Eleventh Air Force
Encyclopedia
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base
Elmendorf Air Force Base
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
11 AF plans, conducts, controls and coordinates air operations in accordance with the tasks assigned by the commander, Pacific Air Forces, and is the force provider for Alaskan Command
Alaskan Command
The Alaskan Command is a regional military command of the United States Armed Forces focusing on the state of Alaska. A sub-unified command of the United States Pacific Command, Alaskan Command is charged with maintaining air sovereignty, deploying forces for worldwide contingencies as directed by...
, the Alaska North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
Region and other unified commanders.
Established on 28 December 1941 as the Alaskan Air Force at Elmendorf Field, Alaska Territory
Alaska Territory
The Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
. 11 AF was a United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
combat air force in the American Theater of World War II, providing air defense of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and engaging in combat operations primarily in the Aleutian Islands and Northern Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
during the Aleutian Campaign.
Re-designated as Alaskan Air Command
Alaskan Air Command
Alaskan Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1945 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct control of all active measures, and coordinate all passive means of...
in late 1945, the organization became responsible for the atmospheric defense of Alaska during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. With the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the organization was realigned under PACAF in 1990 and returned to its previous Numbered Air Force command echelon.
11 AF is commanded by Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Michael J Warner.
Overview
The commander of the Eleventh Air Force also serves as the commander of United States Pacific CommandUnited States Pacific Command
The United States Pacific Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States armed forces responsible for the Pacific Ocean area. It is led by the Commander, Pacific Command , who is the supreme military authority for the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States serving...
's sub-unified Alaskan Command
Alaskan Command
The Alaskan Command is a regional military command of the United States Armed Forces focusing on the state of Alaska. A sub-unified command of the United States Pacific Command, Alaskan Command is charged with maintaining air sovereignty, deploying forces for worldwide contingencies as directed by...
, United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States military. Created on 1 October 2002 in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks, its mission is to protect the United States homeland and support local, state, and federal authorities...
's Joint Task Force-Alaska
Joint Task Force-Alaska
Joint Task Force Alaska , headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, is a multi-service command composed of approximately 80 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Department of Defense civilian specialists. The task force is a homeland defense component of U.S...
and commander of the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
Region.
This mission is accomplished largely through the 611th Air and Space Operations Center, the 611th Air Support Group
611th Air Support Group
The 611th Air Support Group is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.-Overview:...
, and units of the Alaska Air National Guard
Alaska Air National Guard
The Alaska Air National Guard is the component of the United States Air National Guard operating within the state of Alaska.-Overview:Alaska Air National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Air Force. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are...
. Together, they provide a network of critical air surveillance and command, control and communications functions necessary to perform tactical warning and attack assessment in defense of Alaska.
Active duty
- 3d Wing3d WingThe 3d Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Pacific Air Forces Eleventh Air Force. It is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska....
The 3rd Wing is a United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit stationed at Elmendorf Air Force BaseElmendorf Air Force BaseJoint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The...
, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Its mission is to support and defend U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world by providing units who are ready for worldwide air power projection and a base that is capable of meeting PACOM'sUnited States Pacific CommandThe United States Pacific Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States armed forces responsible for the Pacific Ocean area. It is led by the Commander, Pacific Command , who is the supreme military authority for the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States serving...
theater staging and throughput requirements.
- 354th Fighter Wing354th Fighter WingThe 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces . It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force .-Overview:...
The 354th Fighter Wing is stationed at Eielson Air Force BaseEielson Air Force BaseEielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska....
, Alaska. The wing's mission is to train and provide F-16CF-16 Fighting FalconThe General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
and Expeditionary Combat Support forces to combatant commanders anytime, anyplace, in support of U.S. national security objectives. As the US Air Force’sUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
most northern operational wing, the 354th Fighter Wing354th Fighter WingThe 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces . It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force .-Overview:...
also hosts Air Education and Training Command’sAir Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
Arctic Survival School.
- 611th Air and Space Operations Center
The 611th Air and Space Operations Center at Elmendorf Air Force BaseElmendorf Air Force BaseJoint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The...
, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
consists of five squadrons and two numbered flights that develop plans, procedures and directives for the employment of Alaskan combat and support forces assigned to the 11th Air Force, PACAF and NORAD.
- 611th Air Support Group611th Air Support GroupThe 611th Air Support Group is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.-Overview:...
The 611th Air Support Group at Elmendorf Air Force BaseElmendorf Air Force BaseJoint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The...
, Alaska consists of two squadrons that provides surveillance radars, Arctic infrastructure including airfields, communications and worldwide ready EAF warriors for homeland defense, decisive force projection, and aerospace command and control in AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
- Missile Defense Flight or Command Representative for Missile Defense
Serves as the focal point for all issues related to Ground-based Midcourse Defense in Alaska, in support of Alaska Command, Alaska NORAD Region, and 11 AF.
- 11th Air Force/Alaska NORAD Region (ANR) Logistics Flight
Provides a core group of logisticians to support Air Force and NORAD air operations throughout the theater, including manning the ANR Battlestaff and establishing logistics readiness centers when necessary.
Alaska Air National Guard
The 11th Air Force has two major units that are gained upon their activation. These units are part of the Alaska Air National GuardAlaska Air National Guard
The Alaska Air National Guard is the component of the United States Air National Guard operating within the state of Alaska.-Overview:Alaska Air National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Air Force. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are...
.
- 168th Air Refueling Wing168th Air Refueling WingThe 168th Air Refueling Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard is the only Arctic region refueling unit for all of United States Pacific Air Forces , and maintains a substantial number of personnel on active duty and civilian technician status in order to meet its daily operational requirements...
The 168th Air Refueling Wing is an Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
stationed at Eielson Air Force BaseEielson Air Force BaseEielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska....
, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and flies the KC-135R StratotankerKC-135 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
. The 168th also has taken over the missile defense mission at Clear Air Force StationClear Air Force StationClear Air Force Station is a United States Air Force Station located 5 miles south of Anderson, Alaska, USA, northeast of Mount McKinley, and southwest of Fairbanks. Its primary mission is to detect incoming ICBMs and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.-Overview:Clear AFS is operated by the...
with their 213th Space Warning Squadron.
- 176th Wing176th WingThe 176th Wing is the largest unit of the Alaska Air National Guard. It is a composite wing — meaning a wing which operates more than one type of aircraft — operating out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska...
The 176th Wing is an Air National GuardAir National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
unit operating out of Elmendorf AFB in AnchorageAnchorage, AlaskaAnchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, Alaska. The 176th is a multifaceted organization consisting of an airlift squadron, a complete pararescue package, as well as the 176th Air Control Squadron176th Air Control SquadronThe 176th Air Control Squadron is a part of the United States Air National Guard, which provides mission-ready personnel to operate and maintain the Alaskan Region Air Operations Center of the North American Aerospace Defense Command...
, which supports the Alaska NORAD Region with 24/7 operations and maintenance.
History
Military aircraft began flying in Alaska in 1920 when the "Black Wolf Squadron" were flown from Mitchel Field, New York arrived at Nome on 24 August. The DeHavilland DH-4s had a black profile of a Wolf's head painted on their sides and proved that Alaska could be linked to the Continental United States by air. The aircraft flew up though British Columbia and stopped at Fairbanks on the way to Nome. In 1924, the around the world flight by the Army using Douglas "World Cruiser"s also transited though Alaska. However, the first permanently based military aircraft began to deploy to Alaska during the last half of 1940 after the breakout of World War II in Europe and tensions began to deteriorate with Japan. To coordinate air activities there, the Alaskan Defense Command established the Air Field Forces, Alaskan Defense Command on 29 May 1941.Origins
Alaska Territory
The Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
came into the limelight when President Roosevelt pointed out in his message to Congress requesting funds for fortification of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
s and other strategic points in the Pacific that airfields were needed in Alaska. The original request for $12,000,000 to be appropriated for the construction of Alaskan defenses was cut to $600,000, but still was sufficient to begin the construction of an air base at Anchorage, Alaska. Thus was begun the construction of Elmendorf Field, primary fourth-echelon base for all future Eleventh Air Force operations. Construction of the airfield began on 8 June when 25 locally hired men began clearing brush, the Army intending it to be a permanent airfield.
The first "troops" of the Alaskan Air Force advance echelon to arrive in Alaska included a six year-old Martin B-10
Martin B-10
The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to go into regular use by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934...
on 12 August 1940. On 12 December the Army designated the base Fort Richardson and flying field Elmendorf Field. The post was named for Brig Gen Wilds P. Richardson, former head of the Alaska Road Commission; the airfield and flying facilities were named Elmendorf Field in honor of Captain Hugh M. Elmendorf, killed in 1933 while flight testing an experimental fighter near Wright Field
Wright Field
Wright Field was an airfield of the United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces near Riverside, Ohio. From 1927 to 1947 it was the research and development center for the Air Corps, and during World War II a flight test center....
, Ohio.
The first Air Corps unit to be assigned to Alaska was the 18th Pursuit Squadron, which transferred to Elmendorf from Hamilton Field
Hamilton Field
Hamilton Field may refer to:* Hamilton Air Force Base, a former U.S. Air Force Base located on San Francisco Bay, California, United States.* Hamilton Field , an airport located in Derby, Kansas, United States....
, California on 21 February 1941 with Curtiss P-40 Warhawks. The 23d Air Base Group was assigned shorty afterwards to provide base support. The 36th Bombardment Squadron
36th Bombardment Squadron
The 36th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, based at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey...
arrived less than a month later from Lowry Field, Colorado, equipped with Douglas B-18 Bolo
B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
medium bombers.
