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MacOill Air Force Base Bounded by the City of Tampa to the north,

Tampa Bay to the south, Old Tampa Bay to the west, and Hillsborough Bay to the east

Tampa Hillsborough County Florida

PHOTOGRAPHS

WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA

Historic American Buildings Survey National Park Service

Southeast Regional Department of the Interior

Atlanta, Georgia 30303

HABS No. Fl-384

location:

Present Owner:

Present Occupants:

Present Use:

Significance:

HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE HABS No. Fl-384

The Base's northern boundary is the City of Tampa, which is separated by a security fence with check points on Bayshore Drive, MacDill Avenue and Dale Mabry (Highway 41). The Base is surrounded on the remaining three sides by water: Hillsborough Bay on the east side, Tampa Bay to the south, and Old Tampa Bay on the west side. Downtown Tampa is ten miles northeast of the north main (Dale Mabry) gate of the Base.

Tampa, Hi1lsborough County, Florida U.S.G.S. Port Tampa & Gibsonton, Florida 7.5' Quadrangles Universal Transverse Mercator Coordinates on Gibsonton Quadrangle: 17-353560-3081590

Department of the Air Force

MacDill Air Force Base 6th Air Base Wing

Military--Air Force

The period of significance of MacDill Air Force Base is 1939 to 1945. The Base, along with seven other installations, was planned through the National Defense Act of 1935 which was sponsored by Senator J. Mark Wilcox of West Palm Beach, Florida. At this time, the world democracies were b~1ng threatened by the military act ions of Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union. In 1939, the land was acquired and the first contingents of the Army Corps of Engineers and Works Projects Administration workers began clearing the site. The initial mission of MacDil l was to defend the Caribbean Region. But when the United States entered the Second World War, the Base's primary mission became one of training replacement units and personnel for combat in both the European and Pacific theaters of operation.

The Base is currently home of the Central Command which oversees military operations in the Persian Gulf. MacDill also served as the logistical point of command during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Part of MacDill Air Force is scheduled to close: the flight operations and equipment portion of the Base--which includes the hangars, runway, and igloos--will be transferred to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration. The none losure area, which contains the admin i st rat ion buildings and barracks, is scheduled to remain in operation.

PART I. PHYSICAL SETTING OF MACPILL AIR FQRCE BASE

MacDill Air Force Base HABS No. FL-384 (page 2)

MacDill Air Force Base encompasses over 5,700 acres, located approximately ten miles southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. Only a small portion of the land contains buildings--the majority of the acreage is devoted to flight operations structures, such as runways, aprons, and ammunition storage. The base is bounded on three sides by water: Hillsborough Bay on the east, Tampa Bay on the south, and Old Tampa Bay on the west. The primary aircraft runway starts in the upper northeast corner and runs diagonally to the southwest corner of the base. The runway nearly cuts the base into two sections. Storage igloos, the Port of Tampa Dock facilities, and undeveloped land are located on the west side of the runway. The administrative and residential areas, as well as the undeveloped wetlands, occupy the east side. The survey area, which encompasses the administrative and residential area located on the east central side bound by Hillsborough Bay, only occupies a small portion of the Base. The survey area is located between Bayshore Drive on the east side and Apron Access Road on the west side. The north end of the survey area starts at the North Boundary Road and terminates at the southern side of Hangar Loop Drive.

Within this survey area, most of the original permanent administrative and support facilities are still standing. However, except for the tile and stucco Field Officers Quarters {Staff Loop Area) and the Non-Comissioned Officers Housing, the original residential structures were temporary wood barracks and have been demolished. The current predominant architectural style is an adaptation of the Mediterranean Reviva 1 style that evolved into a Military Vernacular style. Military Vernacular consists of a poured-in-place concrete or concrete block type. Another "style" consists of wood frame structures originally designated as "temporary." This was originally the most prevalent building type on the Base but these structures have been, and continue to be, removed and replaced with more permanent .construction. There are also eleven buildings which exhibit the accepted academic interpretation of the Mediterranean Revival style and exhibit the following characteristics: low pitched roofs with little eave overhangs with regularly laid clay tile roofs, arched openings, stucco wall covering, and an asymetrical facade.

PART II. HISTQRIC BACKGBOUNQ INFQRMAJION AND CONTEXT DEYELQPMENJ

Tampa, a major United States seaport and important comercial and industrial center of the state of Florida, lies on the northeast shore of Tampa Bay. The metropolitan area of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater have a combined population of 2,067,959. Tampa, the county seat of Hillsborough County, covers approximately 170 square miles (440 square kilometers). Tampa's downtown area lies at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, near the point where the river empties into the Hillsborough Bay.

Burial mounds found along Florida's western coast show that Indians lived in the region as long as 10,000 years ago. Approximately 10,000 Indians, who belonged to at least six main tribes, lived in the Florida region when the first Europeans arrived. Some of these tribes include the Calusa, Tequesta, and Timucuan who


were located in the southern and western half of the state, with the Calusa and Timucuan near the present site of Tampa. 1

In 1513, the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon claimed this region for Spain and named it Florida, perhaps in honor of Pascua Florida, the Spanish term for the Easter season. In 1521, he returned to Florida to start a colony. More Spanish arrived in 1528 with an expedition of 400 men led by Panfilo de Naraez, who was traveling northward in search of gold. In 1589, Hernando de Soto, another Spaniard, landed an expedition in the area now known as Tampa Bay.

In 1564, a group of French Protestants known as Huguenots established a colony and built Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River, near what is now Jacksonville. Spain felt that the French were invading their territory and sent an armed force to meet the colonists in 1565. The ensuing massacre effectively ended French attempts to settle eastern Florida.

Meanwhile, the British were busy establishing colonies in northern Florida. When war broke out in mid-1700's between British and French colonists, Spain sided with France {despite the massacre of the Huguenots) and in their ensuing defeat, Spain ceded Florida to Britain in exchange for Cuba. Spain again regained control of Florida in 1783 after the British defeat in the Revolutionary War.

During the War of 1812 (1812-1815) Spain allowed the British to use Pensacola as a naval base against the United States. At the time, Florida was the only part of southeastern North America that did not belong to America. After the British defeat in New Orleans, Andrew Jackson captured Pensacola, defeated the Seminole Indians, and Spain was forced to turn Florida over to the United States in 1819.

In 1823, Robert J. Hackley, a pioneer from New York City, became the first United States citizen to sett le in the area w~ ich is now Tampa, where he bu 1 lt a plantation. In 1824, the United States government moved many Seminole Indians to a reservation near the Tampa Bay. Once the Indians, who had been fighting to keep their hunting grounds in northern Florida, were defeated, the Army built Fort Brooke on Tampa Bay to supervise the Seminole. White settlers soon established a village near the fort. The settlers named the village Tampa for the bay, which in turn was named for an Indian village that once stood in the area. 2 The village soon incorporated into a city in 1855 and by 1860 had a population of 885 people. Union troops occupied Tampa during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865.

Tampa's first benevolent philanthropist was Henry B. Plant from Atlanta, Georgia. Plant, an industrialist, spent millions of dollars between 1880 to 1890 to help develop the city. He built a railroad that linked Tampa with the northern states and helped establish the city's tourist industry. This railroad later became a deciding factor in locating MacDill Air Force Base in the Tampa area. In 1886, Florida tobacco processor Vicente Martinez Ybor founded a cigar industry in what is now Vbor City. The city served as a military base during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and as a ship building center during the First World War.


Real estate speculation in Florida attracted thousands of people to Tampa during the 1920's, which swelled the city population to over 101,000. The ship building industry thrived as well until the mid-1940's. At the start of World War II, the Army operated three air bases: Drew Field, Henderson Field, and MacDill Field. MacOill Air Force Base was one of seven bases authorized by the Wilcox National Defense Act and was part of a system of bases to defend the vulnerable Caribbean during World War II. The lack of available trained personnel during the war caused MacDill's mission to change to one of training pilots, maintenance personnel, instrument operators, and other technicians for combat support. To fulfill this mission MacDill developed intensive assembly-line training procedures to turn out high numbers of qualified personnel every three months.

At the conclusion of World War II, industrial growth gave the City of Tampa another population boost and by 1960, the city's population stood at over 274,000 people. 3 The city's economy slowly shifted from an industrial base to a service base with lower wages and poorer benefits. Despite these changes, MacDi 11 retained the role of training personnel during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Today, as the home of Central Command, the Base's mission has been returned to its origina 1 role of protecting American interests abroad and now oversees American activities in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.

PART III: DESCRIPTION OF MACDILL AIR FQRCE BASE

MacOill was originally laid out between 1938 and 1939. The original layout of the administration and residential area contained two design features that were not changed in the subsequent revisions: the triangular, central parade ground and the arrow-head layout of the five hangars. In essence, the administrative portion of the Base was laid out in the shape of a pentagon with a triangular void in the center. The hangars formed two legs and a point on the side that faced west. The original gate off Bayshore Road led from the north and was on center with the parade ground. Administrative buildings were aligned along the south end of the parade ground; officers' quarters lay on each side of the main street north of the parade grounds and along the eastern leg of the pentagon. Support buildings were placed in a symmetrical layout along a street that formed the southern boundary of the parade ground and terminated at the central hangar. Enlisted men's barracks were also originally designed symetrically around pentagon-shaped open areas on each side of this southern street.

When the plan was submitted to Washington, the arrangement of both the runways and the buildings was altered, although the general pentagon shape of the operations area remained.4 The hangars remained in their original arrowhead formation at the western edge of the administrative area. The street that led from the central hangar (Base hangar) and formed the southern edge of the parade ground was originally named Florida Avenue (now Florida Keys Avenue). The still triangular parade ground remained on axis at the end of what became Tampa Boulevard. Three primary "loop" roads circled the Base between the Parade Ground and the Hangars. Hangar Loop Drive was the furthest out, Hillsborough Loop Drive was next, and Administration Avenue linked up with roads that encircled the Parade Ground.

MacDill Air Force Base HABS No. FL-384 (page 5}

During the first wave of construction from 1940-1941, a railroad line spur ran from Port Tampa, down through the "North Area" of the Base, along the west side of Tampa Bay Boulevard and finally along the Hangar Loop Drive which traversed the eastern side of the five hangars. The railroad line lay between buildings that faced Hangar Loop Drive and Hillsborough Loop Drive, which was the next concentric road towards the parade ground. Buildings serviced by the spur line included the six wood warehouses behind Hangar 4 and Hangar 5 (of which only Building 227 and Building 241 remain}, the Quartermaster Commissary (Building 30}, the Quartermaster Warehouse (Building 11}, the Signal Ordnance Warehouse (Building 12), a temporary wood warehouse (Building 111), the Quartermaster Shop (Building 29), and the Quartermaster Motor Pool (Buildings 32, 33, and 34).

The major buildings completed by 1941 included the Fire and Guard Station (Building 26) and the Photography Lab (Building 27), located on either side of Florida Avenue near the Base Hangar. Further east, on the south side of Florida Avenue, sat the original Base Headquarters (Building 240}. The Base Post Office (Building 344) was located near the southeast corner of the Parade Ground. The Standard Oil Service Center (Building 527) sat on the west side of the formal entry to the field. It was designed by Standard Oil and dispensed gasoline.

The runways occupied land west of the Hangars and the Base Hospital was located by the shore, south of the administration area. The long distance between the main part of the Base and the hospital was probably due to the quarantine areas maintained by the hospital and the convenience to the ferry service at the south end of the peninsula. The hospital later moved further north, and the south end became a recreation area and beach. The Chemical Warfare area, which stored hazardous materia 1 s 1 ike mustard gas, was located near the mangrove swamps on the western edge of the cleared area.

During the first phase of construction, t~ree NCO duplexes (Buildings 521-523) and five officers' quarters (Buildings 401-405) had also been completed. No add1t1onal permanent officers' quarters were bui1t unt11 the 1950's. The symmetrical barracks area originally designed on either side of Florida Avenue east of the Fire Station were never built. Instead, barracks buildings filled in the southern leg of the pentagon and behind the NCO duplexes.

The second wave of construction on MacDill from 1942-1943 produced buildings mostly in the North Area to accommodate the Black soldiers stationed at the Base. The Base dismantled all of the North Area after the military was desegregated in 1949, and only the two water pumping stations (Building 927-928) remain from this era. The Motor Pool (Building 1050), which was not built until 1944, is the only surviving structure directly associated historically with the Black troops.

Family housing built during the 1950's did not follow the original design of the Base. The original layout envisioned a series of small U-shaped loop roads that serviced the houses. The 1940's alterations to this plan left space for additional housing to follow the existing loop system of roads. However, the actual construction consisted of streets oriented on the cardinal points and disrupted the continuity of the loops. The original design was further compromised by the construction of very large command buildings in the 1960's in


the middle of the Parade Ground. Future buildings were often constructed at the expense of existing ones. The majority of the historic 1940's buildings that have been demolished were designated "Temporary" and consisted of one or two story wood frame structures. Most of MacDill's original "Permanent" structures (concrete or steel frame constructed in a Mediterranean/Spanish revival style) remain standing.

PART IV: HISTORY OF HACDILL AIR FQRCE BASE

MacDill Air Force Base was named after Colonel Leslie MacDill (1889-1938), a veteran Army Air Force pilot who was killed on a training flight on November 8, 1938, when his North American BC-1 crashed at Anacostia, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.). Leslie MacDill, born in Monmouth, Illinois, graduated from Hanover College in Indiana in 1909 with a Bachelor of Arts and went on to receive a Master of Arts from Indiana University in 1911. MacDill received a second lieutenant commission from the Coast Artillery in April, 1912. Later, he transferred to the Aviation Sect ion of the Signa 1 Corps and was the first candidate to file application papers for pilot training in that branch. Colonel MacDill never flew in active combat during the First World War but served as commander of the Aerial Gunnery School in St. Jean De Monte, France. 5 After the War, he returned to the States and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was on duty in Washington, D.C. when he was killed in the accident. He was only 49 years old. In December of 1939, the Southeastern Air Base was renamed MacDill Field in his honor. 6 MacDill Avenue, which connects the Base with the City of Tampa, was also named after him.

Although no formal documents or proclamation gave the Base its original name, "Southeastern Air Base" was probably used simply as a convenient geographic reference. The majority of the pre-1941 cor:istruction drawings, contract records, and correspondence refer to MacDil l as the Southeastern Air Base with many of the original construction drawings showing traces of the name "Southeastern Air Base" with "MacDill Field" lettered over the erasure.

