50-747: The United States Army Northern Warfare Training Center (NWTC) is the name of a United States Army Alaska (USARAK) special skills training unit and facility located in Black Rapids, Alaska , managed out of Fort Wainwright . It is the Active Army's only cold region training proponent. Arctic, subarctic, and mountain environments are brutally unforgiving to the unprepared. Units that have successfully fought in these environments have historically been those with special individual skills, are physically and mentally tough, and have extensive experience and expertise operating in harsh conditions. According to
100-560: A buildup and support hub phase from 1950 to 1957; and a transfer phase from 1958 to 1961, when the installation was turned over to the Army. From 1946 to 1950, personnel from Ladd laid some of the groundwork of the early Cold War with strategic reconnaissance and Arctic research projects. Among other missions, they made initial assessments of the Soviet presence in the Arctic; more fully developed
150-521: A pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps who died in a plane crash near Dale, South Carolina on 13 December 1935. The U.S. government began its first serious infrastructure expenditures in Alaska during the 1930s. Most prominent was an increase in the military presence. For most of the early 20th century the only Army post in Alaska was Chilkoot Barracks/Fort Seward , located just outside coastal Haines in
200-622: Is now preserved in the National Museum of the United States Air Force . Major construction of facilities began in 1941 and 1942, after the U.S. entered World War II . The initial construction occurred several miles from Fairbanks along a bend of the Chena River , consisting of an airfield, hangars, housing and support buildings. Many of these buildings still stand today. Alaska's transportation infrastructure at
250-456: The 673rd Air Base Wing : Reserve component units located throughout the state included: Ladd Field Ladd Army Airfield ( IATA : FBK , ICAO : PAFB , FAA LID : FBK ) is the military airfield located at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska . It was originally called Fairbanks Air Base , but was renamed Ladd Field on 1 December 1939, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd ,
300-470: The Bering Strait to Siberia . Many were lost because of bad weather. The weather was also a danger to the ferrying of aircraft into Fairbanks . Ice fog became a problem for airplanes landing at the field. The airplanes coming in from Great Falls AAB , Montana often could not make it to Ladd. Worse, many didn’t have enough fuel to make it back to Big Delta (to use the alternate Allen Field). It
350-730: The Japanese bombing of Dutch Harbor and seizure of Attu and Kiska islands in the Aleutian Chain in June 1942. The successful battle by the U.S. to retake Attu in May 1943 was proportionately one of the most costly amphibious assaults of World War II in the American and Pacific theaters in terms of American casualties suffered. The Japanese secretly evacuated Kiska in late-July 1943, several weeks prior to U.S. and Canadian forces seizing
400-946: The Lend-Lease program, the United States transferred nearly 8,000 aircraft to the Soviet Union at Ladd Field, which later became Fort Wainwright . The aircraft were flown from Great Falls, Montana, to Ladd Field by American crews. Russian crews then flew the planes to Siberia and on to the Russian Front. The pilots leaving Great Falls followed a series of small airfields that became known as the Northwest Staging Route. One of those airfields, Big Delta Airfield, later became Fort Greely, providing ample acreage large scale training exercises, northern warfare training and extreme cold weather testing. Following
450-509: The 17th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion were stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Following the commands reflag to the 11th Airborne, all active-duty subordinate units were absorbed into the new division. Active component units within United States Army Alaska included: Units based at Fort Wainwright hosted by US Army Garrison Alaska : Units based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) hosted by
500-480: The 1950s. Elements of the 4th Regimental Combat Team arrived at Ladd AFB in 1950, and the 1st Battle Group, 9th "Manchu" Infantry Regiment took its place in 1956. At some time by December 1957, the 1st Battle Group, 9th "Manchu" Infantry was split between Ladd AFB and Eielson AFB, with the headquarters being at Eielson AFB and some of the line companies (C Company, for one) remaining at Ladd AFB. That configuration remained until at least December 1959. The 4th AAA Group
