West Coast Wing
Encyclopedia
The West Coast Wing is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the Pacific Division, Air Transport Command
, headquartered at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 30 September 1946.
, Washington to Elmendorf Army Airfield, Alaska Territory during World War II
. The route initially operated along the Northwest Pacific Coast providing supplies and equipment to support Eleventh Air Force
and United States Army Alaskan Defense Command ground tactical units during the Aleutian Campaign. It later was extended though the Aleutian Islands to Alexai Point Army Airfield on Attu
to support long-range bombing operations against the Kurile Islands of Northern Japan
.
The wing was initially headquartered at Boeing Field
, Washington as part of Ferrying Command, Northwest Sector. Moved to Gray AAF, Washington in late 1942, then to Fairfield-Suisun AAF, California in January 1945.
The route along the Western Pacific coast was closed on 31 December 1945; transport to Alaska being switched to the former Northwest Staging Route
. The introduction of long-distance transports after the war made most intermediate stops redundant and the wing was inactivated in 1946, responsibility for transport to Alaska being taken over by the ATC Pacific Division.
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...
unit. Its last assignment was with the Pacific Division, Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
, headquartered at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 30 September 1946.
History
The ATC West Coast Wing operated a transport route from Gray Army AirfieldGray Army Airfield
Gray Army Airfield , also known as Gray AAF, is a military airport located at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington, USA. It is located within Fort Lewis.It should not confused with Robert Gray Army Airfield at Fort Hood in Texas.-Overview:...
, Washington to Elmendorf Army Airfield, Alaska Territory 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...
. The route initially operated along the Northwest Pacific Coast providing supplies and equipment to support Eleventh Air Force
Eleventh Air Force
The Eleventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska....
and United States Army Alaskan Defense Command ground tactical units during the Aleutian Campaign. It later was extended though the Aleutian Islands to Alexai Point Army Airfield on Attu
Attu
Attu may refer to:*A common name for the Dosa in Telugu*Attu Island in Alaska*The Battle of Attu, the primary land battle in the Aleutian Islands campaign of World War II, which took place on Attu Island in May 1943....
to support long-range bombing operations against the Kurile Islands of Northern Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The wing was initially headquartered at Boeing Field
Boeing Field
Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport , is a two-runway airport owned and run by King County, Washington, USA. In promotional literature, the airport is frequently referred to as KCIA, but this is not the airport identifier. The airport has some passenger service, but is mostly...
, Washington as part of Ferrying Command, Northwest Sector. Moved to Gray AAF, Washington in late 1942, then to Fairfield-Suisun AAF, California in January 1945.
The route along the Western Pacific coast was closed on 31 December 1945; transport to Alaska being switched to the former Northwest Staging Route
Northwest Staging Route
The Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib ....
. The introduction of long-distance transports after the war made most intermediate stops redundant and the wing was inactivated in 1946, responsibility for transport to Alaska being taken over by the ATC Pacific Division.
Stations
| Name | Location | Coordinates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Army Airfield Gray Army Airfield Gray Army Airfield , also known as Gray AAF, is a military airport located at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington, USA. It is located within Fort Lewis.It should not confused with Robert Gray Army Airfield at Fort Hood in Texas.-Overview:... |
WA | 47°04′45"N 122°34′50"W | 4131st Army Air Force Base Unit. Connecting hub from the Continental United States for personnel, material and equipment bound for Eleventh Air Force Eleventh Air Force The Eleventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.... . Jurisdiction transferred to Department of the Army in 1947, now part of Fort Lewis Fort Lewis Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord.... . |
| Annette Island Army Airfield | AK | 55°02′13"N 131°34′21"W | Annette Island Landing Field opened in August 1940. Was used by ATC as an intermediate stop on coastal route to Elmendorf Field. Used as servicing/refueling airfield, also as a coastal patrol base and station for air rescue units. Active duty units inactivated at the airfield in January 1946, was used by MATS (later MAC) Air Rescue Service (ARS) and Air Weather Service (AWS) throughout the Cold War. Still in occasional use by Alaskan Command. Now Annette Island Airport Annette Island Airport Annette Island Airport is located on Annette Island in thePrince of Wales – Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is privately owned by the Metlakatla Indian Comm... . |
| Yakutat Army Airfield | AK | 59°30′31"N 139°39′35"W | Yakutat Landing Field opened in October 1940. Was used by ATC as an intermediate stop on coastal route to Elmendorf Field. Used as servicing/refueling airfield. Closed December 1945. Now Yakutat Airport Yakutat Airport Yakutat Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Yakutat, a city in the U.S. state of Alaska.- Facilities and aircraft :... . |
