Mitchel Air Force Base | |
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| Part ofAir Defense Command | |
| Located near:Uniondale, New York | |
 Looking west in 1968, the airfield is mainly intact. | |
 2006 USGS photo. The remains of runway 05/23 are visible in the center. | |
| Location | |
  Mitchel AFB | |
| Coordinates | 40°43′32″N73°35′42″W / 40.72556°N 73.59500°W /40.72556; -73.59500 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1917 |
| In use | 1917–1961 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | |
Mitchel Air Base and Flight Line | |
| Location | Roughly Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Ellington Ave., East & West Rds.,East Garden City, New York |
| Area | 108 acres (44 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 100002385 |
| Added to NRHP | May 4, 2018 |
Mitchel Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opened | 1918 (1918) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | June 25, 1961 (1961-06-25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 85 ft / 26 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Mitchel Field | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Airfields-Freeman.com[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Mitchel Air Force Base, also known asMitchel Field, was aUnited States Air Force base located on theHempstead Plains ofLong Island,New York, United States. Established in 1918 asHazelhurst Aviation Field #2, the facility was renamed later that year as Mitchel Field in honor of former New York City MayorJohn Purroy Mitchel, who was killed while training for theAir Service inLouisiana.[2]
Decommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex that is home to theCradle of Aviation Museum,Nassau Coliseum,Mitchel Athletic Complex,Nassau Community College,Hofstra University, andLockheed. In 2018 the surviving buildings and facilities were recognized as ahistoric district and listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[3]
During theAmerican Revolutionary War it was known as the Hempstead Plains and used as an Army enlistment center. In theWar of 1812 and in theMexican War, it was a training center for Infantry units. During theAmerican Civil War, it was the location of Camp Winfield Scott. In 1898, in theSpanish–American War, Mitchel's site was known as Camp Black.[4]
In 1917, Hazelhurst Field #2 was established south of and adjacent toHazelhurst Field to serve as an additional training and storage base, part of the massive Air Service Aviation Concentration Center.Curtiss JN-4 Jennies became a common sight overLong Island in 1917 and 1918. Hundreds of aviators were trained for war at these training fields, two of the largest in the United States. Numerous new wooden buildings and tents were erected onRoosevelt Field and Field #2 in 1918 in order to meet this rapid expansion.[5]
Mitchel Field continued to grow after World War I and between 1929 and 1932. An extensive building program was undertaken after the war to turn the temporary wartime facilities into a permanent Army post, with new barracks, warehouses, hangar space, and administrative buildings. Much of this construction still exists today, being used for non-military purposes.
In the 1920s and 1930s, various observation, fighter, and bomber units were stationed at the airfield. It became a major aerodrome for both the Air Corps as well as various civilian activity. The 1920s was considered the golden age ofair racing and on 27 November 1920, thePulitzer Trophy Race was held at Mitchel Field. The race consisted of four laps of a 29 miles (47 km) course. 38 pilots entered and took off individually. The winner was Capt. Corliss Moseley, flying a Verville-Packard VCP-R racer, a cleaned-up version of the Army's VCP-1 pursuit plane, at 156.54 miles per hour (251.93 km/h).[6]
In October 1923, Mitchel Field was the scene of the first airplane jumping contest in the nation. During the same year, two world's airplane speed records were established there. In 1924, theairmail service had its inception in experimental flights begun at the airfield. In September 1929,Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle, then a Lieutenant, made the world's first blind flight.[7]
In 1938, Mitchel was the starting point for the first nonstop transcontinental bomber flight, made by ArmyB-18 Bolo bombers.[8] Mitchel Field also served as a base from which the first demonstration of long-range aerial reconnaissance was made. In May 1939, three B-17s, withLt. Curtis LeMay navigating, flew 620 miles (1,000 km) out to sea andintercepted the Italian ocean linerSS Rex. This was a striking example of the range, mobility, and accuracy of modern aviation at the time.[9][10] On September 21 of that year the base was struck by the"Long Island Express" hurricane. Flooding produced water that was over knee-deep, numerous trees were toppled and the glass was smashed atop the traffic control tower.[11]
