Biggs Field

Biggs Field was a United States military airfield located adjacent to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Originally established after World War I, it served as a training base, aerial gunnery range, and strategic aviation facility through World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War. The installation supported tactical units, strategic reconnaissance, and inter-service operations before closure in the 1970s and subsequent transfer to civil authorities and redevelopment interests.

History

Biggs Field was founded in the aftermath of World War I as an aviation training site near El Paso. During World War II, the field expanded rapidly to accommodate training for United States Army Air Forces bomber and fighter crews, and hosted units rotating between the Western Defense Command and the Air Training Command. In the early Cold War era Biggs transitioned to United States Air Force control and became a center for strategic reconnaissance and tactical airlift supporting operations in the Korean War and later contingency deployments to Tactical Air Command theaters. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the base intersected with broader national defense initiatives involving Strategic Air Command, Military Air Transport Service, and cooperative exercises with units from Fort Bliss. Base realignment pressures and changing force posture after the Vietnam War and the 1973 oil crisis contributed to decisions leading to inactivation and transfer of airfield functions in the early 1970s.

Facilities and Layout

The installation featured multiple runways, hangars, a control tower, ammunition storage, and maintenance complexes to support aircraft such as the B-26 Marauder, B-36 Peacemaker, and later tactical transports. Support infrastructure included barracks, mess halls, a hospital adjacent to William Beaumont Army Medical Center arrangements, and administrative buildings linked to Fort Bliss logistics networks. The airfield's layout incorporated access roads connecting to US Route 85 and rail spurs tied to Southern Pacific Railroad routes for ordnance and supply shipments. Training ranges and gunnery strips were established in nearby desert tracts used concurrently by units from Biggs Field and visiting squadrons from Sheppard Air Force Base and Laredo Air Force Base.

Military Units and Operations

Biggs hosted an array of units over its operational life, including bombardment groups, reconnaissance squadrons, and tactical airlift wings associated with Eighth Air Force, Twelfth Air Force, and later Ninth Air Force commands. Notable assignments included rotary- and fixed-wing detachments cooperating with Fort Bliss artillery and armor units during joint exercises that mirrored deployments to Europe and Korea. The airfield supported deployments tied to contingency operations in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis era and surveillance missions that coordinated with Federal Aviation Administration airspace control for border and maritime patrols. Training operations attracted personnel from bases such as Randolph Air Force Base, Keesler Air Force Base, and international observers from allied air arms including units representing Royal Air Force exchanges.

Post-military Use and Redevelopment

Following deactivation, the property underwent transfers to local authorities, private developers, and retained parceling tied to Fort Bliss real estate holdings. Portions of the former airfield were repurposed for civil aviation, industrial parks, and commercial developments connecting to El Paso International Airport economic corridors. Redevelopment projects involved coordination with municipal entities like the City of El Paso and regional planners engaged with Texas Department of Transportation initiatives to integrate former base lands into Loop 375 expansions and cross-border trade infrastructure with Ciudad Juárez. Adaptive reuse included conversion of hangars into warehousing serving logistics firms and preservation efforts inspired by aviation heritage groups and veterans' organizations linked to National Museum of the United States Air Force outreach programs.

Environmental Impact and Remediation

Decades of aviation operations, ordnance storage, and maintenance produced environmental legacies requiring assessment under federal programs administered by the Department of Defense and state regulators such as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Contaminants of concern commonly included fuels, solvents, heavy metals, and unexploded ordnance found within former range areas, prompting remediation actions overseen with oversight from agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and cooperative involvement from United States Army Corps of Engineers. Cleanup efforts employed soil vapor extraction, excavation, and long-term monitoring strategies consistent with practices used at other Cold War-era installations like Eglin Air Force Base and Edwards Air Force Base, with community engagement coordinated through public meetings held by El Paso County and reuse planning committees.

Category:Former United States Air Force bases Category:Installations of the United States Army