 By the end of 1945 the mission of the base had changed to be one of mothballing and temporary storage of aircraft.By August 1946 a total of 1,600 airplanes had been flown to Hobbs Army Airfield for storage, including the Douglas A-26 Invader and P-51 Mustang.Hobbs Army Airfield was decommissioned by the United States Air Force on 5 May 1948 and the land reacquired by the City of Hobbs, New Mexico later that year.