Bakalar Air Force Base
Bakalar Air Force Base is a former U.S. Air Force base located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) northeast of Columbus, Indiana. During World War II, the base was known as Atterbury Air Field and Atterbury Army Air Base (named in memory of Brigadier General William Wallace Atterbury), but it was renamed Bakalar Air Force Base in 1954 in honor of First Lieutenant John Edmond Bakalar, USAAF. Established in 1942, the airfield served as a training base for medium-range C-46 Commando and C-47 Skytrain troop carrier planes and glider pilots. It also was used for training B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauder bomber crews. Reactivated during the Cold War, it was used as an Air Force Reserve training base for troop carrier, tactical airlift, and special operations flying units. The military base was closed in 1970. The present-day facility operates as the Columbus Municipal Airport.
| Bakalar Air Force Base | |
|---|---|
| Part of Continental Air Command (ConAc) Air Force Reserve (AFRES) | |
| Located near: Columbus, Indiana | |
Jeep being dropped by Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar, AF Ser. No. 52-6024 of the 434th Troop Carrier Wing, Bakalar AFB, Indiana, circa 1954 (note that the parachute has not yet opened). | |
Bakalar AFB Location of Bakalar Air Force Base, Indiana | |
| Coordinates | 39°15′43″N 085°53′47″W |
| Type | Air Reserve Base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1943–1970 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 434th Tactical Airlift Wing |