Gardner Army Airfield

Gardner Army Airfield
Gardner Army Airfield
Part of Army Air Force Training Command
Kern County, near Taft, California
	Aerial photo of the remains of Gardner AAF, 2006. The largest remaining recognizable element of the airfield is the 1,800' concrete and asphalt ramp area, which runs diagonally NW/SE in the photo.
	Gardner AAF
Coordinates	35°06′21″N119°18′21″W / 35.10583°N 119.30583°W
Type	Army airfield
Site information
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1941
In use	1941–1945
Garrison information
Garrison	Army Air Force Training Command

Last updated January 13, 2025

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World War II photo of Gardner Army Air Field showing flying cadets GardnerAAF.jpg — World War II photo of Gardner Army Air Field showing flying cadets

Gardner Army Airfield is a former United States Army Air Force World War II Field located 9 miles southeast of Taft, California. It was named for Major John H. Gardner, a World War I aviator hero.

History

In 1940, prior to the entry of the United States into World War II, the Chief of the United States Army Air Corps directed the Western Flying Training Command to immediately take action to select air base sites needed to increase its pilot training rate to meet anticipated wartime demands.

Army Air Corps representatives came to Taft, California on 17 January 1941 to survey a site for a basic flying training school. An agricultural site was selected and acquisition began on 24 January 1941, with a lease of 880 acres from Kern County, followed by five additional transactions (that included declarations of taking and leases). With the final lease transaction on 12 May 1943, the total acreage acquired for Gardner Field was 1,396.36.

The immediate construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. The airfield had three asphalt runways laid out in a triangle pattern, 6000x150(N/S), 4574x150(E/W), 5001x150(NW/SE)

A large aircraft parking apron and several large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper. The base had its own hospital, 40-acre sewage plant, 9 administration buildings, 4 mess halls, supply rooms, officers' quarters, a guardhouse, a chapel, and 37 barracks.

In addition to the main base and airfield, six auxiliary fields were also constructed in the area:

The area around Taft, California is very agricultural in use, and as a result no trace remains of any of these former satellite airfields in 2011.

Named "Gardner Army Airfield" by the War Department, the 528th School Squadron was transferred to the new training base on 2 June and the field was activated. Construction was rapid and the basic facilities were completed on 21 July 1941. Gardner Field was officially dedicated on 26 October 1941, with a gala affair attended by more than 10,000 people. The base operated Vultee BT-13 and Boeing-Stearman Model 75 PT-17 aircraft for primary training. Known USAAF units at Gardner Field were:

Hq, Air Corps Basic Flying School
328th School Squadron
329th School Squadron
545th School Squadron

The 37th and last class at Gardner graduated in January 1945, by which point the base had trained a total of 3,050 soldiers and 8,916 cadets. Twenty-six cadets died in training flights, as did 11 of the training officers sharing cockpits with them. Still, the number of crashes in relation to the hours flown out of Gardner Field was low.

Gradually, the planes left, the buildings were removed, and Gardner AAF was inactivated 28 February 1945. Gardner Field and its auxiliary fields were transferred from the Western Flying Training Command to the jurisdiction of the Air Technical Service Command on 3 March 1945. They were subsequently placed on inactive status on 10 March 1945.

The War Department declared Gardner Field surplus on 27 October 1947. The 446.97 fee-owned acres were assigned to the Farm Credit Administration on 14 June 1948. It is surmised that the 949.39 acres originally leased reverted to the respective owners upon expiration of the leases.

Today, only the remnants of the sewage treatment plant and the parking apron remain, which now stages agricultural equipment.

Postwar use

After the war Gardner was declared surplus and was closed as an active military installation. It was operated as Gardner Airport for some years afterwards, but evidently closed at some point between 1949 and 1964.

There is also a monument located at the site of the base's former entrance, at the intersection of Cadet and Basic School Roads.

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Gardner Army Airfield auxiliary fields were a number of airfields used during World War II to support the Gardner Army Airfield. May 12, 1943 the US Army leased 1,396.36 acres for Gardner Field, located 9 miles southeast of Taft, California. Gardner Army Airfield was named after Major John H. Gardner, a World War I aviator hero. The Army built three runways to support training activities need for World War II. From Gardner Army Airfield the United States Army Air Corps's Western Flying Training Command started training the needed pilots. To support the training of the many pilots, Gardner Army Airfield operated a number of auxiliary airfields. Some auxiliary fields were no more than a landing strip, others were other operation airfield that supported the training at the Gardner Army Airfield. The Vultee BT-13 Valiant and Boeing-Stearman Model 75 were the most common planes used for training at Gardner Army Airfields, but large bombers were trained also. Gardner Army Airfield auxiliary fields were:

Minter Army Airfield auxiliary fields were a number of airfields used during World War II to support the Minter Army Airfield near Shafter, California. Minter Army Airfield was also called Lerdo Field, after the nearby road. Minter Army Airfield also housed the Shafter Gap Filler Annex P-59A and Shafter Army Aviation Test Activity and opened in June 1941. An Army depot open on the base in October 1941, the Minter Sub-Depot, a division of the Sacramento Air Depot. Minter Army Airfield had 7,000 troops and civilians working at the base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merced Army Airfield auxiliary fields</span> US WWII airfield

Merced Army Air Field auxiliary fields were built to support pilot training at the Merced Army Air Field. In 1940 the US Army wanted to build near Merced, California a 30,000 per year basic pilot training base. The former city of Cuba, Merced County, California near the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway rail line was chosen at 37°22′50″N120°34′05″W at an elevation of 181 feet (55 m) for the main base, in Atwater, California. United States Army Air Corps leased the land from the City of Merced on 16 June 1941. Building the airbase school started on 8 July 1941 and opened on 20 September 1941 as a sub-base of Army Air Forces Western Flying Training Command at Moffett Field. First called Air Corps Basic Flying School, Merced. The US Army moved part of the: 98th Bombardment Group, 539th School Squadrons, 540th School Squadrons, 541st School Squadrons, the 90th Air Base Squadron, and the 340th Material Squadron at Moffett Field to the new base in November 1941. The Air Corps Basic Flying School was renamed the Merced Army Flying School on 7 April 1942. To support the training auxiliary fields near the Merced Army Flying School were to be built for the flight training program. Merced Army Flying School was renamed the Merced Army Air Field in May 1943 and became part of the Western Flying Training Command.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas OCLC 71006954 , 29991467
Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC. OCLC 57007862 , 1050653629

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Gardner Army Airfield

Contents

History

Postwar use

See also

Related Research Articles

References

External links