California World War II Army Airfields

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California World War II Army Airfields
Part of World War II
Locations of major World War II USAAF Airfields in California
Type	Army Airfields
Built	1940-1944
In use	1940-Present
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Garrison	Army Air Force Training Command

Bell P-59A taking off at Muroc AAF (now Edwards Air Force Base) about 1944

Bell P-39 Repair Line.
To step up its delivery of Speedy Bell P-39 "Airacobra" fighter airplanes to American pilots in the South Pacific, the Army Air Forces Air Service Command put American production line methods to work in its repair docks at McClellan Field, California. Two and one-half million dollars worth of airplanes are getting overhauled by civilian Air Service Command workers at Sacramento, California preparatory to being sent against the enemy.

Future United States President Ronald Reagan in the U.S. Army Air Force, 1940s. He was assigned to AAF Public Relations as P.R. Officer in Burbank, Calif., and subsequently to the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Culver City.

Army Air Corps Cadetes, Leemoore Army Airfield, 1944

Formation flight of Vultee BT-13 Aircraft from Lemoore AAF

Gardner Army Air Field showing flying cadets.

During World War II, California was a major United States Army Air Force (USAAF) training center for pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.

The USAAF established forty-two major airfields under the command of Fourth Air Force, headquartered at Hamilton Army Airfield, California between 1942 and 1945, along with several minor auxiliary fields and airsrips.

The mission of these bases primarily was wartime training of aircrews by Army Air Forces Training Command (A precursor to the current-day USAF Air Education and Training Command). However a significant number of them had operational squadrons which were used for air defense of the Pacific coastline and anti-submarine patrols.

It is still possible to find remnants of these wartime airfields. Many were converted into municipal airports, some were returned to agriculture and several were retained as United States Air Force installations and were front-line bases during the Cold War. Hundreds of the temporary buildings that were used survive today, and are being used for other purposes.

[edit] Major Airfields

• Bishop AAF, 2 miles east of Bishop.

Now: Eastern Sierra Regional Airport (IATA: BIH, ICAO: KBIH, FAA LID: BIH)

• Blythe AAF, 7 miles west of Blythe.

Now: Blythe Airport (IATA: BLH, ICAO: KBLH)

• Chico AAF, 5 miles north of Chico.

Now: Chico Municipal Airport (IATA: CIC, ICAO: KCIC, FAA LID: CIC)

• Chrissy AAF. Located in San Francisco.

Now: Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area of the National Park Service.

• Concord AAF, 1 mile north of Concord.

Now: Buchanan Field Airport (IATA: CCR, ICAO: KCCR)

• Delano AAF, 1 mile south of Delano.

Now: Delano Municipal Airport (ICAO: KDLO, FAA LID: DLO)

• Desert Center AAF, 1 mile northeast of Desert Center

Now: Desert Center Airport (L64)

• Estrella AAF, 9 milex northwest of Paso Robles.

Now: Paso Robles Municipal Airport (IATA: PRB, ICAO: KPRB, FAA LID: PRB)

• Fairfield-Suisun AAF, 5 miles southeast of Fairfield.

Now: Travis Air Force Base (IATA: SUU, ICAO: KSUU, FAA LID: SUU)

• Gardner AAF, 10 miles southeast of Taft.

Now: Agricultural Use.

• Hamilton Field, 7 miles north of San Rafael.

Was: Hamilton Air Force Base

Now: Part of the Hamilton Wetland Restoration Project.

• Hammer Field, 5 miles northeast of Fresno.

Now: Fresno Yosemite International Airport (IATA: FAT, ICAO: KFAT, FAA LID: FAT),

• Hayward AAF, 2 miles west of Hayward.

Now: Hayward Executive Airport(IATA: HWD, ICAO: KHWD)

• Lemoore AAF, 9 miles southwest of Lemoore.

Now: non-flying agricultural use.

• Long Beach AAF, 4 miles northeasat of Long Beach.

Now: Long Beach Airport (IATA: LGB, ICAO: KLGB, FAA LID: LGB)

• March Field, 10 miles southeast of Riverside.

Was: March Air Force Base (1947-1993)

Now: March Air Reserve Base (IATA: RIV, ICAO: KRIV, FAA LID: RIV)

• Marysville AAF, 3 miles south of Marysville.

Now: Yuba County Airport (IATA: MYV, ICAO: KMYV)

• Mather Field, 10 miles east of Sacramento.

Was: Mather Air Force Base (1947-1993)

Now: Sacramento Mather Airport (IATA: MHR, ICAO: KMHR, FAA LID: MHR)

• McClellan Field, 9 miles northeast of Sacramento.

Was: McClellan Air Force Base (1947-2001)

Now: McClellan Airfield (IATA: MCC, ICAO: KMCC, FAA LID: MCC)

• Merced AAF, 6 miles northwest of Merced

Was: Castle Air Force Base (1947-1995)

Now: Castle Airport (IATA: MER, ICAO: KMER, FAA LID: MER)

• Minter Field, 14 miles northwest of Bakersfield.

Now: Shafter Airport (MIT)

• Moffett Field, 2 miles northeast of Mountain View.

Now: Moffett Federal Airfield (IATA: NUQ, ICAO: KNUQ)

• Muroc AAF, 23 miles southeast of Mojave.

Now: Edwards Air Force Base (IATA: EDW, ICAO: KEDW)

• Needles AAF, 4 miles south of Needles.

Now: Needles Airport (IATA: EED, ICAO: KEED)

• Ontario AAF, 1 mile east of Ontario.

