805th Engineer Aviation Battalion (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 805th Engineer Aviation Battalion was a United States Army Air Force unit activated on 12 February 1941 at MacDill Field (Army Air Base) near Tampa, Florida.
History
- Florida The 805th Engineer Company, Aviation (Separate) was created from the inactive 2nd Battalion, 28th Engineers, Aviation. After activation at MacDill Field in Florida, the company left the base on 20 March 1941; traveling via rail to Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, for embarkation to the Panama CanalPanama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
Zone.
- Panama The company arrived in PanamaPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
on 26 March 1941 and were encamped at Albrook Field. On 28 June 1941 the 805th was increased to battalion strength and subdivided into four companies (Headquarters,A,B,C). On 12 June 1942, the transport ship S.S. Sixaola was torpedoed by U-159 while transporting a detachment of the 805th to Guatemala; 28 crewmen were killed and the 805th lost a large amount of construction equipment when the ship sank near Colon, C.Z. The 805th remained in Panama until 30 March 1943, having constructed numerous airfields in Panama, Guatemala, Ecuador, and the Galapagos Islands. The battalion traveled from Albrook Field to the New York Navy Yard on the USAT Frederick FunstonFrederick FunstonFrederick N. Funston also known as Fred Funston, was a General in the United States Army, best known for his role in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War...
, arriving there on 7 April 1943. The battalion then traveled by rail to Richmond (Virginia) Army Air Base for training and furlough.
- Hawaii The battalion departed Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, in November, 1943, traveling by rail to Camp StonemanCamp StonemanCamp Stoneman was a United States Army military facility located in Pittsburg, California. It served as a major staging area for the Army in World War II and the Korean War....
, California. After twelve days the battalion departed San Francisco on the ATS Lurline, a former luxury liner. The battalion arrived at Pearl HarborPearl HarborPearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 20 December 1943, and were encamped at Bellows Field. While stationed on Oahu the battalion was assigned to lengthen and widen the landing strip at Kahuku, on the northern end of OahuOahuOahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. The runway was being modified to accommodate the new B-29s, which were still on the manufacturing line in the United States. This runway was going to be a stopover point for the planes on their way to the Western Pacific.
- Saipan On 7 June 1944, the battalion departed Oahu on the SS Mormacport. On 25 June 1944, the 805th arrived offshore at SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, an island in the Marianas chain. The battalion landed on 27 June, (d-day +2) and commenced repairing and expanding the existing Japanese airfield to accommodate B-29s. Four months later, the first B-29s landed at the field; in November, 1944, the first B-29 missions were on their way to Japan.
- Ie Shima On 23 May 1945, the 805th boarded LSTLSTLST is a three-character initialism that may refer to:* Landing Ship, Tank, a U.S. Navy ship class, of type Amphibious Warfare* Laplace-Stieltjes transform, a transform similar to the Laplace transform* Launceston Airport* Least slack time scheduling...
s anchored in Tanapag Harbor off SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
. On 29 May 1945, the battalion arrived off the coast of Okinawa, but was assigned runway construction on Ie Shima (IejimaIejimaIe jima is an island in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, lying a few kilometers off the Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa Honto, Okinawa Islands. It measures 20 km around and has a population of 5,055...
), a small island off the northwest coast of Okinawa. The battalion cam ashore on Ie Shima near the site of war correspondent Ernie PyleErnie PyleErnest Taylor Pyle was an American journalist who wrote as a roving correspondent for the Scripps Howard newspaper chain from 1935 until his death in combat during World War II. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944...
's death. Pyle had been killed by a hidden Japanese machine gunner during the initial landings on Ie; at this point the site was only marked by an upturned rifle stuck in the mud with Pyle's helmet on it. It was later marked by a monument created by the 77th Infantry Division. As had been the case on SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, the 805th was assigned runway construction for B-29 operations. These runways were constructed primarily from native coral quarried from the island's interior. On 10 August 1945, the 805th completed runway "B" on Ie Shima AirfieldIe Shima Airfieldis a gunnery and training facility, managed by the United States Marine Corps and a former World War II airfield complex on Ie Shima, an island located off the northwest coast of Okinawa Island in the East China Sea...
; the runway was 7000 feet long and was the first all-American built runway in the Ryukyus Islands. On 19 August 1945, the Japanese surrender party arrived on Ie Shima in two Betty Bombers, each repainted white with green crosses in place of the rising sunRising SunRising Sun may refer to sunrise. It may also refer to:-Music:*"Rising Sun" , a song written by Fats Domino* Rising Sun , 2005* Rising Sun , 2010* Rising Sun , 1986...
. The Japanese transferred to a C-54 transport for the trip to ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
and a meeting with General MacArthur to review the terms of surrender. Members of the 805th and other units stationed on the island were allowed to line the sides of the runway as the Japanese delegation landed and departed, signaling the imminent end of World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.