Tampa became the home of the flying field known today as MacDill Air Force Base as a result of world events. Increasing tension in the 1930's caused by world political crises which grew into armed clashes gave America cause to look into her own defenses. The destruction wrought from undeclared wars in China, Finland, and Spain shattered any remaining illusions that America's defense could compare with the modern warfare methods of Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union. At this time, the Nazis rose to power in Germany; Japan invaded China; and the Soviet Union occupied southern Finland. The U.S. Army saw the state of the world and decided to develop plans to create new air bases throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Panama. Congressman J. Mark Wilcox of West Palm Beach, Florida supported the military's concerns and introduced a bill which would become known as the Wilcox National Defense Act to authorize the creation of the new air bases.7

In 1935, Senator Wilcox's bill was formally introduced as the National Defense Act. Congress passed the Wilcox National Defense Act, as it became known, that


same year. This legislation authorized the selection of seven air bases and depots but provided no funding. 8 The Army Air Corps would construct the facilities when it received the funding. The "Southeastern Air Base" in Tampa was initially estimated to cost approximately $3,168,000.00. The Wilcox Act proposed that seven bases be established in the following locations:

1. Air Base located at Fairbanks, Alaska (Eielson Air Force Base) 2. Air Depot located at Ogden, Utah (Hill Air Force Base) 3. Air Base located at Westover, Massachusetts (Westover Air Force Base) 4. Air Depot located at Mobile, Alabama (Brookley Air Force Base) 5. Air Base located at Tampa, Florida (MacDill Air Force Base) 6. Air Base located in Puerto Rico (Borinquen Air Force Base) 7. Air Base located in Panama (Howard Air Force Base)

To implement the Act, the Air Corps set up a review board consisting of officers from both the Air Corps and the War Department (predecessor to the Department of Defense) to determine the selection of the actual location of each proposed base. This review board became known as the Wilcox Site Board. 9 The Wilcox Site Board held much economic power during the Depression: a city and county awarded a base would suddenly receive an economic transfusion of jobs and money for decades. Therefore, it was not surprising that the Board was under constant pressure from lobbyist and "study groups" representing potential cities and counties believed to be in the running to receive one of the prized bases. The Air Corps officers on the Board consisted of Colonel John D. Reardon, Colonel Frances M. Brady (later General Brady), Major Rowland R. Street (later General Street) and Colonel Harry H. Young (later Commanding Officer of MacDill Field). The Wilcox Site Board, charged with the selection of the site, was also to some degree consulted on the plans for the actual construction of the bases and depots.

The War Department felt that the Caribbe~n--composed of small countries that lacked the military strength required to defend themselves against attack--was a vulnerable area 1n the defense of the United States. The U.S. military reasoned that any enemy force could seize the Caribbean nations one by one for the purpose of staging attacks against the continental United States, Panama Cana 1, and the shipping 1 ines in the Gulf of Mexico. The military also determined that a lone carrier attack on the Panama Canal would disastrously cripple the United States war effort by blocking its ability to move ships and troops from the Pacific to the Atlantic or vice versa. 10

In order to defend the region, the Air Corps proposed the establishment of a triangular system of defense for the Caribbean. One point was to be Puerto Rico and the other two corners to be bases in Panama and Florida. Air patrols operating from the triangular formation were to be used as a form of early detection against an enemy attack. Thus, the first and foremost role of the future southeastern, Puerto Rican, and Panamanian air bases was to protect the southern flank of the United States. The continental bases allowed the operation of heavy bombers as well as provided logistics and supplies to any military operation in the region. Secondary purposes--flight operations and training-were to be handled out of a southeastern air base somewhere in Florida and logistics were to be managed out of an air depot in Alabama. 11


While the War Department contemplated the locations of its new air bases, the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County did not sit idle. Tampa mayor R. E. L. Chancey appointed a special cormnission to lobby the War Department to bring an air base to Tampa. The purpose of the commission, chaired by banker R. Ambler Liggett, was to gain support from local constituents. Mayor Chancey appointed the following people to the conunission: 1

z

R. Ambler Liggett, Chairperson W. Howard Frankland, Executive Cormnittee Person

George B. Howell, Executive Committee Person Leslie H. Blank A. B. McMullen Robert L. Clinton J. A. Sweeny c. D. Curtis E. P. Taliaferro M. M. Frost Henry C. Tillman F. J. Gannon J. A. Waterman F. L. Judd Pat Whitaker H. T. Lykes D. Hoyt Woodbery

Prior to and during the Second World War, Tampa actually had three air bases-Drew Field, Henderson Field, and Avon Park. Drew Field was located in the vicinity of Tampa International Airport. Henderson Field was located in the vicinity of Busch Gardens. Avon Park is still in operation. All of these fields were thought to be too small for the purposes of national defense. The actual reasons for the selection of Tampa as the location of a southeastern air base were many, making it difficult to single out any one reason as the deciding factor. It was believed, but unverified, that General George C. Marshall and Colonel H. B. Claggert had "unofficially" approved the site during Army Air maneuvers held at the site in March of 1938. Ultimately, the decision for selecting Tampa was probably an amalgamation of several positive characteristics that found favor with the Wilcox Selection Board, including:

1. The Tampa Bay area had excellent year-round weather which would permit more frequent and longer flight operations.

2. The peninsula location made the site easily separated from adjoining land by a fence on only one side of the area. Also, the nature of a peninsula meant that the site would be surrounded by water on three sides. This geographical feature also allowed the living quarters to catch the cool sea breezes.

3. From a logistical point of view, the proximity to Tampa was very important. The city had developed a working transportation infrastructure that could move goods and people either by land or sea. Also, an existing railroad line ran through the city which made it possible to add a spur to service the new base. The city of Tampa had an established industry and work force which could provide many of the services and goods needed to construct and operate the air base.

MacDill Air Force Base HABS No. FL-384 {page 9)

4. From a pilot's point of view, a peninsula site was the safest location. The site al lowed six of the possible eight landing approaches to be over water instead of land and thus there would be no danger of obstacles constructed in the flight approach area. From a logistical point of view, this fact meant that the military would not have to acquire extra land as a "clear zone" which would be generally use less to the Base other than as an area where the construction of vertical obstructions was forbidden. Also, in the extreme event that a plane had to crash land {"ditch"), the pilot could ditch in the water rather than over land and thus greatly increase the chance of pilot/crew survival and lessen the potential for ground casualties.

5. From a political point of view, the City of Tampa and County of Hillsborough actively and publicly lobbied for the Southeastern Air Base to be located in Tampa. The Chamber of Commerce, through flyers, speeches and published articles, aroused strong public enthusiasm for the project. The Chamber of Commerce established an Aeronautical Committee whose specific purpose was to keep the public interested in the project. The State Legislature passed a Special Legislation to permit Hillsborough County to spend $250,000.00 to purchase 3,000 acres of land to give to the War Department. The bill authorized a tax levy on property in the Tampa metropolitan area. The remainder of the property for the site amounted to 2,700 acres and was to be purchased by the War Department itself.

With all these factors in Tampa's favor, the Wilcox Site Board chose Tampa's Catfish Point as the location for the new Southeastern Air Base over sites in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. On May 24, 1939, Major Lawrence L. Simpson received orders in the Tampa Office of the Construction Quartermaster Corps of Engineers to proceed to the area for the purpose of taking immediate possession of that land for clearing and constructing the necessary buildings for a new air base. The order was signed by Secretary of War Henry Hines Woodring. In compliance with the received orders, the Army secured the area and posted guards across the site with instructions not to permit anyone on the site without a pass.

While awaiting the final decision of the War Department concerning the location of the new Southeastern Air Base, 5,767 acres of land was formally brought under the control of the Quartermaster Corps. The area extended south of a line from Ballast Point to the City of Port Tampa for 3,000 feet where it turned westward and followed the boundary line to Old Tampa bay. The announcement of the selection of the air base site was published by local newspapers on July 14, 1939. Hillsborough County promised to purchase for the War Department 3,472 acres; the Army would then only have to buy an addition 2,295 acres. But when the location of the site was announced, the property owners demanded higher prices for their land, which the government refused to pay. As a result, the properties were condemned by the government on October 9, 1939 after 298 parcels had been appraised by Leslie H. Blank, W. E. Hamner, and W. H. Toole. In order to compensate the Army, Hillsborough County promised to pay $97,000.00 cash to


the government in lieu of buying the 3,472 acres of land it had originally agreed to furnish the Army. Due to the court litigation between land owners and the War Department over proper compensation, actual construction work did not begin for several months.

The land that would serve as the future home of MacDil l Air Force Base was ultimately acquired by negotiation or condemnation financed with a $250,000.00 bond issue which would be paid by an assessment on Tampa property. Also, $416,000.00 of bonds which the county commission had authorized to sell were taken in payment for taxes. The county al so offered the 3, 472 acres as a location for an air depot in addition to an air base. The depot eventually went to Mobile, Alabama. The Mobile depot, later known as Brookley Air Force Base, was disestablished as an air force installation in 1969.

The acquisition of the land titles proved to be one of the more difficult tasks. Some owners sold their land for one dollar ($1.00) an acre to Hillsborough County. 13 Others sold their waterfront property for fifty ($50.00) dollars an acre and ten {$10.00) dollars an acre for inland acreage. The principal difficulty encountered in the purchase of land, however, was the tangle of taxes. When Florida was developing, land had sold at high prices, and a special tax district had been created by referendum to establish the Inter Bay Drainage District. 14 The district constructed ditches to drain the land to make it usable for real estate sub-division, and the costs were charged against the property. As the market declined due to the Depression, property values dropped drastically, and several estates reverted to the state. In order to support the District, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation refinanced the District through a $1,100,000.00 loan and therefore held the lien on the bonds issued by the Drainage District. As a result of the tax complications, the property owners were unable to provide a clear title for the War Department.

There were two approaches to solve the tit le problems: either the Reconstruct ion Finance Company would agree to lift the lien on the properties or condemnation proceedings would have to be used to get possession of the property. The proponents of the Tampa Bay site approached the Company with arguments that the value of the lien would be guaranteed by the increase in property values of the land outside the proposed site in the Bay to Bay area covered by the lien. The alternative method of condemnation would permit the Army to take invnediate possession of the property and begin construction work; the title problem would then have to be settled in court. But after repeated failures to make substantial progress in purchasing the land, the War Department announced it was going to acquire the property through condemnation proceedings. 15

The War Department was to pay a lump sum fee not to exceed $125,000.00 for the land promised by Hillsborough County. The land was priced between $10.00 to $50.00 an acre. The actual amount paid to the County was not disclosed but it was not the full amount; there was a balance left that was to be paid "whenever required." When the final cost was settled, the County paid $97,000.00 and the War Department added $76,004.00. The total of $173,004.00 was estimated by the War Department to be sufficient to pay off all legitimate claims against the properties.


Due to these pro longed court cases, the exact date of the establishment of MacDill Air Force Base is almost impossible to specify. On July 13, 1939, the War Department announced that it had selected the southern tip of Tampa's Interbay peninsula known as Catfish Point for the location of a southeastern air base. The Tampa Tribune announced the selection in their July 14, 1939 edition.

However, it was not until the land issue was settled on July 15 that the War Department announced that the Southeastern Air Base was definitely going to be located at Catfish Point. The Base itself dismisses these dates and states that the Base was officially born upon activation on April 15, 1941. To Tampa, the decision meant increased property values, additional jobs, increased business, and national recognition for the region.

After the announcement, Florida Congressman Peterson stated it would mean a $20,000,000.00 construction and installation program during the next four years. The $3,168,000.00 appropriation assigned earlier in the year was just the start. The initial appropriation laid the ground work for the construction program which consisted of the construction of runways, underground drainage system, foundations for hangars, sewers, barracks, administration buildings, and officers' quarters. Personnel had to be trained and airplanes had to be built. The training program had to be synchronized with the building construction. It was envisioned that the Base would be home to 1,000 aircraft, with each aircraft requiring at least one officer and four or more enlisted mechanics which would place the personnel total between 4,000 to 5,000 people when fully completed. 16

The task of building a new air field from scratch on a swampy site was enormous. The War Department assigned two military construction organizations to oversee the building program: the Army Corps of Engineers and the Quartermaster Corps. The Army Corps of Engineers was responsible for the direction of construction at all Air Corps stations except those in Panama. The Quartermaster Corps was responsible for the maintenance of buildings and facilities when completed and turned over to them by the Engineer Corps. The approval of work was the responsibility of the Chief of the Air Corps."

On September 6, 1939, the Construction Quartermaster, supervised by Major Lawrence L. Simpson, arrived at Catfish Point with a crew of twenty-two engineers and assistants. Their first assignment was to survey the area. The work began from the bench mark that was established by the Harbor Survey of the United States District Engineers of Jacksonville, Florida at the extreme end of the peninsula known as Manhattan Beach. In conjunction with the surveying, another team gathered data with soil drilling tests to determine the depth of the stratum of bed rock and by sampling the soil with hundreds of holes dug four feet by six feet in size. 18

The soil characteristics presented the greatest problem for the Quartermaster's crew. The soil at the Base was described as a "bodiless sand" which failed to support a structura 1 load when dry but when wet, turned into a dough-like substance. When the soil was dry, the wind blew the sandy soil into machinery,


tents, and food. When it rained at the site, the surface became one huge "mud pen." In general, the soil made life miserable for human comfort and was also regarded as an engineering nuisance.

Major Simpson located his first headquarters on the fourth floor of the City Hall until offices on the Base were complete to allow relocation from downtown Tampa. On September 8, 1939, Colonel Lynwood B. Jacobs arrived to become the first unofficial Commander of what was then still known as the Southeastern Air Base. Colonel Jacobs arrived from Washington, D. C., where he was chief of the building and grounds section of the Air Corps. During his tenure at MacDill, which lasted until March 17, 1940, Jacobs was not officially listed as the commander because he did not have enough personnel working under him in order to qualify as a commander (500 minimum were needed). Jacobs worked closely with Major Lawrence L. Simpson, the officer in the Quartermaster's Department who was in charge of construction. Colonel Jacobs, an officer in the Air Corps, took command of the Base as it was being built. Together, they commanded and supervised the very beginning of MacDill.~

Lt. Col. Jacobs and Major Simpson began by drawing up plans for the Base, and on November 3, 1939, a conference was held to discuss its design and layout. The original recommendations for the building program were projected a long the northern boundary, starting from the old Bayshore Road on the east and running to the west. The barracks and administration buildings were located near the main entrance and sited on the highest part of the Base, which would minimize and almost eliminate the costly procedure of regrading the site through a cut and fill procedure. The runways and hangars were located to the south and east of the proposed building area. The runways were sited so that there were six water approaches, which alleviated the problem of ever having vertical obstructions in the flight path. This arrangement also kept a maximum distance between the flight operations and administrative functions. This well-conceived plan made the best use of a swampy site with a very limited budget.

Although the plan had the entire support of the ground engineers and made perfect sense in its arrangement and design, Washington, D.C. rejected it. The War Department, for reasons unknown, changed the location of the hangars and runways. The War Department relocated the hangars to the western end of the building area in a sweeping arc running northeast to southeast. Administration buildings and offices were placed in the middle and southern sections of the peninsula. As the result of the relocation, the entire building level of the Base had to be raised two to four feet with expensive dirt fill. 20 The runways moved to the northwest area of the Base. The six water approaches from the original plan were retained, but the new orientation meant that any additional approaches, if built, would have to be over land. The only positive aspect to the redesign affected the living quarters which were moved closer to the water and, thus, would be able to take advantage of the cool breezes blowing in from the bays. Even with modern day intervention, this configuration can still be seen today.

