time previously held by a U.S. Navy R7V Super Constellation. The 114 pilots and support crew were quartered ten miles (16 km) from the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between h ...

in order to be close to flight operations. The use of the ski-equipped aircraft, which took place during twelve days in the final weeks of the summer support season, was called a significant advance in Antarctic explorations since the aircraft were the first to be able to physically land supplies at the front door of the scientific bases. Previously, supply was accomplished only by parachute by means of U.S. United States Air Force Globemaster aircraft, potentially losing or damaging the food, mail, building materials and delicate equipment. The C-130s carried extra wingtip tanks to extend the flight capability of up to 600 extra miles. The 61st TCS returned to Sewart on 20 February after demonstrating that the ski-equipped C-130s could be successfully employed as ground-landing delivery systems. In subsequent years, Antarctic Development Squadron SIX (

VXE-6 Antarctic Development Squadron Six (VXE-6 or ANTARCTIC DEVRON SIX, commonly referred to by its nickname, The Puckered Penguins) was a United States Navy air test and evaluation squadron based at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California with forw ...

) of the U.S. Navy took over support of the scientific stations by means of specially modified, ski-equipped LC-130F aircraft. Following the decommissioning of VXE-6, this mission was transferred to the

109th Airlift Wing The 109th Airlift Wing (109 AW) is a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Schenectady County Airport, Stratton Air National Guard Base, Schenectady, New York. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United Sta ...

of the

New York Air National Guard The New York Air National Guard (NY ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of New York, United States of America. It is, along with the New York Army National Guard, an element of the New York National Guard. As state militia units, the units ...

which continues to perform polar support missions with the LC-130H aircraft to this day. On 15 January 1966 the 314th Troop Carrier Wing was reassigned to

Ching Chuan Kang Air Base Ching Chuan Kang Air Base ( zh, t=清泉崗空軍基地, CCK) is a Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) base located in Taichung, Taiwan. It is the home to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, with three squadrons of AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo fi ...

(CCK),

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

to support the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. The 314th also maintained a large detachment of C-130Es at

Tuy Hoa Air Base Căn cứ không quân Tuy Hòa is a former air force base in Vietnam, being closed in 1970. It was built by the United States in 1966 and was used by the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War in the II Corps Tactical Zone ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

until 1970. A placeholder unit, the 4413th Troop Carrier Wing was established at Sewart with the wing's departure. At Sewart, the 314th was awarded

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force d ...

s for the periods of 11 January – 14 February 1955, and 1 January 1960 – 31 December 1961.

463d Troop Carrier Wing

On 15 January 1959, the

463rd Troop Carrier Wing The United States Air Force's 463rd Airlift Group was a theater airlift unit last stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. It was inactivated on October 1st, 2008. Mission The 463rd was a unit with over 1,200 Airmen. The unit employe ...

(463 TCW) moved to Sewart AFB, being transferred from the closing

Ardmore Air Force Base Ardmore Army Air Field, later Ardmore Air Force base was an installation of the United States Army and later Air Force. It was named after the nearby city of Ardmore, Oklahoma but was actually located closer to the town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma. It ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

. Along with the 314th, the two wings made up the

839th Air Division The 839th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-First Air Force at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, although except for the last month of its ...

(839 AD). The 839 AD supported

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 Ju ...

and US Strike Command deployments throughout the world, including back-to-back deployments to

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

and

in response to crisis situations on opposite sides of the world in the summer of 1958. 463d wing crews were involved in numerous operations around the globe until the 463rd transferred to

Pacific Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...

to support the

. C-130 squadrons of the 463d at Sewart: * 772d Troop Carrier: 25 September 1957 – 30 June 1963 * 773d Troop Carrier: * 774th Troop Carrier: 25 September 1957 – 30 June 1963 In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the 774th TCS also included "The Four Horsemen," a

-sponsored C-130 flight demonstration team utilizing four C-130A aircraft. During September 1961, the 463d supported the crisis in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. Then, on 1 October 1962, the wing was redesignated as the 463rd Troop Carrier Wing (Assault). Immediately, the wing deployed to support the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

(October–November 1962). The wing moved to Langley AFB,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, on 1 July 1963, later deploying to Mactan AB and Clark AB in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

during 1965 to support the Vietnam War. A large detachment was established at Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam, which flew transport missions until 31 December 1971 when the unit was deactivated. At Sewart, the 463d was awarded the

for the period 15 December 1960 – 1 April 1961.

