Douglas Army Air Base

Arizona's vast terrain is today dotted with air fields— huge training centers where youth of America, Britain, China and other of our allied countries take wings and fly to the far corners of the earth to give battle to the enemy. The Army's stressing of Arizona for air schools was because Army experts found more perfect flying weather here than could be found anywhere else in these United States. The clarity of the Arizona air allows a maximum of flying hours and flying time is a precious thing these days. The sunshine of Arizona is equal to the atmosphere. It is direct, positive, unadulterated. Air activity is almost continuous by day and by night in the unbeatable Arizona climate. Then, too, there are such factors as adaptable terrain and adequate municipal facilities.

Douglas, Arizona's third largest city, boasts a huge air training center in the vast Sulphur Springs valley, near the foot of rock-crested Swisshelm mountain range where, two years before, cattle grazed peacefully on lush range grass.

Douglas has always been air-minded since the beginning of the development of aviation. It had been, until the war, on a transcontinental airline, and has been proud of the support given the air-mail. When the need for air bases in various parts of the country arose, citizens of Douglas, with its extra fine flying weather, got busy, and with success.

The huge Douglas Army Air Field covers 2,701 acres of land, acquired by the community at a cost of $17,474. The Aviation Committee, feeling it would be more auspi-

Flying Weather

Army experts, in their search for air school sites at the outbreak of the war, found more perfect flying weather in Arizona than could be found anywhere else in the United States, and at the many air fields dotting Arizona's vast terrain today, air activity is almost continuous. By day and by night youth of America, Britain, China and other allies are plying the airways of Arizona. The clarity of the Arizona air allows a maximum of flying hours, and flying time is a precious thing these war days. The sunshine of Arizona is equal to the atmosphere. It is direct, positive and unadulterated.

In the Valley of the Sun area with Phoenix at the hub, there is Luke Field, the largest single engine flying school in the United States; Williams Field, huge multimotored pilot school; Falcon Field, where sons of Britain are taught to fly; Thunderbird Field and various auxiliary fields.

In the Tucson area is Davis-Monthan Field, heavy bombardment base where American flyers are taught to fly and fight in the B24 Liberators. The Kingman Army Air Base is in northwestern Arizona, and the Yuma Army Air Field is located in southwestern Arizona.

To the south of Tucson is the great Marana Army Air Base, and near the Mexican Border in southeastern Arizona is the Douglas Army Air Field.

There have been several other training fields in Arizona which have been closed due to fulfillment of the army's program. Among them are fields at Prescott, Wickenburg, Phoenix and Tucson, privately operated and coordinated with the army program.

Obvious if the government owned outright the land on which the field was located, made the proposal and the site was accepted in April, 1944 by the under-secretary of war. Activated on May 28, 1942, with a skeleton crew of military personnel under command of Col. John F. Wadman, the field has, in a little more than two years, developed into one of the outstanding army air force installations of its kind in the United States.

When the first group of officers and enlisted men arrived in the city of Douglas to lay the groundwork for the air base, there was little inspiration for them in the vast expanse of rangeland that formed the site for the future field. Despite many handicaps the air force "city" began to take shape almost overnight. Barracks, warehouses, administration buildings, hangars and runways were constructed in record time.

On November 3, 1942, the long awaited class of cadets arrived to begin their course of advanced flight instruction. On January 4, 1943, the members of this class were given their wings and commissions in the army air forces.

That first class was small, but since that time thousands have followed in the steps of the first group, including a large number of Chinese cadets. Many of the former students of the Douglas field have written and are writing a blazing history in the battle scarred skies of the war torn world.

On December 17, 1943 Col. Harvey F. Dyer assumed command of the field replacing Col. Wadman, who, after 19 months as commanding officer, departed for overseas duty.

Shortly after his arrival at the field, Col. Dyer began making plans to provide more beauty for the air base. Recreational facilities for officers and enlisted men were adequate, consisting of a modern gymnasium, an enlisted men's service club and lounge, a cadet recreation room, a post theater, swimming pools for both officers and enlisted men, bowling alleys and organizational recreation rooms. But despite these facilities the field was lacking in vegetation, shrubbery and trees.

In his first formal address to the military personnel, Col. Dyer pledged that he would make the post the "garden spot" of the Western Flying Training Command - a desert oasis. His promise was made good a short while later when crews began planting 8,000 trees, laying out walkways, bordered with whitewashed rocks and planting shrubbery and grass. In a short while a carpet of green began to cover the wind-swept, dusty floor of the base. Today the post beautification program is almost completed. The Douglas field is well on its way to becoming a desert oasis.

On August 1, 1944 announcement that this station was to become a B-25 (Mitchell Bomber) school for student flying officers, and that a course in night fighters was to be instituted in connection with the new training program, was made by Col. Dyer, pressing a type of operation which will add to the prestige of both this station and the city of Douglas.

The people of Douglas have been doing their utmost in making conditions more enjoyable for the service men in their vicinity. Douglas has two USO centers and the Salvation Army maintains a "buddy center" where for a nominal sum, men who have overnight passes from the base or who are from some other base may spend the night between cool clean sheets, have a shower, a shave, and best of all, hot doughnuts and coffee first thing in the morning. The Douglas Municipal golf course is available to golfers.

The road from May 28, 1942, to the present has been rocky. The job to mould this field into a major training center has been hard. But the job is being done. Cadet classes have come and gone. Those who have graduated have been a credit to the corps. A glance at their record is reward enough for the personnel who take pride in their job of training future aces who will join the United States airmada on the many far-flung battle fronts.

The Douglas Army Air Field stands as a monument to those who have graduated and to those who will graduate to aid in reaching the prime objective of forcing the enemy to their knees on a basis of "unconditional surrender."