A major problem was the training of personnel and the preparing of equipment for operation in the cold Alaskan climate. Mechanical things showed unusual behavior at 40 degrees below zero. Oil became almost solid, metal and rubber brittle and fractured easily. At the same time, Texas-trained pilots had to learn to fly in a country where sudden fogs could close out airports in less than 10 minutes and high-velocity "williwaws" could tear the wings off combat planes.
The first months activities of the new command were spent in reconnaissance for a rim of defense bases. The hub of this defense "wheel" was to be at Elmendorf Field near Anchorage. In the meantime, plans for the establishment of bases were moving slowly. Certain planned fields had to be constructed in summer, because the severe Alaskan frost in winter made construction impossible, but equipment for the construction of fields north of Nome
Nome
Nome may refer to:A country subdivision:* Nome an administrative division within ancient Egypt.* Nome , the administrative division immediately below the peripheries of Greece Places:* Nome, Norway* Nome, Alaska, US...
and around Anchorage failed to arrive, and construction was postponed until the following summer. Construction had been completed, however, on two important coastal fields in Southeastern Alaska, Annette Army Airfield at Annette Island
Annette Island
Annette Island, or Taak'w Aan, is an island in Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is at . It is about long and about wide. The land area is...
and Yakutat Army Airfield at Yakutat
Yakutat
Yakutat may refer to:Geography*Yakutat Airport, a state-owned public-use airport in Alaska in the United States*Yakutat Bay, a bay on the coast of Alaska*Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska, a unified city-borough in AlaskaGeology...
, and the first direct all-weather air route to Alaska from Seattle was open.
But an extremely fortunate accident took place in October 1941, which possibly changed the whole course of World War II in Alaska. Equipment for the construction of a CAA-DLA (Civil Aeronautics Authority-Defense Land Appropriation) airfield at McGrath
McGrath Airport
McGrath Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in the McGrath, a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.- Facilities and aircraft :...
, on the mainland, arrived too late to begin construction of the field, since the ground already had frozen up, and General Buckner requested and received permission to divert the equipment and men to Cold Bay on the Alaskan Peninsula and Otter Point on Umnak Island, to build 2 airfields for the defense of the Naval Base
Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears, U.S. Army
Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears are the two military installations built next to each other in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, by the United States in response to the growing war threat with Japan. A 1938 Navy board recommended the construction which began in July 1940. The first army...
at Dutch Harbor. To conceal their purpose, both fields were organized as ostensible business enterprises concerned with fishing and canning. The two cover names were: "Blair Packing Company" and "Saxton & Company", whose peculiar canning equipment consisted of bull-dozers, power shovels and similar construction equipment. The top holding-company for these enterprises was the "Consolidated Packing Company" of Anchorage, known in military circles as the Alaskan Defense Command. Security was complete. Japanese intelligence never learned of the existence of these airfields and the Japanese tactical decisions were based on the assumption that their attack on Dutch Harbor would not be opposed by land based aircraft.
All through the winter if 1941–1942, men worked at the construction of these 2 air bases, and by Spring, two 5,000-foot airstrips were completed, one at Cold Bay (Fort Randall Army Airfield), the other at Otter Point on Umnak (Fort Glenn Army Airfield). Another vital factor in the construction of the Umnak field was the use of Pierced Steel Planking-matting. No other medium could have been used to build that runway in the time required, since Umnak has no natural construction material. The matting was laid over a graded gash in the tundra and set the pattern for the construction of future Aleutian runways.
World War II
Administratively speaking, the Eleventh Air Force also was born in that winter of 1941–42. First conceived as the Air Force, Alaskan Defense Command, it emerged as an integral unit as the Alaskan Air Force on 15 January 1942, and was redesignated the Eleventh Air Force on 5 February. In May 1942, a field headquarters was established at Fort Morrow Army Airfield, Port Heiden, KodiakKodiak
Kodiak may refer to:In media and literary works:*Kodiak , a television program that aired Fridays on ABC during the 1974-75 television season in the United States...
, Alaska and planes of the 73d Bombardment Squadron
73d Bombardment Squadron
The 73d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4241st Strategic Wing, based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina...
were deployed at Fort Randall Army Airfield, Cold Bay and the 21st Bombardment Squadron
21st Bombardment Squadron
The 21st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 501st Bombardment Group, based at Northwest Field, Guam in the Mariana Islands. It was inactivated on 10 June 1946....
at Fort Glenn Army Airfield, Umnak.
Ladd Field
Ladd Field
Ladd Army Airfield is the military airfield located at Fort Jonathan Wainwright, located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was originally called Fairbanks Air Base, but was renamed Ladd Field on 1 December 1939, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd, a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps who died in a plane crash...
near Fairbanks
Fairbanks
Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
became a secondary major air base in Alaska. It was named after Major Arthur K. Ladd, killed in a flying accident near Dale, South Carolina on 13 December 1935. Unlike Elmendorf, Ladd Field came the jurisdiction of Ferrying Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
, which was a part of the Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
Program. Through Lend-Lease, the United States transferred nearly 8,000 aircraft to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
though Ladd Field during the course of World War II. The aircraft were flown into Ladd from Great Falls Airfield
Malmstrom Air Force Base
Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place in Cascade County, Montana, United States. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom...
, Montana by American civilian aircrews; Soviet crews then flew the planes west through Nome (Marks Field) and on to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. The pilots leaving Great Falls flew along a route of small airfields that became known as the Northwest Staging Route
Northwest Staging Route
The Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
. One of those airfields, Big Delta Army Airfield, southeast of Fairbanks, became Fort Greely.
Aleutian Campaign
Before Japan entered World War II, its navy had gathered extensive information about the Aleutians, but it had no up-to-date information regarding military developments on the islands. Admiral Yamamoto provided the Japanese Northern Area Fleet, commanded by Vice-Admiral. Boshiro Hosogaya, with a force of 2 small aircraft carriers, 5 cruisers, 12 destroyers, 6 submarines, and 4 troop transports, along with supporting auxiliary ships. With that force, Hosogaya was first to launch an air attack against Dutch Harbor, then follow with an amphibious attack upon the island of AdakAdak Island
Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...
, 480 miles to the west. After destroying the American base on Adak (in fact, there was none at the time), his troops were to return to their ships and become a reserve for two additional landings: the first on Kiska
Kiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
, 240 miles west of Adak, the other on the Aleutian's westernmost island, Attu
Attu
Attu may refer to:*A common name for the Dosa in Telugu*Attu Island in Alaska*The Battle of Attu, the primary land battle in the Aleutian Islands campaign of World War II, which took place on Attu Island in May 1943....
, 180 miles from Kiska.
Because United States Naval intelligence had broken the Japanese naval cypher code, Admiral Nimitz had learned by 21 May of Yamamoto's plans, including the Aleutian diversion, the strength of both Yamamoto's and Hosogaya's fleets, and that Hosogaya would open the fight on 1 June or shortly thereafter. As of 1 June 1942, United States military strength in Alaska stood at 45,000 men, with about 13,000 at Cold Bay (Fort Randall) on the tip of the Alaskan Peninsula and at two Aleutian bases: the naval facility at Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island, 200 miles west of Cold Bay, and the recently built Fort Glenn Army Airfield 70 miles west of the naval station on Umnak Island. Army strength, less air force personnel, at those three bases totaled no more than 2,300, composed mainly of infantry, field and antiaircraft artillery troops, and a large construction engineer contingent, which had used in the construction of bases.
Eleventh Air Force consisted of 10 B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers and 34 B-18 Bolo medium bombers at Elmendorf Airfield, and 95 P-40 Warhawk fighters divided between Fort Randall AAF at Cold Bay and Fort Glenn AAF on Umnak.
When the first inklings of a possible Japanese attack on the Aleutians were known, the Eleventh Air Force was ordered to send out reconnaissance aircraft to locate the Japanese fleet reported heading toward Dutch Harbor and attack it with bombers, concentrating on sinking Hosogaya's 2 aircraft carriers. Once the enemy planes were removed, Naval Task Force 8 would engage the enemy fleet and destroy it. On the afternoon of 2 June a naval patrol plane spotted the approaching Japanese fleet, reporting its location as 800 miles southwest of Dutch Harbor. Eleventh Air Force was placed on full alert. Shortly thereafter bad weather set in, and no further sightings of the fleet were made that day.
Attack on Dutch Harbor
According to Japanese intelligence, the nearest field for land-based American aircraft was at Fort Morrow AAF on Kodiak
Kodiak
Kodiak may refer to:In media and literary works:*Kodiak , a television program that aired Fridays on ABC during the 1974-75 television season in the United States...
, more than 600 miles away, and Dutch Harbor was a sitting duck for the strong Japanese fleet, carrying out a coordinated operation with a fleet that was to capture Midway Island.
Making use of weather cover, the Japanese first raided the Naval Base at Dutch Harbor on 3 June 1942. However, only half of the striking force reached their objective. The rest either became lost in the fog and darkness and crashed into the sea or returned to their carriers. Seventeen Japanese planes found the naval base, the first arriving at 0545. As the Japanese pilots looked for targets to engage, they came under intense antiaircraft fire and soon found themselves confronted by Eleventh Air Force fighters sent from Fort Glenn AAF on Umnak. Startled by the American response, the Japanese quickly released their bombs, made a cursory strafing run, and left to return to their carriers. As a result of their haste they did little damage to the base.
On 4 June the Japanese returned to Dutch Harbor. This time the enemy pilots were better organized and better prepared. When the attack finally ended that afternoon, the base's oil storage tanks were ablaze, part of the hospital was demolished, and a beached barracks ship was damaged. Although American pilots had finally located the Japanese carriers, attempts to destroy them proved fruitless. As bad weather again set in, all contact with the enemy fleet was lost.
