In December 1940,[4] Camp Davis was built by the United States Army as an anti-aircraft artillery training facility. Camp Davis was attached to the First Army, Fourth Corps Area and held a complement of about 20,000 officers and soldiers. It was an expansive facility consisting of more than 3,000 buildings on 45,538 acres (184km2) with access provided by newly built railroad spurs leading into the camp. Between 1942 and 1943, two 5,000 feet (1,500m) paved runways were built for Camp Davis Army Air Field (AAF). Part of the runway for the airfield was built through one of the old Civil War fort's walls. Camp Davis AAF's Runway 5/23 was wider and was intended for use by transports, while Runway 19/01 was narrower and intended for use by single-engine aircraft. Most of the aircraft operated from Camp Davis runways were single-engine aircraft used to tow targets for the anti-aircraft artillery units. Women Airforce Service Pilots (or "WASPs") towed targets at Camp Davis. At least two were killed in flying accidents there.[5]
During World War II the Camp Davis housed approximately 550 German prisoners.[6] In 1944 the anti-aircraft training facility was transferred to Fort Bliss, and on 17 February 1946, Camp Davis was closed.[7] In June 1946,[7] a portion of the Camp Davis area formerly used by the Army as the Coastal Artillery Anti-Aircraft Firing Range (present-day Surf City, North Carolina) was transferred to the United States Navy. The Navy temporarily used the site for the development and testing of early surface-to-air missiles under the name Operation Bumblebee until 28 July 1948.[7] Camp Davis was declared surplus and was dismantled for salvage and sale. At that time, the Navy apparently gave up the leases on the land, and it was returned to the original landowners.
In 1954, the Marine Corps took out a new lease for approximately 955 acres (3.86km2) on the former Camp Davis airfields & surrounding land from International Paper Company. In recent years, the Marine Corps has used Camp Davis as a landing field for helicopter units based at nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River. MCOLF Camp Davis has two runways which are designated 5/23 and 18/36. Both runways have concrete surfaces measuring 5,000 by 150 feet. The older runway 5/23 is not currently in use.[8]
Camp Davis OLF 2024
During a renovation in 2023-2024, the Camp Davis OLF runway was torn up, raised, and resurfaced with three layers of rock, gravel, and asphalt, plus concrete landing pads were added in the middle of the OLF designed to handle high-intensity heat generated during hovering, landing, and turning maneuvers. A Marine Corps press release in August 2024 noted the newly refurbished OLF “… can support every airframe in the Marine Corps’ arsenal to include the KC-130 Hercules transport aircraft, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the MV-22 Osprey, and other rotary wing assets. It can even accommodate joint service aviation variants as large as the Air Force’s heavy lift C-17 aircraft.” [9]
1 2 3 Jones, Wilbur D. (Jr) (2005). The Journey Continues: The World War II Home Front. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: White Mane Books. p.83. ISBN1-57249-365-8.
Marine Corps Air Station New River is a United States Marine Corps helicopter and tilt-rotor base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for General Keith B. McCutcheon, one of the fathers of Marine Corps helicopter aviation. Near Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, it shares some facilities with Camp Geiger.
A Naval Air Station (NAS) is a military air base, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of a navy (Naval aviation). These bases are typically populated by squadrons, groups or wings, their various support commands, and other tenant commands.
Coastal Carolina Regional Airport is a commercial airport located three miles (5 km) southeast of the central business district of New Bern, a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. EWN covers 785 acres of land.
Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) air station that was located 23 miles (37 km) northwest of Fort Worth, Texas during World War II, next to the lake of the same name. Commissioned on 1 December 1942, the air station was originally home to the Marine Corps military glider program. When the program was cancelled in 1943 the station was used to train USMC dive bomber pilots and later became home to the Marines' night fighter program. After the war the air station went into caretaker status in December 1946, became an outlying landing field of Naval Air Station Dallas, and was later used by the Texas Army National Guard and other branches of the U.S. military before being sold to a private owner in the 1970s. Today, the facility is a private airport run by Kenneth Copeland Ministries as Kenneth Copeland Airport.
Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton or MCAS Camp Pendleton is a United States Marine Corps airfield located within Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. It was commissioned in 1942 and is currently home to Marine Aircraft Group 39. The airfield is also known as Munn Field in honor of Lieutenant General John C. "Toby" Munn, the first Marine aviator to serve as the Commanding General of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Imperial Beach is a United States Navy facility for helicopters, situated on 1,204 acres (5 km2) approximately 14 miles (23 km) south of San Diego and within the city limits of Imperial Beach, California. It is known as "The Helicopter Capital of the World".
