As for this piece, it is some what modified for the use in a special program I created for the B-17 Alunimun Overcast visit... In Febuary 2017, the Experimantal Aircarft Association sent its aircraft to the Kingman Airport for a two day visit... So the local EAA Chapter ask me to help in this event. So I created a booklet format for the flight crew... The chapter is 765... Back to this piece, it is a major part of my script... The first paragraph is new, rest of the other paragraphs are peppered with some modifications....
Copyright 1990-2018
Flexible Gunnery School at Kingman
Kingman Army Air Field
In the 1930’s, the Army Air Corps was looking for a heavy bomber. Boeing created a model of the futuristic bomber prototype the Air Corps was looking for, it was called Model 299. The Army Air Corps liked the idea of the Boeing prototype, so they ordered the preproduction of the XB-17 for more testing. The XB-17 proved it worth as a heavy bomber, so the Army Air Corps began ordering the B-17. War was brewing in Europe, so the Army Air Corps wanted to be ready to protect the United States continent from future attacks.
Around 1940, the Army Air Force needed new bases to train gunners for the B-17. There would be 7 such training schools throughout the country. The new school would help in supporting the mission of the Army Air Force in the European and Pacific Theaters. The schools would be referred to as Flexible gunnery training school. The B-17 had at least six gun positions and used the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun. Every gunner had to proficient with the weapon on the aircraft.
The search for a new school began April 1941 and the location is Kingman and it was a prime locale. Major John C. Horton of the West Coast Flying Training Command Headquarters at Moffett Field, CA. His visit to Kingman was perfect. The population was low, the valley floor was level and land acquisition was easy and available for a reasonable price. This would enable the school to be in operation quickly.
In April 1942, the Army Air Force gave its preliminary ok for the construction of a school at Kingman. The cost for a new school was estimated over $9 million. Final approval received on May 27 and Lt. Col. Harvey P. Huglin was selected to be the first base commander and set up in downtown Kingman in the Harvey House as headquarters.
The school’s construction started in the summer of 1942 with runways and streets being laid out first. The buildings began soon after. On August 4, the Army Air Force Flexible Gunnery School at Kingman was activated. The first occupants and the initial key base organizations were the 460th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron on December 1st. On December 10, Col. George E. Henry assumed command of the school. The next came in are the 1120th, 1121st, 1122nd, 1123rd Flexible Gunnery Training Squadrons, the 334th Aviation SQ (segregated black squadron), and the 1100th Guard SQ (military police). On December 28, a group of 13 aircraft landed at the school, six were trainers and officially assigned to the school.
During construction, there were problems for the workers and military personnel. One problem was the lack of food delivery, which was overcome by the building the cafeterias. The housing problem was next because Kingman was a small town. The need of housing units helped in easing the problem. Some of the younger construction workers wanted a union in the company but ended up being drafted. There was stop work order on the Davis Dam project, the men were moved to help in the continuation of the construction of the airfield.
Besides the construction of the runways at the school, there were six auxiliary airfields created for emergency use. Site #1 is at Red Lake or Cyclopic, Site #3 is at Antares or Hackberry, Site #4 is Yucca (which became Yucca Sub-Base and eventually Yucca Army Air Field), Site #5 is at Topock (which is located at the Needle Mountain Exit on I-40 just east of Topock), Site #6 is at Lake Havasu (was used as the main airport during the early days Lake Havasu City’s grow and today is closed), and Site #7 is at Signal (just off the Yucca Air to Air Range, off the southeast corner).
After the opening of the base, Bugs Bunny was selected as the base mascot through the cooperation of Warner Brothers. Bugs helped in raising the morale of the airfield. Bob Hope, The Three Stooges, and Kay Kyser visited the school as part of the USO shows. The troops were able to visit the Grand Canyon as part of rest and relaxation. Site #6 did create a camp at the lake for more R & R. Bond drives were held at the base and in Kingman for the war effort.
The training for the gunners was an intense 6 six weeks course. They had two weeks in the classroom, another two weeks at the Kingman Ground to Ground facility, and two more weeks flying in either the Kingman Air to Air Range or at the Yucca Air to Air Range. As for gunnery school training, the gunners would learn on BB guns first and go to shotguns and finally shooting the Browning M2 machine gun. As for the air gunnery, the gunners shot from the AT-6 Texans and eventually the B-17s were assigned to the school.
On May 3, 1943, a name change came in an order, the Flexible Gunnery School at Kingman became the Kingman Army Air Field. Also in 1943, the existing squadrons and new squadrons that were added after the initial startup were now being consolidated. The 1120th and 329th were combined with 328th and became 328th Flexible Gunnery Training Squadron. The 1122nd, 537th, and 538th were combined into the 1123rd FGTS. The 1121st became the 329th. The 536th was formed to handle the overflow from the other squadrons. Here are some more addition to the school, 760th FGTS (which becomes the Mess outfit), 1012 Quartermaster PL, 31st Altitude SQ (training for high altitude), 684th Army Band, 1st Weather SQ, DET 25 of the 858th Signal Service Co., DET 14 of the 909th Quartermaster Co., and 2053 Ordnance Co. During the year of 1943, the Chinese Air Force sent over gunnery students for training.
The aircraft at the school whether assigned or transit included AT-6, AT-11, and AT-23 (flight training or tow targets), BT-18 (flight training), P-36 and P-39 (for maintenance) and a fleet of B-17s.
1944 was another year of change for the school. On April 22, the base units on the airfield were consolidated into one organization by an Army Air Force order. The units were combined into the Army Air Force Base Unit 3018th. June 15, Col. Donald B. Phillips became the next base commander.
The training of gunners leads to a competition of “Shoot Outs” with the other schools in the Army Air Force system. The Kingman school usually held the top honors in these shootouts. This show how intense the gunnery training was at any given school in the system. The training will help the gunners be better in the air combat environment of any given theater like Europe or Pacific.
There were some mishaps during the year of 1944 of the field personnel and students. The first was on January 2, a B-17 flying over McClellan Field, CA, during the flight in bad weather the B-17 disintegrated killing 11 of the 13 member crew. Then January 6, a student bus was crossing the railroad tracks at the school to enter the base from an all-day training at the Kingman Ground to Ground facility. The bus was hit by a westbound train. The accident claimed the lives of 26 students and 8 students did survive. (Which is the highest death toll for the state of Arizona). On November 3 a tragic mid-air collision of a B-17 and a P-39, this took place during a morning training flight. The accident kills 15 men.
With the war ending in Europe, 1945 was the school’s final year in operation for training B-17 gunners. On April 1, Col. Walter L. Wheeler became the base commander. Kingman Army Air Field was placed on a temporary inactivation by an order of Army Air Force Training Command on June 30. On July 9, Col. Lance Call became the base commander to deactivate the school.
The 3018th was changed to the 4184th by an Army Air Force order on September 29. For the school was becoming a storage depot for aircraft coming in from the air combat theaters. On October 4, Lt. Col. James L. Meadows became the base commander. On November 24, Lt. Col. John J. Ratigan became the last base commander.
At midnight on February 25, 1946, Kingman Army Air Field ceased to exist at a gunnery school. The following morning the War Assets Administration Storage Depot 41 began with a purpose of storing aircraft from the theaters of war.
Copyright 1990-2018
No comments:
Post a Comment