MacDill Air Force Base HABS No. Fl-384 (page 13)

To assist with the financing of the construction of Southeastern Air Base, the War Department appropriated $1,064,255.00 from Works Projects Administration (WPA) funds. 21 The labor cost was defrayed through the use of WPA labor in the Florida area. The WPA funds and labor were used to clear and grade the site, install drainage, build roads, erect fencing, lay railroad tracks, and install sanitary systems. In general, the Construct ion Quartermaster Corps possessed the equipment and the WPA had the manpower to complete the tasks. On November 27, 1939, the first crew of one hundred men arrived on site to begin work. Before the site was cleared, the land consisted of little more than palmettos, mangroves, scrub pine, oak trees, ponds, and swamps. 22

The initial construction work, assigned to the WPA under the guidance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, was to clear the land. The WPA started the project on November 28, 1939 through a WPA allotment of $609,641.00 and the War Department contribution of $455,114.00 for a total of $1,064,755.00. 23

At the same time, the WPA started to extend Lisbon Avenue to the field.

The initial WPA crew consisted of only sixty men. At the time, Catfish Point was occupied by only a couple of families since the majority of the land was a mosquito-infested swamp. The WPA initially assigned the men to clear and drain the 5,767 acres of land, but the work force eventually cleared over 2,944 acres and excavated over 1,757,557 cubic yards of dirt. They also provided 2,656 cubic yards of structural concrete for culverts and paving; during construction, they built approximately six miles of temporary roads and 13 miles of storm sewers. MacDill's WPA workers were allowed to work forty-eight hour weeks instead of the thirty hour week established by the WPA. Their assignments consisted of filling operations throughout the building area, grading and drainage of land, placing and finishing limerock, pouring concrete sidewalks and curbs, planting grass plots on the air field, laying pipe for sewers, road construction, and assisting in minor building construction. The WPA ~ork force peaked at 2,637 workers 1n late 1940. 24 Materials and equipment were provided by the War Department. Although the WPA did not directly construct buildings or erect runways and aircraft aprons, their work contributed greatly toward the creation of the Base.

After the land was cleared, the WPA crews worked on the construction of open drainage ditches and temporary roads. The drainage task was made easier by the previous work of the Inter Bay Drainage District, which had previously installed a drainage system on the land. Thus, crews only needed to clear the ditches and line the interiors of the ditches with concrete. The second task was to build and develop a series of temporary roads to allow the transportation of machinery, equipment and supplies to the Base. In 1939, the building area included only the runway, the hangars, and barracks. The first permanent road built was MacDill Avenue. MacDill Avenue originated at Lisbon Avenue and headed south until it connected with a series of temporary roads on the Base. Work was also conducted simultaneously with the cutting and clearing of trees. To facilitate the process, a small sawmill was set up near the MacDill Avenue Gate. The sawmill cut the logs from MacDill's trees into lumber which was then used to build temporary buildings and for sheathing as well as being used in the construction of sewers and underground utility conduits. It is believed that the Base mill cut over one mil 1 ion feet of lumber. 25

MacOill Air Force Base HABS No. FL-384 (page 14)

After the completion of the surveying and site work, the building construction process began. On December 5, 1939, the final draft of the plans for the location and types of building was brought to Tampa by Major General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold.u Upon review and receipt of the plans and instructions, Major Simpson and Colonel Jacobs were ready to start building construction. Construction of the runways and three landing strips did not start until August 14, 1940. The 5,000 foot long by 250 foot wide runway would not be completed until April 15, 1941.

There were to be two types of classifications designated for the buildings constructed on MacOill Field: permanent and temporary. Structures such as hangars and the commissary were classified as permanent facilities. The architectural style chosen for the permanent facilities was a combination of Spanish and Mediterranean influences in order to provide comfort in Florida's hot climate. Installations such as barracks, administrative offices, and some warehouses were considered temporary. There were 31 temporary buildings planned for MacDill. Temporary buildings were typically wood frame structures, one or two stories high. However, the sheer number of temporary wood structures made them the dominant building type on the Base.

Approximately four houses were already in existence on the site prior to possession by the government. The most prominent building was the Benjamin House, a Spanish/Mediterranean style, cement and stucco-covered residence which would serve as the Officers Club until a new club/mess hall (Building #397) ctuld be built. 21 When Building #397 was completed, the Benjamin House was used for Officers' Quarters. This house served as the mode 1 for MacOil l's military housing. The Army usually implemented a policy to utilize local construction methods and architectural styles when engaged in new construct ion. 28

Unfortunately, the Benjamin House was destroyed by a fire at an unknown later date sometime after 1975.

The new buildings constructed included two aircraft hangars with a support shop, four warehouses, a photographic laboratory, and a communication building with a guard & fire house. The initial cost estimate of the buildings was as follows:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Two Hangars and a Shop: Four Warehouses: Photographic Lab: Communications Building:

$1,200,000.00 $ 200,000.00 $ 35,000.00 $ 60,000.00

The Base also constructed several temporary facilities to house the enlisted men. Seventeen double decker type barracks were built to house sixty three men. There were eight mess halls capable of feeding 250 men each. Six recreation facilities also served as supply buildings. 29 With the approach of the scheduled arrival of the first troops on April 15, 1940, the Base decided to expedite the installation of necessary utilities as well as the plumbing, heating, and roofing of buildings by utilizing WPA labor and the rough lumber produced on the Base instead of outside contractors.

MacDill Air Force Base HABS No. FL-384 {page 15}

The City of Tampa contributed in several ways to help MacDill Field become an operational air base. The city provided water from its own reservoirs and, with the aid of the Chamber of Commerce, sponsored a program to procure housing and a downtown clubhouse for enlisted men. The housing program listed three hundred units available for lease to military personnel for as low a rent as possible. The clubhouse was to be a combination club and waiting room located at the bus terminal which would provide service to the Base. The club also provided a furnished lounge for letter writing, reading, and small amounts of recreation. 10

As the construction progressed, it became obvious that the plans for MacDill Field were going to cost more money than had originally been allocated for the work. An additional $848,000.00 was appropriated to complete the work planned for the fiscal year ending in 1941. The appropriations were to cover the following items, with an additional $289,000.00 provided through WPA funds: 11

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Runways, Grading and Lighting Completion of Hangars Addition to Gasoline Storage Headquarters Building Bomb Storage Machine Gun Range Water, Electricity, Etc.

$400,000.00 $183,400.00 $ 50,000.00 $131,000.00 $ 50,000.00 $ 15,000.00 $ 18,000.00

Under Jacobs' command, the Base developed from swamp lands to the beginnings of a working air base. Upon Jacobs departure, Lt. Col. Harry H. Young commanded the field for the first of two inconsecutive tenures, which lasted from March 18, 1940 until May 16, 1940. Colonel Young, born and raised most of his childhood years in Germany, came to the United States at the age of 16 and later enlisted in the New Jersey National Guard's Fourth Infantry Regiment. During World War I, Young volunteered as an air observer in 1917. In France, he participated in the Saint Mihiel and Argonne Forest offensives against the German Army. At the conclusion of the First World War, he attended flying school at Kelly Field in Texas and received his pilot's rating in 1924. By 1940, he was serving as a lieutenant colonel in the office of the chief of the Army Air Corps with Colonel Clarence L. Tinker (who ultimately became the first official commander of MacDi 11). After Co lone l Jacobs departed, Young asked Tinker to become his executive officer. When passing out assignments, the Air Corps sent Tinker to Barksdale; Young was sent to MacOill in order to oversee the completion of the construction and the preparation for Tinker's arrival. Like Jacobs' administration, Young's first tenure is sometimes not considered as a command because the field did not have the required amount of personnel {at least 500) to qua 1 ify as a command. 3z

Troops and aircraft started to arrive on MacDill Field in March of 1940 from Barksdale Field, Louisiana and Mitchell Field, New York. The first groups included the 29th Bombardment Group, 44th Bombardment Group, 21st Reconnaissance Squadron, and the 14th Reconnaissance Squadron. These Groups and Squadrons were among the first of America's Air forces to be sent to combat duty during the Second World War. The Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron of the Third


Bombardment Wing, which later became the Third Bomber Command, was also stationed at MacDi 11.

The Engineering Units assigned to the Base were intended to assist in the construction of purely military installations that were not generally assigned to private contractors. MacDill received the First Battalion of the 21st Aviation Engineers from Fort Benning on June 21, 1940. The construction of the Base remained the responsibility of the Quartermaster Corps of Engineers and aviation related issues were to be handled by Lt. Col. Jacobs, unofficial first Base Commander.

The 29th Bombardment Group flew fourteen Boeing B-18's, America's super heavy bomber of the time, to Tampa from Langley Field, Virginia, in January of 1941. Since MacDill's runways were unfinished, both the troops and aircraft were temporarily stationed at Drew Field, approximately ten miles north of MacDill, near the present site of Tampa International Airport. When the runways opened, regular flight operations commenced on February 7, 1941, and local legend has it that Colonel Clarence Tinker landed the first aircraft at the Base.

Colonel Clarence L. Tinker's officially arrived on Wednesday, May 16, 1940--along with the 29th Bombardment Group (H)--as MacDil l's first official commanding officer." Both Colonel Lynwood Jacobs and Colonel Harry Young had held the title with the understanding that it was only a temporary arrangement, pending the permanent appointment of Colonel Tinker after his duties at Barksdale Field were completed.

Colonel Tinker, born in Oklahoma in 1888, enrolled in Wentworth Military Academy. In 1908, he graduated from the Academy and receive a commission as a Third Lieutenant in the Philippine Constabulary. Colonel Tinker quickly rose through the ranks of the Army. Tinker was an experienced pilot. In 1935, he commanded a flight of bombers from Hamilton Field, California, to Washington, D.C. in 14.5 hours. At that time, a record for the longest flight formation. 34

At the time of Tinker's arrival 1n 1940, MacD111 Field was axper1enc1ng various delays wh11e implementing the building program. There was open criticism about how the project was being administered. Unit commanders, on a whole, felt that the road and utilities system should have been built and completed first before the arrival of any troops.

Lt. Col. Vincent Meloy, Commanding Officer of the 29th Bombardment Group, believed that after the completion of the utility infrastructure, the recreational facilities for the troops should have been completed at the earliest date possible. Also, provisions for emergency heat in the barracks and tents, cooling and refrigeration in the kitchens, and adequate fire protection should have kept pace with the growth of the Base. Captain G. R. Barnes, Base Ordnance Officer, reported that there were not enough provisions for troops in the barracks, mess hall, and service warehouses. 1st Lt. Willard G. Davis, Chaplain, believed that the Base failed to provide sufficient buildings for religious welfare and recreational programs and stressed the importance of such facilities to the morale and welfare of the men. 35

MacDill Air Force Base HASS No. FL-384 (page 17)

Despite the expected setbacks and delays with an undertaking of this size, progress was made in 1940 and several more buildings were completed, or at least started. The two largest projects were the actual construction of the hangars and runways after WPA workers cleared, drained, and graded the land. On June 15, 1940, MacDill Field received plans from Washington, D. C. to build three hangars for the estimated cost of $1,200,000.00. The Central Construction Company was awarded the contract to build the three hangars. The largest hangar, known as the Base Hangar (Building #3), measured 338 feet wide by 274 feet deep and was a combination shop and plane storage facility with office space and a two story warehouse area on each side. The other two support hangars, measuring 274 feet by 270 feet each, were used for aircraft storage. All three hangars were of arched steel frame construction (as opposed to the more typical steel truss construction) with concrete floors and were designed by the Arch Roof Construction Company of New York City. Sliding metal doors provided an aperture 200 feet wide. The three hangars, completed by December 1940, were the first to be built on Base.~

All construction projects were divided into two groups. The first group was referred to as "Job Number MacDill A 41-1" and the second as "Job Number MacDill 42-2." Job Number MacDill A 41-1 was actually not completed until March of 1943 at a cost of $4,298,191.43. This project represented the entire building period of MacDill from December 15, 1939, when work began on the first temporary barracks, to 1942. Job Number A 42-2, completed in August, 1942, cost $3,859,643.00. 37

The scope of Job Number A 42-2 included the construction of the last two hangars, known then as P-4 and P-5. These hangars were located at either end of the arc formed by the flight 1 ine and by the three previous hangars. The hangar construction was contracted on June 19, 1941 and a notice to proceed was issued on July 29, 1941. Both hangars were reinforced monolithic beam and girder type with integral cement finish on a concrete base. The side walls were constructed of reinforced concrete applied with a smooth finish. The front and rear elevations (the hangar ends) were constructed of vertical corrugated siding on structural steel framing. The front sliding hangar doors mechanically opened with a nearby motor. The hangar roof, sheathed in wood, was supported by steel "I" beams. The hangars originally measured approximately 228 feet by 270 feet. The soil conditions at these particular spots were so weak that concrete piles (30 ton capacity each) were used instead of the traditional continuous foundation walls. 412 concrete piles were driven to an average depth of 25'-6" below the surface. 38

The other large project underway in 1940 was the construction of the runways. In June of 1940, the Army announced that it would receive bids on the construction of three runways at MacDill Field. The Army specified that the runways were to be constructed out of asphalt and be 5,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. The Army projected the cost to construct the runways to be approximately $700,000.00. On July 9, 1940 the runway project was awarded to the Ebersback Construction Company of Tampa, Florida. Ebersback, the lowest bidder at $745,832.00, agreed to complete the work in 140 days. 39 Construction of the runways commenced on 14 August 1940. To celebrate the beginning of the runway


construction, radio station WOAE broadcasted the event from the Base. Several local dignitaries were on hand to witness the event, including: 40

Mayor Chancey Mayor A. T. Rollins Mr. Ray B. Cralle Mr. Henderson Mr. Charles W. Barnett Mr. S. W. Storey Mr. Frank M. Traynor Mr. M. M. Frost Mr. Sol Flieschman

Tampa, Florida Port Tampa City President of the Tampa Chamber of Commerce Hillsborough County Commissioner Florida State Employment Service Executive Vice President of Port land Cement Company Member of the Mayor's Commission for MacDill Member of the Mayor's Commission for MacDill WOAE Announcer and Commentator

On September 28, 1940, Col. Tinker announced that runway No. 1 was completed and that the other two runways would be finished by October 10, 1940. Col. Tinker thought that at the current speed and pace, flight operations could begin as early as December I, 1940.

Another project of significance to Base personnel was the construction of three duplex houses, each with two units, for married personnel (Buildings #521, #522 and #523). A total of six housing units were made available to the Base. The A. C. Honeycutt Company was awarded the contract to complete the housing quarters. 41 This contract was one of the first public contracts for building construction. The question of quarters for married non-commissioned officers at MacOill Field had been raised in April of 1940, when a questionnaire was circulated to determine if there was sufficient suitable housing for married personnel. Even with the low-cost housing project initiated by the City of Tampa, the questionnaire showed that this need had not been adequately met. 42 The housing units were completed by August of 1940, and by September, the units were assigned to six non-commissioned officers.and their families.