64th Troop Carrier/Tactical Airlift Wing

With the departure of the 314th and 463d TCWs to PACAF, the 64th Troop Carrier Wing was activated at Sewart on 7 March 1966, replacing the 4413th. On 1 May 1967 the unit was re-designated as the 64th Tactical Airlift Wing. The 64th initially performed global airlift and medical evacuation missions, including several deployments to

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. However beginning in 1968, its primary mission was providing C-130 combat crew training for other units deploying to the

. C-130E squadrons of the 64th at Sewart: * 61st Troop Carrier: 1 July 1966 – 31 May 1971 (Tail Code: SR), green band on the vertical stabilizer * 62d Troop Carrier: 1 July 1966 – 31 May 1971 (Tail Code: ST), blue band on the vertical stabilizer At Sewart, the 64th was awarded the

with Combat "V" Device for the period 1 July 1966 – 30 June 1967 and (without "V" device) 1 June 1969 – 31 May 1971. On 9 December 1965 the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

announced the closure of several military bases in the United States, including Sewart AFB. Closure activities continued for the next five years and on 9 March 1971, the last

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desi ...

left one of the Sewart AFB runways. The 64th TAW was inactivated on 31 May 1971 and Sewart AFB was officially closed.

Redevelopment

When the base was deactivated it was transferred to a civilian operation. Ownership of the base was transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers and ultimately to the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority. The bulk of the property vacated by the USAF was divided between three entities: 1) Rutherford County 2) State of Tennessee and 3) Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. Rutherford County formed an Economic Development Committee composed of county commissioners, the county executive and the mayors of the municipalities. This group was instrumental in the conversion of the property obtained from the Department of Defense to private industrial use. Some of the larger industries recruited included Better Built Aluminum, Cumberland Swan, and Square D. During the 1970s many new jobs were created, and as a result, Smyrna's population nearly tripled between 1970 and 1980. The property received by the State of Tennessee has been utilized by the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center. A portion of the base, including some hangar and aircraft ramp space, was retained by the Corps of Engineers and licensed for use by the

Tennessee Army National Guard The Tennessee Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one ...

. The

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations: the Army N ...

established an Army Aviation Support Facility, currently operating 60 helicopters manned by approximately 300 full-time and 700 part-time military personnel, technically qualifying the airport as a joint civil-military airfield. Because of the Army National Guard presence, the airfield was also used as an

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 ...

outlying training field by

aircraft of the former 118th Airlift Wing, now the

118th Wing The 118th Wing (118 WG) is a unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard, stationed at Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Nashville, Tennessee. The 118th is equipped with the MQ-9 Reaper. If activated to federal service, it is gained by the Unit ...

, of the

Tennessee Air National Guard The Tennessee Air National Guard (TN ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Tennessee, United States of America. It is, along with the Tennessee Army National Guard, an element of the Tennessee National Guard. As state militia units, the units ...

Nashville International Airport Nashville International Airport is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1937, its original name was Berry Field, from which its ICAO and IATA identifiers are derived. The ...

until 2012. It also continues to be used by

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 t ...

aircraft of the 164th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard at Memphis International Airport. The land granted to the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority included the runways, hangars, clear zones and related aviation facilities. The airport property was held for nearly 20 years with few improvements. In 1990, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority agreed to relinquish control and transfer the airport to the newly formed Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority.

References

* Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas * Ravenstein, Charles A., ''Air Force Combat Wings: Linege and Honors Histories 1947–1977''. Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1984 * Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC.
USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers – 1908 to Present
{{USAAF Training Bases World War II Installations of the United States Air Force in Tennessee Buildings and structures in Rutherford County, Tennessee Military installations established in 1941 Military installations closed in 1971 Smyrna, Tennessee 1971 disestablishments in Tennessee 1941 establishments in Tennessee