Kingman Army Air Field Reunion piece 1995

This piece was in the 1995 Kingman Army Air Field Reunion booklet. Again some changes from other writers making some changes to my orginal work.... This was the last year of the reunions events done by the Reunions group... Next year would be a stand alone air show...

 Airfield History…

Kingman Army Air Field

In the course of human progress it seems an almost universal rule that, whenever someone states a need, someone comes along to fill it. In 1934, with the clouds of war building in Europe and threatening to drift westward, the Army Air Force stated a need for a heavy bomber. Boeing Aircraft Company of Seattle obliged with its Project 299. After putting the prototype through its paces in 1935, the Army ordered a fleet of the aircraft, now dubbed the B-17, and popularly known as the Flying Fortress. And a fortress it was. It bristled with armament fore and aft, port and starboard, above and below.

Now the need was to recruit gunners and find a place to train them in the use of the weapons aboard the Fortress. Each gunner would be required to become proficient in all positions.

In 1941, Major John C. Horton of the West Coast Flying Training Command Headquarters at Moffett Field, Ca., took a trip to Kingman, Az., and found it the perfect location. The land was fairly level, the population was sparse, and the land was available at a fair price. 

Now the pace quickened, for on December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. War was declared against Japanese Empire, and shortly afterward, against Germany. The B-17, along with the rest of the family of warplanes, was needed immediately on both fronts.

During construction of the base, there were a few problems among the workers. Food delivery was slow. Cafeterias were hurriedly built to feed the hands. There was also a housing problem.

Eventually, the ease of the emergency construction of new units. Some of the construction workers began agitating for Union representation. This problem was solved by drafting the agitators.

Davis Dam was being built during this time. Work on the dam was temporarily suspended, and the construction crews were sent to Kingman to help with the new base.

They worked fast in those days. On August 4, 1942, under the command of Lt. Col. Harvey P. Huglin, the Army Air Force Flexible Gunnery School was officially declared open for business only a couple of months after the project started. 

But before the business of the base could be conducted, the operation had to be organized. This was the job of 460^th Base Headquarters Squadron which moved on December 1, 1942. Shortly afterward, a new base commander was assigned this was Col. George E. Henry, who reported on duty December 10.

Now came the first wave of people for whom the base was built, the 1120^th, 1121^st, 1122^nd, and 1123^rd Flexible Gunnery Training Squadrons. Also taking up residence at this time was the all black 334^th Aviation Squadron, and the 1100^th Guard Squadron—otherwise known as the Military Police.

The new gunners were put to work immediately, but not in airplanes. The first part of their training was to assure their familiarity with weaponry of any kind. They were introduced to the BB guns Range. Here they used devices similar to the armament in the aircraft except their weapons fired only BBs. Once proficient with their BB guns, they graduated to shotguns (possibly to grow accustomed to the recoil). On completion of their preliminary training, the gunners were finally allowed to enter the B-17 and fire the actual weapons for which they had volunteered. This method of training paid dividends, for later on, in competition with other gunnery schools, the Kingman School often took top honors.

Morale was always an issue among a large group of young men miles from home, many for the first time, and no place to go with their weekend passes but the tiny desert town of Kingman. Enter Bob Hope, et. al. to the rescue. Other big-name entertainers came to the base, such as the Three Stooges with their zany tomfoolery and Kay Kaiser with his orchestra and his fun and games. The USO organized other shows to help keep the people happy and willing to work all out for the war effort.

Bugs Bunny was there, too. With sanction from Warner Brothers, Bugs was adopted as the official base mascot The poster of Bugs with a fierce countenance and armed to the teeth for war, was displayed in a most prominent location on the base.

On May 7, 1943, the facility was officially named the Kingman Army Air Field. The base continued to grow and change during 1943. Many new squadrons were added to the base some of the existing ones were combined. The 1120^th and the 329^th merged with 328^th to become the 328^th Flexible Gunnery Training Group. The 1122^nd, 537^th and 538^th were consolidated to form the 1123^rd Flexible Gunnery Training Group. The 536^th and the 760^th Flexible Gunnery Training Group were added to the list. Also assigned to the B-17 flight groups was the 31^st Altitude Squadron, training for operation at high altitudes.

