Amchitka Air Force Base: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 11:37, 29 March 2010
Amchitka Army Airfield
 | |
|---|---|
| Part of Eleventh Air Force | |
| Amchitka, Alaska | |
| Coordinates | 51°22′37″N 179°15′32″E / 51.37694°N 179.25889°E |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1943-1944 |
| Battles/wars | Aleutian Islands Campaign |
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.
American forces made an unopposed landing on Amchitka on January 12, 1943, although the destroyer Worden (DD-352) grounded and sank with the loss of 14 lives. Despite facing difficult weather conditions and bombing from the Japanese, the airfield was usable by February 16.[1] The Alaska Command was now 80 km (50 mi) away from their target, Kiska.[2] The military eventually built numerous buildings, roads, and a total of three airstrips on the island,[3]some of which would later be renovated and used by the Atomic Energy Commission.[4] At its peak, the occupancy of Amchitka reached 15,000 troops.[3]
Known USAAF units assigned to Amchitka AAF were:
- 343d Fighter Group (July 25, 1943 – January 22, 1944)
- 54th Fighter Squadron (March 12 – October 18, 1943) (343d FG)
- 21st Bombardment Squadron (February 18 – July 1943) (28th BG)
- 73d Bombardment Squadron (1942–1943) (28th BG)
- 36th Bombardment Squadron (June 4, 1942 – May 1, 1943) (28th BG)
- 404th Bombardment Squadron (June 4, 1943 – February 28, 1944) (28th BG)
- 77th Bombardment Squadron (September 11, 1943 – February 11, 1944) (28th BG)
The Aleutian Islands campaign was successfully completed on August 24, 1943.[2] In that month, a strategic intercept station was established on the island, which remained until February 1945.[5] The Army abandoned the site in August 1950.[6] The site later hosted an Air Force weather station in the 1950s, a White Alice telecommunication system in 1959 to 1961, and a temporary relay station in the 1960s and 1970s.[3]
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
- Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975
- ^ Conn, Stetson (2000). Guarding the United States and its outposts. U.S. Army Center of Military History. CMH 4–2, Library of Congress no 62–60067. Retrieved 2006-10-09.
- ^ a b MacGarrigle, George L. (2003). The Campaigns of World War II: Aleutian Islands. U.S. Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 72–6, paper, GPO S/N 008-029-00232-9. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b c "Amchitka, Alaska, Site Fact Sheet" (PDF). Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- ^ "Environmental Statement Cannikin". Atomic Energy Commission. Retrieved 2006-10-11.
- ^ "Pre-1952 Historical Timeline". National Security Agency. Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- ^ "Amchitka Island, Alaska: Potential U.S. Department of Energy site responsibilities (DOE/NV-526)" (PDF). Department of Energy. 1998. Retrieved 2006-10-09.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)
External links
Previously: Alaskan Air Force (1941-1942) | |||||||||
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