550-579: The Anchorage and Fairbanks areas which operated under the last unit inactivated in 1979. The Army established the Yukon Command at Ladd Air Force Base as a component of the U.S. Army Alaska (USARAL) with the mission of point defense of U.S. military installations north of the Alaska Range . Consequently, infantry and anti-aircraft units comprised most of the Army presence at Ladd AFB during
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#1732781153715600-605: The Fairbanks area. Units assigned to Ladd Field included: Combat Units Depot Units Ferrying and Transport Units Weather and Testing Units (including units at Ladd AFB) From the late 1940s into the 1950s, Ladd AFB served as the northern hub for Air Force activities in Alaska. As headquarters first of the Northern Sector of the Alaskan Air Command and later of the 11th Air Division , Ladd
650-544: The Gold Rush, the U.S. government, after sending Captain Patrick H. Ray and First Lieutenant Wilds P. Richardson to study the situation, did not deem it necessary to send the Army into Alaska as peacekeepers. Despite this, with the absence of the army for over twenty years, soldiers once again returned to Alaska and established more than a dozen posts by 1900. As more and more people came into Alaska and northwestern Canada,
700-589: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Army and Navy engineers began building airstrips in the Aleutian Islands to defend against possible Japanese attacks. U.S. Army units also built an initial pioneer road in 1942 for the Alaska-Canada (ALCAN) Highway in less than eight months. In 1943, civilian contractors followed and constructed a more permanent, all-weather highway. The 1,420-mile road
750-554: The Kenai Peninsula. They also enforced regulations regarding the killing of fur seals, whose population had been severely depleted during the Russian reign. The Army in Alaska, numbering only a few hundred, became increasingly unpopular due to their idleness and failure to contain the illegal supplying of guns and alcohol to natives, with some soldiers even helping facilitate the trade. Over 20 percent of Alaska's Army garrison
800-565: The NWTC, its mission is "to provide relevant training to the leaders of USARAK units so that they can fight and win in demanding cold weather and mountain environments. A soldier trained in winter is also a good summer fighter; trained only in summer he is helpless in the winter!" NWTC trains units and leaders in cold weather and mountain operations in order to increase warfighting capabilities. United States Army Alaska The United States Army Alaska (USARAK or " America's Arctic Warriors " )
850-637: The Pacific/Arctic and military operations in the Alaska Joint Operations Area, in order to contribute to a stable and secure operational environment. The 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division was headquartered at Fort Wainwright, near Fairbanks, along with Northern Warfare Training Center (NWTC) and U.S. Army Garrison Alaska. 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, SFC Christopher R. Brevard Noncommissioned Officer's Academy, and selected units of
900-551: The arrival of 2,000 Army personnel previously stationed at Eielson AFB as part of the transfer. On 1 January 1961, the Army formally took over the installation and renamed it Fort Wainwright with the airfield facility renamed Ladd Field . The airfield was later renamed as Ladd Army Airfield ( Ladd AAF ). The elements of the airfield associated with its role in World War II, including two runways, hangars and other operational facilities, and officers' quarters, were listed on
950-651: The base's integrated combat role. The 4th Infantry supplied the Army manpower through 1956. After 1957, several developments affected Ladd's mission. The technologies of warfare, communications, and reconnaissance had changed. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and satellites would eventually mean a smaller role for AC&W units, the DEW line, and land-based communications such as White Alice. In 1958, substantial budget reductions forced commanders to reassess their resources. Near Fairbanks, two major air bases, Eielson and Ladd, existed less than thirty miles apart. By 1958,
1000-479: The closure plans remained secret. In May 1960, USAF announced that the 449th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron would be inactivated as part of a "recent reevaluation of the Air Defense Master Plan". By September 1960, Air Force flying operations ceased at Ladd AFB, while announcements confirmed that the Army would take over the installation. By 1960, operations at Ladd AFB had already diminished from
