Selfridge Air National Guard Base - History

History

The airfield was named for Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, the first U.S. military officer to die in an aviation accident while flying with Orville Wright at Fort Myer, Virginia on 17 September 1908. It was an active Air Force base from 1947 through the 1960s, but it always had a significant Reserve and National Guard presence and became a wholly Reserve Component facility on July 1, 1971.

The United States Army leased the 640 acres (260 ha) of land from Henry B. Joy where he constructed Joy Aviation Field and on July 1, 1917, Selfridge Field opened to train pilots as World War I raged in Europe. The training center suffered an early setback in March 1918, as the Clinton River flooded the entire site and all personnel were evacuated to schools and churches in nearby Mount Clemens.

In 1920, the Army purchased the land for $190,000 however conditions were still primitive as grass was cut by mowers pulled by horse teams and much of the field was mired in mud. After the purchase, Congress approved funds for improvements at Selfridge, turning it into one of the premier airfields in the nation.

Beginning June 27, 1919, Selfridge became the home of the 1st Pursuit Group, currently the oldest combat group in the Air Force. The group was organized in France during World War I and like many others, was demobilized after the war then re-created in 1919. It remained based at Selfridge for approximately 20 years. Many notable names are included in the group's roster including George H. Brett, James "Jimmy" Doolittle, Carl A. Spaatz, Curtis LeMay, Frank O. Hunter, Emmett "Rosie" O'Donnell, Earle E. Partridge, Paul Wurtsmith and over 100 men who rose to the rank of Air Force general ("Home of Generals"). (Lieutenant LeMay was fined $50 for flying a biplane through Selfridge Hangar #6.)

Air races at Selfridge from 1922 through the 1930s included the first John Mitchell Trophy Race (named for John L. Mitchell and last held in 1936 at Selfridge), the Pulitzer Trophy Race, and the Curtiss Trophy Race and Boeing Trophy. Charles A. Lindbergh was assigned to Selfridge in 1927, returned in July 1927 (his transatlantic aircraft, Spirit of St. Louis, was escorted by 22 1st Pursuit Group planes) and returned again November 10, 1927, to become a member of the 1st Pursuit Group and complete his reserve training.

In 1925, planes equipped with ice skids left Selfridge for Camp Skeel in Oscoda, Michigan to determine the usefulness of airplanes in harsh winter. Squadron commander Thomas Lamphier declared the test a success and proclaimed that similarly planes could be used to in Arctic regions.

The U.S. Navy came to Selfridge in 1927 when Torpedo Squadron 31 (VT-31) was briefly assigned to the base. The squadron had only one aircraft, a Consolidated NY-1, which was used for training the squadron's Naval Air Reserve pilots. The squadron left before the end of the year, moving to a hangar in downtown Detroit. Naval Aviation would return to Selfridge in 1969 following the closing of Naval Air Station Grosse Ile and the establishment of Naval Air Facilty Detroit.

During the 1930s and 1940s, squadrons "from Selfridge performed maneuvers over Detroit, local citizens". On October 27, 1940, the 17th Pursuit Group consolidated squadron deployed from Selfridge to the Philippines.