Victorville Army Airfield auxiliary fields
Victorville Army Airfield auxiliary fields were four airfields used during
Victorville Army Airfield
With the US now in the war, many pilots were needed, the first classes started in February 1942. Aircraft based at the school for training were:
For the Korean War the Victorville Army Airfield reopened on October 10, 1950. The base was renamed George Air Force Base after Brigadier General Harold Huston George (1892-1942), a World War I ace pilot, killed during WW2 accident at Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia 29 April 1942.[2][3][4]
- Victorville Army Airfield auxiliary fields were built in 1941 using the same plan as Victorville Army Airfield, four runways in a triangle construction. The Airfield were used for take off and landing training. Auxiliary Airfields of Victorville AAF were:[5]
Hawes Auxiliary Airfield
Hawes Auxiliary Airfield (No 1) was an auxiliary field of the Victorville Army Air Field. Built in 1941 with four runways in a triangle shape, three 5,600 foot runways a one 4,912 runway in the center. No support structures were built as the field was only used for take off and landing training. Hawes Auxiliary Field was located near Kramer Hills, California, just south of California State Route 58, between Hinkley, California and Kramer, California at 34°55′30″N 117°22′27″W / 34.92500°N 117.37417°W at an elevation of 2318 feet. During the
Helendale Auxiliary Airfield
Helendale Auxiliary Airfield (No 2) was built in 1941 for training pilots from Victorville Army Airfield during World War II. No support buildings were placed at the site, as the runways were used for the take off and landing training. Helendale Auxiliary Airfield is located just south of
Helendale Avionics Facility
Helendale Avionics Facility or Lockheed Helendale Radar Cross Section Facility or Helendale Measurement Facility was built in 1983 by
Mirage Auxiliary Airfield
Grey Butte Auxiliary Airfield
Silver Peak Light Annex
Silver Peak Light Annex was a navigational beacon light installed in May 1943 to support the training of the airfields. Built on top of Silver Peak in the Silver Peak Mountain range at an elevation of 4,211 ft (1,284 m) at 34°38′03″N 117°18′28″W / 34.63417°N 117.30778°W. The Silver Light Peak Annex is six miles north of Victorville, California. Nearby is
Victorville Precision Bombing
To support the training at the airfields the Army built the Victorville Precision Bombing Range No. 1 and the Victorville Precision Bombing Range No. 2. The 20 large targets were built from Apple Valley, California, out into the desert to support bomber training in precision bombing. The target had a 5-foot-wide (1.5 m) bullseye, surrounded by three circles with radii of 100 ft (30 m), 200 ft (61 m), and 300 ft (91 m). For night bombing flare pots and parachute flares were used until a night lighting system was installed. Each site was 640 acres (260 ha) and was used from 1942 to 1949. For training, M38A2 100-pound (45 kg) practice bombs, and M85 100-pound cement practice bombs and M47A2 100-pound sand-filled bombs were built with a small explosive charge. Victorville Precision Bombing Range Target 1 is located at 34°35′33″N 116°11′53″W / 34.59250°N 116.19806°W in Apple Valley, California at the site of the current Walmat storage center. Victorville Precision Bombing Range Target 4 is located at 34°27′26″N 117°07′15″W / 34.45722°N 117.12083°W in Apple Valley at Del Or Road and Laguna Seca Drive. Victorville Precision Bombing Range Target 6 is located at 34°30′08″N 116°52′18″W / 34.50222°N 116.87167°W in Lucerne Valley, California. Victorville Precision Bombing Target No. 7 is located at 34°32′43″N 116°52′31″W / 34.54528°N 116.87528°W on the current Fairlane Road in Lucerne Valley. Victorville Precision Bombing Target No. 7 is located at 34°28′12″N 116°35′07″W / 34.47000°N 116.58528°W in Lucerne Valley. A faint outline of the targets can still be seen from the air.[25][26][27][28][29][30]
See also
- California during World War II
- California World War II Army Airfields
- Air Transport Command (World War II)
- Minter Army Airfield auxiliary fields
- Gardner Army Airfield auxiliary fields
References
- ^ "AFHRA Document 01029839". airforcehistoryindex.org. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014.
- ^ Historic California Airfields: George Air Force Base (Victorville AAF, Victorville AFB)
- ^ Airplane Storage in Boneyards After WWII
- ^ Victorville Army Flying School, Army Air Forces West Coast Training Center, United States Army Air Forces, Victorville Army Flying School, Army and Navy Publishing Company, 1942
- ^ "WW2 Military Airfields Database including Auxiliaries and Support fields Alabama – California". airfieldsdatabase.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016.
- ^ Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Hawes Aux Army Airfield, Mojave area
- ^ Hawes Auxiliary Army Air Field No.1
- ^ Hawes Auxiliary Field
- ^ FAA Team Study of R-484 & Southern California ATC Problems, page 382
- ^ Test | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives
- ^ Lockheed Martin Helendale RCS facility
- ^ Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: California: Northern Palmdale area
- ^ Skunk Works' Helendale Radar Signature Test Range Is Where Stealth Dreams Become Reality
- ^ Helendale Avionics Facility - photopilot
- ^ The Center for Land Use Interpretation
- ^ Lockheed Martin RCS Range, Helendale, California
- ^ Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: California: Southern Palmdale area
- ^ Historic California Airfields: Mirage Lake Glider School
- ^ Lost Hills Auxiliary Field
- ^ Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: California: Southern Palmdale area
- ^ militarymuseum.org Grey Butte Auxiliary Airfield
- ^ "Ikhana Lifts Off From Grey Butte Airfield". NASA.
- ^ militarymuseum.org Silver Peak Light Annex
- ^ militarymuseum.org Silver Peak Light Annex map
- ^ militarymuseum.org Victorville Precision Bombing Range No. 1
- ^ militarymuseum.org Victorville Precision Bombing Range No. 2
- ^ militarymuseum.org Victorville Precision Bombing
- ^ Environmental Cleanup at Former and Current Military Sites: A Guide to Research, By Michael W. Harper, page 8
- ^ Victorville Precision Bombing Range Target video, Jan. 12, 2017
- ^ applevalley.org, Victorville PBR No. 1, page 2-1 to 2-4
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- 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
- Military Airfields in World War II – California