Page Field Army Airfield
Encyclopedia
- For the civilian airport use, see Page FieldPage FieldPage Field General Aviation Airport is a public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Fort Myers, a city in Lee County, Florida, United States...
Page Field Army Airfield is an inactive 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, approximately 4 miles south of Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census, a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure....
. It was active during World War II
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...
as a Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
training airfield. It was closed on 30 September 1945
History
In 1924, the city of Fort Myers, FloridaFort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census, a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure....
, purchased a plot of land south of the city with the intention of developing it into a municipal golf course. It was never used for that purpose, but over time, it became a 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....
military airfield during World War II
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...
, and later, the site evolved into a civilian airport.
Initially, becoming "Palmetto Field", for the large amount of palmetto brush growing in and around the airport in the 1920s, National Airlines
National Airlines
National Airlines was used by several airlines including:*National Airlines based in the United States.*National Airlines based in the United States.*National Airlines based in the United States....
began making regular flights into the airfield in 1937, but those were soon discontinued due to the poor landing conditions. Efforts to upgrade the airfield were boosted by a January 1940 Works Projects Administration (WPA) project constructed three concrete runways. In addition, other improvements were made and by the time of the Pearl Harbor Attack, "Lee County Airport" had grown to about 600 acres in size.
World War II
With the United States at war, the War Department decided to lease the airport from Lee County, and the initial lease for its military use was signed in February 1942, and later renewed in June 1944. The airport was turned over to the jurisdiction of the United States Army Air Forces, who assigned it to Third Air ForceThird Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
. At first, the USAAF called the airport Fort Myers Army Air Base; eventually the field would be named Page Field Army Airfield to honor Captain Richard Page, a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
aviator killed in a seaplane accident near Everglades, Florida
Everglades, Florida
Everglades is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. The population was 479 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 513...
in 1920. Captain Page was the first person from Florida to join the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...
. During World War I, he was credited with three German aircraft destroyed in combat and was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
along with the French Croix de Guerre and other awards.
Along with the existing airport, the ground support station at Page Field construction of a large number of facilities based on standardized plans and architectural drawings, with the buildings designed to be the "cheapest, temporary character with structural stability only sufficient to meet the needs of the service which the structure is intended to fulfill during the period of its contemplated war use." To conserve critical materials, most facilities were constructed of wood, concrete, brick, gypsum board and concrete asbestos. Metal was sparsely used. Page Field was designed to be nearly self-sufficient, with not only hangars, but barracks, warehouses, hospitals, dental clinics, dining halls, and maintenance shops were needed. There were libraries, social clubs for officers, and enlisted men, and stores to buy living necessities. Page Field was officially opened as an operational base on 25 April 1943.
III Bomber Command
The first use of the airfield was by the 98th Bombardment Group, which had been formed at MacDill Field, near TampaTâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
in February 1942, and was moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana for equipping and personnel assignment. It arrived at Page Field on 30 March 1942 while the base was under construction, such was the need for the facility in the early part of the war. At Page Field, the B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bomber crews practiced formation flying, and other combat maneuvers for about six weeks which they would need for combat missions. The training also included anti-submarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
and the southeast Florida Atlantic coast.
The 98th departed in mid-May and wound up in British Palestine in July as part of Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
. They were replaced by the 93d Bombardment Group, which also moved in from Barksdale Field on 15 May. The 93d also trained with B-24 Liberators. In August, the 336th Bombardment Group arrived with B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
s from MacDill Field, The 93d moved out to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in September to become part of Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
; the 336th was moved to Lake Charles Army Air Field, Louisiana where it became a training unit for medium bomber pilots and aircrews.
III Fighter Command
In January 1943, the 53d Fighter Group was moved to Page Field from Sixth Air Force in PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. From this point on, the mission of the base became the training of replacement single-engine fighter pilots. Aircraft used for training consisted of P-39 Aircobras and later, P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s and P-40 Warhawks. P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s began to arrive in early 1945 as well.
Pilots received about 80–90 hours of flight training, the number of hours was based on the needs overseas by the combat units. Some pilots received perhaps 60 hours. They initially received orientation flights in a basic trainer, then an advanced AT-6 Texans and then were checked out on the P-39. The major part of their flight instruction included aerobatics, gunnery practice at Buckingham Field
Buckingham Field
Buckingham Field is a private-use airport located seven nautical miles east of the central business district of Fort Myers, in Lee County, Florida, United States...
, and formation flying.
By 1944, Page Field was in full swing, and the base population in January was 276 officers and 1,393 enlisted. By 1944 the P-39 had been phased out and the pilots were using the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Later a less capable aircraft, the Curtiss P-40 arrived and trainees split their time of both aircraft. On 1 May 1944 the 53d Fighter Group was inactivated and replaced by the Page Replacement Training Unit (PRTU), which was part of an administrative change by Third Air Force to streamline the organization of the base.
Compared to the training bases, Page Field was a small facility. Buckingham Field, located about four miles east had a total area of 83,000 acres and had over 16,000 men and women assigned. The smallness of the facility was the main reason that Page Field was classified as a sub-base of MacDill Field; later Sarasota Army Airfield. As a result, Page did not receive the same level of attention from Third Air Force as a base operating under its own authority.
A significant change in the training program took place in March 1945 with the arrival of the P-51D Mustang. The P-51s replaced the obsolete P-40s, and was a state-of-the-art fighter.
Closure
As the war began drawing to an end in Europe, and later in the summer of 1945 in the Pacific, the number of trainees and the level of activity at the base was reduced rapidly. With the Japanese surrender and the end of World War II most of the temporary training bases such as Page Field were put on inactive status and eventually closed.Third Air Force began the process of shutting down training activities completely, the field receiving notice in early September 1945 that it would revert to inactive status at the end of the month. Trainees in the last class were sent to Venice Army Airfield
Venice Army Airfield
Venice Army Airfield is an inactive United States Air Force base, approximately 2 miles south-southeast of Venice, Florida. It was active during World War II as a Third Air Force training airfield...
and Sarasota Army Airfield to complete their training.
At the end of September 1945, there were three aircraft left at Page AAF. An AT-6, a P-51 and a C-45 courier transport. The lease was terminated by the War Department and the training airfield was returned back to Lee County by the end of December.
Today, much of the World War II Army Air Force use of Page Field remains. Some of the student officers barracks remain, and the former officer's club is now a manufacturing firm for small boats. The baseball field is still in use, and some of the parking revetments can still be seen in aerial photography. The base chapel remains, and other buildings can be found in "Page Park", the redeveloped base station of the former airfield to the south of the airfield.