In all, the Japanese raid claimed 43 U.S. lives, of which 33 were soldiers. Another 64 Americans were wounded. Eleven U.S. planes were downed, while the Japanese lost ten aircraft. During the two-day fight, Naval Task Force 8 had remained south of Kodiak Island, taking no part in the action. On 5 June, it received a report of enemy warships in the Bering Sea heading south toward Unalaska Island, which was interpreted to be a landing force intent upon seizing Dutch Harbor. While Task Force 8 entered the Bering Sea, Hosogaya's fleet moved south to join Yamamoto, who had just suffered the loss of his four large carriers at the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
.
Japanese seizure of Kiska and Attu
Unable to lure the United States Navy surface ships into range of his battleships, Yamamoto ordered his fleet to return to Japan. Rather than have the Northern Area Fleet join him, Yamamoto now instructed Hosogaya to return to the Aleutians, execute his original mission, and thereby score a success to help compensate for the Midway disaster.
Forgoing the planned attack on Adak, Hosogaya moved directly to the western Aleutians, occupying Kiska on 6 June and Attu a day later. Kiska supported a small U.S. Naval station and a weather post; Attu was the site of a small village of Aleuts and another weather station. But neither island was satisfactory for the hasty construction of airfields. The Japanese encountered no opposition on either island, but the Japanese public was in fact told that this was a great victory.
Possible attack at Nome
By mid-June the Joint Chiefs of Staff theorized that the attack on the Aleutians and the occupation of its westernmost islands might be part of a holding action designed to screen a northward thrust by Japanese forces into Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
's maritime provinces and the Kamchatka Peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
. As a result of their concern about a possible Japanese attack upon the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
that might also include the occupation of St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait, at about 63°30' North 173°20' West. The village of Gambell is located on the northwest cape, from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East. The island is part of Alaska, but closer to...
in the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
and of nearby Nome
Nome
Nome may refer to:A country subdivision:* Nome an administrative division within ancient Egypt.* Nome , the administrative division immediately below the peripheries of Greece Places:* Nome, Norway* Nome, Alaska, US...
and its adjacent airfields on the Alaskan mainland.
Supporting the possibility of an invasion of the Alaskan mainland were reports of a Japanese fleet operating in the Bering Sea. Three separate sightings placed an enemy fleet somewhere between the Pribilof
Pribilof Islands
The Pribilof Islands are a group of four volcanic islands off the coast of mainland Alaska, in the Bering Sea, about north of Unalaska and 200 miles southwest of Cape Newenham. The Siberia coast is roughly northwest...
and St. Lawrence Islands, suggesting that either an enemy raid on or an outright invasion of the Alaskan mainland was imminent, with Nome
Nome
Nome may refer to:A country subdivision:* Nome an administrative division within ancient Egypt.* Nome , the administrative division immediately below the peripheries of Greece Places:* Nome, Norway* Nome, Alaska, US...
the likely objective. As a result within thirty-six hours, Eleventh Air Force using commandeered civilian aircraft flew nearly 2,300 troops to Nome, along with artillery and antiaircraft guns and several tons of other equipment and supplies. B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bombers of the 404th Bombardment Squadron were sent to the Air Transport Command Marks Army Airfield with a mission to locate and attack the Japanese Fleet.
Not until late July when U.S. intelligence reported with some certainty the departure of Hosogaya's fleet from the Bering Sea did the threat of invasion of the Alaskan mainland decline, allowing for the redeployment of many of the troops hastily assembled at Nome.
United States response
On 30 August 1942, in the face of a howling gale, American Army troops went ashore on Adak
Adak Island
Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...
Island, some 250 miles east of Kiska. Adak affords a good fleet anchorage, a sheltered harbor and as was revealed later, a superlative site for quick construction of an airfield. The 807th Army Aviation Engineering Battalion set to work constructing a dike and draining the tidal flat between Kuluk Bay and the Sweeper Cove areas to create an airfield. Only ten days later engineers built a runway, and on 10 September the first aircraft, a B-18, landed at "Longview Army Airfield". Three days later there were 15 B-24s, a B-17, 15 P-38s and 16 P-39s on the island. On 12 September, the first air attack from Adak, consisting of 12 B-24s, 14 P-38s and 14 P-39s, was launched under the command of Major John S. Chennault of the 343d Fighter Group. The attack was launched against Japanese positions on Kiska. The airfield on Adak was renamed "Davis Army Airfield" in honor of Colonel Everett S. Davis, the first Commander, Eleventh Air Force, killed in an aircraft accident on 28 November 1942.
Throughout the winter of 1942–43, the Eleventh Air Force bombed Kiska and Attu whenever possible, although the flyers were extremely handicapped by the almost constant fog which covered the island. At the same time, the bases to the east of Adak were consolidated and built up. In October, the Field Headquarters of the Eleventh Air Force was closed at Kodiak and moved to Davis AAF.
On 11 January 1943, American Army troops went ashore on the unoccupied Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
Island, barely 75 statute miles from Kiska, and a month later, on 16 February, the first aircraft, a P-38 and a P-40, landed on Amchitka Army Airfield
Amchitka Army Airfield
Amchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, a quickly-built airstrip. The first mission against Kiska was flown on 18 February.
By March, both medium and heavy bombers could make the short hop from Amchitka to Kiska and on good days, rare enough, crews flew as many as 4 and occasionally 6 sorties per day. It was said that the Japanese needed no air warning system on Kiska, because they could hear the Eleventh Air Force bombers warming up on Amchitka, and knew from the sound of the engines when the raids were taking off.
Throughout this period, the striking power of the Eleventh Air Force included only 3 squadrons of medium bombers, 3 squadrons of heavies and 4 squadrons of fighters. An additional squadron of P-39 Aircobras operated in the Aleutian theater for a short while, but their light landing gear was unsatisfactory for use on the rough fields and they were returned to the States.
Tactically, the Eleventh Air Force was operating under the jurisdiction of the Navy, since Alaska was still in the situation of a "fleet-opposed invasion". The air arm, designated Task Force "X", was commanded by General Butler, and included the Air Striking Group (Eleventh Air Force) and the Air Search Group (Naval Fleet Air Wing Four). Overall command was vested in Vice Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, Commander, North Pacific Force, abbreviated to ComNorPacFor or ComNorPac.
Recapture of Attu and Kiska
On 1 April, a plan to by-pass Kiska and capture Attu was presented to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was approved, and on 11 May, American troops went ashore on Attu. In a short and fierce battle, the Japanese garrison was wiped out, and on 29 May, the island was declared secure. The first plane, a hospital C-47, landed on a newly-completed runway at Alexai Point Army Airfield, Attu, on 7 June.
The operation against Attu also included the occupation of the Semichi Islands
Semichi Islands
The Semichi Islands are a cluster of small islands in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. They are located southeast of Attu Island and northeast of Agattu Island, near...
, an archipelago of 3 tiny bits of land some 35 miles east of Attu. The flattest of these, Shemya
Shemya
Shemya or Simiya is a small island in the Near Islands group of the Semichi Islands chain in the Aleutian Islands archipelago southwest of Alaska, at . It has a land area of 5.903 sq mi , and is about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.The Russian vessel Saint Peter and Paul wrecked at...
, was to be the site of the most important American air base for future operations. Barely 4 miles long and only 2 miles wide, Shemya Army Airfield became, literally, a stationary aircraft carrier. These islands were taken without opposition, on 29 May.
With Kiska cut off by the occupation of Attu, the Japanese made plans to evacuate the Aleutians. Captured documents reveal that the evacuation proceedings were first contemplated on 8 June, but clear weather prevented carrying out the plans. Numerous sorties were made by the Japanese Fifth Fleet, based at Paramushiru, but finally on 28 July, under cover of a thick fog, destroyers were able to enter Kiska Harbor and remove all occupation troops. When American troops went ashore on 15 August, the island was deserted, ending the Aleutian Campaign.
Six million pounds of bombs had been dropped on Kiska and Attu in Eleventh Air Force operations. The Japanese had been prevented from building an air field and from bringing in air reinforcements. Fighters, Zeros modified for water operation, later called Rufes, were shot out of the air as soon as they came up to give combat. Eleventh Air Force fighters and bombers had played an instrumental part in driving Japanese out of the Aleutians. Illustrative of the challenges omnipresent in Alaska, only 35 aircraft were lost in combat compared to 150 operational accidents. It was the highest American combat-to-accidental loss ratio for any theater in World War II. Weather was the prime culprit. The Eleventh Air Force accounted for approximately 60 Japanese aircraft, one destroyer, one submarine and seven transport ships destroyed by air operations.
With the Aleutian Campaign completed, The Eleventh Air Force had the following units reassigned to other combat areas between 20 August and 1 September: 21st Bombardment Squadron
21st Bombardment Squadron
The 21st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 501st Bombardment Group, based at Northwest Field, Guam in the Mariana Islands. It was inactivated on 10 June 1946....
(Heavy), 36th Bombardment Squadron
36th Bombardment Squadron
The 36th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, based at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey...
(Heavy), 73d Bombardment Squadron
73d Bombardment Squadron
The 73d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4241st Strategic Wing, based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina...
(Medium), 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) and 407th Bombardment Squadron (Dive Bomber).
Operations against Japan
More than a month before the unopposed landing on Kiska, the Eleventh Air Force began a new phase of operations against the Japanese. On 10 July 1943, 6 Eleventh Air Force B-25 MitchellB-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
s made the long flight to Paramushiru Island in the Kuriles and made the first direct attack on the Japanese home islands since the famous Doolittle raid
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the...
in April 1942. From Alexai Point AAF on Attu, eight Mitchells of the 77th Bomb Squadron. (28th BG) struck Paramushiro bases principally. All returned safely.
