History
| Barksdale Field Historic District | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. Historic district | |
| Location: | Jct. of US 71 and West Gate Dr., Bossier City, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Area: | 225 acres (91 ha) |
| Built: | 1931 |
| Architectural style: | Other, French Revival |
| Governing body: | Federal |
| NRHP Reference#: | 92000332 |
| Added to NRHP: | April 13, 1992 |
Barksdale Field was named in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale (1895–1926) on February 2, 1933. Lieutenant Barksdale received his wings in Great Britain in 1918 and flew with the British during World War I. Barksdale died on August 11, 1926, over McCook Field near Dayton, Ohio when testing a Douglas O-2 observation airplane for spin characteristics. He did not recover from a flat spin while parachuting out of the plane, and his parachute was caught in the wing's brace wires, causing Barksdale to fall to his death. He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
The name of the airfield was changed to Barksdale Air Force Base on February 13, 1948, concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military branch.
Airships were still in use when field construction began, so Hangars One and Two were built large enough to accommodate them. No airships were ever assigned, but each hangar was large enough to accommodate two B-52 aircraft wingtip to wingtip, which proved invaluable for Big Belly and Pacer Plank modifications managed by Boeing's Wichita plant between 1965 and 1973. For more information on the modifications, see B-52 missions from U-Tapao. Half of the B-52Fs mentioned were deployed from Barksdale, but never returned as they were replaced by B-52Gs after the Vietnam War.
Read more about this topic: Barksdale Air Force Base
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—Henry James (1843–1916)