July of 1940 saw approximately 2,500 to 3,000 men assigned to the Base. The completion of Buildings #521, #522 and #523 barely made a dent in the severe housing shortage. The building program had not kept pace with the size of the contingent stationed at MacDill. As a result, "Boom Town" was created in 1940 to care for the large number troops that were sent to the Field before barracks type accommodations could be provided. "Boom Town" was constructed in the area around Chapel #2 (demolished, no date known) and Hangar #2. The name "Boom Town" was given to the tent city where combat crews and casual troops were housed during their temporary stay at MacOill Field. "Boom Town" existed for well over a year and was not very pleasant. The sunmer of 1940 was very rainy and the insides of the tents were constantly wet. The floors were continuously in varying consistencies of mud. During the fall and winter, when the ground dried, the wind blew the dirt into the tents like sand. Troops living in "Boom Town" had to deal with sand in clothes, bedding, and even food.Q

A make-shift solution was the erection of hutments. The hutments, originally constructed for use in actual operations, were intended as temporary structures. The floors and walls that had been used for the tents were re--used in the hutments. The floors arranged to form the foundation of future buildings twenty


feet wide and sixty feet long. The sides of the old tents became the bottom half of the sides of the new hutments. The rest of the side walls was left open up to the eaves. This opening could then be closed with solid shutters. A composition roof completed the structure. An average of two hutments were usually erected each day. The area was divided into two sections, each housing a thousand men. The troops housed in the hutment began to name the "streets" which their hutment faced. The first hutment community completed named their street King's Row. The second street to be named was called Bombing Range. The name was not in honor of the bombardiers or bombers stationed at MacDill, but rather as a tribute to the mosquito infestation which constantly made life miserable in the hutments. It was typical for each bunk to have a mosquito net over the bed. 44

Col. Tinker realized that the housing shortage had to be corrected as soon as possible. He wrote to the War Department on August 6, 1940 and requested that the War Department recommend to the Federal Housing Authority {FHA) that up to 500 housing units be built near MacDill Field for use by married non-commissioned officers. The recommendation was accepted by the FHA and on December 12, 1940, a contract for the construction of 300 housing units at Gadsden Park was awarded to the Paul Smith Construction Company of Tampa, Florida. The contract between the FHA and the Paul Smith Construction Company was a Cost-Plus-A-Fixed-Fee type. The project's expenses were estimated to be approximately $816,000.00, with the contractor's fee fixed at $40,000.00.~

In September of 1940, Base Headquarters at MacDill Field submitted a list of construction projects and requirements needed to complete a housing plan for 516 officers and 5,883 enlisted personnel. A summary of the building activities on MacDill was reported on July 18, 1941. The listing shows buildings completed and the stage of completion for those still in progress: 4

'

Approved Structure Percentage Completed

Jun. 6, 1940 Photographic Laboratory {Bldg #27) 100% Mar. 19, 1940 NCO Quarters {Bldgs #521, #522, #523) 100% Jun. 18, 1940 Fire & Guard House (Bldg #26) 100% Jul. 5, 1940 Warehouses 100% Oct. 3, 1940 Officers Quarters {Bldgs #401-#405) 100% Sep. 11, 1940 Runways 100% Sep. 28, 1940 Air Corps Gas Station {Bldgs #45) 1003 Oct. 4, 1940 Hangars (Bldgs #1, #2, #3) 983 Sep. 28, 1940 500,000 gal Water Tank (Bldg #37) 100% Nov. 23, 1940 Elec. Distribution & Lighting 100% Nov. 28, 1940 Night Lighting System 99% Dec. 31, 1940 Radio Transmitter Building 100% Jan. 18, 1941 Theater {Bldg #41) 57% Jan. 23, 1941 Radio Beacon Range Building 973

At the time of the official dedication on April 15, 1941--what the Air Force considered the activation date--the Base still consisted of only three air strips and a few wooden barracks. The soldiers stationed at MacDill were still living


in tents. The Base's mission at activation was to serve as a transitional training center for the Southeast Air District which would later be named the 3rd Air Force. MacDill's mission was to train individuals, instructing them by flying cadre from the 44th Bombardment Group-Heavy and 29th Bombardment GroupHeavy. This procedure later produced Replacement Training Units (RTU), an efficient, assembly-line training procedure for which MacDill Field became famous.

By 1941, various recreational buildings were completed and opened to the personnel of MacDill Field including the Base Theater (Building #41). Movies had originally been shown on the field in a large tent, and later in a Quartermaster warehouse. But this makeshift arrangement was replaced on January 18, 1941 when plans were approved for a semi-permanent 1,038 seat theater. After approval, the theater was completed by September 21, 1941. At the time of its opening, the theater was considered modern in every detail. The building had an enclosed glass lobby, indirect lighting, seats built on an incline, an orchestra pit, and a 20' x 40' stage. The facility had the latest mechanical systems to keep the theater cool during the summer. The projection room, complete with the latest film projectors and sound equipment, was fireproof with a concrete floor and ceiling.

A special ceremony was held to celebrate the theater's opening. Colonel Harry Young gave a short address at the ceremony. The Tampa Elk's Band provided music at the celebration. A full house witnessed the first movie to be shown--a Marlene Dietrich movie called "Manpower."u The theater proved so popular that the Base converted it into a permanent facility and upgraded its amenities considerably in 1949.

Later in 1941, the Service Club opened its doors to the eagerly waiting troops. The Service Club had a cafeteria, large dance floor, lounges, balcony, screened porch and a library that held 5,000 books.· Also, in the fall, two chapels were opened to Base personnel. The churches were modelled after a New England meeting house. Each chapel, arranged to handle Cat ho 1 ic, Jewish, or Protestant services, accommodated 400 worshippers. 48

Another project initiated at the end of 1941 was the completion the east-west runway and the grassing of the flying field. The east-west runway project was started on October 13, 1941, and the entire runway, which was 4,914 feet long and 150 wide, was completed on February 18, 1942 (after an initial start date of January 16, 1941), at an estimated cost of $172,895.89. The grassing of the flight areas was finally completed not for aesthetic reasons but for maintenance ones. The loose sand that made life miserable for personnel living on Base (especially in "Boom Town") also wreaked havoc on the airplanes parked outside. Wind driven sand blew inside engines, hangars, and support machinery--seriously damaging the equipment. In order to avoid the sand as much as possible, MacDill's planes were parked together on the finished aprons in front of the hangars, in direct opposition to the wartime technique of dispersing aircraft to protect against a possible enemy attack. As a result of grouping aircraft together, a single coordinated attack, in theory, could have totally wiped out most, if not all, of MacDill's air wings.49


Needless to say, the grassing of MacDill's 475 acre field was considered a top priority and work began on March 13, 1942 at a cost of $70,437 .00. In conjunction with the grassing of the Field, the Cone Brothers Contracting Company of Tampa, Florida, was contracted on May 8, 1942 to build 49 hardstands, dispersal taxiways, and to pave an additional 24,966 square yards at a final, negotiated cost of $290,597.53.~

The first phase of MacDill's construction was the last of the WPA projects in Hillsborough County. By the time the United States entered the war, the WPA had been phased out of existence and absorbed into the Federal Works Agency in 1942. Soon there was a shortage of workers in Tampa instead of an over-abundance. World War II had ended the Depression.

In 1942, the largest construction project initialed by MacDill under this endeavor became known as the Second Aviation Program Expansion. Under this project, Ill building of temporary construction were built at cost of $1,006,052.92, by the S.S. Jacobs Company of Jacksonville, Florida. The expansion program included the construction of barracks and support facilities located at the northern of the Base which was reserved for African-American troops in the segregated military. The Jacobs Company built nearly all the structures in the North Area. Actual construction started on April 13, 1942, and finished by July 12, 1942.~

Building construction in 1943 shifted away from the emphasis of Base operations to personnel morale and comfort. The First National Bank of Tampa opened the first branch office on Base. The bank was located in Building #240, originally an Administration Building, which now serves as the Accounting and Finance Office. A civilian cafeteria was also opened for the civilian employees on the Base. The cafeteria, located across the street from Base Chapel #2, was constructed by an unknown engineering unit on Base. The new Base Library, Building #311, officially opened on June 28, 1943, and replaced the old library which was located on the upper floor of the Enlisted Men's Service Club. In terms of personnel convenience, the most important building on Base was the Post Laundry facility which opened in June of 1943 since the influx of people who either worked or were stationed at MacDill had greatly overburdened the local laundry facilities.~

On the operations side of the Base, construction of the Instrument Landing Strip progressed through 1943. The 10,000 foot long runway stretched from the Dale Mabry Gate to the Bay. The cost of the runway was $837,137.56. A separate control tower was planned especially for this runway, but it was later determined that the existing control tower atop of Hangar #3 was adequate. 53

In many ways, the training activities that occurred inside of MacDill's buildings ultimately contributed more to the War effort than the structures did themselves. At the outbreak of America's entry into World War II in December of 1941, not only were the physical facilities at MacDill incomplete, the Base did not have all the necessary resources to be a completely operational air base. When news of the attack on Pearl Harbor arrived, General Walter H. Frank, Conunanding General of the Third Air Force, issued orders cancelling all leaves and furloughs


and called a 11 personnel to return to the Base. 54 Addit iona 1 guards were established to enforce security regulations. And civilians, unless employed by the Base, were banned from the Base. The Base was gearing up to be able to move troops and equipment on a moment's notice anywhere in the world. MacDill's pilots and crews used Mullet Key as a practice bombing range with their B-17's. The simulated missions at Mullet Key proved to be a valuable experience because MacDill's air wings were some of the first units to be called to duty in both the European and Pacific campaigns.

It soon became evident that America's Army Air Corps was not prepared for the conflict. The deficiency was not too few airplanes but too few men to fly, maintain, and supply them. The War Department believed America's industry could provide enough material and goods to wage war, but there was some misgivings over whether the Air Corps could provide the trained and skilled personnel necessary to utilize the tools provided by the industrial sector.~ After the frighteningly quick military defeats in the Pacific to the Japanese, the War Department realized that it needed to develop and implement a training scheme which could produce the educated and trained personnel necessary to fight and win a modern war. From February of 1942, to the end of the Second World War, MacDill Field trained combat units and crews on both the B-17 and B-26. The training was initially provided by the 29th Bombardment Group and later by the 21st Bombardment Group. The B-17 training was under the guidance of the 488th Bombardment Group from November 1943 until 1945.

MacDill's role in this training program was known as operational training. Operational Training Units (OTU) was the concept of producing skilled personnel in an assembly line fashion. OTU's trained personnel in their respective specialties and sent them to perform the tasks necessary to the operation of a successful air force in combat zones. 56 As a result, MacDill's primary mission gradually shifted from one of national d~fense to that of personnel training. OTU later became Replacement Training Units (RTU's).

The training program developed for the air operations of the bombardment groups was now the delegated responsibility of the OTU. The training program developed for the Base and Service Units was assigned to the Base Headquarters in 1942. There were three main groups created and trained at the Base. The first, combat squadrons, consisted of the bombardment groups and the associated units that accompanied the air group. The second group were units that allowed the air base to operate independently from the bombardment groups. The third group was the aviation engineering units. These aviation engineering units constructed air fields, airdromes, landing strips, and other support facilities. Even with a managerial plan to train raw recruits for the war effort, there was still a problem finding available combat-experienced personnel to serve as teachers. 57

In an attempt to hold off the Japanese campaign, the Air Corps was using its most experienced personnel for actual combat in the Pacific. Since the Japanese controlled the approaches to the battle scenes, it was extremely dangerous and highly unsuccessful to supply the trapped forces in areas such as the Philippines. This endeavor placed a serious drain on available equipment but more importantly, a serious drain on experienced personnel. General Follett

MacOill Air Force Base HASS No. FL-384 (page 23)

Bradley, Commanding General of the Third Bomber Command, wrote a letter of protest to General Frank, the Commanding General of the Third Air Force. General Bradley believed the United States would lose the war if she continued to send all its trained personnel to already lost battles. 58

General Bradley sought to save the experienced ground and air personnel for training purposes. He wished to spread experienced crews throughout the newly created OTU's on a pro-rata system as the personnel trained and gradually gained experience. It was Bradley's idea to bring each original group to full strength with a combination of experienced and new personnel prior to its activation. New personnel were brought in as soon as they completed their individual training courses.

Project X was one of the projects for which the personnel at MacOill actively trained. Project X, initially operated out of MacOill Field, was a secret deployment of both men and aircraft via the South Atlantic to Africa and then to Australia to support American troops defending the Philippine Islands against the Japanese. Project X, more commonly known by the less romantic title of the Ferry Project59

, was a highly controversial project within the Army Air Force ranks and just the sort of project that General Bradley was criticizing.

Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, B-17's and LB-30's squadrons and support companies were put on alert throughout the country. Air groups were told to fly to MacOill Field and received orders to fly a mission to "Destination X." Once the flight crew arrived at the base, the Executive Officer provided the crew with special instructions regarding their secret mission. All orders and commands were given verbally in order to preserve the project's secrecy in case of capture. The verbal briefing given by the Executive Officer discussed mission destination, navigation, equipment, aircraft performance, and maintenance. The typical flight plan for the air crew went from MacDill Field to the Port of Spain, Belem, Natal, Freetown, Accra, Khartoum, Karachi, and then to their ultimate destination.

The primary problem encountered by Project X was the various mechanical glitches that came from using a brand new airplane. The aircraft used for these missions were often so new that they had not been fully tested before being placed into combat operation. The tight time schedule prevented routine inspections. Another problem concerned administration of Project X. The Finance Office encountered major difficulties regarding payroll as flight crews would often arrive at MacOill with no pay records. As a result, the air crews would provide their pay records from memory. When the pay records later arrived on base, there was much confusion in matching the written information with the verbal information provided by the flight crew. In order to expedite the payroll di lenma, the Finance Office provided each plane with $10,000. 00 to pay for maintenance and to meet the pay roll of the crew each month. In addition, four planes were used to carry $500,000.00 each for delivery to overseas stations.

Preparation for a given mission was usually accomplished in a period of sixty hours--the time it took for a selected aircraft and its crew to land at MacOill and depart for the South Pacific. Once the aircraft and its crew left the Base,


they were on their own. Radio silence was absolute, and not even weather developments could be relayed to the planes. What little weather information flight crews did receive was supplied by Pan-American Airways. If bad weather prevented the airplane from reaching its destination, the crew had to return to their last landing field. Complicating matters further was the fact that at this stage of the war, the maps provided {if any) were inadequate and lacked critical information about flight routes such as alternate landing fields. Project X flights were repeated 78 times from December 24, 1941, to February 22, 1942. Project X stayed at MacOill for approximately eight weeks and was later relocated to Morrison Field, Florida.

Project X, although gallant in effort, was nearly disastrous for the Air Corps. The Project nearly drained the entire Air Corps and training program at MacOill. MacDill Field alone sent 662 of its most highly skilled men on this mission. The situation was serious enough to motivate General Bradley to write a letter to General Frank that stated: "If a deliberate plan to sabotage the nation's air force were desired one could do no better than adopt universally as a continuing policy, the sequence of events which has occurred in this conunand since Pearl Harbor."~ General Bradley believed that this country would be defeated unless the training program to enlarge the Air Force was put on a parity with that of the production of equipment.