A week later, B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
heavy bombers from Attu bombed the Kuriles and secured pictures of the Japanese installations, the first pictures taken of northern Japan home-island defenses. The next Kurile raid, carried out on 11 August, was a diversionary raid prior to the landings on Kiska. On this mission, the first plane was lost over the Kuriles and Lieutenant James C. Pottenger and his crew made a forced landing in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
These operations led to a joint mission on 11 September 1943, when Eleventh Air Force dispatched eight B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s and 12 B-25s. However the Japanese were alert and reinforced their defenses. 74 crew members in three B-24s and seven B-25 failed to return. Twenty two men were killed in action, one taken prisoner and 51 interned in Kamchatka, Russia. It had proven that the Kurile Islands could be attacked, but new methods had to be devised as the raid lost Eleventh Air Force lost over half its offensive striking power. No more combat missions were flown in 1943.
Several changes took place following the occupation of Kiska. The Eleventh Air Force became a component of Task Force "Y", still under Navy jurisdiction. Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher was named ComNorPac and Major General Davenport Johnson relieved General Butler as commander of the Eleventh Air Force. One of General Johnson's first acts was the establishment of the Eleventh Air Force Instrument flying school and the promotion of an intensive training program in navigation and instrument flying, as well as the accelerated development of radio and navigation aids in the Aleutians. Because of the tremendous advances brought about by intensive instrument training and the increased aids to navigation and radio, planes that formerly were grounded by weather, were now flying regular schedules. Troop Carrier Command and Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
planes were operating in the Aleutians with airline regularity.
During the winter of 1943–44, the burden of operations against the Kuriles was carried by Navy Consolidated PBY Catalinas and Lockheed Ventura
Lockheed Ventura
The Lockheed Ventura was a bomber and patrol aircraft of World War II, used by United States and British Commonwealth forces in several guises...
of Fleet Air Wing Four. They carried small bomb loads and their primary objective was the securing of night photographs. In November 1943 a second airfield, Casco Cove Army Airfield was constructed on Attu for long-range bombing operations.
Eleventh Air Force implemented aother bombing mission against northern Kurils on 5 February 1944, when it attacked with six B-24s from the 404th Bomb Sqdn. (28th BG) and 16 P-38s from the 54th Fighter Sqdn. (343d FG). March 1944 saw Eleventh Air Force bombers over the Kuriles on daylight armed reconnaissance missions. Not many, but a sufficient number to convince the Japanese that there were aircraft in the Aleutians and that the Kuriles were in constant danger of air attack. During the crucial period, while other United States forces were advancing in the South Pacific, the Japanese were forced to keep much-needed aircraft, in the Kuriles and Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
as defense against possible attack from the North.
Operations against Northern Japan became the new mission of the Eleventh Air Force, and it was being successfully carried out. Except for July 1944, when the weather was especially bad, each month of 1944 showed a steady increase in operations against the Kuriles. Each month's record showed planes turned back short of their targets, weather again protecting the Japanese. Often, too, B-24 Liberator bomb loads were dropped through the undercast by aid of the newly-installed radar bombing equipment, a far cry from the timed runs made on the Kiska main camp area using the Kiska volcano as an initial point when the target was closed in. The record month, June 1945, for the Eleventh Air Force showed a record number of tons of bombs dropped.
The B-24 Mitchell medium bombers, too were playing their part in operations against the Kuriles. They'd been kept on shipping alert since the abortive 11 September raid, but in May, 2 planes on a gasoline consumption test west of Attu, discovered and sank 2 armed Japanese trawlers. From that time on, the Mitchells, made sweeps against shipping when weather permitted, and by fall were bombing land targets in the Kuriles.
Air Transport Command operations
- Main Article: Northwest Staging RouteNorthwest Staging RouteThe Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
Although Eleventh Air Force was engaged in combat during the Aleutian Campaign, the command also supported the Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
transport of aircraft though Alaska to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
by Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
beginning in September 1942. Lend-Lease aircraft were ferried from Great Falls Army Air Base, Montana to Ladd Field by the 7th Ferrying Group (Later Alaskan Wing), ATC. The United States manufactured aircraft were turned over to Red Air Force pilots at Ladd Field, and from there the Soviet pilots would fly to Marks Army Airfield, near Nome
Nome
Nome may refer to:A country subdivision:* Nome an administrative division within ancient Egypt.* Nome , the administrative division immediately below the peripheries of Greece Places:* Nome, Norway* Nome, Alaska, US...
as a final refueling and maintenance stop on-route to Uel'kal'
Uelkal
Uelkal is a village in Iultinsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Population: 258 ; of whom 208 were indigenous people, up from 202 the previous year. The village is located approximately away from the administrative centre of Egvekinot, at the western side of the mouth of Kresta Bay...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. From Siberia, the aircraft were flown westward across the Soviet Union (Uelkal-Krasnoyarsk route) to the combat areas in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
for use against Nazi forces. Eleventh Air Force aircraft were also ferried up the NWSR, with the aircraft being flown to Elmendorf from RCAF Station Whitehorse
RCAF Station Whitehorse
RCAF Station Whitehorse was originally opened by the Department of Transport as "Whitehorse airfield". It is located at what is now the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport....
. More than 8,000 airplanes were delivered over the route. Most were Bell Airacobras and Kingcobras, along with A-20s, B-25s and C-47s. ATC personnel were based at Edmonton as well as other Canadian bases.
A lesser-known part of the aircraft ferrying mission for ATC pilots was search and rescue for Ferrying Command pilots and crews who were forced down in the remote wilderness. The ATC Alaska Wing was equipped with a number of single-engine C-64 "Norseman" light transports, which were equipped alternatively with pontoons, skis and wheels, depending the season. The C-64s were used to resupply stations along the Canadian pipeline as well as for search and rescue work.
ATC also developed two transport routes to Alaska during the war to support Eleventh Air Force. The first was from McChord Field, near Seattle, Washington north along the British Columbia coastline to Annette Island, then to Yakutat and into Elmendorf AFB. The second was developed to support the Aleutian Campaign and was built as American forces moved westward along the island chain. It started in Anchorage and went through Nannek Airfield then to Point Heiden, Cold Bay and along the Aleutians until reaching Shemya and Attu Islands in 1944. These transport routes ferried personnel, along with high-value equipment and supplies that could not be shipped by normal cargo sealift. This eventually extended to Hokkaido, Japan after the end of the war, the route becoming part of the Great Circle Route from Japan to the United States. Much of the transport along the routes were an airline responsibility, with Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
and Western Airlines
Western Airlines
Western Airlines was a large airline based in California, with operations throughout the Western United States, and hubs at Los Angeles International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, and the former Stapleton International Airport in Denver...
operating the routes under contract.
Drawdown and Alaskan Air Command
- See also: Alaskan Air CommandAlaskan Air CommandAlaskan Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1945 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct control of all active measures, and coordinate all passive means of...
1944 also saw a drastic reduction in the personnel of the Eleventh Air Force. Fort Glenn AAF and Fort Randall AAF were reduced to the status of gasoline stations for the Aleutian air transport routes, and were manned by small housekeeping units; Annette Island Landing Field and Yakutat Landing Field assigned as sub bases to Elmendorf Field. The XI Bomber Command
XI Bomber Command
The XI Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Shemya Army Air Base, Alaska...
and XI Fighter Command
XI Fighter Command
The XI Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Adak Army Airfield, Alaska...
disbanded per General Order 9, Headquarters, Eleventh Air Force, 25 February 1944.
It took these actions due to the fact that only two bomber squadrons remained in the Eleventh Air Force and the need to reduce the number of personnel. The 28th Bombardment Group on Shemya and the 343d Fighter Group at Alexai Point AAF, Attu, assumed the responsibilities of the two commands. The 404th Bombardment Squadron was responsible for conducting night reconnaissance missions over the Kuriles and flying a daily weather reconnaissance flights. The 77th Bombardment Squadron was held in readiness to repel a sea borne invasion and the fighter squadrons provided air defense. Air Corps supply and fourth echelon maintenance was carried on at the Alaska Air Depot at Elmendorf, and the normal paper-work, customarily handled by a Service command, devolved upon the Eleventh Air Force Headquarters.
Eleventh Air Force, sent between 24 August and 4 September 1945 two B-24s of the 28th BG flew reconnaissance overflights over the North Kuril Islands to take photos of the Soviet occupation in the area. Soviet fighters intercepted and forced them away a foretaste of the Cold war
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
that lay ahead.
Americans planners had briefly contemplated an invasion of northern Japan from Aleutians during fall of 1943, but rejected that idea as too risky and impractical. They considered the use of Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, on Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
and Shemya
Shemya
Shemya or Simiya is a small island in the Near Islands group of the Semichi Islands chain in the Aleutian Islands archipelago southwest of Alaska, at . It has a land area of 5.903 sq mi , and is about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.The Russian vessel Saint Peter and Paul wrecked at...
Bases, but rejected that idea too. U.S. military maintained interest in these plans when they ordered the expansion of bases in the western Aleutians, and major construction began on Shemya for a possible invasion of Japan via the Northern route in 1945.
The real nature of the Aleutians the value of the Eleventh Air Force to America was known but not confirmed until 3 September 1945. On that day, a C-54 piloted by Major G.E.Cain, filed a flight plan at Atsugi Airdrome, near Tokyo, Honshū, Japan. Twelve hours later, he landed at Adak , refueled and took off for Seattle. He landed in Washington after 31 hours of flying time with the first motion pictures of the Japanese surrender the previous day.
The Aleutian Islands, on the Great Circle route from North America to the Orient may not have fulfilled their hope of becoming the "Northern Highway to Victory," but they were established as an air transport route, vital during the early years of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
before long-distance air transports were developed.
With the end of the war, many of the small air bases in the Aleutians closed permanently, and postwar emphasis turned to training. Air Transport Command transferred Ladd Field to the Eleventh Air Force on 1 November. On 15 December 1945, The Army reorganized its organization in Alaska. Eleventh Air Force, which was under the jurisdiction of the Army Western Defense Command
Western Defense Command
Western Defense Command was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Pacific Coast region of the United States. A second major responsibility was the training of soldiers prior to their deployment overseas. The first...
