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  Aeronautical
Air Power
From the outset, the command staff of the DTC/C-AMA wanted air support to be an integral part of the training experience in the desert.  Although planes were used from virtually the beginning of the DTC/C-AMA, an official air support command was first established at Camp Young.  Subsequently, four other divisional camps received air support commands (Meller 1946).  Unfortunately, like every other type of equipment at the DTC/C-AMA, airplanes were in short supply.  In June 1942, the Second Air Force assumed responsibility for air operations at the DTC.  Headquartered at Camp Young, the Second Air Force also assumed responsibility for the many airfields throughout the DTC/C-AMA area (U.S. Air Force Historical Division n.d.a :1).  In the early months, air units were under the direct command of the AGF and were not allowed to act in their usually autonomous roles. Air squadrons were primarily assigned supporting roles to the ground contingents, providing tactical support and generally creating a realistic combat environment (Blake 1987:23).  During maneuvers and other training operations, planes were flown low over the troops in order to prepare them for strafing in actual combat. 

Airdrome detachments were stationed at various airfields and were under the command of the III Tactical Air Division at Camp Young (U.S. Army Air Corps 1944 :1). The III Tactical Air Division was given the responsibility of assisting in the training of tactical air units.  In addition to training, however, each unit was in charge of maintaining its airfield and had little time for anything else (U.S. Army Air Corps 1944 :3).  In January 1943, other Army Air Force units were assigned to the DTC.   During the maneuvers of February and March 1943, the IV Air Support Command, which was headquartered at Thermal Army Airfield, oversaw all air units and supplied air support to all divisions and some smaller units.  By April of the same year, an Air Forces Service Command was established at the DTC and assigned to the IV Air Support Command (Meller 1946 :58).  All manner of airplanes were used, particularly L-1 and L-4 Piper Cubs for surveillance.  Patton himself used his own private plane, a Stinson Voyager, or "flying jeep" as the planes were also known.  C-50 cargo planes were used in several instances, including for troop supply during maneuvers.  Supplies, including ammunition, were parachuted to waiting troops by the C-50s, with mixed results.  Light bomber-ground attack A-20 Havocs were stationed at Blythe Army Air Field, as well as at Camp Essex.  P-40 Warhawks and P-38 Lightnings are also known to have been used at the DTC/C-AMA, as were B-24 Liberators (Figure 28). 

There were four main army airfields in the DTC/C-AMA: Rice, Shaver's Summit, Desert Center, and Thermal.  In many other locations, the army used existing civilian facilities, such as the airport in Boulder City, Nevada.  In other cases, the army established facilities that were subsequently taken over for civilian use after the end of the war.  For example, an airfield built in Palm Springs by the army became the city's municipal airport after the war (Weight 1977).  In addition to the more permanent airfields, landing strips were created throughout the facility.  In most cases, these temporary strips were prepared by clearing vegetation and compacting the sand with water. Usually measuring 1,000 feet long and 100 feet wide, the strips were built in the direction of the prevailing winds and could generally accommodate only small surveillance airplanes (U.S. Army Air Corps 1942 :G1).

One of the more visible makeshift airfields was adjacent to Essex Divisional Camp.  This field, unlike the other temporary strips, was designed to handle aircraft as large as A-20 Havocs. The flying surface was 4,500 feet long and 111 feet wide, and consisted of a light bar-and-rod steel landing mat.  Shoulders measuring 120 feet wide were constructed with compacted sand, and the taxiways and warm-up ramps were made of soil cement and desert mix.  The area was graded and was watered down with commercial trucks, which received water from the Santa Fe Railroad well at Fenner (U.S. Army Air Corps 1942 :G1-4C-4).

At the height of DTC/C-AMA operations, when total personnel reached 190,000, only 4,000 of these troops were from the Army Air Forces.  Beginning on December 1, 1943, all air units and installations in the DTC/C-AMA were taken over by the commanding general of the Army Air Forces.  The III Tactical Air Division, which had been overseeing the air operations, came under the control of the Third Air Force.  From the AGF's perspective, this was not a welcome change.  The army felt that the headquarters of the DTC/C-AMA must command the entire facility, including all air activities; if not, a great deal of realism would be lost.  According to some, air support became almost nonexistent by 1944 (Meller 1946:43).

