3.1.
History of Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex
Maxwell AFB
In February 1910, the Wright Brothers opened one of the world's earliest
flying schools at the site that would later become Maxwell AFB. The Wrights
taught the principles of flying, including take‐offs, balancing, turns, and
landings. However, the flying school was short‐lived and the brothers closed
the facility in May 1910.
The airfield later served as an engine and repair depot, designated
Depot No. 3, during World War I. In 1922, the War Department designated it
an operations base and assigned it the 22nd Observation Squadron, which
was Maxwell AFB’s first official flying mission, and was instrumental in
establishing permanent airmail service. In November 1922, the base was
renamed Maxwell Field in honor of Lieutenant William C. Maxwell, a native
Alabama resident killed in an aircraft accident. The 22nd Squadron's primary
mission was reconnaissance support for Army ground units. In 1929, the
squadron delivered aid after massive flooding in southern Alabama,
performing one of the first airdrops in aviation history. In 1931, the Air Corps
Tactical School was moved from Virginia to Maxwell Field. Maxwell Field
helped the City of Montgomery through the Great Depression by serving as
a major employer.
After the beginning of World War II in 1939, Maxwell Field became home of
the Headquarters Southeast Air Corps Training Center (SEATC), which was
responsible for all Army Air Forces operational training in the eastern US. In
1940, SEATC began leasing the City of Montgomery’s municipal airport,
which was named Gunter Field. The new facility allowed Maxwell Field to
become a basic flight‐training field for aviation cadets. Training at
Maxwell Field continued until December 1945, when it was inactivated.
Page 3‐2
Photo credit: United States Air Force – 908th Air Wing at Maxwell AFB
After the end of World War II, the Air University, an institution providing
continuing military education for personnel, was established at Maxwell AFB
in 1946. Today, it remains the main focus of base activities. In 1992, the
3800th Air Base Wing (ABW) was disbanded and the 502nd ABW took over
as the host wing at Maxwell AFB, which two years later gave way to the
current 42d ABW.
Source: Cradle of Airpower Education, A Short History of the Air University, Maxwell
AFB, and the 42 nd Air Base Wing, by the Air University Directorate of History;
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h‐1337;
www.mybaseguide.com/air_force/52‐1099/maxwell_gunter_afb_our_military
Background Report
June 2017