Harmon Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
Harmon Air Force Base is a former World War II
United States Army Air Forces
airfield, and postwar United States Air Force
Base on Guam
in the Mariana Islands
. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General
Millard F. Harmon
, who was killed on a routine flight from Hawaii
in March 1945 over the Marshall Islands
when his plane was lost. Despite the most intensive search by Army and Navy planes and surface vessels, no trace of the plane was ever found. On February 27, 1946, he was declared officially dead.
and later Twentieth Air Force
which directed the B-29 Superfortress
strategic bombing campaign against the Japanese Home Islands
. It was also the major B-29 aircraft depot and maintenance facility in the Western Pacific during the war, and that mission continued for Far East Air Forces until its closure.
Harmon was used operationally by the USAF 11th Bombardment Group as an operational B-29 Base after the warp the 9th Bombardment Group as a base for strategic reconnaissance missions and by the 374th Troop Carrier Group, being used by Technical Service Command for transport of supplies and equipment from its depot facilities. Harmon AFB was closed in 1949 due to budget constraints and was merged with the neighboring Naval Air Station Agana.
Today, the technical facilities are an industrial area to the northeast of the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
, which served as the main airfield for both Harmon AFB and NAS Agana.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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....
airfield, and postwar United States Air Force
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...
Base on 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...
in the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
Millard F. Harmon
Millard Harmon
Millard Fillmore Harmon Jr. was a Lieutenant General in the United States Army Air Forces during the Pacific campaign in World War II....
, who was killed on a routine flight from Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in March 1945 over the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
when his plane was lost. Despite the most intensive search by Army and Navy planes and surface vessels, no trace of the plane was ever found. On February 27, 1946, he was declared officially dead.
History
Harmon Field was the headquarters for the XXI Bomber CommandXXI Bomber Command
The XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in Guam for strategic bombing during World War II.- Lineage:* Constituted as XXI Bomber Command on 1 Mar 1944, and activated the same day.-Assignments:...
and later Twentieth Air Force
Twentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
which directed the B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
strategic bombing campaign against the Japanese Home Islands
Japanese Archipelago
The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...
. It was also the major B-29 aircraft depot and maintenance facility in the Western Pacific during the war, and that mission continued for Far East Air Forces until its closure.
Harmon was used operationally by the USAF 11th Bombardment Group as an operational B-29 Base after the warp the 9th Bombardment Group as a base for strategic reconnaissance missions and by the 374th Troop Carrier Group, being used by Technical Service Command for transport of supplies and equipment from its depot facilities. Harmon AFB was closed in 1949 due to budget constraints and was merged with the neighboring Naval Air Station Agana.
Today, the technical facilities are an industrial area to the northeast of the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport
Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport , also known as Guam International Airport, is an airport located in Tamuning and Barrigada, three miles east of the capital city of Hagåtña in the U.S. territory of Guam. It is named for Antonio Borja Won Pat, the first delegate from Guam to the United...
, which served as the main airfield for both Harmon AFB and NAS Agana.
Major units assigned
- 1537th Army Air Forces Base Unit, 30 September 1944 – 1 August 1945
- 75th Air Service Group, 1 May 1947 – 20 September 1948
- 367th Air Service Group, 1 May 1947 – 1 November 1949
- Guam Air Depot (later Guam Air Materiel Area, Marianas Air Materiel Area)
- 56th Air Depot Group, Air Technical Service Command, 9 November 1944 – 31 August 1945
- 24th Air Depot Group, Air Technical Service Command, 8 November 1944 – 1 July 1949
- 55th Air Depot Group, Air Technical Service Command, 1 January 1945 – 21 December 1945
- 25th Air Depot Group, Air Technical Service Command, 21 January 1945 – 1 November 1949
- XXI Bomber CommandXXI Bomber CommandThe XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in Guam for strategic bombing during World War II.- Lineage:* Constituted as XXI Bomber Command on 1 Mar 1944, and activated the same day.-Assignments:...
, 4 December 1944 – 16 July 1945 - Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
, 16 July 1945 – 16 May 1949
- Western Pacific Wing, Air Transport Command, 10 April 1946 – 1 March 1947
- 11th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), 15 May 1946 – 20 October 1948
- 9th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), 9 June 1947 – 20 October 1948
- 374th Troop Carrier Group, 1 April 1947 – 5 March 1949
- 3d Reconnaissance Squadron3d Reconnaissance SquadronThe 3d Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Twentieth Air Force, stationed on Guam, Northern Mariana Islands...
(Very Long Range, Photographic), 11 January 1945 – 15 March 1947
See also
- USAAF in the Central PacificUnited States Army Air Forces in the Central Pacific AreaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan in the Central Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department, this consisted of most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands, excluding the Philippines, Australia, the Netherlands East Indies, the...