Now: LA/Ontario International Airport (IATA: ONT, ICAO: KONT, FAA LID: ONT)

• Orange County AAF, 5 miles south of Santa Ana.

Now: John Wayne Airport (IATA: SNA, ICAO: KSNA, FAA LID: SNA)

• Oroville AAF, 3 miles southwest of Oroville.

Now: Oroville Municipal Airport (IATA: OVE, ICAO: KOVE)

• Palm Springs AAF, 3 miles east of Palm Springs.

Now: Palm Springs International Airport (IATA: PSP, ICAO: KPSP, FAA LID: PSP)

• Palmdale AAF, 3 miles northeast of Palmdale.

Now: LA/Palmdale Regional Airport (IATA: PMD, ICAO: KPMD)

• Porterville AAF, 3 miles southwest of Porterville.

Now: Porterville Municipal Airport (PTV)

• Redding AAF, 6 miles southeast of Redding.

Now: Redding Municipal Airport (IATA: RDD, ICAO: KRDD, FAA LID: RDD)

• Rice AAF, 1 mile east-southeast of Rice.

Now: Abandoned desert scrubland.

• Salinas AAB, 4 miles southeast of Salinas.

Now: Salinas Municipal Airport (IATA: SNS, ICAO: KSNS, FAA LID: SNS)

• San Bernardino AAF, 2 miles southeast of San Bernardino.

Was: Norton Air Force Base (1947-1994)

Now: San Bernardino International Airport (IATA: SBD, ICAO: KSBD, FAA LID: SBD)

• San Nicholas Island AAF, 80 miles southwest of Los Angeles.

Now: Naval Outlying Field San Nicolas Island (ICAO: KNSI, FAA LID: NSI)

• Santa Ana AAB, 5 miles southewst of Santa Ana.

Now: Air Base redeveloped and now is part of the urbanised area of Orange County.

• Santa Maria AAF, 4 miles south of Santa Maria.

Now: Santa Maria Public Airport (IATA: SMX, ICAO: KSMX, FAA LID: SMX)

• Santa Rosa AAF, 7 miles northwest of Santa Rosa.

Now: Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport (IATA: STS, ICAO: KSTS, FAA LID: STS)

• Shavers Summit AAF, 23 miles east of Therman.

Now: Chiriaco Summit Airport (L77)

• Stockton Field, 3 miles south of Stockton.

Now: Stockton Metropolitan Airport (IATA: SCK, ICAO: KSCK, FAA LID: SCK)

• Thermal AAF, 2 miles southwest of Therman.

Now: Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (IATA: TRM, ICAO: KTRM)

• Victorville AAF, 6 mils northwest of Victorville.

Was: George Air Force Base (1947-1992)

Now: Southern California Logistics Airport (IATA: VCV, ICAO: KVCV)

• Visalia AAF, 6 miles west of Visalia.

Now: Visalia Municipal Airport (IATA: VIS, ICAO: KVIS, FAA LID: VIS)

[edit] Known Secondary Facilities

Allen AF (25mi southeast of Taft)  · Bakersfield MAP (4mi northwest of Bakersfield)  · Banning Strip (1 mi southeast of Banning)  · Bidwell Field (2mi southwest of Red Bluff)  · Camp Kearney NAAS (9 mi northwest of San Diego)  · Clover Field (3 miles east of Santa Monica)  · Concord AAF (1 mi northwest of Concord)  · Daggett MAP (6 mi east of Daggett)  · Eagle Field (6 mi west of Dos Palos)  · Eureka Navy APT (14 mi north of Eureka)  · Grand Central Air Terminal (6 mi northwest of Glendale)  · Half Moon Bay Flt Strip (5 mi northwest of Half Moon Bay)  · Hawthorne Fld (1 mi east of Hawthorne)  · Kern AF (21 mi southeast of Taft)  · Kern County Field (1 mi west-northwest of Inyokern)  · Kern County Field (5 mi west-northwest of Bakersfield)  · Kearney-Mesa Airport (8 mi northeast of San Diego)  · Lindbergh (2 mi west of San Diego)  · Lomita Flt Strip (1 mi west of Lomita)  · Los Angeles Fld (11 mi southwest of Los Angeles)  · Lost Hills-Kern County (1 mi northeast of Lost Hills)  · M C Flight Test Base (20 mi southeast of Mojve)  · Metropolitan Airport (2 mi northwest of Van Nuys)  · Mills Field (10 mi southwest of San Francisco)  · Mines Field (10 mi southwest of Los Angeles)  · Modesto Field (2 mi east-northeast of Modesto)  · Montauge Afld (3 mi northeast of Montauge)  · Napa Afld (5 mi south of Napa)  · Oakland MAP (5 mi south of Oakland)  · Ortay-Mesa NAAS (14 mi east of San Diego)  · Oxnard Flt. Strip 6 mi east of Oxnard)  · Parker Aux (15 mi south of Taft)  · Ream Field (12 mi south of San Diego)  · Sacramento MAP (5 mi south of Sacramento)  · San Diego MAP (1 mi west of San Diego)  · San Diego NAS (North Island)  · Shaver's Summit Fld (30 mi east-northeast of Indio)  · Siskiyou Country Fld (5 mi northast of Montague)  · Willows Afld (1 mi west of Willows)  · Winters Flt Strip (7 mi northeast of Winers)  · Van Nuys Metro Apt (17 miles northwest of Los Angeles)

[edit] See also

• Fourth Air Force
• United States Army Air Force

[edit] References

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
• Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now - Vol. 2. Pictorial Histories Pub . ISBN 1575100517

[edit] External links

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