The facility was first developed as a military airfield by the Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during World War I.

Rebuilt after the war as a joint civil/military airfield, the primary use of the base was to support Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) at Rocquencourt.

Paris Orly Airport's beginnings date to World War I, and the entry of the United States into the conflict on the Western Front.

[1] The first meaningful use of Orly Aerodrome with the arrival of the first aircraft on 6 April 1918, when three Sopwith 1A2s landed at the field from Le Bourget Airport.

[1] Once fully inspected and flight-tested, the aircraft would either be flown out by ferry pilots assigned to the Dispatch Section to the 1st Air Depot for eventual combat operations or to one of the Training Schools.

These aircraft, along with the records maintained for each one were ferried to Orly over the winter of 1918-1919 and then flown to various locations in France where they were returned to their respective governments.

[4] After the armistice, the fighter units moved out, while KG 51 remained with its Ju 88s at Orly until March 1941, taking part in the Battle of Britain.

[4] When the bombers moved out, for about a year it was used by the Luftwaffe as a rest and rearmament airfield, with units from combat areas being withdrawn and stationed at Orly briefly until being redeployed.

The offensive marked the Luftwaffe's last large-scale bombing operation against England, and afterward only the V1 cruise missiles and V2 ballistic rockets were used for hitting the British Isles.

[4] The American Eighth Air Force carried out three heavy bombing raids against Orly in May and June 1944 (Missions 359, 367 and 442).

The two concrete runways were patched and the airfield was made operational as Advanced Landing Ground A-47 for transport units to fly Resupply and Casualty evacuation flights by the next day.

The space at Orly also allowed for five usable Quonset huts to accommodate a military terminal and ground support personnel.

By October 1951, the expansion of Orly's facilities was so great as to require a higher headquarters organization; accordingly the 1630th AB Squadron was upgraded to the 1606th Air Base Group.

Other units assigned to the group were the 7407th Headquarters Squadron and the Paris APO Post Office (APO 55)[9] Another important mission developing at Orly Air Base was providing aircraft and facilities to maintain the flying proficiency of USAF pilots assigned to the Paris region.

The 7415th Air Base Group was formed as part of USAFE, the MATS unit was reduced to a detachment and made a tenant of the 7415th to manage passenger traffic.

[9] The primary mission of the 7415th ABG was meeting and greeting distinguished visitors (DVs) visiting the Paris region.

At four summit meetings, arrangements were made with Orly Airport management to close an active runway and use it for DV aircraft parking.

[9] During the 1950s, the United States became very committed to building military facilities in France, and the Paris area became a center for activities of the Army and Air Force.

[9] Additional construction during 1954-55 completed the largest USAF air terminal in France, a new AFEX snack bar, a large service club, group headquarters building, fire station, Air Police center, officers open mess, BOQ, VIP billets, and a vehicle repair shop.

[9] The air terminal at Orly replaced the troopship as the common carrier for USAF personnel heading to France.

Outbound Air Force troops were given a three-hour time block to report to PAPC, then moved by bus to Orly AB for their flight back to CONUS.

The 7415th operated fifteen C-47A Skytrains, one C-54G Skymaster, one C-121A Lockheed Constellation, and one Convair C-131B Samaritan aircraft based at Orly for VIP transportation within Europe (Special Air Support), and for proficiency flying.

The 7415th Food Service section was always busy, preparing 4,600 in-flight meals per month for passengers on outbound military flights as well as operating the base mess hail for unit and transient personnel.

Other detachments of the Flight Service Squadron were located in Uxbridge (London), Rome, Madrid, Istanbul, Casablanca (Morocco) and Wheelus AB, Libya.

[9] An official base newspaper The Orly Diplomat (6 pages 13 by 8 inches) was begun in June 1953 by TSGT John R. German, off a "rickety, ink-stained mimeo machine."

In 1954 USAF C-124 transports assisted the French by airlifting 500 paratroop/commandos and their equipment to Indochina, landing at Da Nang's Tourane Airfield.

[9] A second airlift, "Operation Wounded Warrior'," made the longest medical evacuation flight when the first C-118Bs from Westover AFB, Massachusetts, landed at Orly on 3 July 1954.

After boarding the wounded in Saigon, the C-118 "Liftmaster" flew eastward to Japan, Hawaii, California, Massachusetts, across the Atlantic to the Azores, and on to Paris.

The French Army and government officials were deeply appreciative of the airlift effort supplied by the United States.

The 7415th ABG supplied aircraft and crews for 100 of these missions in 1957, flying 160 hours between Berlin and Rhein-Main Air Base or Hanover.