Through the early years of U.S. military aviation, the official publication Air Service (later Air Corps) Newsletter tracked the events, large and small, that impacted the small community of uniformed American Airmen. Through the pages of this publication, one is able to track the history and early development of what was then called Selfridge Field, as well as the units and Airmen who served there.

The World War II history of the Airmen, units and other personnel affiliated with Selfridge Air National Guard Base could and has filled many volumes of books. The links below offer a brief overview of three key units during that time period. 

Some squadrons of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the all-Black unit which helped shatter racial stereotypes during the war, were assigned to Selfridge and to the base in Oscoda, Mich. The chronology below provides an overview of their arrival, duties and departure from Selfridge. The photo above shows Tuskegee Airmen at Selfridge planning a training mission.
 

Chronology Highlights Tuskegee Airmen History at Selfridge

Both of the Michigan Air National Guard flying units currently assigned to Selfridge had a distinguished record of service in World War II. Those records are summarized at the links below. For information on the photo above, see the 107th Squadron link.  
 

107th Squadron World War II Overview

The history of the Michigan Air National Guard officially dates from May 7, 1926, when the forerunner of today's 107th Fighter Squadron received federal recognition. This chronology, while not complete, lists major highlights and events tracked by the Air National Guard's Historian Office at ANG headquarters. This chronology primarily tracks the history of the three flying units that have historically been assigned to Michigan: the 107th and 171st, historically assigned to the Detroit area and now at Selfridge Air National Guard Base; and the 172nd, assigned to Battle Creek. 

The history of the Michigan National Guard pre-dates the creation of the state of Michigan by more than a century. Units of the Michigan National Guard and its predecessor organizations played key roles at many crucial points in the history of the state and of the nation. The following link provides a look at many of the events that helped shape today's Michigan National Guard by looking at events that took place on various specific dates throughout the calendar year.