Alexai Point Army Airfield
| Alexai Point Army Airfield Aleutian Islands Campaign |
|---|
Alexai Point Army Airfield is an abandoned
History
On the morning of 11 May 1943, American forces went ashore on Japanese-occupied Attu in the Aleutian Islands. The Japanese, who knew the Americans were coming, had pulled back from their shoreline positions and moved to defensive positions on higher ground above the fog.[1]
On 30 May 1943, before the battle for Attu was completely over, the building of Alexai Point Airfield was initiated using
The first landing at Alexai Point Airfield was made by an Eleventh Air Force C-47 arriving on 8 June 1943 to deliver fighter crews to Alexai Point, and to evacuate wounded soldiers.[3] Shortly afterwards, P-40 Warhawks from the 344th Fighter Squadron arrived to provide air cover over the island.[1]
USAAF units assigned to Alexai Point Army Airfield were:
- 18th Fighter Squadron, March 28, 1944 – November 6, 1945 (P-38 Lightning)
- 54th Fighter Squadron, November 20, 1943- March 8, 1946 (P-38 Lightning)
- 344th Fighter Squadron, June 12 - December 1943 (P-40 Warhawk)
- 77th Bombardment Squadron, July–September 1943; Feb 11, 1944-October 19, 1945 (B-25 Mitchell, B-26 Marauder)
Initially used for carrying out bombardment operations over
With the end of the war in 1945, combat units were gradually withdrawn; the 11th Weather Squadron and the 713th Air Warning Radar Squadron remained until June 1946 when the base was closed. The facility was abandoned, with most structures dismantled, the usable buildings being reassembled at
Today many revetments, roads, anti-aircraft gun emplacements and the remains of the runways and taxiways remain, abandoned for almost seventy years.
Accidents and incidents
On January 1, 1945, 2nd Lt.
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ ISBN 0-933126-47-6
- ^ a b Conn, Stetson, Rose C. Engelman, and Byron Fairchild. Guarding the United States and Its Outposts. New York: University Press Of The Pacific, 2002. Print.
- ^ Carter, Kit C., Mueller, Robert. "U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II Combat Chronology: 1941-1945." Center for Air Force History. Washington, DC. 1991 <"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-21. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)> - ^ AFHRA History search Alexai Point
- ^ "Pacific Wrecks - P-38G-10-LO Lightning Serial Number 42-13400 Nose 95." PACIFIC WRECKS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2010. <http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p-38/42-13400.html>.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556.
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
External links
- Image of a sign "Welcome to Alexai Point, Unincorporated, The Home of the Army's Northwestern-Most Airfield."
- Image of a sign "Good Bye You Are Now Leaving Alexai Point Hurry Back."
- Photos taken during 1944 at Alexai Point.
Previously: Alaskan Air Force (1941-1942) | |||||||||
| Bases |
| .svg) | |||||||
| Units |
| ||||||||