Serving to augment the training groups were 1012^th Quartermaster Platoon, the 684^th Army Band, the 1^st Weather, Detachment 25 of the 858^th Signal Service Company, Detachment 14 of the 909 Quartermasters and the 2053^rd Ordnance Company. In 1943 a detachment of Chinese gunners was sent to Kingman for training.

There were aircraft other than the B-17 assigned to the base. The AT-6, AT-11, and the AT-23 were used for flight training and target towing. The BT-18 was used for flight training.

As often happens in massive programs employing large numbers of people and machinery working to the limit of their endurance, sudden tragedies will strike. The Kingman training school was no exception. On January 2, 1944, a B-17 flying near McClellan Field, Ca disintegrated in bad weather. Of the thirteen men killed in the resulting crash, eleven were from Kingman. Four days later, on January 6, a bus loaded with gunnery students bound for the base, crossed the railroad tracks just north of the entrance. The driver did not see the oncoming train. Train and bus collided, and 28 students died.

On April 22, 1944, the Kingman Army Air Field was consolidated and redesignated the Army Air Force Unit 3018. Each of the units on the base became subdivisions of the 3018^th. On June 15 Col. Donald P. Philips became the new base commander. During 1944 the 3018^th was one of the top training schools in the United States.

The war ended on both fronts in 1945. With peace in the world, there was no further need for a gunnery school. Or for the airplanes that carried the guns. The year saw the base gradually wind down to a stop.

Command of the base change again to Col. Walter L. Wheeler, who became commander on April 1, 1945. Kingman Army Air Field was temporarily inactivated on June 30. Col. Lance Call became the base commander to supervise the deactivation. In the last quarter of 1945, the base designation changed again, becoming the 4184^th. Base commander changed twice more to Lt. Col. James L. Meadows and John J. Ratigan. At midnight, February 25, 1946, the gunnery training base became history.

On February 26, the training base became Storage Depot 41.

“Storage Depot” was a misnomer. The intent was to render thousands of airplanes down to aluminum ingots. Kingman was one of five sites chosen for the task. Never mind they were created for the purpose of mass destruction, those airplanes represented some the finest and most complex examples of mechanical art ever produced by the human race up to that time. In addition to the B-17s, other airplanes brought into the base includes B-24s, P-38s, B-26s, and A-26s. The job was finished by the first quarter of 1948. Seventy million pounds of aluminum from 7000 airplanes were shipped out of Kingman.

A relatively few of the airplanes escaped by destruction, and some are still flying today. Others rest in museums to be viewed by people who do not remember, or who do not understand the meaning of what they are seeing. 

In July 1948, the military released the base for civilian use, and it became the property of Mohave County. In 1979, Mohave County Airport Authority was formed. This later became the Kingman Airport Authority, the entity which currently controls the field now known as the Kingman Airport and Industrial Park. 

A National Emergency gave birth to a grand adventure. Peacetime brought the adventure to an abrupt end. To the people who were there and participated in the adventure, it was an unforgettable experience. Writers of history books may grant it a line or two of text…. Or may not.

But there is a group of people in and around Kingman who refuse to let the memories die. The result of their unflagging efforts in the annual Kingman Army Air Field Reunion.

Copyright 1990-2018

email  kingmanaafsd41@gmail.com

KAAF version number 2

Still a version as previous posting... Except for the last paragraph, it points out the Kingman Airport and Industrial Park. This was used in the reunion guide for the 4th annual event.

Kingman Army Air Field

In the 1930s, the Army Air Corps was looking for a heavy bomber. Boeing Aircraft designed a heavy bomber known as Model 299. The Army Air Corps liked the idea of the Boeing prototype, so they ordered the preproduction of the XB-17 for testing. The XB-17 proved its 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 for war.