1050-478: The command of U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK), headquartered at Fort Richardson, with the 172nd Infantry Brigade as the principal combat formation, split-stationed at both Fort Richardson and Fort Wainwright. USARAK was headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Wainwright, aligned as a major subordinate command of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC). USARAK provided trained and ready forces in support of worldwide unified land operations; supports theater engagement in
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#17327811537151100-677: The command of the USARAL Artillery Group, headquartered at Fort Richardson . The Group was directly responsible to the USARAL Commanding General for Army participation in the air defense of Alaska, which involved Nike Hercules batteries, fighter interceptors, and the associated early warning radars and communications systems. In 1964 the USARAL Air Defense Artillery Group, composed of two Nike-Hercules missile battalions,
1150-604: The four-year project. While Greely and his men struggled to complete the WAMCATS project, Richardson, on his third tour of duty in Alaska, headed the Alaska Road Commission, building garrisons and trails in south-central Alaska. The Army in Alaska saw a decline in activity from 1908 to 1939, with a brief surge during World War I. Work continued building roads and bridges and improving trails during this period. Military construction in Alaska accelerated in 1940 as
1200-675: The headquarters for all Army personnel in Alaska became U.S. Army Alaska, or USARAL. Military missions assigned to USARAL included ground and air defense of Alaska, with priority to the Anchorage and Fairbanks areas; development of cold-weather and mountain-warfare doctrines; conducting a cold-weather and mountain school at Fort Greely; providing logistical support to Air Force and Navy elements in Alaska; conducting National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve training; supervising Reserve Officer Training Corps activities; and, providing internal security, including plans for recovery from nuclear attack. By 1959, several Nike Hercules missile battalions were activated in
1250-796: The height of activity in the mid-1950s. The last fighter squadron, the 449th, was inactivated in August 1960. Remaining operations included the Arctic Survival Training School and the MATS Beaverette passenger flights to Elmendorf AFB and McChord AFB. These responsibilities transferred entirely to Eielson AFB. Most other functions transferred to Elmendorf AFB, including a unit of C-123 transport aircraft, Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) station operations, and all logistic support for auxiliary sites. A few operations continued on-site as tenant commands under Air Force control after
1300-656: The hub for fighters and bombers destined for the "Forgotten 1,000 Mile War" in the Aleutians against the Japanese or on their way to Soviet forces as part of the Lend-Lease program. Reflecting the need to ensure aircraft bound for the Soviet Union were prepared for the flight to Galena and Nome, prior to flying across the Bering Straits to Siberia, Ladd AAF the Alaska Air Depot of XI AF Service Command
1350-616: The island in mid-August 1943. At the end of the war, most Army installations throughout the state closed permanently or transferred to other agencies. Postwar emphasis turned to training. The Alaskan Command (ALCOM) was created in January 1947. As the first Unified Command under the Department of Defense, ALCOM was headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage where it controlled all military forces in Alaska. The Alaskan Department changed its name again in 1947. The new name for
1400-483: The need for better communications with the lower 48 states became critical. The Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS) connected all the forts in the territory with Seattle. By 1903, the line stretched from Seattle to southeastern Alaska, Valdez, the interior, and Nome. The project fell under the direction of Brigadier General Adolphus W. Greely . Lieutenant William "Billy" Mitchell, another officer who would later achieve military fame, also worked on
1450-633: The northern region headquarters of the 11th Air Division, the base was the logistical support center for Alaska's new defense projects. Ladd supported Aircraft Control & Warning (AC&W) sites and forward operating bases such as Galena, Alaska , the northwestern segments of the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line), and the White Alice communications network (WACS). Research projects grew from early Arctic aeromedicine and cold weather testing to include ice station research on
1500-414: The polar pack ice and support for Air Force contracted research in geophysics, communications, and other disciplines. During the 1957/1958 International Geophysical Year (IGY)Ladd provided organizational and logistical support for Operation Ice Skate. Air defense remained the primary combat mission, while tactical ground support, fighter escort, Arctic training exercises, and base defense were other parts of