By August 1944, after the DTC/C-AMA closure, most of the airfields were assigned to March Field as subbases, and the number of personnel stationed at them decreased (U.S. Air Force Historical Division n.d.b:1-2).

Airports, aerodromes, and airstrips:
There were four main army airfields in the DTC/C-AMA: Rice, Shaver's Summit, Desert Center, and Thermal.  In many other locations, the army used existing civilian facilities, such as the airport in Boulder City, Nevada.  In other cases, the army established facilities that were subsequently taken over for civilian use after the end of the war.  For example, an airfield built in Palm Springs by the army became the city's municipal airport after the war (Weight 1977).

  • East of DTC headquarters Camp Young lies Chiriaco Summit Airport (L77).  It is open to public access today, and a great place to facilitate your visit to the General Patton Memorial Museum.

  • Desert Center Army Airfield (Desert Center Airport (CN64)) is open to public access today. It was equipped with O-52s, L-1s, L-4s, B-25s, P-39s and P-40s and provided air support and reconnaissance to the Army ground forces training at the DTC.

  • Coxcomb Divisional Camp airstrip is located across California highway 177 east of Camp Coxcomb.  It is oriented north-south and parallels the highway.

  • Camp Iron Mountain Army Field, today's Iron Mountain Pumping Plant Airport (72CL), served the Iron Mountain DTC divisional camp.

  • Rice Army Airfield consisted of two 5'000 foot runways with numerous dispersal pads extending off the runways to the south, and support facilities and barracks of Camp Rice to house about 3,000 men.  Today, Rice AAF is the site of the Rice Solar Energy Project.

  • Camp Essex AAF served the divisional camp. Today this tactical aerodrome is currently closed.

  • Goffs airstrip was triangular in layout, and it is still faintly visible today.

  • Camp Ibis airstrip is located across US highway 95 west of the camp.

Landing Strips
Several sand and gravel landing strips existed throughout
the DTC/C-AMA, usually measuring 1,000 feet long and
100 feet wide.  Many of these runways existed
prior to the activation of the DTC/C-AMA, although
several were constructed for army use . During maneuvers,
landing strips were established in a variety
of locations . The strips used in the DTC/C-AMA had
the following names:

Bagdad
Cadiz
Calipatria
Chocolate Mountains (east end)
Chuckwalla Mountains
Connor
Coxcomb Camp
Ford Well
Freda Station
Goffs
Granite Mountains
Harveys
Heron
Hopkins Well
Hyder
Ibis
Imperial County Airport
Iron Mountain
Little Chuckwalla Mountains
McCoy Springs
Milpitas Wash
Palo Verde
Piute Mountains
Plosser
Salome
Searchlight
Smiley

Little is known about many these landing strips.  It is not known, for example, if temporary buildings were constructed at any of them.  It is also not known what currently exists at many of these locations. 

By August 1944, after the DTC/C-AMA closure, most of the airfields were assigned to March Field as subbases, and the number of personnel stationed at them decreased (U.S. Air Force Historical Division n.d.b :1-2). [1]



[1] The Desert Training Center/California-Arizona Maneuver Area,1942-1944 HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS; Matt C. Bischoff

 

Army Air Forces in World War II
Because of lessons learned from combat overseas, the commanders of the DTC/CAMA wanted to make sure that air power was included in the training. They knew that close coordination with air units was critical in winning on the ground. Beyond tactical training in the support of ground units, however, airplanes were used from virtually the beginning of the DTC.  The Army Air Force itself went through an incredible expansion during the life of the DTC/CAMA. In a few short years, the service dramatically changed its role in the U. S. military.

At the beginning of the war, the U.S. Army Air Corps was a “second-tier air service,” which operated solely to provide support to Army ground forces (AGF).  By the end of the war, however, it had become the “premiere air power of the world” in the form of the U.S. Air Force (Pedrotty et al., 1999).  This change all took place within a relatively short 6-year time span, with the requisite expansion in aircraft, command structure, and ground facilities needed to support such massive expansion.  By the end of the war, the U.S. Air Force had developed training bases, airfields, depots, and other facilities that still form the basis of its infrastructure today.  It was during the peak of this expansion and change that the DTC/CAMA was in operation.