| Elmendorf Field | AK | 61°15′00"N 149°48′00"W | Primary station for ATC in Alaska. Operated large aerial port with passenger and cargo/equipment facilities. Servicing facility operated by Technical Service Command with large warehouses of supplies and equipment for use by Eleventh Air Force during Aleutian Campaign. Was hub for ferrying and transport operations to Ladd Field Ladd Field Ladd Army Airfield is the military airfield located at Fort Jonathan Wainwright, located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was originally called Fairbanks Air Base, but was renamed Ladd Field on 1 December 1939, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd, a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps who died in a plane crash... near Fairbanks and RCAF Station Whitehorse RCAF Station Whitehorse RCAF Station Whitehorse was originally opened by the Department of Transport as "Whitehorse airfield". It is located at what is now the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport.... for logistical support of Northwest Staging Route Northwest Staging Route The Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It was known in the Soviet Union as Alsib .... . After the war ended has remained in use by MATS/MAC and current Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis.... as stop on Great Circle Route to Japan and to the Continental United States. |
| Naknek Army Airfield | AK | 58°40′36"N 156°38′57"W | Activated 1 July 1942. Was transport and maintenance airfield for ATC aircraft servicing Alaska airfields; also provided maintenance for transient aircraft in Alaska. Transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command in 1945. Became King Salmon Airport King Salmon Airport King Salmon Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located just southeast of King Salmon, in Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska, United States. It was formerly the Naknek Air Force Base, named for its location near the Naknek River.... and used during the Cold War Cold War The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States... as Air Defense interceptor base. Now in reserve status, military components of airport maintained by contractors. |
| Fort Morrow Army Airfield | AK | 56°57′24"N 158°38′18"W | On Kodiak Island, Opened December 1941. Built in secret for defense of Alaskan Territory. Used by ATC as an intermediate stop on Aleutian Route to/from Shemya Army Airfield. Closed October 1946, now Port Heiden Airport Port Heiden Airport Port Heiden Airport is a state-owned, public-use airport located six nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Port Heiden, in the Lake and Peninsula Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska... . |
| Fort Randall Army Airfield | AK | 55°11′56"N 162°43′15"W | Also known as Cold Bay. Opened February 1941. Used by ATC as an intermediate stop on Aleutian Route to/from Shemya Army Airfield. After the end of the Aleutian Campaign was used by Air Rescue Service (ARS) as search and rescue airfield. Later renamed Thornbrough Air Force Base, Closed 1953. Now Cold Bay Airport Cold Bay Airport Cold Bay Airport is a public-use airport located in Cold Bay, a city in the Aleutians East Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is owned by the state and is one of the main airports serving the Alaska Peninsula.-Overview:... . |
| Fort Glenn Army Airfield | AK | 53°22′39"N 167°53′31"W | On Umnak Island. Opened 1 May 1942 by Eleventh Air Force as a combat airfield for the defense of Alaska. Used by ATC as an intermediate stop on Aleutian Route for transport of supplies and equipment during Aleutian Campaign. Became Cape Air Force Base, 1947, Closed December 1950. Today on U.S. National Register of Historic Places. declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. |
| Davis Army Airfield | AK | 51°52′40"N 176°38′33"W | On Adak Island, opened September 1942 as a combat airfield for the defense of Alaska. Was HQ, Eleventh Air Force during World War II. Used by ATC as an intermediate stop on Aleutian Route for transport of supplies and equipment during Aleutian Campaign. Later became Davis Air Force Base; Transferred to Department of the Navy, 1949 as Naval Air Station Adak, Closed after the Cold War in March 1997. Now Adak Airport . |
| Amchitka Army Airfield Amchitka Army Airfield Amchitka Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located near Amchitka, in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska.-History:The airfield was used as a transit base by USAAF/RCAF for the defense of Dutch Harbor.... |
AK | 51°22′37"N 179°15′23"E | On Amchitka Island, opened in February 1943 as a combat airfield for attacks on Japanese-held territory in the Aleutian Islands. Used for resupply and causality evacuation operations by ATC during Aleutian Campaign. Became Amchitka Air Force Base in 1947, closed 1948. Now abandoned. |
| Shemya Army Airfield | AK | 52°42′44"N 174°06′43"E | Opened May 1943 on Shemya Island. Terminus of ATC operations on Aleutian Route from Elmendorf Field near Anchorage. Supported Eleventh Air Force combat operations against Northern Japan. Later became intermediate stop on Great Circle route to/From Japan as a servicing/refueling airfield. Operations continued throughout Cold War, used by MATS/MAC/AMC for support of Shemya AFB (later Eareckson AFS). Inactivated as active Air Force station July 1994, occasionally still used by AMC for support of contractor operations ongoing at base. |
| Alexai Point Army Airfield | AK | 52°48′51"N 173°17′51"E | Opened June 1943 on Attu Island Attu Island Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,... as Eleventh Air Force combat airfield during Aleutian Campaign. Later used for very-long range bombardment operations of Northern Japanese Kuril Islands. Closed September 1945, now abandoned. |
See also
- North Atlantic air ferry route in World War IINorth Atlantic air ferry route in World War IIThe North Atlantic air ferry route was a series of Air Routes over the North Atlantic Ocean on which aircraft were ferried between the United States and Great Britain during World War II to support combat operations in the European Theater of Operations ....
- South Atlantic air ferry route in World War IISouth Atlantic air ferry route in World War IIThe South Atlantic air ferry route was an air route established in July 1941. It was used initially by Army Air Corps Ferrying Command to deliver Lend-Lease aircraft to British forces in Egypt who were engaged in the Western Desert Campaign....
- South Pacific air ferry route in World War II
- Crimson RouteCrimson RouteThe Crimson Route was a set of joint United States and Canadian transport routes planned for ferrying planes and material from North America to Europe during World War II...