Nowhere was the implementation of General Bradley's advice activated more fully than at MacDill Field. Indeed, MacOill's most valuable contribution to the war effort was the training of young, inexperienced personnel by experienced instructors in an efficient, assembly line format. MacDill also provided all the necessary support facilities, such as repair shops, hangars, laboratories, and classrooms. Still, MacDill did not have not enough resource~ for this effort. As a result, the facilities at MacDill had to be rotated and shared. The time al lotted to each group was a 48 hour six day week for six weeks. The entire time was spent on the training program; other activities such as marches, physical, and field exercises were held after the classroom training sessions. Due to the shortages of experienced personnel to serve as instructors, the Air Corps placed an emphasis on the ability to teach over the ability to complete the actual duty. The manual for the Operational Training Program stated that it was "essential that the instructor know how to instruct ... [and] desirable, but not essential, that he be thoroughly competent in all technical aspects of the duties."~

The training schedule was divided into four phases. 62 The first two phases were designed to train personne 1 for spec if ic duties for which the student was assigned. The third and fourth phases were designed to train the student to operate within the unit. Phase One, which lasted two days, was a registration or check-in period. Phase Two, a ten-day session, provided the students with instructions on the specific equipment that they would utilize in their duties.

Phase Three, the longest segment {17 days}, indoctrinated the students with working together as a unit. During this phase, the students actually performed the duties which were taught to them during Phases One and Two. Phase Four was devoted to actual field duty. The units moved out into a simulated combat field situation and performed their trained task. This session lasted five days.


Upon completion of this six week course, the units proceeded to the advanced operation training center where they put their new education to practical use by caring for the training needs of the combat crews that were just finishing their operational training. For the first six week course, the students had been under the direct supervision of their instructors. During the advanced operation training program (which lasted another six weeks) the students performed their tasks without any supervision. Also during this second period, unit commanders had the opportunity to direct their units under the conditions similar to those of combat operations. Upon the completion of the twelve week course, the units were ready to proceed to destinations in the field of combat.

The Operational Training Program started on February 16, 1942 and MacDill Field was named as OTU Number 2. Barksdale Field was assigned OTU Number 1. The following are the original organizations and new units that were assigned to the program at MacDill Field:~

Original Organization HQ & HQ SQ, 27th Air Base Group 37th Material Squadron Company F, 31st Quartermaster Regt. Detail 3rd QM Co. Supply-Aviation 715th Ordnance Company-Aviation 463rd Ordnance Company-Aviation 28th Signal Platoon Decon Detail, 2nd Cml Co., #15 DP Section, 2nd Cml Co. #7

New Units HQ & HQ SQ, 322nd Air Base Group 346th Material Squadron (?) Quartermaster Company Detail (?)QM Co. Supply-Aviation 767th Ordnance Company-Aviation 415th Ordnance Company-Aviation 65th Signal Platoon Decon Oet (?) Cml Company DP Section (?) Cml Company

On average, approximately 2,200 men and officers arrived at MacDill every seven weeks to participate in the training program. In addition to the arriving students, another 2, 200 men from the Base were assigned to the OTU. Base Headquarters received, housed, supplied, and administered to the "revolving army of personnel 11 every twelve weeks. MacOill offered several different types of twelve-week training courses.

The Gunnery Replacement Training Units at MacDill was one of the most important advanced training courses in the country. The students trained in the various intricacies involved with the B-17 Flying Fortress. When this training program was first introduced at the Base, entire air forces were being created to meet the established quota of fifteen separate air forces. It then became MacDill's duty to provide the necessary advanced training and to mold personnel into newly organized combat groups in a type of program Operational Training Units (OTU). However, after various initial air groups were organized and provided with a sufficient number of trained personnel, the OTU at MacDill was changed to Replacement Training Unit (RTU), which trained air force specialists as replacements for overseas groups lost in combat.

The Gunnery RTU trained on the B-17, which possessed six gun mounts located in the nose, tail, each side, belly, and back of the plane. The Gunnery school at MacOill involved the study of ballistics and the maintenance of the machinery used in combat. The student also studied flight procedure so that the pilot,


aircraft, and gunner acted as a single fighting unit. The first phase of training consisted of classroom course work where theory and combat scenarios were studied. The student then practiced the use of turrets in a simulator in order to develop aiming coordination. During the next phase, students fired the actual guns on a range and aimed at clay pigeons which sailed through the air, simulating enemy planes. Finally, the students practiced firing from the aircraft at targets towed by boats in the Gulf of Mexico. 64

Another important training course was The RTU Navigation course at MacDill Field. The course trained rated navigators who had graduated from advanced flying schools for combat duty. Subjects studied included combat navigation, navigational aids, pre-flight planning, and celestial navigation. Students trained in the Link Celestial Navigation Trainer which was enclosed in a silolike structure. The simulated bomber was manned by a pilot, radio operator, and navigator. Under a canopy that simulated the sky with glowing lights representing the constellations, the students studied the problems of night flying. For daylight training, a reproduction of terrain lay beneath the trainer at the desired illusionary altitude.

Bombardiers, pilots, and co-pilots were required to undergo such navigational training. Bombardiers received comprehensive instruction with emphasis on a "dead reckoning" procedure and the use of a radio compass. Dead reckoning involved the use of instruments in computing time, speed, and distance, combined with wind and pressure effects, to determine a plane's position. These pilots had previously completed a similar course in flight school and thus only took a refresher course. Co-pilots took a longer refresher course in navigation. 66

The mission of the RTU Communication School at MacDill was to train flight personnel in the methods of communication used in combat situations. The time al lotted to each subject was based on individua 1 ability and the previous training of the student. Pilots, co-pilots, bombardiers, and navigators were trained to operate the radio equipment in the B-17 with speed and accuracy. They also studied the various codes and communication through the blinking of aircraft lights.

Radio operators and assistant radio operators studied methods of receiving and sending cryptic codes. Operators also learned the maintenance and repair of their equipment on the B-17. The program was set up to teach students who had no previous knowledge of radio operations. After completion, graduates qualified for combat as assistant radio operators.~

Another training mission at MacDill was the Engineering Aviation Unit Training Center {EAUTC), a training school which developed special engineering units that provided construction and engineering support to front 1 i ne troops. Their specialties included the design and construct ion of field a irdromes. The Engineer Aviation Battalions and later the Airborne Engineer Aviation Battalions were created for this special task. In 1940, the first engineer regiment was formed for the Army Air Forces, and by the end of 1942, more than 50 Engineer Aviation Battalions and four regiments were in existence. EAUTC provided the trained replacements for active combat units overseas. EAUTC students studied


construction techniques, power shovel operation, demolition, and surveying as well as techniques used by blacksmiths, welders, and machinists. 67 The EAUTC also contained one of the largest African-American battalions stationed on the Base during World War II.

During World War II, the military was still segregated under a policy of "separate but equal." The Black troops stationed at MacDill Field lived in the "North Area," the present site of the Buildings 925 and 926, and had their own theater, NCO club, barracks, and facilities similar to those provided on the main portion of the Base. Of these original North Area buildings, only Building 1050, the Black Motor Pool, remains standing today.

The Quartermaster Corps sent the first Black troops to MacDill Field. These men made up the personnel of Company "G" of the 31st Quartermaster Regiment. A cadre for this organization was sent from Company "L" of the 48th Quartermaster Regiment, stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, and arrived at MacOill Field on August 25, 1940. Company "G" started with fifteen men and was later enlarged to 91 enlisted men commanded by 1st Lieutenant Thomas H. Slover. After reachin3 this number, the unit was transferred to Orlando Air Base on November 6, 1940.

Black troops at MacDill were believed to be mostly stationed with the Aviation Squadrons, Engineering companies, or Ordnance units. As the demand for engineering aviation units increased, the Third Air Force became the principal agency for training Black enlisted personnel. The Black troops on MacDill Field were usually assigned maintenance duties, and occasionally the engineering units would build a runway. Retired Master Sergeant Hank Crowns remembers that the 1862nd Engineering Aviation Battalion built the Base golf course on the swamps in the late 1940's. 69 Although the MacDill Field quarterly histories usually devoted a chapter to the black troops, more was reported about racial disturbances than about their accomplishments.

In the early years of MacDill, the Headquarters for the Engineer Aviation Unit Training Center (EAUTC) believed that there was little or no possibility for mass racial violence in the EAUTC Area. However, the Headquarters was concerned that there existed several causes for "racial sensitivity."

In May of 1943, a fight broke out between a Black and White private in the northern area after a disagreement with a white saleswoman in the Black Post Exchange. A large crowd gathered, and when the Black soldier was brought in by a guard but not the white one, the crowd felt it was a case of discrimination. During the ensuing altercation, a Black soldier was shot {but not seriously injured) while walking by the north area fence by a white guard, which again inflamed the crowd. When some of the Black soldiers armed themselves with rifles and began shooting around the Post Exchange, Commanding Officer Voss called in the military police. A second incident occurred when 26 Black soldiers were ordered to Orlando, and the train assigned to take them there had reserved space for 26 white soldiers, so the trip had to be delayed. During the delay, some of the Black soldiers visited the local bars and were subsequently loud and unruly on the train. Other incidents were reported between white civilians and Black


soldiers in small towns in Dixie County where Black troops had been sent to build runways. Although no riots occurred, Dixie County officials appealed to the governor for help in suppressing disturbances. The Base also reported incidents between Black soldiers and white Military Patrol. The Base devoted almost 70 pages to "Disturbances in the Colored Area" in the second quarterly historical report for 1943.

The report also indicated that the Black troops stationed at MacDi 11 were extremely bitter about the racial situation, and provided some reasons for the tension. One, the Base was worried about the relationship between the customs and attitudes of the south towards Black personnel. There was an especially strong concern with the interaction of African-Americans from other parts of the country who were not familiar with southern attitudes. Since much of the conflict occurred between southern white employees in the northern area and the Black troops stationed there, the Base closed the Black Post Exchange until African-Americans could be found to staff it.

The Base also felt that Tampa and the surrounding towns did not offer recreational facilities for their Black personnel that were equal to those for their white personnel. Headquarters held the opinion that the Base provided more facilities for white personnel than for the Black troops. This situation obviously created unrest and dissatisfaction. This situation was compounded by the fact that the public bus transportation that serviced the Base was poor and unreliable. Therefore, not only were the recreational facilities for Black troops on Base and near off-Base of poor quality, they did not even have a reliable transportation service to take them anywhere downtown.

The transportation problem was the most cited grievance against the Base by Black soldiers. The Base buses originated in the main section of the Base and by the time it arrived in the North Area it had already been filled with white soldiers. Consequently, the Black soldiers spent several hours of their leave waiting for the bus to return for them after driving the white soldiers to town. The soldiers also complained that the white drivers would arbitrarily drive past Black soldiers even though there was room on the bus, or limit the number they allowed onto the bus.

EA.UTC developed and implemented a recreational program to entertain the Black personnel. But, one has to wonder about 1t$ seriousness when in an intra"base correspondence the EAUTC justification for such a program was "intended to supply them (the Black troops) with sufficient recreation to keep them contented and free from trouble."ro

Recreational activities included a weekly dance held at the USO in Tampa, which were sponsored by the Red Cross. The Base worked with the city bus company to establish better service for the Black personnel so they could travel to and from downtown Tampa. EAUTC was even willing to provide transportation to and from Tampa when commercial transportation failed.

Another reason the Black troops were bitter was the "gate pass system" which required all Black troops returning to the Base after leave to report whether


they had had any sexual contact. If they had, they were then required to obtain proof of a doctor's examination and clean bill of health. These procedures were intended to lower the high rate of venereal disease in the North Area.

EAUTC established a non-commissioned officers council whose prime function was to advise the Commanding Officer on the welfare of the enlisted men. A special program of Arms Security was adopted to lessen the possibility of any racial incidents and outbreaks of violence. Special instructions were prepared for Headquarters and Squadron Alert officers as to what action to take in case of any reported disorder or incident. A security detachment of Black personnel was created and trained by the Base Provost Marshal to assist in the prevention of racial incidents and to determine what steps should be taken to limit the effects of any such incidents. The Base, through arrangements with higher headquarters, assigned a detachment of Black Military Patrol (MP) to police the colored district in Tampa.

Despite the problems encountered, African-American troops trained to become expert mechanics, bulldozer and other heavy equipment operators, electricians, carpenters, painters, and pharmacists. Their training consisted of both classroom theory and hands-on experience. 11 Trained troops were sent into combat zones to build temporary airfields in just a few hours, erect tent hangars, and to lay mine fields.n On the Base, Black troops maintained Mullet Key, MacDill Field's bombing and gunnery range."

Another important training task performed at MacDill was the operation of its own photography laboratory. In December of 1941 the 3rd Mapping Squadron arrived at MacDill Field to establish a photo processing facility (Building 27) which became one of three facilities in the country that utilized aerial photography to produce accurate maps. Later, the 11th Photo Mapping Group replaced the 3rd Mapping Squadron. The 11th Photo Group utilized a wide variety of aircraft which operated from MacDill including: Fortresses, Liberators, and Mitchells. An assigned aircraft was loaded with three Tri-Metrogen cameras and film. The planes flew to and from the designated site; while in flight the camera photographed at regular intervals until the entire area had been recorded. It was not uncommon for some missions to use thousands of rolls of film.

At the time, Tri-Metrogen mapping was the fastest method of photography with the intention of map making. Three wide angle lens cameras were set up to photograph from horizon to horizon. The Tri-Metrogen compilation model was a miniature representation depicting the relation of the three cameras in the photo plane to the ground below and the relation of the left and right oblique photographs to the final chart. The cameras were mounted in the nose of the plane and operated simultaneously. The left oblique camera portrayed terrain at 60 degrees from the vertical to the left horizon, while the camera on the right operated similarly in the opposite direction. The center vertical camera photographed an area approximately six miles in width.

Upon returning to MacOill, the exposed rolls were developed and printed in an assembly line fashion. Photo technicians worked in teams of three with one


printing and two developing. From the printing room, photographs were taken into the finishing department where they were placed in giant rotary washers. After the adhering chemicals washed away, the prints dried in electrically heated dryers. The photographs then passed through the sorting department where the images were inspected for technical defects such as scratches and stains. Then the photographs were labelled and filed in their proper sequence for future study by the compilation units. Compilation units produced sma 11 sea le aeria 1 navigation maps from the aerial photographs. During World War II, there were three compilation units in the country. With both day and night shifts in operation, over 1,000 prints per hour were developed by MacDill's facility. 74 The photo laboratory was operated almost entirely by the Women's Army Corps.

The Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC} was organized by the War Department to serve with the Army (but not actually part of the Army) for the purpose of releasing men in rear line duties for service at the fighting front. Before America was immersed in world war, the mi 1 itary' s opinion (which reflected American society} was that the "primary mission in life [for an avera~e girl was] ... to look pretty, dance and laugh, and otherwise entertain man. 115 But shortages of all resources, both material and human, made both American society and the military change their attitude towards women and war, at least for a short time.