, headquartered at the Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
since its establishment in 1941, was transferred to the jurisdiction of the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
.
Under the USAAF, it was re-designated as Alaskan Air Command
Alaskan Air Command
Alaskan Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1945 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct control of all active measures, and coordinate all passive means of...
, and headquartered at Adak Field, the headquarters of the former Eleventh Air Force. Alaskan Air Command was established at the same Major Command echelon as the other overseas combat commands, the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
, Far East Air Forces and Caribbean Air Command, with its mission being the atmospheric defense of the Territory of Alaska.
Pacific Air Forces
With the activation of the Alaskan Command
Alaskan Command
The Alaskan Command is a regional military command of the United States Armed Forces focusing on the state of Alaska. A sub-unified command of the United States Pacific Command, Alaskan Command is charged with maintaining air sovereignty, deploying forces for worldwide contingencies as directed by...
in 1989, the next logical step was to place its air component (AAC) under the Pacific Air Forces. By reorganizing from AAC to a Numbered Air Force, the Air Force was able to reduce its administrative manpower requirements during a period of massive reoragnization and down-sizing throughout the Air Force. On 9 August 1990, the Alaskan Air Command was redesignated the 11th Air Force once again and assigned as a Numbered Air Force (NAF) under United States Pacific Air Forces
United States Pacific Air Forces
Pacific Air Forces is a Major Command of the United States Air Force. PACAF is also the air component of the United States Pacific Command . PACAF is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base Hawaii. It is one of two USAF Major Commands assigned outside of the Continental United States, the other...
.
The early 1990s marked a period of major organizational mission changes and force modernization. The 11th Air Force was reorganized as an objective Numbered Air Force during 1992–1993 and its headquarters reduced to but 100 authorizations.
Its major units also changed. At Elmendorf AFB the 21st Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated and was replaced by the 3rd Wing transferred from Clark AB in December 1991 due to the destruction of Clark AB by the Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon, near the tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga. It is located in the Tri-Cabusilan Mountain range separating the west coast of Luzon from the central plains, and is west of the dormant and...
eruption. The F-15E Strike Eagle
F-15E Strike Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force F-15E Strike...
-equipped 90th Fighter Squadron
90th Fighter Squadron
The 90th Fighter Squadron is part of the 3d Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. It operates the F-22 Raptor aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-Mission:...
was added as were the 517th Airlift Squadron
517th Airlift Squadron
The 517th Airlift Squadron is part of the 3d Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. It operates C-12 Huron and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft providing airlfit in the Pacific theater.-Mission:...
(C-130Hs and C-12Fs) and the 962d Airborne Air Control Squadron
962d Airborne Air Control Squadron
The 962d Airborne Air Control Squadron is part of the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. It operates the E-3 Sentry aircraft conducting airborne command and control missions.-Mission:...
(E-3B).
There were also significant changes at Eielson AFB. On 1 September 1992, The 6th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, assigned
to Eielson by Strategic Air command in 1967, was inactivated. This unit was responsible for all KC-135 and RC-135 operations and it's inactivation ended SAC operations at the base.
The 343d Composite Wing
343d Composite Wing
The 343d Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Alaskan Air Command, stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. It was inactivated on 20 August 1993-History:...
became the host unit. The A-10 Thunderbolt II
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
assigned to the 18th Fighter Squadron were replaced with F-16C Fighting Falcons
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
in 1992 and an OA-10A squadron was activated. Eielson AFB became home of the Cope Thunder training exercise series and the Alaskan range complex was greatly expanded and improved to accommodate not only Cope Thunder but other joint training requirements as well.
Finally, in keeping with Air Force Chief of Staff guidance to retain the most illustrious units, the 343rd Wing
343d Composite Wing
The 343d Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Alaskan Air Command, stationed at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. It was inactivated on 20 August 1993-History:...
, a veteran of the Aleutian Campaign, was inactivated in August 1993. The 354th Fighter Wing
354th Fighter Wing
The 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces . It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force .-Overview:...
was activated in its place.
Other changes during the period included upgrading the 11th Tactical Air Control Group to the 11th Air Control Wing (11 ACW) at Eareckson AS in January 1992. During yet another reorganization, the wing subsequently inactivated 1 July 1994 with the closure of the station. It was replaced by three smaller groups directly subordinate to the Eleventh Air Force; the 611th Air Operations Group, 611th Logistics Group and the 611th Air Support Group
611th Air Support Group
The 611th Air Support Group is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.-Overview:...
.
Eleventh Air Force also accomplished the daunting drawdown of the forward operating bases at Galena Airport
Galena, Alaska
Galena is the largest city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 675.-History:...
, King Salmon Airport
King Salmon, Alaska
King Salmon is a census-designated place in Bristol Bay Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census the population was 442...
and Eareckson Air Force Station (Shemya Island), in a two-year period of time, 1993–1995, reflecting cost savings derived from the end of the Cold War. The stations, however, remain in a standby status, their facilities being maintained by civilian contractors.
The mission of the Eleventh Air Force moved inexorably from statically defending Alaska against a bomber threat to committing its forces to worldwide deployment. The shift from a Major Command to an Objective Numbered Air Force was among the most drastic reorganizations undertaken anywhere in the Air Force.
Air Force personnel in Alaska were also fully integrated into the Air and Space Expeditionary Force deployment cycles, supporting operations as part of the Global War on Terrorism. In 2001–2002, the 18th Fighter Squadron deployed to Al Jaber, AB, Kuwait
in support of Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, ENDURING FREEDOM, and ANACONDA; in 2004, The 355th Fighter Squadron deployed to Bagram AB,
Afghanistan, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM
The Secretary of Defense released the proposed 2005 Base Realignment And Closure recommendations and Eielson AFB was on the list. The original recommendations called for Eielson to be drawn down to a warm status…nearly to the point of closure. However, the final decision came later in the year and it called for the departure of all the A-10s. Shortly thereafter, the 18 FS learned that they would be converting to F-16 Aggressors over the next few years. In 2007, the last three A-10 aircraft departed Eielson
Alaskan NORAD Region
- see Alaska Radar System for a list of the AN/FPS-117AN/FPS-117The AN/FPS-117 is a phased array, 3-dimensional air search radar. It is produced by the Lockheed Martin corporation from the United States.The system is a low power, long range , L-band pencil beam, solid-state transmitter and beacon interrogator search radar...
radar sites. - see North Warning SystemNorth Warning SystemThe North Warning System is a joint United States and Canadian radar system for the atmospheric air defense of North America. It provides surveillance of airspace from potential incursions or attacks from across North America's polar region...
for the former DEW Line sites in Alaska
The responsibilities for aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America are assigned to NORAD through the binational NORAD agreement. The Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR) is one of three NORAD regions responsible for the execution of the aerospace warning and aerospace control missions. ANR conducts these missions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Eleventh Air Force is the United States Air Force component of ANR. Coordinating with the Canadian Forces Air Command
Canadian Forces Air Command
The Royal Canadian Air Force , formerly Canadian Forces Air Command, is one of three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, Both 11th AF and the Canadian Forces provide active duty forces to the 611th Air and Space Operations Center. The 176th Air Control Squadron
176th Air Control Squadron
The 176th Air Control Squadron is a part of the United States Air National Guard, which provides mission-ready personnel to operate and maintain the Alaskan Region Air Operations Center of the North American Aerospace Defense Command...
, an Alaska Air National Guard unit, provides manning for the Alaskan Air Defense Sector to maintain continuous surveillance of Alaskan airspace with Alaskan Radar System long and short-range radars.
Under Alaskan Air Command
Alaskan Air Command
Alaskan Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1945 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct control of all active measures, and coordinate all passive means of...
, aerospace forces were built up in the 1950s and 1960s in response to a long range bomber threat. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, concern shifted to the strategic ballistic missile threat and active air defenses were reduced.
The appearance of a strategic cruise missile threat once again prompted a build up of air defense capabilities. The Alaska NORAD Region Air Operations Center (AKRAOC), operated by U.S. and Canadian personnel, became operational in 1983 at Elmendorf AFB which receives and analyses surveillance radar data from the sites in the Alaska Radar System (ARS) to determine range, direction altitude speed and whether or not the objects are friendly or hostile.
The Alaska RAOC enjoins state-of-the-art air defense systems and cutting-edge computer technology to significantly increase surveillance and identification capabilities, and better protect the nation's airways from intrusion and attack. It is fully integrated with the E-3B
E-3 Sentry
The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an airborne warning and control system developed by Boeing as the prime contractor. Derived from the Boeing 707, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force , NATO, Royal Air Force , French Air Force...
Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system. It employs Battle Control System-Fixed (BCS-F), a next-generation air sovereignty system. BCS-F fuses data from airborne, ground and naval elements and civil air traffic sensors into an integrated air picture. This allows commanders to surveil and monitor the airspace above, beyond and within U.S. and Canadian borders, providing a major component for homeland defense. It also incorporates a newly-developed situational awareness system that gives ANR unprecedented tools and technology to assist state and local responders in dealing with natural disasters.
The ARS consists of minimally attended AN/FPS-117
AN/FPS-117
The AN/FPS-117 is a phased array, 3-dimensional air search radar. It is produced by the Lockheed Martin corporation from the United States.The system is a low power, long range , L-band pencil beam, solid-state transmitter and beacon interrogator search radar...
radar sites which were established between 1984 and 1985 at the former manned surveillance and Ground Control Intercept sites of Alaskan Air Command, first activated in the 1950s. Elements of the 1985 North American Air Defense Modernization program followed. Flexible and graduated alert concepts were introduced in the 1990s.
