Global InformationCalifornia World War II Army Airfields information
California World War II Army Airfields | |
|---|---|
| Part of World War II | |
      class=notpageimage| Map of Major California World War II Army Airfields
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| Type | Army Airfields |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940–1944 |
| In use | 1940–present |
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in California for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Most of these airfields were under the command of Fourth Air Force or the Army Air Forces Training Command (AAFTC). However, Air Technical Service Command (ATSC), Air Transport Command (ATC) and I Troop Carrier Command used a significant number of airfields in a support role. A significant number of them had operational squadrons for air defense of the Pacific coastline and anti-submarine patrols, and one was even handed over to Civil Air Patrol pilots for their use.
In addition to the major fields, dozens of minor auxiliary fields and airstrips were built, generally to provide more room for basic flight training, but also to support other operations. A few of these were designed as "fallback fields" for launching defensive operations in case of a Japanese invasion.
Most Army airfields were built with three runways in a triangle, with parking ramp areas adjacent to one runway. This triangular configuration allowed rapid construction, without regard to the direction of the prevailing winds. Navy fields were generally built with two runways in a cross, with a third runway intersecting the other two at an angle.
There were, of course, other designs, including single-runway fields. Most noteworthy were "landing mats," large concrete squares, hexagons and circles, which allowed takeoffs and landings in any direction.
Following the war, many bases and auxiliary fields were given to local governments or returned to service as municipal airports. Often, budget constraints caused the new owners to close or even remove the "extra" runways, retaining only those that faced into the prevailing winds. In at least one case (Orland), large portions of a landing mat were removed, leaving a conventional runway and ramp.
Several fields were retained as United States Air Force installations and were front-line bases during the Cold War, or used for experimental aviation, the most notable of these being Edwards Air Force Base.
A few were sold or given back to private owners, generally to be returned to agricultural use, while a handful have become private airports. A number of fields were simply abandoned, due to their remote locations, and the remains of these can still be found, especially in the Mojave Desert.