42d Air Base Wing

334-953-4200

The 42d Air Base Wing (ABW) was created in 1953 from the 42d Bombardment Group’s squadrons which had been active since World War II. The Bomb Group participated in bombing Balikpapan, Borneo, in 1945, for which it was given a Distinguished Unit Citation. They successfully targeted many other crucial areas around the Philippines, China, and French Indochina, including airfields and shipping installations. After 1953, the ABW became one of the first B-52 wings when the B-36 was replaced. During the Cold War, the wing deployed in support of Operation Chrome Dome and was kept on high alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Despite a B-52 being shot down by a North Vietnamese missile, which the crew was able to safely escape from in Thailand, the 42d was otherwise successful during the Vietnam War. More recently, the wing supported Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Southwest Asia and flew nearly 1,000 missions in just over a month’s time. The wing has been the host unit at Maxwell AFB since 1994, when it acquired its current designation as the Air Base Wing.

42d Medical Group

334-953-7801

42d Mission Support Group

334-953-4204

Air University Headquarters

334-953-5774