1550-559: The practice of polar navigation; extended Arctic topography; tested cold weather equipment, clothing, and human performance, as well as maintained the area air defenses of the region. In 1948, as Cold War tensions heightened, the Army's 2nd Infantry sent ground defense soldiers to Ladd From the onset of the Korean War in 1950 and continuing through 1957, Ladd saw intense use. It became a busy operations and logistics center with significantly expanded facilities and personnel strength. As
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1600-629: The space age was dawning. ICBMs changed the focus of air defense away from responding to manned bombers, and satellites were poised to revolutionize communications. That year, the Eisenhower administration drastically curtailed defense funding. One year later, in September 1959, USAF Headquarters informed the Alaskan Air Command that Ladd AFB would be closed and its functions transferred to Eielson AFB and Elmendorf AFB. For some time,
1650-512: The state's far southeast. With the threat of war looming as the 1930s ended, the need was established to develop multiple facilities as a means of defending Alaska against possible enemy attack. The U.S. government acquired homesteads southeast of the town of Fairbanks beginning in 1938. From this 6 square miles (16 km ) Ladd Field was created. The first aircraft to land there was a Douglas O-38 F, 33-324 , c/n 1177, in October 1940, which
1700-614: The territory. These expeditions into various parts of Alaska continued through the turn of the 20th century, as mapmaking and road and bridge building expanded the frontier. The Klondike Gold Rush in Yukon Territory, Canada, and later gold rushes in Alaska helped that expansion, as thousands of people poured into Alaska. Although the Royal Canadian Mounted Police maintained law and order in the Yukon during
1750-659: The time was so limited and the problem of military supply so acute it made sense to concentrate the bases along existing supply lines near Anchorage and Fairbanks . Ladd's location near the Richardson Highway and the Alaska Railroad , its access to fuel from the CANOL pipeline, and its position at the time as one of the United States' northernmost developed airbases, were important factors in securing its early Cold War prominence. The major use of Ladd Field
1800-567: The transfer to the Army, most notably the USAF hospital and the Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory. The actual transfer operation was an administrative undertaking lasting more than six months. Each Air Force function was scrutinized and either transferred or closed out, with supplies and equipment turned in, inventories zeroed out, and personnel reassigned. Ladd AFB, already the headquarters of the Army's Yukon Command, would see
1850-690: The very moment Alaska became American soil on 18 October 1867. Elements of the 9th Infantry were on hand as the Russian Golden Eagle was lowered and the Stars and Stripes were raised in Sitka, which then became headquarters for the Alaska Military District . Charged with maintaining law and order in the new territory, U.S. Army soldiers helped quell uprisings and built new forts at Wrangell, St. Paul Canal, Kodiak Island, and on
1900-539: The world prepared for another great war. Ladd Field , near Fairbanks, was built as a cold-weather test station and Fort Richardson, named for Wilds P. Richardson, was built near Anchorage. Colonel Simon B. Buckner assumed command of the Alaska Defense Force in 1940, achieving the rank of major general during his following three-year tenure in what evolved into the Alaska Department. Through
1950-521: Was primarily cold-weather testing of aircraft and equipment. Only Interior Alaska offered the consistently cold temperatures needed. However, the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 forced the temporary halt since the military needed all aircraft for the defense of Alaska. Testing at Ladd Field began again in 1942, but by 1943 aircraft cold-weather testing had become a second priority, as Ladd became
2000-602: Was a military command of the United States Army located in the U.S. state of Alaska . A subordinate command of I Corps , USARAK was the ground element of the Alaskan Command . USARAK was headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and commanded by a major general. USARAK was reflagged as the 11th Airborne Division on June 6, 2022. The U.S. Army's important history in the Great Land began at