The ANR provides an ongoing capability to detect, validate, and warn of any aircraft and/or cruise missile threat in its area of operations that could threaten North American security. By maintaining surveillance of Northwest Canadian and U.S. airspace, ANR is able to determine what goes on in and near North American airspace 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Aerospace control requires capabilities to intercept, shadow, escort, divert, direct landings, and if necessary, use force utilizing interceptors and other means up to and including the destruction of airborne objects.
Lineage
- Established as Air Force, Alaska Defense Command, 17 October 1941
-
- General Order 51: HQ, Alaska Defense Command
- Established as Alaskan Air Force* on 28 December 1941
- War Department Letter: Activation of Air Corps Unit, AG 320.2
- General Order 51: HQ, Alaska Defense Command
- Activated on 15 January 1942
- General Order 3, HQ Alaskan Defense Command
- Redesignated 11th Air Force on 5 February 1942
- Redesignated Eleventh Air Force on 18 September 1942
- Redesignated Alaskan Air Command on 18 December 1945
- Assumed Major Command Status 18 December 1945
- Redesignated Eleventh Air Force on 9 August 1990
- Headquarters Pacific Air Forces Special Order GA-44, 1 August 1990
- Became subordinate organization to Pacific Air Forces, 9 August 1990
Note: Organization not to be confused with "Eleventh Air Force" established on 13 May 1946. Activated on 13 June 1946 at Olmsted Field
Olmsted Air Force Base
Harrisburg Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania. It is located west-southwest of Middletown, Pennsylvania....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and assigned to Air Defense Command. Inactivated on 1 July 1948.
.* Under authority from Western Defense Command
Western Defense Command
Western Defense Command was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Pacific Coast region of the United States. A second major responsibility was the training of soldiers prior to their deployment overseas. The first...
, the Alaska Defense Command
Alaska Defense Command
Alaska Defense Command was established on 4 February 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Alaska Territory of the United States...
replaced the Air Field Forces, Alaskan Defense Command, with the Air Force, Alaskan Defense Command, on 17 October 1941. Neither the Air Field Forces nor the Air Force, Alaskan Defense Command, were legitimate War Department establishments and must be classified in the same category as provisional units, although the term "provisional" was never used in connection with them.
The War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
activated the Alaskan Air Force to manage the buildup of the Army Air Forces in Alaska and replacing the Air Force, Alaskan Defense Command.
Assignments
- Alaska Defense Command, 17 October 1941
- Western Defense CommandWestern Defense CommandWestern Defense Command was established on 17 March 1941 as the command formation of the U.S. Army responsible for coordinating the defense of the Pacific Coast region of the United States. A second major responsibility was the training of soldiers prior to their deployment overseas. The first...
, 15 December 1941 – 18 December 1945 - Pacific Air Forces, 9 August 1990 – present
Stations
- Elmendorf Airfield, 15 January 1942
- Davis Army Airfield, August 1943-18 December 1945
- Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, 9 August 1990 – present
Combat airfields
- Davis Army Airfield, 51°52′40"N 176°38′33"W
- Adak IslandAdak IslandAdak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...
, Aleutian Islands, 1942–1945 - Transferred to Alaskan Air Command; Became Davis Air Force Base; Transferred to Department of the Navy, 1949 as Naval Air Station Adak
- Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 51°22′37"N 179°15′23"E
- Amchitka Army Airfield
- Amchitka Island, Aleutian Islands, 1943–1945
- Transferred to Alaskan Air Command; Became Amchitka Air Force Base; Closed 1948, now abandoned
- Alexai Point Army Airfield, 52°48′51"N 173°17′51"E
- Attu IslandAttu IslandAttu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
, Aleutian Islands, 1943–1945, Closed 1945, now abandoned- Casco Cove Army Airfield, 52°49′52"N 173°10′29"E
- Attu IslandAttu IslandAttu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
, Aleutian Islands, 1943–1945 - Transferred to Alaskan Air Command, Inactivated 1945; Transferred to United States Coast Guard, 1949 as Casco Cove Coast Guard StationCasco Cove Coast Guard StationCasco Cove Coast Guard Station is a former military airport located west of Anchorage, Alaska, on the Aleutian Island of Attu. It was closed on 27 August 2010.-Overview:...
- Elmendorf Field, 61°15′00"N 149°48′00"W
- Anchorage, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
, 1940–1945 - Transferred to Alaskan Air Command, Became Elmendorf Air Force BaseElmendorf Air Force BaseJoint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The...
.- Fort Glenn Army Airfield, 53°22′39"N 167°53′31"W
- Umnak Island, Aleutian Islands, Opened 1 May 1942, closed 1945. Now abandoned
- Fort Morrow Army Airfield, 56°57′24"N 158°38′18"W
- Kodiak IslandKodiak IslandKodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
, 1941–1945, Closed 1945, now Port Heiden AirportPort Heiden AirportPort Heiden Airport is a state-owned, public-use airport located six nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Port Heiden, in the Lake and Peninsula Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska...
- Fort Randall Army Airfield, 55°11′56"N 162°43′15"W
- Cold Bay, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
, Opened 1 April 1945 - Transferred to Alaskan Air Command, 1945. Became Thornbrough Air Force Base, Closed 1950
- Shemya Army Airfield, 52°42′44"N 174°06′43"E
- Shemya Island, Aleutian Islands, 1943–1945
- Transferred to Alaskan Air Command, Became Shemya Air Force Base.
Support/Transferred airfields
- Annette Island Army AirfieldAnnette Island AirportAnnette Island Airport is located on Annette Island in thePrince of Wales – Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is privately owned by the Metlakatla Indian Comm...
, 55°02′13"N 131°34′21"W
- Annette IslandAnnette IslandAnnette Island, or Taak'w Aan, is an island in Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is at . It is about long and about wide. The land area is...
, Alexander ArchipelagoAlexander ArchipelagoThe Alexander Archipelago is a long archipelago, or group of islands, of North America off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, which are the tops of the submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean. Deep channels and fjords separate the... - Built 1941, opened 1 March 1942. AAF/Civil joint-use airport used as refueling/servicing of transport aircraft between Washington State and Elmendorf. Closed 1945 and turned over to War Assets AdministrationWar Assets AdministrationThe War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposition, 1946. Jurisdiction transferred to private ownership in 1947 and now Annette Island AirportAnnette Island AirportAnnette Island Airport is located on Annette Island in thePrince of Wales – Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is privately owned by the Metlakatla Indian Comm...
.- Todd Army AirfieldBethel AirportBethel Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Bethel, a city in the Bethel Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.- Facilities and aircraft :...
, 60°46′29"N 161°43′24"W
- Todd Army Airfield
- BethelBethel, AlaskaBethel is a city located near the west coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, west of Anchorage. Accessible only by air and river, Bethel is the main port on the Kuskokwim River and is an administrative and transportation hub for the 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.Bethel is the largest...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Construction began 21 September 1941, activated 4 July 1942; AKA Bethel Air Base; Used by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
as auxiliary airfield for Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft being flown to SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
; Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945; became joint-use Bethel AirportBethel AirportBethel Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Bethel, a city in the Bethel Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.- Facilities and aircraft :...
, used for construction of AC&W Bethel Air Force StationBethel Air Force StationBethel Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It was located west of Anchorage, Alaska.-History:...
in mid 1950s. Full jurisdiction turned over to Alaska Government 1958, now a civil airport.- Big Delta Army Airfield, 63°59′42"N 145°43′12"W
- FairbanksFairbanksFairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Built 1942 for Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
; Host unit was 1465th AAFBU. Alaskan Division, ATC. Was used on Northwest Staging RouteNorthwest Staging RouteThe Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
ferrying Lend-Lease aircraft; Also used by Eleventh Air Force for staging and emergency use. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945; transfered to United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
1948, now Fort GreelyFort GreelyFort Greely is a United States Army launch site for anti-ballistic missiles located approximately 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. It is also the home of the Cold Regions Test Center , as Fort Greely is one of the coldest areas in Alaska, and can accommodate cold, extreme cold, or...
- Cordova AirportCordova Municipal AirportCordova Municipal Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile east of the central business district of Cordova, a city in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on Eyak Lake on which it also has a landing area for seaplanes.Cordova is...
, 60°29′31"N 145°28′32"W
- Cordova Airport
- CordovaCordova, AlaskaAs of the census of 2000, there were 2,454 people, 958 households, and 597 families residing in the city. The population density was 40.0 per square mile . There are 1,099 housing units at an average density of 17.9 per square mile...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Construction began 22 June 1941, activated 1 April 1941. Became AAF/Civil joint-use airport used as refueling/servicing of transport aircraft between Washington State and Elmendorf. Closed 1945 and turned over to War Assets AdministrationWar Assets AdministrationThe War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposition, 1946. Jurisdiction transferred to private ownership in 1949 and now Cordova Municipal AirportCordova Municipal AirportCordova Municipal Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile east of the central business district of Cordova, a city in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on Eyak Lake on which it also has a landing area for seaplanes.Cordova is...
.- Gakona Landing StripGakona Landing StripGakona Landing Strip is an abandoned airfield located near Gakona, Alaska.-History:The strip was used by the USAAF as an emergency landing field for aircraft assigned to Alaska during World War II. It was closed after the war....
, 62°18′06"N 145°17′29"W
- Gakona Landing Strip
- GakonaGakona, AlaskaGakona is a census-designated place in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP was 215.-Geography and climate:...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Emergency 3,000' rolled gravel landing strip bulldozed in 1943, located adjacent to Gakona, Alaska, aligned 03/21. Abandoned after the war, now the right-of-way is a part of Alaska Highway 1.
- Galena Airport, 64°44′10"N 156°56′04"W
- GalenaGalena, AlaskaGalena is the largest city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 675.-History:...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Constructed 1942 by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
, Host unit was 1468th AAFBU. Alaskan Division, ATC. Was used as refueling/servicing airfield for transfer of Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft to Siberia; Also used by Eleventh Air Force for staging and emergency use. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945- Gambell Army AirfieldGambell AirportGambell Airport is a public airport located in Gambell, a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by the state.-Facilities:...