Around 1940, the U. S. Army Air Force needed a new base to train gunners for the B-17 Flying Fortress. This would be the sixth gunnery school set up in the United States. The new base was necessary to support all future missions of the B-17 in the European and Pacific Theaters. The school would be referred to as a “Flexible” gunnery training school for the B-17, it had gun turrets mounted in six positions of the aircraft. The gunner had to be proficient with all the guns on board the aircraft.

The search for a location for this school began in April 1941. Kingman, AZ was seen as one of the prime locations for a training site. When Major John C. Horton of the West Coast Flying Training Command Headquarters at Moffett Field, CA, made a visit to Kingman, he found that Kingman was the perfect place. The population was low, the valley floor level, and the land acquisition was easy and available at 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 of which was estimated at over $9 million. Final approval for construction was received on May 27 and Lt. Col. Harvey P. Huglin was selected as the first base commander. He came to Kingman and set-up temporary quarters in the old Harvey House in downtown Kingman, while the construction of the base was going on. The school’s construction took a little over two months to complete. On August 4, the Army Air Force Flexible Gunnery School at Kingman was officially activated. The first occupants and the initial key base organization were the 460^th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron which took up shop on December 1. On December 10, Col. George E. Henry became the new base commander. Around the same time, the following units were added: the 1120^th, 1121^st, 1122^nd, and 1123^rd Flexible Gunnery Training Squadrons, the 334^th Aviation SQ. (a segregated black sq.), and the 1100^th Guard SQ. (the military police). On December 28, a group of 13 AT-6s trainer aircraft was officially assigned to the base.

During construction, there were problems or the workers and military personnel. One problem was the lack of food delivery, which was overcome by the building of cafeterias. The housing problem was next because Kingman was a small town. As more housing units were constructed, the problem ease. Some of the younger construction workers wanted a union in the company but ended up getting drafted. There was a stop-work order on Davis Dam to help in the construction effort at the base.

Along with the construction of the main airstrips were five emergency fields. Site #1 was at Red Lake. Site #3 was 17 mi. northeast of the base. Site #5 was near Topock. Site # 6 is now the Lake Havasu City airport by the London Bridge. Site #7 was close to the Yucca Aerial Gunnery Range (which became Yucca sub-base).

After the opening of the base, Bugs Bunny was selected as the mascot with cooperation from Warner Brothers. Bugs helped in the war effort by being a morale booster for the troops training at the Kingman field. Bob Hope, The Three Stooges, Kay Kyser, and numerous USO shows came to the base to raise all the troops’ morale. The troops also made trips to the Grand Canyon for rest and relaxation. Bond drives were held on the base and in Kingman for the war effort.

The training of the new gunners was very intense. Each potential gunner worked his way up from shooting the BB guns to shotguns, and finally, to the actual guns on the B-17.

On May 3, 1943, a decision was made to change the name of the facility to the Kingman Army Air Field. The base continued to grow and change. In 1943, new squadrons were added and combined with existing squadrons, which led to new group formations. The 1120^th and 329^th combined with the 328^th and became known as the 328^th Flexible Gunnery Training Group. The 1122^nd, 537^th, and 538^th were combined to become the 1123^rd. The 1121^st became the 329^th. The 536^th was formed to take the overflow from the other filled groups.

The new additions to the base were the 760^th Flexible Gunnery Training Group, 1012^th Quartermasters PL, 31^st Altitude Sq. (training for high altitude), 684^th Army Band, 1^st Weather Sq., DET 25 of the 858^th Signal Service Co., DET 14 of the 909 QM Co., and 2053^rd Ordinance Co. In 1943, the Chinese Military sent gunners here, to be trained at the Kingman field.

The planes that were assigned or stopped in for maintenance and the following the AT-6, AT-11, & AT-23 (flight training and target towing), BT-18 (flight training), P-36 & P-39 (for maintenance), along with the B-17.

1944 was another year of great changes for the base. On April 22, the Kingman Army Air Field was consolidated and redesignated Army Air Force Base Unit 3018. Each of the units then present on base became sub-divisions of the new 3018^th. On June 15, Col Donald B. Phillips became the new base commander. 