Expansion began in early 1939 as the German military swept through Poland.  Plans for expansion continued rapidly over the next few months as the German blitzkrieg quickly overran large swathes of Europe.  Military leaders in America noted the deadly effectiveness of air power when combined with fast-moving ground forces.  They also began to realize the possibilities of strategic air power through the bombing campaigns of the Luftwaffe over Britain (Pedrotty et al., 1999).  In response, Congress passed several acts, appropriating $2.5 billion for the Air Corps (beyond even what President Roosevelt requested) for exponential increases in aircraft, personnel, and facilities.  To construct all these new facilities, the Corps of Engineers was placed in charge of Air Corps projects in early 1941.  Like other wartime, military construction, the Corps of Engineers followed standardized plans.  Many new tactical fields were established by acquiring and expanding former Civil Aeronautics Administration fields.  A variety of other new fields were also established, including training fields, gunnery schools, cadet reception centers, depots, among others.  Construction was to be a theater of operations type, allowing for speed and ease of construction, with minimal expense (Pedrotty et al., 1999).

In June 1941, the U.S. Army Air Forces was created as a sub-service of the Army, though acting as a separate service branch, with its own Undersecretary of War and equal representation on the General Staff.  The new service would struggle with its ability to operate independently and strategically for the next few years, though by the end of the war this goal would be largely realized.

With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 came additional impetus for expansion of the American air forces.  Further expansion of the capability of the Army Air Forces was needed, and was undertaken rapidly.  Perhaps foremost in this expansion of capability was the training of air crews.  By the end of 1943, the Army Air Force contained 345 main bases, 116 sub-bases, and 332 auxiliary airfields.  The build-up in air forces, however, peaked in the latter half of 1943, as the majority of air units were already overseas or in the process of being transferred overseas.  Continental defense was also less of a concern, and as a result there was little reason for further expansion stateside (Pedrotty et al., 1999).

Air Power at the DTC/CAMA
As part of the process of training for combat, the Army Air Force and the Army Service Force were trained to serve as support to Army ground forces.  The initial Army Air Force groups to train at DTC/CAMA included one combat squadron, one medium observation squadron, and an air ambulance.  As with the harsh conditions for ground troops, the Army Air Force operated on desert-constructed fields instead of flying in from neighboring established airbases or civilian airports (Meller, 1946).

An official air support command was first established at Camp Young, followed by four other divisional camps receiving air support commands (Meller, 1946).  Unfortunately, like every other type of equipment at the DTC/CAMA, airplanes were in short supply.  Air units initially assigned to the DTC consisted of one squadron of combat aviation, one medium observation squadron, and one air ambulance, all under the operational control of the DTC.  Later, an entire bombardier group was assigned.  Smaller units were assigned for shorter periods of time.  In June 1942, the Second Air Force assumed responsibility for air operations at the DTC.  Headquartered at Camp Young, the Second Air Force also assumed responsibility for the many airfields throughout the DTC area (U.S. Air Force Historical Division, n.d.a).  Air units, however, were under the direct command of the AGF, and were not allowed to act in their usually autonomous roles.

The DTC included four airfields: Rice AAF, Shaver Summit AAF, Thermal AAF, and Desert Center AAF constructed specifically for training, several other municipal airports (for example, Blythe and Needles), that participated in DTC/CAMA training activities, and up to 27 gravel-surfaced landing strips.  The goal of including the Army Air Forces in training at CAMA was to improve air-ground cooperation.  The joint training was for both combat and aviation commanders as well as combat troops.  Using these airfields, the Army Air Forces contributed 92 planes providing air support to more than 100,000 ground troops during training operations over the 2 years CAMA was operational.  Army Air Forces training in support of ground troops over 2 years included 22 liaison-type planes and 70 combat-type planes flying a total of 2,600 hours on 460 tactical missions.

The air-ground training conducted in CAMA, according to the AGF, was the most satisfactory training being conducted in the United States (Meller, 1946).  While the AGF thought the training of combat troops in conjunction with air support was valuable, Army Air Force Headquarters was not interested in combined training.  Airplanes were scarce and General Hap Arnold believed that any airplanes that could fly should be in combat (Meller, 1946).