In 1940 Mitchel Field was the location of theAir Defense Command, a command charged with the mission of developing the air defense for cities, vital industrial areas, continental bases, and military facilities in the United States (also known as the "Zone of the Interior"). Later,First Air Force, was given the responsibility for air defense planning and organization along the eastern seaboard. Under its supervision an aircraft patrol system along the coast for observing shipping was placed into operation.[4] During 1943, Mitchel AAF became a staging area forConsolidated B-24 Liberator bombers and their crews before being sent overseas.[12]
Mitchel Field was a major source of supply in initial garrisoning and defense of North Atlantic air bases inNewfoundland,Greenland, andIceland. From the airfield the planning for the air defense ofNova Scotia and Newfoundland was conducted. Antisubmarine patrol missions along the Atlantic coast were carried out in 1942 by theUnited States Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command aircraft based at Mitchel.[4]
Under the direction of theFirst Air Force, Mitchel Army Airfield became a command and control base for both I Fighter and I Bomber Command. Tactical fighter groups and squadrons were formed at Mitchel to be trained at AAF Training Command bases (mostly in the east and southeast) before being deployed to the various overseas wartime theaters. Additionally, thousands of Army Air Force personnel were processed through the base for overseas combat duty. With the end of World War II, returning GIs were processed for separation at Mitchel.[4]
Mitchel aircraft crashes included aP-47 that struckHofstra University's Barnard Hall on 23 March 1943.[13]
In March 1946, the headquarters of Air Defense Command was established at Mitchel Army Airfield.
_P-61_Black_Widows.jpg)
With the establishment of theUnited States Air Force as a separate service in 1947, Mitchel AAF was redesignated as Mitchel Air Force Base.
In December 1948, ADC's responsibilities were temporarily assumed by theContinental Air Command, (ConAC), also located at Mitchel AFB. ConAC also was responsible for the reorganization of theAir Force Reserve after World War II. In 1949, the reserve mission was assigned toFirst Air Force, which was also headquartered at Mitchel AFB. First Air Force became the command and control organization for supervising the training of the air reserve in 15 eastern states and theDistrict of Columbia.[4] By 1949, due to the problems associated with operating tactical aircraft in the urban area – the noise, the small size of the field, and safety concerns – Mitchel AFB was relieved of the responsibility for defending New York's air space.[8]
Army Anti-Aircraft Command moved to Mitchel AFB on 1 November 1950.
After Air Defense Command was re-established on January 1, 1951; the 1945 U.S. Air Defense Plan recommendation for "... moving ADC Headquarters from Mitchel Field to a more central location ... in a protected command center" was completed toEnt Air Force Base, Colorado, on 8 January 1951.[14][15] On November 29, 1952, President-electDwight D. Eisenhower took off from Mitchel Field on a U.S. Air Force aircraft en route to South Korea, to fulfill a campaign promise.[8][16] Colonel W. Millikan's transcontinental speed record flight of 4 hours, 8 minutes set in aNorth American F-86 Sabre on 2 January 1954 ended at Mitchel AFB.
In April 1961, flying was halted and the514th Troop Carrier Wing reassigned toMcGuire Air Force Base inNew Jersey. After the 514th TCW moved, the base was closed on 25 June 1961. The property was turned over to Nassau County for redevelopment.[5][17][18] The facility still has military housing, a commissary and exchange facilities to support military families and activities in the area. TheGarden City–Mitchel Field Secondary, a remnant of theLong Island Rail Road'sCentral Branch from Garden City to Bethpage, ends in the northern part of Mitchel Field, providing sporadic freight service.
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Notes: Records incomplete for units assigned prior to 1940; Air Defense Command (ADC);Air Force Reserve (AFRES) assigned toContinental Air Command (ConAc); 18th Air Force Troop Carrier Wings assigned toTactical Air Command;Military Air Transport Service (MATS) 1112th Special Air Missions Squadron (SAMS) provided VIP transportation in New York City area for Commanding General, First Army, General Eisenhower and UN Military Staff using VC-47. The SAM mission was taken over by the 1254th Air Transport Group atBolling AFB with deployed aircraft (1298th ATS, 1299th ATS) to Mitchel.
Source for Major Commands and Major Units assigned:[17][19][21][22][23][24][25]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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