The first Women's Army Corps (WAC) was activated on May 15, 1943, as the 99th Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Post Headquarters Company, Army Air Force. WAC's were officially in the Army, unlike their WAAC counterparts. Lt. Louise Black assumed command of the company on April 15, with Lt. Edith J. McCormick as Executive Officer. A week later, Lt. McCormick arrived at MacDill to make the necessary preparations for the company. Lt. Black and 1st Sgt. Arline R. Mohn remained in Daytona Beach to organize the company. Daytona Beach was the location for the Headquarters Second WAAC Training Center. The troops that were stationed at MacDill received their training at Daytona Beach. 1

'

The WAAC's underwent a four week period of instruction. They studied military customs and courtesies, Army and WAAC regulations, sanitation and personal hygiene, close order drill, and defense training. The defense training included preparations and defense against chemical and air attacks. After basic training, the women were either sent to Specialist schools for technical training or they applied for Officer Candidate school. The Officer Candidate school was a two month course; successful candidates of the school were commissioned as Third Officers--the equivalent of Second Lieutenants in the Army. The WAAC Officer's duty was to administer the welfare and discipline of the WAAC units in their charge, under the supervision of the Commanding Officer of the Post to which they were stationed."

On April 26, 1943, Lt. Black and the Company arrived at MacDill Field. The IOOth WAAC Photo Lab Company, Aerial, arrived with the 99th WAAC Post Headquarters Company. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by the Base band. With two complete companies, there was at one point a total of 250 WAAC's and six officers in the MacDill Field contingent. The 71lth WAAC company was designated as the Post Headquarters Company and commanded by Lt. Black. WAC assigned personnel as


stenographers, photo technicians, Medical and Dental Corps assistants. Company members were assigned to the Station Hospital, Dental Laboratory, Transportation Office, Base Library, Hostess' Office, Rationing Office, Quartermaster, Ordnance, Fourth Communication Squadron, Finance Office, Publications Section, Base Signal Office, Base Photo Laboratory, and Base Headquarters. 78

Both companies were self-sustaining. Each unit had its own orderly room organization, which included a first sergeant, company clerk, supporting administrative personnel, and bakers and cooks. According to the Base newspaper, the Thunderbird, "the women exemplify the character of their particular spirit in the war effort. 1119 They lived in standard two story Army barracks furnished "with every feminine consideration. 1100 Of the original buildings designated for WAC or WAAC use, only the mess hall (Building 383) remained standing (until its demolition in 1993). Their lifestyles were very similar to that of the men. The WAAC's held regularly scheduled drills and received inspections and all the typical forms of discipline that came with being in the Army. The women were extended all the privileges enjoyed by the men of MacDill.

By July, 1943, Lt. Black was transferred to Kellogg Field in Michigan and Lt. McCormick, promoted to 2nd Officer, assumed command of the Company. In August, the Company began the transition from WAAC to WAC. By October 1, 1943, the WAAC was officially phased out and its functions merged with the Women's Army Corps (WAC). The members who did not wish to enlist in the WAC were discharged from WAAC. WAAC's originally received the same amount of pay as the male soldiers of corresponding rank. Initially, the rank of WAAC's was designated as auxiliary for private; junior leader for corporal; third officer for second lieutenant, etc. With the formation of WAC, rank was designated in the same terms that applied to the regular army.

By mid-1942 and early 1943, not only did the Base train flight crews on the operational procedures of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, but it also prepared students for the new North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauders. The Marauders proved to be unstable in flight and landings at MacDill due to the aircraft's short wingspan. In order to accommodate the new aircraft, the northsouth runway was enlarged to a length of 10,000 feet and a width of 500 feet. The base also served as headquarters for the III Bomber Command and added the III Fighter Command headquarters until April 8, 1946, when they were inactivated. All this activity and training contributed to the Base's huge wartime population which swelled to nearly 15,000 personnel with a payroll over $3 million per month.

In addition to its training missions, the Base also served as a prisoner of war camp. MacDill, along with several other bases in Florida and throughout the country, served as detention centers for German prisoners-of-war (POW) in late 1944 and 1945. It is believed that at one time, nearly 488 German POW's were detained at MacDill. A letter dated October 13, 1944, from Colonial Frank J. Day to the Commander of the 3rd Air Force, requested 500 German prisoners for semiskilled and unskilled labor. One hundred were required as overhead personnel for maintenance work for the POW's, 170 for operation of the Quartermaster Laundry, and 200 for stevedore jobs for the Supervisor of Supply and in various capacities


for the Post Engineer. POW's were also used to maintain the Base dump, salvage yard, and repair shop, as well as in trash collection, road maintenance, mosquito control, and in the bakery.

At the time, these duties were performed by military personnel, and their replacement by POW workers enabled military personnel to be used more directly for the war effort. The prisoners were housed near the original Quartermaster Laundry. But the initial request was withdrawn by the Base Commanders due to concern for security and the training of the POW's. There was a strong concern that the civilian workers at the laundry facility would not want to work with the POWs, let alone train them.

However, after further review, the Base changed its position and resubmitted the request on August 17, 1944. This reversal was due to the following reasons: 01

1. Base Headquarters studied the discipline and attitude of the POWs at other bases including Drew Field in Tampa and determined that existing Base security did not need to be upgraded as drastically as first believed. The Base deemed it was only necessary to post additional guards and install flood lights around the prison environment.

2. The prisoners were segregated from the civilian and military personnel in the laundry facility. This procedure was intended to minimize the contact between the workers and POWs.

3. The Base also decided to house the POW's away from the flight line to minimize the potential for sabotage.

4. Finally, the duties assigned to the POW's required little training and all appropriate instructions were translated and printed in the POW's native language.

With the approval of the prisoner acquisition, the first group of 100 men was scheduled to arrive on December 15, 1944. A second set of 199 men arrived on December 29, 1944, and the final contingent of 201 arrived on January 19, 1945. Base correspondence and records showed that the POW's were good workers and presented no major difficulties in the POW camp.

Recent published accounts verify much of this information. A June 12, 1987 Thunderbolt article interviewed a former German POW who was detained at MacOill. Mr. Gerhard Kaus, a POW at MacDill from late 1944 until the end of the war, thought life on Base Camp was "serene, if not pleasant."~ In the interview, Mr. Kaus thought that the treatment he received was fair and that the Americans kept the prisoners informed about the war. The POW's were allowed to write home but it took about six months for the prisoners to receive mail from their home.

However, some of the German POWs that arrived in early 1945 refused to serve the African-American troops and complained that eating in the same mess hall as the Black troops violated their rights under the Geneva Convent ion. The I.fillmg


Bulletin, a Black newspaper, satirically wondered whether the "members of the master race [were] still masters of their fates."~

One of the least know facts about MacDill Air Force Base is that it had a navy, which operated during World War II but ceased in 1956 with the development of the helicopter. When the Base started flight operations, since nearly all the original approaches were over water, there was a logical need to rescue downed pilots and aircraft from the water. Therefore, the Quartermaster Boat Company was formed.

The purpose of the Quartermaster Boat Company, affectionately called "MacDill's Navy," was to rescue airmen who were forced to ditch their aircraft in the sea. Aircraft rescue vessels, popularly known as "crash boats," rushed to the crash site to save the pilot. Immediately upon notification of a crash, the crews determined the location of the downed aircraft. The J-boat, a speed boat, was usually the first vessel to arrive at the scene, followed by the ambulance boat with medica 1 officers and other support personne 1. The ambulance boat was equipped with a dispensary and room to carry eight patients. The "mother boat," an 83 foot salvage vessel, followed with additional medical equipment and supplies as well as diving gear. If an aircraft crashed in shallow waters, swamp gliders--small, flat-bottomed boats powered by aircraft engines and pusher type propellers--were sent to the crash site. Once the victims were secured, the boat crews remained on the scene to assist in salvage operations. When the salvage operation extended for a long period of time, the crews were fed on the supply ship. In addition to its duties as a rescue unit, the Boat Company also provided transportation for food, machinery, and personnel to the bombing and gunnery ranges on Mullet Key.~

During the second World War, MacOill trained personnel for confrontation with the enemy, maintained German POW's, and attemp~ed a smooth integration of Black units in the deep south. However, probably the most challenging situation MacDill experienced during second World War was a confrontation against mother nature in 1944. The hurricane of 1944 provided MacDill with its first opportunity to test its preparedness for severe storms. On October 17, 1944, the Base issued a notice of an impending hurricane throughout the Tampa area. All flyable aircraft was ordered to leave the Base for Columbia, South Carolina. By the next day, the hangar line and flight areas were completely empty. Base histories indicated that the wind velocity reached 100 miles per hour.

Base personnel who were married and resided off the Base were permitted to proceed to their homes, and all remaining staff members were sheltered in Hangars One and Four. At the same time, MacOill's Chemical Warfare section was working feverishly to secure all chemical toxins and gases. The munitions igloos were sealed and sandbagged, and constant alert was maintained through the duration of the storm. If the toxic chemicals were to escape, it could have caused severe damage to both lives and property. At the time there were two primary concerns:


1. If water came into contact with sulphur trioxide, the water would have acted as a catalyst and triggered an explosion.

2. Mustard gas was stored on the Base. Chemical Warf are personnel buried the material under ground to prevent their escape in the air.

In the end, MacDill suffered little damage and none of it from the chemicals. On Friday, October 20, 1944, the field re-opened for operations. Except for a guard tower, no buildings were blown over by the storm. Colonel James B. Carroll, Commanding Officer of MacDill, in his post-hurricane message issued a statement of "sincere congratulations" and praise for a "job well done."~

In January of 1945, with the end of World War II finally within reach, MacDill awarded the first major construction contract in over a year. The W.L. Cobb Construction Company of Tampa, Florida, received a contract to extend the airplane runways and to build additional parking aprons. The aerial gunnery range was also moved from the hangar line area to a consolidated range where both ground and aerial gunnery practice could be conducted. The range was rushed to completion within three weeks to insure that no personnel would fall behind in their combat training.

After World War II, MacDill became an operational base of the Strategic Air Command (SAC).~ SAC's policy was to maintain a constant alert status. General Curtis LeMay, the SAC Commander, started a policy of unannounced alerts to see how quickly planes could become airborne. The 498th Bombardment Wing, the 3llth Reconnaissance Wing, the 307th Bombardment Wing, and the 6th Air Division were some of the many SAC units stationed at the Base. On August 15, 1947, the 307th Bombardment Wing was activated at MacDill. In 1949, B-29 Superfortress bombers were stationed at MacDill and were ready to respond to any threat in the world. The B-29's were to replace the B-17 Flying Fortress. When the Korean War started, the 307th Bombardment Wing was one of the first units to move its fighting forces overseas.

The 1950's, known as the beginning of the "Jet Age," caused MacDill to make the necessary changes to handle the large jet bombers that would soon become operational. In 1951, MacDill's facilities were converted to accommodate the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers and Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker operations. The parking ramps, runways and taxiways were resurfaced and strengthened to handle the increased weight of the jet bombers and tankers. During the 1950's, MacDill was home to the B-47 bombers which could reach England in under six hours. From a staging point in the British Isles, the bombers could attack deep into the Warsaw Pack countries, including the Soviet Union. According to commander Brig. General Henry K. Mooney, "MacDill possesses the capability to send two combatready wings of jet bombers capable of carrying atomic warfare to any quarter of the globe. "87 MacDi 11 had at its disposa 1 the 305th and 306th Bomb Wings which utilized the B-47 medium bomber--MacDill's jet bomber since it first came off the assembly line in 1951. It was MacDill's responsibility to develop operational procedures for the B-47 and to train Air Force personnel on these procedures.


MacDill became the home for the Sixth Air Division which was composed of the 305th and 306th Bomb Wings. The 305th and 306th were the country's first wings to be equipped with B-47 bombers and KC-97 tankers. Each wing had 1500 personnel, fifty B-47's, and twenty KC-97's. The KC-97 were used to refuel the B-47's in flight.~

On April 24, 1954, MacDill Air Force Base officially opened the first all-weather radar guidance center. The new system named RAPCON (Radar Approach Control) was used to supplement the traditional Ground Control Approach (GCA). GCA had an effective radius of thirty miles or less and an operational ceiling of under 4000 feet. RAPCON could detect and guide by radar aircraft nearly fifty miles from the radar station and over 30,000 feet in altitude. The RAPCON center at MacDill was the first in the nation to be operated jointly by the military and Civil Aeronautics Administration (the forerunner to the Federal Aviation Agency}.~

At first, it appeared that the 1960's would signal the end of MacDill Air Force Base. At the end of 1959 and continuing through 1960, rumors circulated around the Base and in Washington, D. C. that the Base would close. However, the general media and public in the Tampa area felt that MacDill was too important to the Nation's security to close. The Base served as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base, where it was the home of the 306th Combat Wing.

MacDill's contribution to Tampa's economy was substantial. By the end of 1960, MacDill had an annual payroll of $34 million. The Base employed over 5,000 military personnel and over 400 civilians. MacDill also spent over $9 million a year for local supplies. The Base was valued at $91.8 million, with nearly 700 buildings.~ However, for the next twelve months, Tampa actively lobbied the Air Force to do something with the Base in order to keep it open.

But on November 28, 1960, the moment came, and rumors changed to fact. The Air Force formally announced in Washington, D~C. that MacDill Air Force Base would be completely closed by June of 1962. MacDill was not alone as the Air Force also stated that it would close Mitchell Air Force Base on Long Island, New York and Chennault Air Force Base at Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The decision to close MacDill and the other bases was due to changes brought on by the Air Force's transition from manned airplanes to a mixed force of missiles and aircraft. The Air Force also adopted a policy that located support units on as few bases as possible and deployed combat units at bases which were used for new miss ions such as missile operations. The Air Force be 1 ieved that the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) operations, such as Atlas and Titan, worked more efficiently from bases which were also used for piloted bombers.

However, world events conspired to allow MacDill to remain open and active. The most significant of these events was the Cuban Missile Crisis. 91 When the Soviet Union decided to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, the United States went on alert and prepared for World War III. This crisis reminded the military of MacDill's original purpose--to protect American interests in the Caribbean.


Another indication that MacDill Air Force Base would remain operational was the creation of the Strike Command, which needed a home, and MacDill possessed the available facilities. On October 9, 1961 it was decided that MacDill would in fact become the home of the newly created Strike Command. 92 Genera 1 Paul D. Adams was assigned as the first commander of the Strike Command, which shared space with the 306th Combat Wing. STRIKE unofficially stood for "Swift Tactical Reaction In every Known Environment. 1193 The new command force's mission was to provide a strong ready reserve of versatile fighting personnel able to be sent on a moment's notice anywhere in the world. In addition, Strike conducted military operations in remote corners of the globe where no command had prior jurisdiction. Before the creation of Strike Command, the United States did not possess the capability or the policy to fight a limited tactical war without using strategic forces. Strike Command forces and its administration al lowed for a flexible response and defense against a hostile intervention.