Nevertheless, air squadrons were primarily assigned supporting roles to the ground units, providing tactical support and generally creating a realistic combat environment (Blake, 1996).  During maneuvers and other training operations, planes flew low over the troops in order to prepare them for strafing in actual combat.  Air crews also practiced bombing and gunnery on several ranges spaced throughout the DTC/CAMA.  For the most part, air-to-ground gunnery practice was focused on the toes of nearby mountains (Hazenbush, 1944).  The low-flying, twin-engine A-20 Havoc attack airplane was perhaps the most frequently encountered by ground troops.  Because of the presence of these aircraft, small units learned the importance of camouflage, dispersion, and the digging of slit trenches.

A variety of airplanes were used, particularly L-1 and L-4 Piper Cubs for surveillance.  During the war, these planes proved invaluable in spotting enemy units and directing artillery fire more effectively.  Patton himself used his own private plane, a Stinson “Voyager,” or “flying jeep” as the planes were known.  In several instances, C-50 cargo planes were used, including for troop supply during maneuvers.  Supplies, including ammunition, were parachuted to waiting troops by the C-50s, with mixed results.  Light bomber–ground attack A-20 Havocs were stationed at Rice AAF, Blythe AAF, as well as at Camp Essex.  Douglas C-47 Skytrains were common sights in many places in the DTC/CAMA. The P-39 Airacobra, P-40 Warhawk, and P-38 Lightning were also known to have been used at the DTC/CAMA.

During the maneuvers of February and March 1943, the IV Air Support Command, which was headquartered at Thermal AAF, oversaw all air units and supplied air support to all the divisions and some of the smaller units.  By April of the same year, an Air Forces Service Command was established at the DTC and assigned to the IV Air Support Command (Meller, 1946).

Airdrome detachments were stationed at various airfields and were under the command of the III Tactical Air Division at Camp Young.  The III Tactical Air Division was given the responsibility of assisting in the training of tactical air units.  In addition to training, however, each unit was in charge of maintaining their airfield and had little time for anything else.  The 475th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron operated the Thermal AAF as a part of the III Tactical Air Division.  Beneath the umbrella of the 475th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron, several airdrome detachments were formed to operate air bases.  According to the 3rd Airdrome Detachment, their policy was: “…anything and everything for the training units, to render every possible aid to units undergoing their final phase of training so that more and better trained units may be sent into combat as they are needed” (Speck, 1944).  Truly, these units were performing a vital function: that of keeping these bases running smoothly, so that air units could focus on training for war.  The 2nd Airdrome Detachment was activated on August 1, 1943, at Rice AAF.  It is not known which unit operated the base prior to that time.  The detachment initially consisted of four officers and fifty enlisted men.  Eventually the unit would contain five officers and 186 enlisted men, which included quartermaster, medical, weather, communication, signal, and guard personnel (Speck, 1944).

In many other locations, the Army used preexisting civilian facilities, such as the airport in Boulder City, Nevada.  In other cases, the Army established facilities that were subsequently taken over for civilian use after the end of the war.  Most of the airfields and facilities were constructed by aviation engineer units (often battalions), some of which were attached to larger divisions, while others were not.  The skills learned by the engineer units in building these facilities proved invaluable in service overseas during the war.  In addition to the more permanent airfields, landing strips were created throughout the facility.  Most divisional camps had some type of airfield or landing strip, which were also temporary in nature.  Experimental airstrips, consisting of the mixing of cement with sand, were built in several places.  These airstrips were also designed to handle small planes only.  Their construction was recalled by one of the men who helped build them: “… we mixed furrows with road graders; then took the cement and spread the cement with trucks over the top of that; then mixed it in with the road graders; bladed it out smooth; sprinkled it with water tanks to compact it; and then rolled it” (Krege, 1944).

At the height of DTC/CAMA operations, when total personnel reached 190,000, 4,000 of these troops were from the Army Air Forces.  Beginning on December 1, 1943, all air units and installations in the CAMA were taken over by the commanding General of the Army Air Forces, under the Third Air Force.  The III Tactical Air Division, which had overseen the air operations, came under the control of the Third Air Force.  From the AGF’s perspective, this was not a welcome change.  The Army’s position was that the headquarters of the DTC/CAMA must command the entire facility, including all air activities; if not, a great deal of realism was lost.  For the Army Air Forces, however, this was likely viewed as a welcome change, as it allowed the air units greater autonomy in training.  It may have been a moot point in any case, as air support became almost nonexistent by 1944 (Meller, 1946).

