In the late 1920s and early 1930s Deutsche Aero Lloyd operated cargo and passenger flights from Hamburg to Zürich stopping in Mannheim.

At the beginning of World War II, the III/JG 53 (3rd Group, Jagdgeschwader 53) fighter unit "Pik-As" (Ace of Spades) was based here, commanded by one of Germany's top combat pilots, Werner Mölders.

In September 1944 a prisoner of war camp was installed on the site which was operated and guarded by the SS, holding 80 POWs from Poland, Luxembourg and Russia.

Despite any hard evidence, these rumors persisted over the years and stories of hidden Nazi bunkers and tunnels were passed on from one generation of soldiers stationed at Coleman to the next.

It is surrounded by Autobahn 6 (A6) to the south and a state highway (Bundesstraße 44 (B44)) to the west; the Mannheim–Frankfurt railway train line (between Frankfurt and Mannheim) runs 1.6 km (1 mi) to the east.

Discussions were held about extending the runway to 1200 metres, but those plans were withdrawn due to severe protests by nearby residents.

Since the airfield at Coleman Barracks has ceased operations, the club has relocated to Mainz-Finthen Airport near Wackernheim, southwest of Mainz.

In 2004, the American Forces Network (AFN)- Europe consolidated its headquarters and Radio/TV studios from Frankfurt and Heidelberg to Coleman Barracks.

[3] In February 2015, USAREUR announced Coleman Barracks will be retained temporarily as an interim site to store and maintain pre-positioned vehicles and equipment that will be used to support U.S. Army Regionally Aligned Forces when they rotate into theater for training, exercises or contingency operations.