, 63°46′04"N 171°43′59"W
- Gambell Army Airfield
- GambellGambell, AlaskaGambell is a village on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 649.-Geography:Gambell is located on the northwest cape of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, southwest of Nome...
, St. Lawrence IslandSt. Lawrence IslandSt. Lawrence Island is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait, at about 63°30' North 173°20' West. The village of Gambell is located on the northwest cape, from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East. The island is part of Alaska, but closer to... - Constructed 1943 by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
, used as refueling/servicing airfield for transfer of Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft to Siberia; Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945 and closed, turned over to War Assets AdministrationWar Assets AdministrationThe War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposition, 1946. Jurisdiction transferred to private ownership in 1950 and now Gambell AirportGambell AirportGambell Airport is a public airport located in Gambell, a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by the state.-Facilities:...
.- Juneau AirportJuneau International AirportJuneau International Airport is a public-use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Juneau, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska...
, 58°21′20"N 134°34′29"W
- Juneau Airport
- Juneau, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
- Opened in 1 July 1941 as a civil airport. Used as a military refueling/servicing stop for transport aircraft between Washington State and Elmendorf.
- Kiska Army AirfieldKiska Army AirfieldKiska Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located on Kiska, Aleutian Islands, Alaska.-History:The airfield on Kiska island was built by the occupying Japanese forces in 1942 after the Battle of Dutch Harbor. In addition to the land airfield, a seaplane base was also built by the Japanese. ...
, 51°58′19"N 177°31′12"W
- Kiska Army Airfield
- Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands
- Captured Japanese airfield under construction at time of liberation, 1943. Completed by AAF Engineers and used as auxiliary transport airfield in Aleutians. Closed 1945 and abandoned.
- Ladd Army Airfield, 64°50′15"N 147°36′51"W
- FairbanksFairbanksFairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Constructed 1939, prewar mission was cold weather testing of aircraft and equipment; became Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
airfield in 1942, Host unit was 1466th AAFBU. Alaskan Division, ATC. Was main transfer point for Northwest Staging RouteNorthwest Staging RouteThe Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft from United States ATC pilots to Soviet Red Air Force pilots; aircraft then flown to SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
after transfer. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945
- McGrath Army AirbaseMcGrath AirportMcGrath Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in the McGrath, a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.- Facilities and aircraft :...
, 62°57′10"N 155°36′18"W
- Constructed 1941 by CAA a civil airport. Used as a sub-base of Ladd Army Airbase . Used by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
as auxiliary airfield for Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft being flown to SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
; Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945; Full jurisdiction turned over to Alaska Government 1947, now a civil airport. Used as a staging facility for construction of AC&W Tatalina Air Force StationTatalina Air Force StationTatalina Air Force Station is a closed United States Air Force General Surveillance Radar station. It is located west-southwest of McGrath, Alaska....
in mid 1950s.- Marks Army Airfield, 64°30′44"N 165°26′43"W
- NomeNomeNome may refer to:A country subdivision:* Nome an administrative division within ancient Egypt.* Nome , the administrative division immediately below the peripheries of Greece Places:* Nome, Norway* Nome, Alaska, US...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Constructed 1942, opened 1 July. Used by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
as refueling/servicing airfield for Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft being flown to SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
by Soviet Red Air Force pilots. Host unit was 1469th AAFBU. Alaskan Division, ATC. Renamed Marks Army Airfield, 1942. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945- Mile 26 FieldEielson Air Force BaseEielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska....
, 64°39′55"N 147°06′02"W
- Mile 26 Field
- Moose CreekMoose Creek, AlaskaMoose Creek is a census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the CDP was 542. It is part of the 'Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Moose Creek is located south of Fairbanks, Alaska along the...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Constructed 1943 by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
; activated on 20 September as Station No. 4, Alaskan Wing, was auxiliary to Ladd Army Airfield for Northwest Staging RouteNorthwest Staging RouteThe Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945.- Moses Point AirstripMoses Point AirportMoses Point Airport is an airport located in Elim, a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is privately owned by the Elim Native Corporation.Although many U.S...
, 64°41′53"N 162°03′26"W
- Moses Point Airstrip
- ElimElim, AlaskaElim is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 313.-Geography:Elim is located at ....
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
. - Constructed 1943 as auxiliary landing strip for Marks AAF; Used as servicing airfield for Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft being flown to SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
by Soviet Red Air Force pilots. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945 and closed, turned over to War Assets AdministrationWar Assets AdministrationThe War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposition, 1946. Jurisdiction transferred to private ownership in 1947 and now civil airport.- Naknek Army Airfield, 58°40′36"N 156°38′57"W
- King Salmon, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
- Activated 1 July 1942 by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
. Was transport and maintenance airfield for ATC aircraft servicing Alaska airfields; also provided maintenance for transient aircraft in Alaska. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command in 1945. Became King Salmon Air Force BaseKing Salmon AirportKing Salmon Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located just southeast of King Salmon, in Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska, United States. It was formerly the Naknek Air Force Base, named for its location near the Naknek River....
.- Northway Army AirfieldNorthway AirportNorthway Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Northway, in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.As per Federal Aviation Administration records, this airport had 55 commercial passenger boardings in calendar year 2010, an increase of 511% from the 9...
, 62°57′40"N 141°55′50"W
- Northway Army Airfield
- NorthwayNorthway, AlaskaNorthway is a census-designated place in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 95 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Northway is located at ....
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
. - Constructed 1943 by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
; Host unit was 1463d AAFBU. Alaskan Division, ATC. Mission was servicing Northwest Staging RouteNorthwest Staging RouteThe Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft from United States. Also used by Eleventh Air Force for staging and emergency use. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945 and closed, turned over to War Assets AdministrationWar Assets AdministrationThe War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposition, 1946. Jurisdiction transferred to private ownership in 1947 and now Northway AirportNorthway AirportNorthway Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Northway, in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.As per Federal Aviation Administration records, this airport had 55 commercial passenger boardings in calendar year 2010, an increase of 511% from the 9...
.- Ogliuga Island Army AirfieldOgliuga Island Army AirfieldOgliuga Island Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located on Ogliuga Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska.-History:Ogliuga Island AAF was established in 1942 as a result of the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands. Its primary use was as an emergency landing field by USAAF and Naval Air...
, 51°36′22"N 178°39′23"W
- Ogliuga Island Army Airfield
- Was forward airfield constructed on Ogliuga Island. Operational between 1943 and 1945, used during Aleutian Campaign between Kiska and Adak. The site included an emergency landing field, parking area, and living quarters. Additional facilities were established at this site, including aircraft warning, airway radio communication, and a weather reporting station. No permanent units assigned, abandoned. Reported hazardous munitions still remaining on island.
- Tanacross Air BaseTanacross AirportTanacross Airport is a general aviation airport located southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.-History:Constructed 1943, activated 20 September by Air Transport Command as Station #16, Alaskan Wing, later 1464th AAFBU. Alaskan Division, ATC. Was auxiliary to Ladd Army Airfield for Northwest Staging...
, 63°22′25"N 143°20′00"W
- Tanacross Air Base
- TanacrossTanacross, AlaskaTanacross is a census-designated place in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 140...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Constructed 1943, activated 20 September by Air Transport CommandAir Transport CommandAir Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
as Station No. 16, Alaskan Wing, later 1464th AAFBU. Alaskan Division, ATC. Was auxiliary to Ladd Army Airfield for Northwest Staging RouteNorthwest Staging RouteThe Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft. Designated Tanacross Air Base, July 1944. Mission was servicing Northwest Staging RouteNorthwest Staging RouteThe Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
Lend-LeaseLend-LeaseLend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
aircraft from United States. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command, 1945 and closed, turned over to War Assets AdministrationWar Assets AdministrationThe War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposition, 1946. Jurisdiction transferred to private ownership in 1947 and now Tanacross AirportTanacross AirportTanacross Airport is a general aviation airport located southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.-History:Constructed 1943, activated 20 September by Air Transport Command as Station #16, Alaskan Wing, later 1464th AAFBU. Alaskan Division, ATC. Was auxiliary to Ladd Army Airfield for Northwest Staging...
.- Yakutat Army Airfield, 59°30′31"N 139°39′35"W
- Yakutat City and BoroughYakutat City and Borough, AlaskaYakutat City and Borough is a unified city-borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4035. The name is Tlingit, Yaakwdáat, meaning "the place where canoes rest", but it originally derives from an Eyak name diyaʼqudaʼt and was influenced by the Tlingit word...
, Alaska TerritoryAlaska TerritoryThe Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska... - Constructed 1941 as landing field for transport aircraft between Washington State and Elmendorf; activated on 1 March 1942; closed 1945, turned over to War Assets AdministrationWar Assets AdministrationThe War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposition, 1946. Jurisdiction transferred to private ownership in 1949 and now Yakutat AirportYakutat AirportYakutat Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Yakutat, a city in the U.S. state of Alaska.- Facilities and aircraft :...
.
Commands
- XI Bomber CommandXI Bomber CommandThe XI Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Shemya Army Air Base, Alaska...
-
- Constituted 4 March 1943
- Activated on 19 March 1943
- Inactivated on 31 March 1944
- Longview Army Airfield, Adak, 19 March 1941
- Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 24 June 1943 - Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 4 September 1943
- Shemya Army Airfield, 3–31 March 1944
- IX Fighter CommandIX Fighter CommandThe IX Fighter Command is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Erlangen, Germany. It was inactivated on 16 November 1945....
