wheelus: an american town in libya
by S. Rodwell & S. Shennib
Photo of Second Lieutenant Geoffrey E. Hill taken at Wheelus Field in Tripoli, Libya in 1954 1.
From its opening in 1943 until its closure in 1970, Wheelus Air Force base provided a full home away from home for thousands of Americans in the Kingdom of Libya. At one period WHEELUS, was the largest U.S military facility outside the U.S, Wheelus housed up to 15,000 Americans and offered its residents a high school, the largest military hospital outside of America, a shopping mall, a multiplex cinema, a bowling alley, restaurants, a beach club, and its own radio & TV station.
Wheelus represented a unique period of US-Libyan relations, of particular significance in the history of Libya. Explore life at Wheelus now.
Explore life at wheelus.
-
Mellaha Airfield: Life Before Wheelus
Before acquired by the Americans in the post-WW2 era, Wheelus AiforceBase first came into existence as Mellaha Airfield and Autodrome, constructed by the Italians during the period of their colonization of Libya. Built on a salt flat, the Mellaha circuit commissioned by Mussolini and Italo Balbo became home to the notorious Tripoli Grand Prix .
-
WHEELUS: THE EARLY YEARS
In the years immediately following WW2, Wheelus Airforce Base was established by the Americans to serve as a strategic base from which to patrol the Mediterranean and the regional countries. Numerous squadrons of critical importance were based at Wheelus and safeguarded the Mediterranean region as the world entered the Cold War Era.
-
WHEELUS IN THE 60's: A MICROCOSM OF AMERICAN LIFE
As the strategic importance of Wheelus Air Force Base grew during the Cold War Era, and the US Government finalised a lease agreement with Libya for the continued use of the base, Wheelus was expanded into a unique and impressive microcosm of an American town to accommodate the growing number of staff and their dependents relocating to Wheelus.
-
The End of an Era: Pan-Arabism, the Gaddafi Revolution and the Closure of Wheelus AFB
The rise of Pan-Arabism in the 1950’s and 60’s brought with it a new regional instability and ushered in the Gaddafi administration. In the wake of the Gaddafi revolution, Wheelus Airforce Base was closed in June of 1970, marking the end of an era of American and Libyan cooperation.
-
WHEELUS LIVES ON: MEMORIES AND REMINISCENCES
Gone but not forgotten. Learn how Wheelus AIrforce Base has been used in the post-closure era. Read the riveting recollections of Wheelus from former staff, residents of, and visitors, to Wheelus Air Force Base during the 1950s and 1960s and explore more videos and photos of life at Wheelus.
-
Enjoyed this Exhibit? Leave Your Reviews & Messages Here!
Did you enjoy the exhibit ‘Wheelus; An American Town in Libya’? Did you or someone you know live at or visit Wheelus AFB? Please leave your reviews and messages here! We would love to hear from you!
FOOTNOTES
Photo of Second Lieutenant Geoffrey E. Hill taken at Wheelus Field in Tripoli, Libya in 1954 CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0> via Wikimedia Commons