The 3018^th was one of the top training schools in the U. S. in 1944. The gunners completed in “Shoot Outs”; with other schools and most often took top honors. This tough training, both mental and physical, gave the gunners, their best chance to survive in air combat over the skies of Europe and the Pacific. 

There were two mishaps which took the lives of the some of the Kingman field personnel. First, on January 2, a B-17 passing over McClellan Field, CA. in bad weather, disintegrated in mid-air, killing 13, 11 of which were from Kingman. The second was on the evening of January 6, a bus loaded with gunnery students was crossing the train tracks when a train struck the bus, killing 28 men. This accident leads to the building of the underpass, which is still in use today.

With war ending, 1945 was the base’s final year for operation as a gunnery school. Command of the base changed again as Col. Walter L. Wheeler took command of April 1. Kingman Army Air Field was temporarily inactivated on June 30. Col. Lance Call came in as the base commander to deactivate the base. 

In the last quarter of the year, the 3018^th became the 4184^th, as the base operations were slowing down. On September 27, Lt. Col. James L. Meadows took over as base commander. Then on November 24, Lt. Col. John J. Ratigan took over as the base commander for the rest of the year and beginning of the new year. 

At midnight on February 25, 1946, Kingman Army Air Field no longer existed as a gunnery school, it was officially inactivated. As the sun came up on February 26, the base had a new purpose and had become Storage Depot 41.

Unlike many o the airbases which contributed to America’s continued freedom, it still exists today as the Kingman Airport and Industrial Park. An integral part of the community and its economic development. Some of the original structures still exist and are being restored and used today as a silent reminder of that great time in America’s history and the role that Kingman and Mohave County played.

Copyright 1990-2018

email  kingmanaafsd41@gmail.com

KAAF Sentimental Journey to Kingman

Here is another copy of my script. Yes I know... This was used in the KAAF Reunions program this time for the second reunion.  For this one, I did an introduction about me, letting people who I was and my motivation and passion on the subject.

 

Kingman Army Air Field

Sentimental Journey to Kingman

My name is Rob Chilcoat and I call myself the unofficial base historian. Back in 1990, I sent for the base history documents from the U. S. Air Force, then I began working on a small video project called “Sentimental Journey to Kingman.” This project was my first real concept to be in video form, for I have taken some video classes at Mohave Community College. The video on the Kingman Field. Today, I have a second version out and this is the script from this documentary.

In the 1930s, the Army Air Corps was looking for a heavy bomber. Boeing Aircraft designed a heavy bomber known as Model 299. The Army Air Corps liked the idea of the Boeing prototype, so they ordered the preproduction of the XB-17 for testing. The XB-17 proved its 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 for war.

Around 1940, the U. S. Army Air Force needed a new base to train gunners for the B-17 Flying Fortress. This would be the sixth gunnery school set up in the United States. The new base was necessary to support all future missions of the B-17 in the European and Pacific Theaters. The school would be referred to as a “Flexible” gunnery training school for the B-17, it had gun turrets mounted in six positions of the aircraft. The gunner had to be proficient with all the guns on board the aircraft.

The search for a location for this school began in April 1941. Kingman, AZ was seen as one of the prime locations for a training site. When Major John C. Horton of the West Coast Flying Training Command Headquarters at Moffett Field, CA, made a visit to Kingman, he found that Kingman was the perfect place. The population was low, the valley floor level, and the land acquisition was easy and available at 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 of which was estimated at over $9 million. Final approval for construction was received on May 27 and Lt. Col. Harvey P. Huglin was selected as the first base commander. He came to Kingman and set-up temporary quarters in the old Harvey House in downtown Kingman, while the construction of the base was going on. The school’s construction took a little over two months to complete. On August 4, the Army Air Force Flexible Gunnery School at Kingman was officially activated. The first occupants and the initial key base organization were the 460^th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron which took up shop on December 1. On December 10, Col. George E. Henry became the new base commander. Around the same time, the following units were added: the 1120^th, 1121^st, 1122^nd, and 1123^rd Flexible Gunnery Training Squadrons, the 334^th Aviation SQ. (a segregated black sq.), and the 1100^th Guard SQ. (the military police). On December 28, a group of 13 AT-6s trainer aircraft was officially assigned to the base.