On March 20, 1962, the lobbyists' work paid off when the Air Force announced that the Tactical Air Command {TAC} planned to activate two wings at MacDill. 94 The Air Force still planned to phase out MacDill's Bomb wing--the 306th Combat Wing-when the two TAC wings become operational. The first aircraft to be used by the new wings was the Republic F-84F which was later replaced by the McDonnell F-110. Each new TAC wing was assigned 75 aircraft with 857 to 1000 support personnel. TAC Headquarters in Langley Air Force Base, Virginia announced that the two wings assigned to MacDill were part of a five wing TAC build-up.

However, the arrival of the new wings was not without its trade-off. When MacDill officially became a TAC base on April 17, 1962, and the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) arrived with its F-84 Thunderstreak jets, MacDill's Bomb Wings left for its new assignment at Dow Air Force Base, Maine.

At this time, MacDill's mission changed frqm the strategic role of bombers to the tactical role of fighters. TAC differed from SAC in that Tactical Air Units supported troop operations and assaults in battle while Strategic Air Units struck enemy factories and communication centers. At the start of the Vietnam War, MacDill's mission was that of an operational base. The Base prepared and trained combat pilots for duty in Southeast Asia. MacDill first trained pilots and crews for the new McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II jet fighters. The wings assigned to the Base were the 12th and 15th Tactical Fighter Wings {TFW) in which both were part of the 836th Air Division.

By 1963, the F-84 and F-110 aircraft stationed at MacDill were replaced by the Air Force's newest jet, the F-4C Phantom II, and Macdill's pilots quickly trained to fly the new plane. The Phantom II fighter-bomber aircraft was the world's first two-person fighter plane. The results of MacDill's training could be seen when eight pilots from MacDill flew four Phantoms in December of 1964 and set a new world endurance record when they kept aloft for more than 16 hours. Also, in December of 1964, MacDill's pilots from the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron flew their F-4C on an 8,000 mile flight across the Pacific to Okinawa, landing only once at Hickam Field, Hawaii for refueling. 95 By 1965, MacDill became the only Air Force base in the nation to be fully equipped with the new Phantom II aircraft. By March of that year MacDill became the first base in the Air Force

MacOill Air Force Base HABS No. Fl-384 (page 37)

to have assigned two operationally ready F-4C wings. At this time, there were over 400 Phantoms stationed at MacDill. The F-4C could fly over 100,000 feet in altitude at more than twice the speed of sound.

In July 1965, pilots of the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron {TFS}, the first F-4 unit in Vietnam, were credited with the first air victory in the region when they shot down two North Vietnamese MiG-17's. 96 The 45th TFS, a unit of the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing {TFW}, was on "temporary" duty overseas and was officially still assigned to MacDill. MacDill's 12th Tactical Fighter Wing was also stationed in Vietnam with the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing serving a rotational assignment to the Far East. later in 1965, the 12th TFW was transferred to Cam Ranh Bay Air Base in Vietnam, and the 15th TFW's became a replacement training unit that trained pilots for combat in Vietnam.

By 1966, America's military role in the Vietnam War became more involved and persistent. MacOill's role in this war, as was its role in the Second World War, was to train replacement units for pilots and personnel captured or lost in battle. The typical trainee, bound for Vietnam, trained at MacDill for forty days. Some specialist required only five days and others needed 51 days. MacDi 11 was chosen for this duty because the Base already possessed the facilities to turn out a high number of trained personnel at one time.

By the close of the decade, MacOill had come full circle once again. In 1968, MacOill consisted of 5,693, acres with nearly 7,500 military personnel and 1,040 civilians. The Base's population, including families living on Base, was over 10,751. The civilian payroll was $5.3 million in addition to a military payroll of $35.1 million. MacOill also spent nearly $7.3 million to purchase supplies and equipment from local companies. Even the local schools received nearly $1 million in compensation for military dependents attending public schools.

On January 1, 1972, the U.S. Strike Comman'd was redesignated the U.S. Readiness Command {USREOCOM), 97 a multi-service command designed for rapid response to emergencies and threats. MacOill thus assumed the dual role of global readiness and training. The two commands were very similar, with the primary difference being that Strike Command had access to military units from all services around the world whereas Readiness Command only had jurisdiction over military units in the continental United States. These units included 6-2/3 Army divisions, consisting of airborne, air assault, armored, mechanized infantry, and infantry, as well as 47 Air Force combat squadrons, plus the support of the Military Air lift Command {MAC).

At the conclusion of the Vietnam war, MacDill returned to its earlier role of training replacement units for other bases in the country. Pilots and navigators were sent to MacOill to learn the operation of the F-4E Phantom II jet fighter. The 56th Tactical Fighter Wing was the main tenant on the base. Student pilots and navigators came to MacDill from other undergraduate training programs. The typical trainee was a 24 year old second lieutenant who had been in the air force for 18 months. The typical student pilot had also accumulated over 200 hours of flight time in T-37 and T-38 training planes. At the completion of MacOill's training program, students usually became first lieutenants with about 300 hours

MacOill Air Force Base HABS No. FL-384 {page 38}

of flight time. MacOill's students flew 64 trips in the F-4 for a total of 91 hours. In addition, the students spent 91 hours in a flight simulator and 332 academic hours in a 24 week program. A student Weapons Systems Officer (WSO), more conventionally known as the navigator, spent 80 hours in a simulator, flew 41 training missions, and spent 345 hours in the classroom.

Students began their training in the classroom. When the student-pilots operated an aircraft for the first time, they were closely supervised and flew with their instructor. MacOill's instructor pilots possessed between 1,500 to 3,000 flying hours. lhe instructors usually took their students out on basic flying missions to acquaint them with the aircraft. WSO usually had a more difficult time adapting to flying because student WSO's were not used to the constant movement that occurs in combat flight. Combat training began with simulated battles over the Gulf of Mexico. Air crews impersonated "friendly" and "enemy" planes. Students "shot" at each other with a camera. When a pilot pulled the gun trigger, the film was exposed to determine whether the shot was a hit or miss. The combat mission usually lasted about ten minutes. later, instructors spent several hours reviewing and critiquing the simulated battle in a classroom. Pilot students also practiced ground attack tactics and aerial refueling.~

On July 1, 1975, the 1st TFW transferred to Langley Air Force Base, Virginia and MacDill's wing was renamed the 56th TFW. The 56th TFW was originally organized in 1947 as the 56th Fighter Wing at Selfridge Field, Michigan. The 56th was a highly decorated air group and contained more World War II aces than any other U.S. Army Air Force group. During the Vietnam War, the 56th participated in every military campaign and earned two Presidential Unit Citations, four Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat V Device, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm. On June 30, 1982, the wing was redesignated the 56th Tactical Training Wing. The 56th remained at MacOill until January 4, 1994 when the Base became home of the 6th Air Base Wing {ABW).

By 1976, the total economic impact of MacDill Air Force Base operations in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area amounted to over $270 million. At the time the Base employed 5,965 military and 1,607 civilian personnel.'' Also in 1976, an approximately 16,000 additional military personnel visited the Base for conferences or temporary assignments. On March 28, 1979, the Air Force announced that the F-16 Fighting Falcon would replace the F-4 Phantoms.

The 1980's brought two significant events to MacDill: the re-arming of America, and the development of Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF). With the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and the power shift to the Republican party, the country began to re-arm itself for the final leg of the Cold War. MacOill was already the home of Readiness Command (USREDCOM), and in 1980 also became the host to RDJTF, which formally came into existence on March 1 of that year. The RDJTF mission was to provide a unified defense force for the Persian Gulf. ROJTF, headquartered out of MacOill, was the direct result of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan and Iran's hostile actions against the United States. ROJTF's role was to meet and engage any threat to America's interest in portions of the Persian Gulf and northern Africa. MacOill played an important role in this effort. Pentagon planners envisioned four battle scenarios for the RDJTF: 100


1. Deterring a Soviet invasion of Iran or Saudi Arabia from the Soviet Union or from Afghanistan.

2. Repelling an incursion from a smaller nation, such as Iraq, into the oil-producing nations around the Persian Gulf.

3. Seizing the oil fields if saboteurs or terrorists threaten to cut off supplies to the industrial nations.

4. Helping a friendly nation to maintain or restore internal order at the request of that nation's government.

By the early 1980's, the Base mission switched from training pilots to operating F-4's to flying F-16 Fighting Falcons. In conjunction with America's modernization of its military forces-, the Defense Department announced on December 9, 1982 the activation of the "new" United States Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base. Central Command's mission was to counter any threats to Southwest Asia, the Horn of Africa, and the Persian Gulf. The "new" Command grew out of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force which has both similarities in miss ion profiles and partia 1 development 1 inages with the Readiness Command. The Readiness Command evolved from the Strike Command. The Central Conmand, like its predecessors, continued to draw its personnel and equipment from the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy and placed them under one unified command. In April 1987, MacDi 11 received another unified command with the newly created U. S. Specia 1 Operations Command which directly descended from the old Readiness Command.

By 1991, MacDill occupied 5,767 acres with over 6,652 military personnel and nearly 2,000 civilian workers. In April 1991, however, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended MacDill cease all flight operations by September 1993 and approximately 3,500 acres were declared excess property to be disposed of between 1993 and 1994. On June I, 1992, the 56th Fighter Wing was integrated with the newly formed Air Combat Command. Finally, January 1994, the 56th Fighter wing (the host unit at MacDill), transferred its people and equipment to the new host unit, the 6th Air Base Unit. With nearly all Air Force flight operations removed, the new wing's mission provides logistic support to the two major unified commands located at the Base. The Base (until 1993) continued to train fighter pilots, mechanics, and other support personnel. During the 1980's, MacDill became the largest F-16 training center in the world. Each year, the Base trained an average of 250 F-16 pilots. MacDill was also the permanent home to about 100 F-16's of their own.

In October 1992, a civilian government agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced plans to relocate to MacDill. NOAA plans to establish an Aircraft Operations Center on the Base and eventually begin to manage the flight line side of MacOill. This arrangement would allow the Base to continue flight operations.~


In the more than 50 years of its existence, MacDill Air Force Base has come full circle. Its initial mission consisted of the defense of the vulnerable Caribbean during World War II. It then trained personnel vital for the success of missions during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Today, MacDill Air Force Base returns to its original role of standing guard to protect America's interest and vulnerable areas around the world.

PART V: ENDNOTES


1. World Book Encyclopedia, 1994 edition, s.v. "Florida."

2. Richard J. Bowe, Pictorial History of Florida (Tallahassee: Historical Publications, Inc. of Tallahassee, 1965), 144.

3. World Book Encylcopedia, 1994 edition, s.v. "Tampa."

4. "Construction: First Phase," History of MacDill Field, May 23, 1939 - December 7, 1941, p. 3, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

5. Soldiers in the Air Service.of the American European Front, eds., The Fly Paper, December 23, 1918, p. 6.

6. Tampa Daily Times, December 28, 1939, p. B-10.

7. "Selection of the Site," History of MacDill Field, May 23, 1939 -December 7, 1941, p. 3, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

8. Ibid, 4.

9. Ibid, 3.

10. Ibid, 5.

11. Ibid, 6.

12. Members of Mayor Chancey's Commission, 1939, photograph from the History Office, MacOill Air Force Base, Florida.

13. Tampa Tribune, July 29, 1939. Quoted in "Selection of the Site," 9.

14. Mr. O.P. Cannon, Resident Engineer of MacDill Field, April 4, 1944. Interview Quoted in "Selection of the Site," 9.

15. Tampa Tribune, July 20, 1939 and August 8, 26, and 29, 1939. Quoted in "Selection of the Site," 10-11.

16. Tampa Tribune, July 14, 1939, p. 1.

17. War Department Office of Chief of Air Corps to Commanding Officers of All Air Corps activities, 8 May 1941, quoted in "Construction Through 1941," History of MacDill Field, May 23, 1939 - December 7, 1941, p. 1, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

18. "Construction: First Phase," 2.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

Ibid, 1.

Ibid, 4.

Ibid, 5.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Tampa Morning Tribune, April 17,

"Construction: First Phase," 9.

1941.


26. "Plans for the Site," History of MacDill Field, May 23, 1939 -December 7, 1941, p. 1, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

27. The Tampa Times. August 15, 1975, p. 0-1.

28. Lt. Col. Francis B. Wheaton, QMC, "The Architecture of the Army Post," Quartermaster Review (September-October 1929):13.

29. "Construction Through 1941," 8-9.

30. "Plans for the Site," 3.

31. Ibid, 5.

32. The Tampa Tribune, June 21, 1992, "History and Heritage" p. 1.

33. "Co lone l Tinker's Administration (First Phase)," Hi story of MacDi 11 Field, May 23, 1939 - December 7, 1941, p. 1, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

34. Ibid, 2-3.

35. "Construction Through 1941," 2.

36. lb id, 3.

37. 2nd Lt. John R. Jones, Air Corps Historical Officer, History of MacDill Field, December 7, 1941 - December 31, 1942, p. 54-55, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

38. Ibid, 56.

39. Ibid, 4.

MacDill Air Force Base HABS ·No. FL-384 {page 43)

40. Photograph of Runway Opening, August 14, 1940, History Office, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

41. "Interview with Mr. O.P. Cannon," 5.


43. "Interview with Mr. O.P. Cannon," 9.

44. Jones, 14.


46. Ibid, 8.

47. ibid, 12.

48. Ibid, 13-14.

49. Jones, 56-58.

50. Ibid.

51. Ibid, 58.

52. 2nd Lt. Curtis C. Bogasch, Air Corps Historical Officer, History of MacDill Field, December 7, 1941 - December 31, 1942, p. 67, 70, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58. -

59.

60. pp. 27-28.

61.

62.

Ibid, 71.

Jones, 1-2.

Ibid, 29.

Ibid, 30.

Ibid, 32-33.

Ibid, 32.

Ibid, 19-28.

History of III Bomber Command, 5 September 1941, Ch. II, p. 4: v.s., Quoted in Jones, 32.

Jones, 39.

Ibid, 36.

63. Ibid, 39.


64. "Gunnery," Thunderbird: MacDill Field Quarterly !(Winter 1944):7, 160.

65. "Navigation," Thunderbird: 1944):15, 158.

MacOill Field Quarterly !(Winter

66. "Radio," Thunderbird: MacDill Field Quarterly !(Winter 1944):21, 158.

67. "Engineering Aviation Unit Training Center," Thunderbird: MacDill Field Quarterly !(Winter 1944):150-153.

68. "Service Units At macDill in 1940, 11 History of MacDill Field, May 23, 1939 - December 7, 1941, p. 5, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

69. Ret. M.Sgt. Hank Crowns (MacDill Air Force Base Retirement Services), interviewed by Charissa Y. Wang, MacDill Air Force Base, FL., 20 January, 1994.

70. Headquarters, Engineering Aviation Unit Training Center (MacOi 11 Field) to Commanding Officer, Army Air Base (MacDill Field), I May 1945. In History of MacDill Field, May 1, 1945 - May 31, 1945, Exhibit #2, 286.01-3, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

71. "Negro Troops, E.A.U.T.C.," Thunderbird: MacDill Field Quarterly !(Winter 1944):photograph section.