MidCoast Regional Airport at Wright Army Airfield is a joint public and military use airport at Fort Stewart, a United States Army post located near the city of Hinesville in Liberty County, Georgia, United States. The airport's physical address is 1116 E. Lowe Circle, Fort Stewart, GA 31314 and its mailing address is P.O. Box 10, Hinesville, GA 31310.
Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue, also known as Bogue Field, is an 875-acre (3.54 km2) landing field located on Bogue Sound that serves as a Marine Corps’ East Coast site for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP). It is a sub facility of MCAS Cherry Point in Havelock in Craven County and one of three USMC facilities in Carteret County. The others include Atlantic Airfield, a Cherry Point sub installation which is sparsely manned and Radio Island shipping terminal, between Morehead City and Beaufort, which falls under control of Camp Lejeune, though it is only manned during active military operations. Another USMC facility, Oak Grove Airfield, near Pollocksville in Jones County, in also controlled by Cherry Point and in rarely manned unless training is conducted there. By Bogue Field being available for performing many of these landings at night, pilots simulate landing on an aircraft carrier or an amphibious assault ship, which provides the force with the means to forward deploy its aviation assets in order to have a more readily accessible aviation punch for the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander on the battlefield.
Naval Outlying Landing Field Coupeville—or NOLF Coupeville—(ICAO: KNRA, FAA LID: NRA) is a military airport located two miles (3 km) southeast of Coupeville, Washington, in Island County. The airfield is owned and operated by the United States Navy. NOLF Coupeville nearly touches State Route 20 and is about 10 miles south of the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
Fort Morgan Municipal Airport is six miles north of Fort Morgan, in Morgan County, Colorado, United States. The airport is in the city limits in a detached section of the city. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation facility.
Eric Marcus Municipal Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is located 5.75 miles north of the central business district of Ajo and is about 82 miles southwest of Phoenix. The airport was renamed on February 11, 2006; it was formerly known as Ajo Municipal Airport.
Coolidge Municipal Airport is a city-owned public airport 5 miles southeast of Coolidge, in Pinal County, Arizona, United States.
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point or MCAS Cherry Point is a United States Marine Corps airfield located in Havelock, North Carolina, United States, in the eastern part of the state. It was built in 1941, and was commissioned in 1942 and is currently home to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Fort Sumner Municipal Airport is a village owned, public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Fort Sumner, a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation airport.
Tucumcari Municipal Airport is about six miles east of Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Henry Post Army Airfield is a military use airport located at Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. This military airport is owned by United States Army. Established as Post Field in 1917, it was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I in April 1917.
Desert Center Airport is a private-use airport located five nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Desert Center, in Riverside County, California, United States.
Naval Outlying Landing Field Choctaw is the United States Navy's designation for an auxiliary airfield that was originally constructed during World War II as Eglin Field Auxiliary Field # 10. It is located 16.6 miles northeast of Pensacola, Florida.
California during World War II was a major contributor to the World War II effort. California's long Pacific Ocean coastline provided the support needed for the Pacific War. California also supported the war in Europe. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, most of California's manufacturing was shifted to the war effort. California became a major ship builder and aircraft manufacturer. Existing military installations were enlarged and many new ones were built. California trained many of the troops before their oversea deployment. Over 800,000 Californians served in the United States Armed Forces. California agriculture, ranches and farms were used to feed the troops around the world. California's long coastline also put the state in fear, as an attack on California seemed likely. California was used for the temporary and permanent internment camps for Japanese Americans. The population grew significantly, largely due to servicemen who were stationed at the new military bases/training facilities and the mass influx of workers from around the U.S. in the growing defense industries. With all the new economy activity, California was lifted out of the Great Depression. Over 500,000 people moved to California from other states to work in the growing economy. California expanded its oil and mineral production to keep up with the war demand.
Naval Air Station Los Alamitos Naval Outlying Landing Fields were a set airfield near Naval Air Station Los Alamitos to support the training of US Navy pilots during World War 2. The support airfields are called Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF). For the war, many new trained pilots were needed. The Naval Outlying Landing Fields provided a place for pilots to practice landing and take off without other air traffic. The remotes sites offered flight training without distractions. Most of the new pilots departed to the Pacific War after training. The Outlying Landing Fields had little or no support facilities. Naval Air Station Los Alamitos opened in 1942 and was transferred to the US Army in 1977 as Los Alamitos Army Airfield. Most of the Outlying fields closed in 1945, having completed the role of training new pilots. To open the needed Outlying Landing Fields quickly, the Navy took over local crop dusting and barnstorming airfields. Naval Air Station Los Alamitos was also called Los Alamitos Naval Reserve Air Base. During the war Marine Corps Air Station El Toro also used the outlying Landing Field. The Timm N2T Tutor was the most common plane used for training on the outlying landing fields.
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