By August 1944, following closure of the CAMA, most of the airfields were assigned to March Field as sub-bases, and the number of personnel stationed at them decreased (U.S. Air Force Historical Division, n.d.b).  Most of the smaller airfields were simply abandoned in place.  [Draft Historic Properties Treatment Plan Rice Solar Energy Project November 2011]
 

AIRDROMES AND LANDING STRIPS
In the Desert Training Center Area

May 4, 1943


AIRDROMES (surfaced)
--------------------

NAME RUNWAYS ELEVATION
---- ------- ---------
**1. Blythe Army Air Field 3-6500'x150' 390 ft
2. Desert Center Army Air Base 2-5000'x150' 830 ft
3. Martin Air Academy 4000' sq 556 ft
4. Needles Airport 2-5000'x150' 918 ft
5. Rice Army Air Field 2-5000'x150' 925 ft
6. Shavers Summit Landing Strip 1-5500'x300 1700 ft
7. Thermal Army Air Field 2-5500'x150' -123 ft
*8. U.S.M.A.C. Airfield, El Centro 2-5500'x150' -50 ft
*9. Yuma Army Air Field 3-5500'(tri) 200 ft


AIRDROMES (not surfaced)
------------------------
*10. Bolder City 2-6000' 2450 ft
11. Fenner 4000'x150 1800 ft
*12. Haviland 3-4000'x150' 1800 ft
*13. Kingman Army Flying School 6000' 3400 ft
*14. Needles Landing 3-4000'x150' 500 ft
*15. Port Kingman 2-5000' 3435 ft
16. Salome 2-4000' 1354 ft
*17. Topock 2-4000'x150' 900 ft


LANDING STRIPS (sand or gravel)
-------------------------------

*18. Bagdad 4000'x150' 700 ft
*19. Brawley Municipal 2500' sq -120 ft
20. Cadiz
*21. Calipatria 2000' sq -182 ft
22. Chocolate Mts. (east end) 1000'x100' 1350 ft
x23. Chuckwalla Mts.
24. Conner 2-2000' 900 ft
25. Coxcomb Camp 2500'x150' 700 ft
x*26. Datelan 2000'x100' 900 ft
27. Desert Center Auxiliary 2-4000'x150' 855 ft
x28. Ford Well 1000'x150' 600 ft
29. Freda Station 2-1500'x150' 875 ft
30. Goffs 1500'x150' 2650 ft
**31. Harveys 3500' 565 ft
**32. Heron 2-3600'x150' 365 ft
33. Hopkins Well 1500'x150' 500 ft
34. Hyder 3-3000' (tri) 500 ft
35. Ibis 2500'x150' 2000 ft
*36. Imperial County Airport 2500' sq -69 ft
37. Iron Mountain 1500'x150' 900 ft
38. Laguna 2500'x150' 350 ft
39. Little chuckwalla Mts. 1500'x150' 850 ft
40. Mc Coy Springs 1000'x500' 700 ft
41. Milpitas Wash 2000'x300' 500 ft
42. Palo Verde 3000' 350 ft
43. Parker 2-3500'x150' 430 ft
x44. Picaono Drain 1500'x150' 500 ft
45. Piute Mts. 1500'x150' 1850 ft
**46. Plesser 2000' 490 ft
47. Salome (E. of Blythe) 2-3000'x100' 1876 ft
48. Searchlight 3000' 2536 ft
*49. Smiley 3000' sq 700 ft
*50. Wellton 4000'x500' 600 ft
51. Grande Mts. 1300 ft

* Not in Desert Training Area.
** Not under control of IV Air Support Command, but in the Desert Training
Area.
X Not recommended for use, unless improvements are made.

NOTE: Sequence of listing, name of field, number of runways or strips,
length of strip of runway, width of strip or runway, and elevation.
---
White, Major Gen., Desert Training Center, General Information, obtained at NARA, Archives I, Records Headquarters AGF, RG 337

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