72. "Engineering Aviation Unit Training Center," 151.

73. "Negro Units, 11 Thunderbird: 1943):49.

MacDill Field Quarterly !(Summer

74. "Global Mapmaking, 11 Thunderbird: MacOill Field Quarterly !(Winter 1944):41-45.

75. 1943):9.

"MacDill Goes Co-ed, 11 Thunderbird: MacDill Field Quarterly !(Summer

76. "History of the WAC Detachment, Headquarters Army Air Base, macDill Field," dated 9 November 1943 in History of WAC Detachment at MacDill Field from Activation to Inactivation, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

77. "MacDill Goes Co-ed, 11 10.

78. Ibid, 7.

79. Ibid, 12.


80. "MacDill WACs," Thunderbird: MacDill Field Quarterly l(Sunmer 1943):photograph section.

81. 2nd Lt. Curtis C. Bogasch, Air Corps Historical Officer, History of MacDill Field, October 1, 1944 - December 31, 1944, p. 45-46, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

82. SrA. Marc Cook, "POW recants MacDill time," Thunderbolt, 12 June 1987.

83. Tampa Bulletin, February 17, 1945. Quoted in 2nd Lt. Donald T. Gilbert, Air Corps Historical Officer, History of MacDill Field, May I, 1945 -May 31, 1945, p. 45-46, 286.01-3, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

84. "MacDil l's Navy, 11 Thunderbird: MacOi 11 Field Quarterly I (Winter 1944):66.

85. 2nd Lt. Curtis C. Bogasch, Air Corps Historical Officer, History of MacDill Field, October I, 1944 - December 31, 1944, p. 40-44, 286.01-2, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

86. MacDill Air Force Base (San Diego: Marcoa Publishing Inc., 1990), II.

87. The Tampa Daily Times, July 30, 1954, p. 1-2.

88. Ibid.

89. The Tampa Daily Times, April 24, 1954, p. I, 3.

90. Tampa Tribune, November 29, 1960, p. I.

91. "An Abridged History of MacOill," p. 8, March 1990, History Office, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

92. Tampa Tribune, February 12, 1963.

93. Tampa Tribune, March 22, 1962. p. 1.

94. "An Abridged History of MacOill," 8.

95. The Tampa Times, February 8, 1965, p. 15-A.

96. "An Abridged History of MacOill," 8.

97. St Petersburg Times, August 19, 1981, p. 1-A, 4-A.

98. The Tampa Tribune, May 5, 1979, p. 9-B.


99. The Tampa Times, August 29, 1975, p. 1-B to 2-B.

100. St Petersburg Times, September 28, 1980, p. 8-A.

101. Current (January 1994) handout from Public Affairs Office, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

PART VI: APPENDICES


CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN 1940

In September, 1940, the Base Headquarters at MacDill Field submitted a list of the construction projects and requirements. The plans called for the following:

Item Capacity Size/Feet Units Total Cost

Administration Building 44 Clerks 25'xl08' 4 $ 20,800.00 Barracks 63 Men 30'x80' 52 390,000.00 Day Rooms/Black Troops 125 Men 25'x72' 1 22,500.00 Day Rooms 250 Men 25'x72' 14 49,000.00 A.C. Gasoline & Oil Storage N/A N/A N/A 103,000.00 Enlisted Black Men Mess 170 Men 25'x87' 1 4,800.00 Enlisted Men Mess 250 Men 25'xl08' 14 75,600.00 Officers Mess 250 Men 25'xl08' 2 10,800.00 Operations Building 44 Clerks 25'xl08' N/A 15,600.00 Post Exchange 3,000 Men 37'x99' 1 8,600.00 Officers Quarters 40 Men 29'xl30' 6 78,000.00 Motor Repair Shop 4 Stalls 37'x84' 1 7,000.00 Quartermaster Maintenance N/A N/A N/A N/A Recreation Building N/A 37'x99' 1 9,600.00 Squadron Supply Warehouse N/A 25'x51 13 32,500.00 Telephone Installations N/A N/A N/A 5,000.00 Theatre 1,038 Men 1 55,000.00 Aircraft Warehouse N/A 60'xl53' I 14,000.00 Quartermaster Warehouse N/A 60'xl53' 1 14,000.00 CMS Warehouse N/A 60'xl53' 1 14,000.00 Interior Roads N/A N/A N/A 75,000.00 Concrete Roads N/A N/A N/A 82,500.00 Garage N/A N/A N/A 2,850.00 Walks N/A N/A N/A 15,000.00 Dredging N/A N/A N/A N/A --------------------------------------------------------------------------------TOTAL $1,422,300.00

BASE STATISTICS

NAME:

Colonel Leslie MacDill (1889-1938)

PREVIOUS REFERENCES:

Southeast Air Base MacDill Field

DATES:

Established on May 24, 1939 Construction began on September 6, 1939 Occupancy began on March 11, 1940

OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY:


Flying operations of B-17s & B-18s commenced on February 7, 1941. "Project X", the transporting of combat aircraft to the Philippines via the South

Atlantic and South Africa operated from December 1941 to February 1942. Base facilities upgraded to permit B-50 transition training and lead crew

training commence in the fall of 1950. Wherry housing (550 unit) project completed by the fall of 1951. Base facilities conversion for B-47 and KC-97 operation commenced in the fall of

1951. Main runway extended and an new hospital completed in October, 1956. Aircraft parking and apron areas rehabilitated and enlarger in August, 1959. Airman dormitory project completed by the fall of 1960. Aircraft facilities adapted and rehabilitated for F-4 operations and for U.S.

Strike CoJlllland in mid-1962. First U.S. Air Force base to accommodate two F-4 wings by March, 1965. B-57 combat crew training began between 1968 and 1969. U.S. Strike CoJ1111and changes to U.S. Readiness Command and assumes a duel role of

global readiness and training in 1972. Bases facilities upgraded for F-16 operations between 1980 and 1981.

MAJOR COMMANDS:

GHQAF Third Air Force Continental Air Forces Strategic Air Command Tactical Air Command

April 8, 1940 July 21, 1942 April 16, 1945 March 21, 1946 July 1, 1962

BASE COMMANDERS:

Lt. Col. Lynwood B. Jacobs Lt. Col. Harry H. Young Col. Clarence L. Tinker Brig. Gen. Follett Bradley Col. Harry H. Young Col. Thomas S. Voss Col. James B. Carroll Col. Edwin G. Simenson Brig. Gen. Joseph H. Atkinson Col. George P. Tourtellot Brig. Gen Donald R. Hutchinson Brig. Gen. James E. Briggs Col. Thayer S. Olds Col. Jean R. Byerly Col. Robert E. Kimmel Col. Brintnall H. Merchant Lt. Col. B. Haynes Col. Brintnall H. Merchant Col. Robert H. Strauss Col. Irvine H. Shearer Col. Charles B. Tyler, Jr. Col. Gilmer E. Walker, Jr. Col. Louis L. Leibel Col. Gilmer E. Walker Jr. Col. Louis L. Leibel Col. Wayne S. Connors Unknown Col. Joseph M. Martin

BASE OPERATING UNITS:

27th Air Base Squadron 27th Air Base Group 28th Base Headquarters &

Air Base Squadron MacDill Field Base Det. 326th Army Air Force Base Unit 307th Airdrome Group 307th Air Base Group 306th Air Base Group 809th Air Base Group 306th Combat Support Group 836th Combat Support Group 15th Combat Support Group 1st Combat Support Group 56th Combat Support Group

September 8, 1939 March 18, 1940 May 17, 1940 August 13, 1941 August 21, 1941 May 30, 1942 October 10, 1943 May 29, 1945 October 29, 1945 January 20, 1946 October 7, 1946 March 28, 1949 Ju-ly ? , 1950 February 10, 1951 June 11, 1951 August 13, 1951 August 31, 1954 October 1, 1954 August 1, 1955 December 10, 1956 March 25, 1957 July 1, 1957 September 1, 1958 October 28, 1958 November 14, 1958 August 11, 1959 September 8, 1962 November 12, 1962

March 11, 1940 September 1, 1940 July 15, 1942

December 13, 1943 May 1, 1944 August 15, 1947 Ju 1 y 12 , 1948 September 1, 1950 June 16, 1952 June 1, 1959 July 1, 1962 June 8, 1969 October 1, 1970 July 1, 1975


PART VII: BIBLIOGRAPHY

MacDill Air Force Base HASS No. FL-384 (page 50)

Alarcon. Daniel. "MacDill AFB: An Imposing Military Element." Tampa Tribune. 8 February 1983.

Anonymous. History of MacDill Field--Mav 23. 1939 to December 7, 1941. MacDill Field Historical Office: Tampa, Florida. 1942.

"Army Base Here Named For Air Crash Victim." Tampa Daily Times. 28 December 1939.

"Big War Planes Arrive As Army Takes Over Air Field." Tampa Morning Tribune. 16 May 1940.

Bogasch, Curtis. History of MacDill Field--January I. 1943 to September 30, 1944. MacDill Field Historical Office: Tampa, Florida. 1945.

Bogasch, Curtis. History of MacDill Field--October I. 1944 to December 31. 1944. MacDill Field Historical Office: Tampa, Florida. 1945.

Bogasch, Curtis. History of MacDill Field--January l, 1945 to March 31, 1945. MacDill Field Historical Office: Tampa, Florida. 1946.

Brackman, David. "Uh, MacDill, You Turned 50." St. Petersburg Times. 14 July 1989".

Chancey, R. E. "Mayor Praises Tampans For Air Base Work." Tampa Tribune. 13 July 1939.

Coker, William. The Military Presence On The Gulf Coast. University of West Florida Foundation/State of Florida: Pensacola, Florida. 1978.

"Colonel Jacobs Army Air Base Head, Arrives." Tampa Tribune. 9 September 1939.

Cook, Marc. "POW Recants MacDill Time. 11 Thunderbolt. June 12, 1987.

Crowder, James. Osage General: Major General Clarence L. Tinker. Office of History: Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. 1987.

Deibler, Dan. "MacDill AFB ... It's Proven To Be Really Big Business For The Tampa Area." The Tampa Tribune. 5 May 1976.

Dunlap, Jeff. "'Catfish Point' Became MacDill Field Before War." The Tampa Tribune. 22 October 1979.


Ellis, Virginia. "Viet-Bound Enlisted Men Stop at MacDill." Tampa Times. 21 October 1968.

Florida's Sun Coast Salutes MacDill AFB--Unofficial Directory and Guide for 1979 to 1980. American Publishers, Inc.: San Diego, California. 1979.

"44th Squadron of Bombers In Its New Hangar." Tampa Morning Tribune. 11 July 1941.

Gilbert, Donald. History of MacDill Field--Mav 1. 1945 to May 31. 1945. MacDill Field Historical Office: Tampa, Florida. 1943.

"Goodbye, SAC, Welcome, TAC." Tampa Tribune. 13 February 1967.

Halloran, Richard. "Rapid deployment force: Is It Ready?" St. Petersburg Times. 28 september 1980.

Hawes, Leland. "Pilot Was MacDill's Ist Leader." Tampa Tribune. 21June1992.

"History of WAC Detachment, Headquarters Army Air Base, MacOill Field. 11 MacDi 11 Field: Tampa, Florida. 9 November 1943.

Jones, John. History of MacDill Field--December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1942. MacDill Field Historical Office: Tampa, Florida. 1943.

Kennedy, Frank. "Predicts Tampa Field To Become Biggest In U. S." Tampa Morning Tribune. Date: Unknown.

MacAlester, Paul. "MacDill Installs Nation's First RAPCON Center." Tampa Times. 24 April 1954.

MacAlester, Paul. "MacDill Air Force Base Is Key in Nation's Jet Age Progress." Tampa Times. 30 September 1954.

"MacDill Air Base Among Largest SAC Operation." Tampa Daily Times. 18 May 1956.

MacDill Air Force Base--Unofficia 1 Directory and Guide for 1990. Marcoa Publishing, Inc.: San Diego, California. 1990.

"MacDill Boasts Greatest Fighter Base in World." Tampa Times. 8 February 1965.

"MacDill Entertains On Anniversary." Tampa Tribune. 8 August 1949.

"MacDill Field Opens First of Five Hangars; They'll Hold Big B-19." Tampa Sunday Tribune. 13 July 1941.

"MacDill To Get 2 New Air Wings." The Tampa Tribune. 20 March 1962.


Middleton, Drew. "Command At MacDill Stands Ready For Global Action." St. Petersburg Times. 5 April 1977.

"Public To See MacDill Today At Dedication." Tampa Morning Tribune. 15 April 1941.

Mueller, Robert. Air Force Bases: Volume 1. Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 1January1974. Research Division: Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center. 1982.

Roberts, Harry. "Air Force Says MacDill Will Close In June of 1962. 11 Tampa Tribune 11

• 29 November 1960.

Robins, Charlie. 11 MacDill's Busy In Peacetime, Too. 11 Tampa Times. 29 August 1975.

Smith, Fred. "MacDill To Remain Air Base." Tampa Tribune. 28 March 1962.

Stafford, Charles. "MacDil 1 Is Big Industry In Tampa Bay Economy." Tampa Tribune. 6 February 1966.

Stafford, Charles. "MacDi 11 Is Home To 2 Key Nerve Centers In America's Defense." St. Petersburg Time. 19 August 1981.

Stewart, Howard. 11 New 'Strike' Connnand Revitalizes Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base." Tampa Morning Tribune. 13 February 1962.

"Strike Headquarters Has First Anniversary." Tampa Times. 9 October 1962.

Stublen, Nash. "MacDill-based Central Command to Provide Expanded Security." Tampa Tribune. 9 December 1982.

Sustana, Ronald. "To Get There Fustest' With The Mostest'." Tampa Tribune. 12 February 1963.

"Tampa Gets Air Base." Tampa Morning Tribune. 14 July 1939.

Taylor, Janet. 11 MacDill Air Force Base Named After Veteran Aviator. 11 St. Petersburg Times. 22 July 1976.

"Throng Sees MacDill Field Dedicated To U. S. Defense. 11 Tampa Morning Tribune. 17 April 1941.

Thunderbird. Sununer Edition. Volume 1, Number 2. MacDill Field Quarterly: Tampa, Florida. 1943.

Thunderbird. Winter Edition. Volume 1, Number 3. MacDill Field Quarterly: Tampa, Florida. 1944.

"Trouble Shooter." Tampa Tribune. 7 February 1975.


"The World Looks at Tampa As Its B-47's Make History." Tampa Times. 5 September 1953.

"WPA Will Concentrate on Training Defense Hands." Tampa Morning Tribune. 27 June 1941.

"WPA Workers Had Big Part in Building MacDill Field." Tampa Morning Tribune. 17 April 1941.

MACO ILL AIR FORCE BASE .

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MacDill Air Force Base HABS No. FL-384 (Page 54)

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photographslcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/fl/fl0300/fl0363/data/...photographs written...

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