During construction, there were problems or the workers and military personnel. One problem was the lack of food delivery, which was overcome by the building of cafeterias. The housing problem was next because Kingman was a small town. As more housing units were constructed, the problem ease. Some of the younger construction workers wanted a union in the company but ended up getting drafted. There was a stop-work order on Davis Dam to help in the construction effort at the base.

Along with the construction of the main airstrips were five emergency fields. Site #1 was at Red Lake. Site #3 was 17 mi. northeast of the base. Site #5 was near Topock. Site # 6 is now the Lake Havasu City airport by the London Bridge. Site #7 was close by the Yucca Aerial Gunnery Range (which became Yucca sub-base).

After the opening of the base, Bugs Bunny was selected as the mascot with cooperation from Warner Brothers. Bugs helped in the war effort by being a morale booster for the troops training at the Kingman field. Bob Hope, The Three Stooges, Kay Kyser, and numerous USO shows came to the base to raise all the troops’ morale. The troops also made trips to the Grand Canyon for rest and relaxation. Bond drives were held on the base and in Kingman for the war effort.

The training of the new gunners was very intense. Each potential gunner worked his way up from shooting the BB guns to shotguns, and finally, to the actual guns on the B-17.

On May 3, 1943, a decision was made to change the name of the facility to the Kingman Army Air Field. The base continued to grow and change. In 1943, new squadrons were added and combined with existing squadrons, which led to new group formations. The 1120^th and 329^th combined with the 328^th and became known as the 328^th Flexible Gunnery Training Group. The 1122^nd, 537^th, and 538^th were combined to become the 1123^rd. The 1121^st became the 329^th. The 536^th was formed to take the overflow from the other filled groups.

The new additions to the base were the 760^th Flexible Gunnery Training Group, 1012^th Quartermasters PL, 31^st Altitude Sq. (training for high altitude), 684^th Army Band, 1^st Weather Sq., DET 25 of the 858^th Signal Service Co., DET 14 of the 909 QM Co., and 2053^rd Ordinance Co. In 1943, the Chinese Military sent gunners here, to be trained at the Kingman field.

The planes that were assigned or stopped in for maintenance and the following the AT-6, AT-11, & AT-23 (flight training and target towing), BT-18 (flight training), P-36 & P-39 (for maintenance), along with the B-17.

1944 was another year of great changes for the base. On April 22, the Kingman Army Air Field was consolidated and redesignated Army Air Force Base Unit 3018. Each of the units then present on base became sub-divisions of the new 3018^th. On June 15, Col Donald B. Phillips became the new base commander. 

The 3018^th was one of the top training schools in the U. S. in 1944. The gunners completed in “Shoot Outs”; with other schools and most often took top honors. This tough training, both mental and physical, gave the gunners, their best chance to survive in air combat over the skies of Europe and the Pacific. 

There were two mishaps which took the lives of the some of the Kingman field personnel. First, on January 2, a B-17 passing over McClellan Field, CA. in bad weather, disintegrated in mid-air, killing 13, 11 of which were from Kingman. The second was on the evening of January 6, a bus loaded with gunnery students was crossing the train tracks when a train struck the bus, killing 28 men. This accident leads to the building of the underpass, which is still in use today.

With war ending, 1945 was the base’s final year for operation as a gunnery school. Command of the base changed again as Col. Walter L. Wheeler took command of April 1. Kingman Army Air Field was temporarily inactivated on June 30. Col. Lance Call came in as the base commander to deactivate the base. 

In the last quarter of the year, the 3018^th became the 4184^th, as the base operations were slowing down. On September 27, Lt. Col. James L. Meadows took over as base commander. Then on November 24, Lt. Col. John J. Ratigan took over as the base commander for the rest of the year and beginning of the new year. 

At midnight on February 25, 1946, Kingman Army Air Field no longer existed as a gunnery school, it was officially inactivated. As the sun came up on February 26, the base had a new purpose and had become Storage Depot 41.

Copyright 1990-2018

email  kingmanaafsd41@gmail.com