2050-425: Was activated and moved its offices from Building 1 to building 656, Fort Richardson. The USARAL Air Defense Artillery Group was renamed the 87th Artillery Group (Air Defense) in January 1968. 4/43 ADA defended Anchorage (which would have included the battery at Site Summit ) while 2-562 ADA provided area defense around Fairbanks . 4/43 ADA was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery in 1971. It
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2100-697: Was activated in 1986, replacing 172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate). The 6th ID (L) Division headquarters moved to Fort Wainwright in 1990. The 6th 1D (L) maintained an Arctic focus in its unit training and was actively involved in training exercises in Japan and Thailand, at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Arkansas and Louisiana, and throughout Alaska until its inactivation in July 1994. At that time, Army forces in Alaska reorganized under
2150-475: Was activated on 8 July 1942. The depot moved to Elmendorf Field in 1943, although some of its subordinate units remained until 1944. The airplanes arrived at Ladd were stripped of all but basic instrumentation and armament. Flights took off with no navigational aids from Ladd Field and fly the first leg to Galena, Alaska on the Yukon River . After refueling they went on to Nome , for the short hop across
2200-540: Was at that time that the 2/562 ADA was deactivated. In March 1971 the Department of the Army announced its decision to close the remaining Fairbanks area missile sites of the 2/562 Artillery, the 166th Ordnance, and the 87th Artillery Group by the end of June 1971. USARAL's combat units officially reorganized in July 1963, into the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) at Fort Richardson and the 171st Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) at Fort Wainwright. The two brigades were re-designated as Light Infantry Brigades in 1969. USARAL
2250-486: Was built as an overland supply route to get personnel and equipment to Alaska. The ALCAN Highway complemented military infrastructure that was built throughout Alaska than ensured Allied forces could defend the territory and carry the fight to the enemy, if necessary. Alaska was the only American soil on which ground fighting occurred during World War II; the Aleutian Islands Campaign began following
2300-695: Was centrally involved in the Cold War missions of the Alaskan Command and in the transient missions of other military units, including the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Units assigned to Ladd AFB included: Divisions Wings Groups Squadrons Other units Ladd was not exclusively an Air Force site. The Army was also present to provide antiaircraft (AAA) support and base defense. At Ladd, Cold War activities fell mainly into three time periods: an early phase from 1946 to 1950;
2350-419: Was court martialed from 1868-1869 alone, and in 1870, their budget was cut drastically, and all military posts except Sitka were shut down. The Army relinquished control of Alaska to the U.S. Treasury Department in 1877 with the closing of Sitka, but did not entirely leave the territory. The Signal Corps operated weather stations, and a number of officers led small geographic explorations to learn more about
2400-517: Was discontinued as a major subordinate command on 31 December 1972, and the 172nd Infantry Brigade (Alaska), headquartered at Fort Richardson, assumed command and control, reporting to U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort McPherson , Georgia. The 171st Infantry Brigade was inactivated in 1973 leaving the reorganized 172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate) as the principal combat formation, split-stationed at both Fort Richardson and Fort Wainwright The 6th Infantry Division (Light) , headquartered at Fort Richardson,
2450-503: Was stationed at Ladd until 1958. In 1959, a NIKE battalion equipped with nuclear-capable Nike Hercules surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) took over the interior defense mission. Later two battalions of Nike missiles were stationed in Alaska: 4th Battalion (later 1st Battalion), 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment , and 2d Battalion, 562nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment . The two battalions and their direct support ordnance companies fell under
2500-564: Was this danger that led to the military decision to build an auxiliary field south of Ladd Field for a weather-alternate which eventually became "26 Mile Field", and later, Eielson Air Force Base . By the end of the war, 7,926 aircraft were ferried though Ladd Field. The last aircraft transited the airfield on 1 September 1945. When the Air Force was made a separate branch in 1947 the name was changed to Ladd Air Force Base ( Ladd AFB ). For many years, it would be one of two Air Force bases in
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