-
- Constituted as XI Interceptor Command, 8 March 1942
- Activated on 15 March 1942
- Re-designated as IX Fighter Command, 1 May 1942
- Inactivated on 31 March 1944
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 15 March 1942
- Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 12 September 1943 – 31 March 1944
Groups
- 28th Composite (later Bombardment) Group
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 13 February 1941
- Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 14 March 1943
- Shemya Army Airfield, 26 February 1944 – 20 October 1945
- 343d Fighter Group
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 11 September 1942
- Fort Glenn Army Airfield, 1 September 1942
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 3 December 1942
- Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 1 March 1943
- Alexai Point Army Airfield, Attu, 22 January 1944
- Shemya Army Airfield, 5 October 1945 – 15 August 1946
Squadrons
- 36th Bombardment Squadron36th Bombardment SquadronThe 36th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, based at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey...
(Medium, later Heavy) (B-18, B-17E)
- 28th Composite Group, 1 February 1940 – 19 October 1943
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 31 March 1941
- Big Delta Army Airfield (ATC), Fort Greeley, 9 February 1942 – 28 May 1943
- Operated from: Fort Glenn, Fort Morrow, Adak, Amchitka AAF, 4 June 1942 – 1 May 1943
- Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 4 May 13 September 1943- Operated from: Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 1 June – 4 August 1943
- 404th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) (B-24)
- 28th Composite Group
- Air echelon attached, 12 July 1942
- Squadron assigned 21 September 1942
- Eleventh Air Force, 20 October 1945 – 5 January 1947
- Barksdale Field, Louisiana
- Deployed to: Ladd Army Airfield (ATC), Fairbanks, 12 July 1942
- Deployed to: Marks Army Airfield (ATC), Nome, 18–25 July 1942
- Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma
- Deployed to: Fort Glenn Army Airfield, Umnak, 24 August 1942
- Fort LewisFort LewisJoint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
, Washington, 30 August – 10 September 1942- Deployed to: Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 13 September 1942
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 21 September 1942
- Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 22 May 1943
- Operated from: Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 4 June 1943
- Operated from: Amchitka Army Airfield
- Shemya Army Airfield, 26 February 1944 – 5 July 1947
- Barksdale Field, Louisiana
- 73d Bombardment Squadron73d Bombardment Squadron (World War II)The 73d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Second Air Force, stationed at Pyote Army Air Base, Texas. It was inactivated on 1 November 1943.-History:...
(Medium) (B-18, B-26, B-25)
- 28th Composite Group, 3 May 1941 – 6 October 1943
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 14 March 1941
- Detachment operated from Fort Randall, Fort Glenn, Adak and Amchitka AAF, 1942, 1943
- Fort Glenn Army Airfield, Umnak, April 1943
- Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 1 Jun3-30 August 1943
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 14 March 1941
- 77th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (B-18, B-26, B-25)
- 28th Composite Group, 2 January 1942
- Eleventh Air Force, 20 October – 5 November 1945
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 29 December 1942
- Operated from: Fort Glenn Army Airfield, Umnak, 30 May 1942
- Operated from: Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 20 May 1942
- Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 12 December 1942
- Operated from Alexai Point Army Airfield, Attu, 22 July 1943
- Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 11 September 1943 - Alexai Point Army Airfield, Attu, 11 February 1944 – 19 October 1945
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 29 December 1942
- 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (B-18, B-26, B-25)
- 41st Bombardment Group41st Bombardment GroupThe 41st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Seventh Air Force stationed at Manila, Philippines. It was inactivated on 27 January 1946....
- Attached to 28th Composite Group, 1 June 1942 – 31 October 1943
- Operated from: Elmendorf, Yakutat, Naknek, Fort Morrow AAF, June–November 1942
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, November 1942 – October 1943
- Operated from: Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 25 July – 13 August 1943
- Attached to 28th Composite Group, 1 June 1942 – 31 October 1943
- 635th Bombardment Squadron635th Bombardment SquadronThe 635th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Briefly active during World War II Its last assignment was with 407th Bombardment Group stationed at Amchitka Army Airfield, Alaska Territory.-History:...
(Dive) (A-24)
- 407th Bombardment Group
- Drew Field, Florida
- Operated from: Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 19 July – 15 August 1943
- Operated from: Amchitka Army Airfield
- Drew Field, Florida
- 11th Fighter Squadron (P-40, P-38)
- Provisional Interceptor Command, 2 January 1942
- 28th Composite Group, 2 February 1942
- XI Fighter CommandXI Fighter CommandThe XI Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Adak Army Airfield, Alaska...
, 7 June 1942 - 343d Fighter Group, 11 September 1942 – 15 August 1946
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 29 December 1941
- Detachment at: Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 27 March – 17 May 1943 - Detachment at: Shemya Army Airfield, 11 August 1945 – 15 August 1946
- 18th Fighter Squadron (P-40, P-38)
- 28th Composite Group, 24 February 1941
- XI Fighter CommandXI Fighter CommandThe XI Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Adak Army Airfield, Alaska...
, 7 June 1942 - 343d Fighter Group 11 September 1942 – 15 August 1946
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 21 February 1941
- Big Delta Army Airfield, Fort Greeley, 18 April – 3 November 1942
- Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 6 December 1942
- Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 15 February 1943 - Casco Cove Army Airfield, Attu, 28 March 1944
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 6 November 1945
- 344th Fighter Squadron344th Fighter SquadronThe 344th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 343d Fighter Group stationed at Shemya Army Airfield, Alaska Territory.-History:...
(P-40, P-38)
- 343d Fighter Group, 10 October 1942 – 15 August 1946
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 10 October 1942
- Detachment at: Fort Randall Army Airfield, 12 November 1942
- Fort Randall Army Airfield, 25 December 1942
- Fort Glenn Army Airfield, Umnak, 8 March 23 May 1943
- Detachment at Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, May–July 1943 - Detachment at Alexai Point Army Airfield, Attu, 12 June–December 1943
- Detachment at Amchitka Army Airfield
- Shemya Army Airfield, 25 June 1943 – 15 August 1946
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 10 October 1942
- 54th Fighter Squadron54th Fighter SquadronThe 54th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 3d Operations Group, being stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska...
(P-40, P-43, F-5, P-38)
- 55th Fighter Group
- Attached to XI Fighter CommandXI Fighter CommandThe XI Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eleventh Air Force, stationed at Adak Army Airfield, Alaska...
, 31 May – 11 September 1941
- Attached to XI Fighter Command
- 343d Fighter Group, 11 September 1942 – 21 March 1946
-
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 31 May – 24 August 1942
- Detachment at: Fort Randall Army Airfield, 6 June – 31 July 1942
- Detachment at: Fort Glenn Army Airfield, 6 June – 19 September 1942
- Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 31 August 1942
- Amchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army AirfieldAmchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor....
, 12 March 1943 - Shemya Army Airfield, 18 October 1943
- Casco Cove Army Airfield, Attu, 20 November 1943 – 8 March 1946
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 31 May – 24 August 1942
-
- 42d Fighter Squadron (P-39E)
- Deployed from 54th Fighter Group
- Fort Morrow Army Airfield, Kodiak, 12 June 1942
- Davis Army Airfield, Adak, 10 September – 12 December 1942
- 56th Fighter Squadron (P-39)
- Deployed from 54th Fighter Group, 20 June – 21 December 1942
- Marks Army Airfield (ATC), Nome, 20 June – 20 October 1942
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 23 October – 21 December 1942
- 57th Fighter Squadron (P-39)
- Deployed from 54th Fighter Group, 20 June – 1 December 1942
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 20 June – 30 September 1942
- Fort Morrow Army Airfield, Kodiak, 30 September – 1 December 1942
- 42d Troop Carrier Squadron (C-47)
- Eleventh Air Force, 2 May 1942
- Attached to: IX Air Force Service Command (Provisional), 21 June – 8 August 1942
- IX Air Force Service Command, 8 August 1942
- Attached to: Troop Carrier Group (Provisional), 1 July 1943 – 6 March 1944
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 2 May 1942 – 18 February 1944
- Attached to: Troop Carrier Group (Provisional), 1 July 1943 – 6 March 1944
- 54th Troop Carrier Squadron (C-47)
- XI Air Force Service Command, 15 November 1942
- Eleventh Air Force, 10 October 1944 – 5 March 1949
- Elmendorf Army Airfield, 15 November 1942 – 5 March 1949
See also
- Joint Task Force-AlaskaJoint Task Force-AlaskaJoint Task Force Alaska , headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, is a multi-service command composed of approximately 80 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Department of Defense civilian specialists. The task force is a homeland defense component of U.S...
- Alaska World War II Army AirfieldsAlaska World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, Alaska was a major United States Army Air Force location for personnel, aircraft, and airfields to support Lend-Lease aid for the Soviet Union...
- Alaskan Air CommandAlaskan Air CommandAlaskan Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. Established in 1945 under the United States Army Air Forces, its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct control of all active measures, and coordinate all passive means of...
- Report from the AleutiansReport from the AleutiansReport From the Aleutians is a 47-minute documentary propaganda film produced by the U.S. Army Signal Corps about the Aleutian Islands Campaign during World War II...
1943 film by John HoustonJohn HoustonJohn Houston is the name of:* John Houston * John Houston , Pioneer newspaperman and politician from British Columbia, Canada* John Houston , New Zealand historian and writer...
about the daily lives of the servicemen at Adak Airfield.
External links
- Eleventh Air Force Factsheet
- 11th Air Force, Elmendorf AFB, AK
- Alaskan Command, Elmendorf AFB, AK
- 3d Wing, Elmendorf AFB, AK
- 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson AFB, AK
- 611th Air Operations Group, Elmendorf AFB, AK
- 611th Air Support Group, Elmendorf AFB, AK
- 353d Combat Training Squadron, Eielson AFB, AK
- Det 1 353rd Combat Training Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, AK
- 168th Air Refueling Wing, Eielson AFB, AK
- 176th Wing, Kulis ANGB, AK