Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base

Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Moselle département, about 2 miles(3 km) west of the town of Phalsbourg, on the north side of the Route nationale 4 (N4) Highway adjacent to the village Saint-Jean-Kourtzerode; 29 miles (47 km) northwest of Strasbourg.

During the Cold War, Phalsbourg-Bourscheid was a front-line base for the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).

Origins

Prior to 1950, there were no existing airfields in the Phalsbourg area. With the advent of the Cold War in the late 1940s and the formation of NATO, agreements were made to expand the United States military presence in western Europe. The forces deployed there during World War II had been rapidly drawn down after 1945 and on 4 April 1949, an agreement was signed between Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States to develop a joint military force to offset the Soviet Union.

The United States and United Kingdom would provide the strategic forces equipped with nuclear weapons. NATO would provide the tactical air power. This led to the development of the United States Air Force in Europe to command the American forces in NATO. The United States would eventually base combat aircraft and personnel in Belgium, England, France, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and West Germany.

NATO acquisition

In 1950, U. S....
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