Baer Field

Airfield Identification

October 1941 to present

United States of America

CITY: Fort Wayne, IN

IATA/ICAO CODES: FWA / KFWA

COORDINATES: 40°59'N / 85°12'W

OTHER NAMES: Baer Field, Fort Wayne ANG Station, Fort Wayne Municipal, Fort Wayne International

Right: a general view of Baer Field, November 1943
Photo credit: unknown

Commando Operations

Baer Field opened in late 1941, as US forces were getting ready for war. It was initially a fighter training base, however in June 1942 the airfield was closed in order for additional construction to be completed. Some of the changes made during this time were strengthening the runways, necessary to accommodate the weight of bombers and transport aircraft. Additional hangars were also constructed to accommodate the maintenance of large numbers of aircraft.

By September 1942 the runways were again open, and Baer Field became a bomber training airfield. In March 1943, jurisdiction of the base was then assigned I Troop Carrier Command, with the mission to train Commando and C-47 Troop Carrier groups in preparation for overseas deployment to various combat theaters. Baer’s responsibility was the processing of Troop Carrier Command units, by providing the groups with aircraft and providing the necessary training for their maintenance and support. Large numbers of aircraft and crews were joined at Baer and from there were deployed overseas.

The processing of the transport aircraft was simple: after the plane’s manufacture, aircraft were flown from the factory to an Air Technical Service Command modification center. At the modification center, the plane was updated according to the latest modification orders and received the necessary equipment and changes to suit it for its final destination. From the various modification centers the aircraft were flown to Baer Field. Aircraft were parked everywhere including two of the three runways. The hardstands were also packed with new aircraft awaiting processing.

Baer’s responsibility was to inspect the aircraft and make any appropriate final changes; i.e., install long-range fuel tanks, remove unnecessary equipment, and give it a final flight safety test. Baer's inspection of the aircraft was very detailed and involved considerable maintenance, repair and modification. There were two stages: the first was an assembly-line type of operation in the largest hangar where everything was checked. Examples of some of the problems found were leakage of hydraulic fittings, generators not working, loose electrical fittings, instruments inoperative, low fluid levels and missing parts, especially clocks. A Commando arrived once with a block of wood in a carburetor air filter. The second stage was the last inspection. Here the plane was flight tested and then turned over to its crew. The engines were run up, the plane taxied and then flown by military crews to check instruments, radios and single engine operation. The planes were flown north from Baer to Kendallville, IN, and back to Baer, an 80-mile round trip. Around Kendallville, one engine was shut down to see how the aircraft handled. The military flew the planes during the test flight, but often the pilot would be accompanied by a civilian test pilot. When the flight turned up additional problems, these were corrected by the Flight Test section. There were Pratt and Whitney technical representatives on the field for the engines, as well as other factory representatives from Douglas and Curtiss-Wright for the airframes.

Once completed, the aircraft was delivered to its squadron aircrew. Long-range fuel tanks were installed in the fuselage for its overseas movement. If the plane was going to England over the North Atlantic Route it received two 100 gallon tanks; to Africa over the South Atlantic Route required four 100 gallon tanks, and the very long-distances of the South Pacific Route, then eight 100 gallon tanks were installed due to the vast distances between island airfields. Extra oil was also required and this was put into a 50-gallon drum with a hose to each engine through the wing. When the oil level got low more would be hand pumped from the drum to the engines oil tank.

While the planes were being serviced and made ready for overseas movement, personnel for these planes were also being processed. Pilots, co-pilots and crew chiefs being assigned as a crew for each aircraft. In some cases a navigator was also assigned, depending upon the ship's destination. The process typically took 2–3 weeks. Paperwork was handled, equipment was issued and some training accomplished. Baer would process between 10-40 crews per day.

Early in the war, most of the training was brief or non-existent. This was particularly true where men and machines were rushed into combat to meet an enemy that had been preparing and fighting for years. This low level of training was also true for crew chiefs. This would change. Training films were first used at Baer in June 1942 and by August 1943 there were 165 training films; later on this would grow to 485 films and numerous other training aids.

Beginning in 1944, Baer repaired and refurbished "war-weary" aircraft which were returned from their combat assignments and were overhauled and inspected. After April 1944, new aircrew training was suspended and replacement aircraft for overseas units were processed through Baer, with WASP and ATC Ferrying Command pilots moving checked out aircraft to their worldwide destinations.

Baer continued as a staging base for I Troop Carrier Command until early May 1945, when its mission changed. With the end of the European War, the base now became an assembly station for redeployment of personnel from Europe to the Pacific Theater. Aircraft staging activities were no longer conducted at the base, however it remained under the jurisdiction of I Troop Carrier Command. Throughout the summer of 1945 many Troop Carrier groups which had been equipped and trained at Baer returned to the base from their overseas assignments where they were demobilized and the aircraft were ferried to storage depots in the southwest. This new assignment was short lived, and on 31 December 1945 Baer Field was placed on inactive status. Baer’s last assignment was an Army Air Forces separation base.

On 10 March 1946 the facility was turned over to the City of Fort Wayne for use as a civil airport for one dollar, and the City renamed the facility Fort Wayne Municipal Airport. On 1 July 1948, the 2467^th Air Force Reserve Training Center opened at the base, placed under the jurisdiction of Continental Air Command. It was inactivated due to budget constraints on 27 June 1949.

Today, Fort Wayne is an international airport and an Air National Guards Station.