See: General Mitchell International Airport

General Mitchell International Airport

General Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....

 for civil airport information

General Mitchell Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Wisconsin Air National Guard

Wisconsin Air National Guard

The Wisconsin Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is, along with the Wisconsin Army National Guard, an element of the Wisconsin National Guard...

 128th Air Refueling Wing

128th Air Refueling Wing

The United States Air Force's 128th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Mobility Command located at General Mitchell International Airport, Wisconsin...

.

Overview

The 128th Air Refueling Wing

128th Air Refueling Wing

The United States Air Force's 128th Air Refueling Wing is an Air Mobility Command located at General Mitchell International Airport, Wisconsin...

, Wisconsin Air National Guard

Wisconsin Air National Guard

The Wisconsin Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is, along with the Wisconsin Army National Guard, an element of the Wisconsin National Guard...

, has had a long and illustrious record of service to the State of Wisconsin and the United States of America. From natural disasters to service in the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, Desert Storm, Restore Hope and Deny Flight, the men and women of the 128th Air Refueling Wing have responded to changing world events and tasking requirements with dignity, honor and courage.

History

On October 5, 1926, the Milwaukee County Board approved the $150,000 purchase of a new airport facility. The land was owned by Thomas Hamilton, a local aviator who operated a propeller manufacturing business and small airport. Soon after the Hamilton land purchase, aviation activity at the Currie Park site ceased and was transferred to the new location.

The first airport terminal, the Hirschbuehl Farmhouse, opened on the Hamilton Airport site in July of 1927. That same month Northwest Airlines, Inc., initiated air service from Milwaukee to Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 and Minneapolis-St. Paul. World-famous aviator Charles A. Lindbergh visited the Milwaukee airport on August 20, 1927.

During the late depression years (from 1938 to July, 1940), a new two-story terminal building was constructed by the Works Progress Administration

Works Progress Administration

The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...

 (WPA). In 1941, the name of the Milwaukee County Airport was changed to "General Mitchell Field" after Milwaukee's military advocate, Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell.

Air Force Reserve units have been flying from what was then called General Mitchell field since 1952. The 440th Airlift Wing

440th Airlift Wing

The 440th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force Reserve unit assigned to Twenty-Second Air Force. It is stationed at Pope Field, part of Fort Bragg in North Carolina....

 has a long tradition of service and award winning excellence and traces its heritage back to World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The original 440th was a Troop Carrier Group, established in June of 1943. After a year of flying training and preparations for duty overseas, the unit began operations on the 6th of June 1944: D-Day

D-Day

D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

.

Using C-47 Skytrain

C-47 Skytrain

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...

s, and Waco CG-4

Waco CG-4

The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used United States troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4 by the United States Army Air Forces, and named Hadrian in British military service....

A "Hadrians" the 440th flew paratroop drop and glider missions during the first critical days of the Normandy Invasion. For this, the 440th TCG earned the Distinguished Unit Citation. It went on to participate in the invasion of Southern France, Operation Market Garden

Operation Market Garden

Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....

 missions into Holland, the re-supply of the trapped 101st Airborne Division

101st Airborne Division

The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...

 during the Battle of the Bulge

Battle of the Bulge

The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...

, and the crossing of the Rhine in March of 1945, earning seven Bronze Battle Stars in the process.

Established as a Reserve unit in 1949, the 440th moved to Minneapolis-St. Paul where it assumed the airlift mission until 1 May 1951, when it was activated for the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

. Three days later it was decided to use the personnel assigned to the 440th to supplement other Troop Carrier Wings and the unit was inactivated. After the Korean War the 440th was reactivated as a Fighter-Bomber Wing at Minneapolis-St. Paul, and re-equipped with F-80, and T-33

T-33

T-33 may refer to:*T-33 Shooting Star a U.S. jet trainer*T-33 Light Amphibious Tank a Soviet light tankSimilar designations:*Alfa Romeo Tipo 33*London Buses route T33*Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T33...

jet aircraft. It performed this role until 1957, when it recaptured the airlift mission and was re-designated the 440th Troop Carrier Wing and transferred to its present home at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.